India Arriving--Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Faith and Tolerance

This chapter discussed the issues of faith and tolerance. India is a land filled with many religions and religious views. Because of this, riots and disputes can easily occur, but religious tolerance can also occur.

Throughout history, the author states that "the Muslim population has been ghettoized through a systematic, state-sponsored, violent effort to stamp out any signs of economic resurgence. In response, foreign investors and many domestic ones as well stayed away." It is very interesting to me, that many locals are quite passive of the riots that were planned and executed. Many are called guilty of doing nothing, but it is also argued that if the police do their jobs, the locals shouldn't have to respond to the situation. Police in India do not have very much difficulty ending a riot. Gun controls are extremely tight in India, so an armed policeman only needs to walk up to a rioting group and the group will typically disperse.

So why is there a lack of tolerance? Well, the author mentions three reasons for this. One reason is the caste system, which an be blamed for many problems between Muslims and Hindus. Many roots of conflict go beyond recent times, and are deeply rooted in the Hindu aversion to Muslims. Finally, there is an economic decline of Muslims which has also led to a lack of tolerance. The author states that "To Indians, tolerance is a consequence of a common belief that each person will have a spiritual path that is unique but offers learning opportunities for all." Tolerance is clearly still be strived for in the Indian society.