Putting an End to Violence in the Name of Religion
“Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now” – thus spoke Swami Vivekananda in his address at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago on 11 September 1893. These words echoed in my head when I heard news of the senseless killing in Pahalgam in Kashmir on 22 April 2025. They echo each time, there have been killings in the name of religion.
Swami Vivekananda had optimistically hoped that the first Parliament of Religions that had brought together people of different religious affiliations from all over the world would be a step towards ending this madness. Sadly, however, well over a century later, there does not seem to have been much progress in this direction. If anything, religious fundamentalism and fanaticism seem to have multiplied manifold and there is an increase in violence in the name of religion. No religion preaches hatred. Yet, time and again there are instances of acts of violence across the globe in the name of religion.
A SHARED HISTORY
India’s independence in 1947 came with partition into two nations on the basis of religion – an act that led to riots and massive exodus of people belonging to the religious minority from either side of the border and caused unending suffering. It is sad that even today, nearly eight decades after partition, there is animosity and mistrust between these countries that came to be as they gained independence from British rule. We have a shared history and there is so much that we have in common culturally.
For instance, Bollywood films are a big hit in both Pakistan and Bangladesh, as are Pakistani serials in India. Love for ghazals and shayari is another common thread between Pakistan and India. By way of personal experience, I was overwhelmed by the courtesy, love and affection bestowed on us, during a brief visit to the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, in 2015, as part of a research team. Right from the time we landed in Islamabad, there was a welcoming warmth as people reached out to connect. Walking around Faisalabad city late in the evening, sitting by the roadside sipping lassi, there was an air of bonhomie and it was like being in any city in North India.
Likewise in Bangladesh, where I lived and worked in 2021-22, there was love, warmth and respect. A love for theatre, the Bangla language, Rabindrasangeet and Nazrulgeeti are bonds that closely link Bangladesh and West Bengal in India, not to speak of the love for fish! Yet, at a geopolitical level, there is persistent tension that periodically escalates. With the IT revolution, digital technology and social media now ensure that news travels faster than ever before and a lot of misinformation and fake news gets circulated, polarising opinions! Large amounts are spent by these countries on defence and guarding borders, which in an atmosphere of peace could have been spent instead on public health, education and social safety nets to improve human well-being.
War and loss of lives and property has never led to the resolution of tensions. It is the efforts for peace that sustain. And as Mahatma Gandhi used to say, we have to start with ourselves, examining our attitude and beliefs at both the individual and societal levels. I shall focus here on India.
HYSTERIA VERSUS REALITY
Secularism is enshrined in the Indian Constitution. While the majority belong to the Hindu faith, Muslims accounting for about 14 percent of our population of 1.4 billion, are the largest religious minority. The years preceding our independence saw bloody Hindu / Muslim riots. A fervour was created in the name of religion and a large mass of people blindly responded in frenzy.
Unfortunately, one is witness to increasing instances of such incidents in the country over the last decade. While Pakistan and Bangladesh are proclaimed Islamic countries, a Hindutva surge in secular India backed by the current political dispensation is making people belonging to other religions feel unwanted and insecure in their own country! For instance, there have been cow vigilante gangs indulging in lynching of people belonging to the other religion, in the name of cow protection. Houses have been demolished on flimsy grounds; there are reports that getting a house on rent is difficult. Around half a dozen Muslim youth have been in jail without trial for five years now, for leading peaceful protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act.
Notwithstanding the instigators of violence in the name of religion and the political dispensation turning a blind eye, by and large, the common man/woman everywhere wishes to live in peace and harmony. Coming back to Pahalgam, in the immediate aftermath of the shootings, it was the local people, the Muslims, who came to the aid of the affected tourists (mostly Hindus), ensuring their safe passage back to where they had come from. There was a spontaneous shutdown in the Kashmir valley the day after the horrific incident, as a mark of protest against the killings. The survivors in turn upon their return home, have expressed their gratitude for the many spontaneous acts of kindness they experienced. On the other hand however, there was no dearth of hysteria on news channels, social media, and WhatsApp groups, vociferously demanding revenge. Students from Kashmir studying in different parts of India were asked to head back home overnight! Indeed one was shocked to find even acquaintances one thought were similar minded, mouth venom in the name of religion and label those who did not do so, anti-national!
For Jammu & Kashmir, the senseless attack and killing of innocents has put a brake to the inflow of tourists and affected local livelihoods. Both Hindus and Muslims are victims of the dastardly act of the shooters, who seemingly happen to be a Muslim terrorist group not wanting peace in the sub-continent. Many local residents are reported to have been rounded up for questioning and many innocent people will suffer from torture. Civilians living in the border areas have been affected by loss of life and property in the aftermath of the incident and retaliatory actions. One shudders to think of the trauma children undergo in these areas, living with uncertainty and witness to bloodshed and violence.
A PATH TO PEACE
What is it that drives the recurrence of such acts of terror and violence? We desperately need multiple Mahatma Gandhis to reinforce the message of unity and love for all humanity. While action is called for at multiple levels, what is it that we as common citizens can do to make the voice of sanity prevail? Our educational institutions and youth should ideally take the lead. Unfortunately, the administration in many of these institutions and many academics have also come to support hate politics and turn a blind eye to violence in the name of religion. How is one to make the youth in such institutions understand and speak the language of tolerance towards all religions?
Peace education and appreciation of interfaith harmony has to begin in our homes and schools and colleges. The History for Peace initiative of the Seagull Foundation for the Arts that works with teachers and students to foster an understanding of history and foster a spirit of peaceful coexistence is an example. There are lessons we can draw from Mahatma Gandhi who strived relentlessly for harmony between all religions, for rising above petty politics and espousing Hindu-Muslim unity, ultimately paying for it with his life.
There is no dearth of examples of other upholders of secularism ,from Guru Nanak, Kabir and Swami Vivekananda to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, and the Dalai Lama, to name a few. There are already initiatives for peace and religious harmony silently working in different parts of the country that need to be highlighted and replicated, to counter the anti-Muslim Hindutva narrative.
Karwan-e-Mohabbat is one such initiative. There are Gandhi Ashrams in several parts of India that with the right leadership can play a proactive role in this direction. A Gandhian friend in Wardha together with a few associates, is engaging with people across villages in Vidarbha to increase awareness about Constitutional values and fundamental rights. Disom Foundation is endeavoring to nurture a generation of future leaders and change-makers and now mentoring its third cohort, is another example. Then there are civil society organisations and initiatives such as the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism, and the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM).
Like-minded people and initiatives such as these have to connect, be more visible and get heard. The same social media that is wantonly being used to spread hate, is a powerful tool available to spread the message of peace and religious harmony. We need decentralised leadership and champions of peace at the local level, who speak up without fear, say no to violence in the name of religion and work together to realize the India that belongs to all of us and is an example of peaceful coexistence. Their numbers have to multiply and get heard,over the din of violence and hate that is spreading.
