All over the world, India is being criticized as an intolerant country. Despite major incidents of ongoing violence across the world such as a major war between Russia and Ukraine which impacts millions of lives, air attacks by Pakistan on Afghanistan nationals which resulted in at least 47 casualties, media across the world are keen to highlight different incidents within India to highlight that India is an intolerant country.
Growing up in India, I used to wonder about a funny noise that would arise every day from loudspeakers erected at the top of religious places, in the mornings and evenings. And, I used to wonder what the meaning of the sounds coming from the loudspeakers were. Though every religious person has a freedom to practice their religion, it would have been appropriate if the sounds were in a local, or in an Indian language, so it could be understood by others. Don’t we have a right to know what is being said, and understand it, as we are being forced to hear it multiple times every day? Who knows, whether what is being blown over loudspeakers daily is a religious prayer, or a way to establish religious superiority of one group or faith. The constitution of India provides everyone the rights to follow and practise their religious faith, without imposing on others. Isn’t forcefully making people belonging to different denominations listen daily to noise on loudspeakers encroaching on their religious rights granted by the constitution?
In addition, in India, we tend to forget our historical past, and misunderstand the difference between historical and constitutional justice. In the general elections held in 1945, Muslim voters unanimously voted for a partition of India. Post this, undivided India was partitioned in 1947 into two countries, India and Pakistan. However, a majority of the Muslim community who voted for a separate homeland for Muslims, stayed back in India after the partition. On the other hand, constitutionally, they enjoy the same rights to practise their religion as other communities (which is also correct). However, shouldn’t they also respect the freedom of other religious followers, and avoid encroaching them through oudspeakers? Mutual respect for other religions is a must for a healthy society.