India
For India’s ‘third sex,’ acceptance is slowed by colonialism’s legacy
By Kalpana Jain — December 8, 2022
(RNS) — Nineteenth-century British colonial rulers dramatically altered the prevailing cultural understanding of gender identity and morality.
State Department blacklists are only one tool to foster international religious freedom
By Knox Thames — December 6, 2022
(RNS) — The designations beg the question: Do they help?
Why they broke with Hindu nationalism: Four former zealots speak out
By Priyadarshini Sen — November 11, 2022
(RNS) — Participants in the destruction of a historic mosque 30 years ago, a signal event that led to a surge in Hindu nationalism in India, talk about their transformed lives.
Why ‘proud Hindu’ Rishi Sunak’s rise to British prime minister is a big deal
By Murali Balaji — October 26, 2022
(RNS) — A Hindu now leads a country that for two centuries subjugated Hindus around the world.
India’s Hindu nationalism is exporting its Islamophobia
By Omar Suleiman — October 6, 2022
(RNS) — Hindutva is linking with other modern fascist movements across the globe.
In India, where Hindu majority has complex views, Supreme Court liberalizes abortion law
By Kalpana Jain — October 3, 2022
(RNS) — The judgment will have significant implications for Muslim, Christian and other minority faith groups but will likely face pushback from conservative Hindus.
How India’s ‘Hindutva pop’ stars use music to target Muslims
By Hanan Zaffar and Hamaad Habibullah — August 26, 2022
(RNS) — Observers say the increasingly popular genre is triggering violence against Muslims, a minority already marginalized by Hindu nationalists with support from the BJP government.
The day my grandparents left our ancestral village in South Asia for good
By Tarunjit Singh Butalia — August 15, 2022
(RNS) — I pledged not to let the hate of the partition eclipse my love of humanity.
75 years after India’s independence, a lost generation recovers its Hindu faith
By Murali Balaji — August 12, 2022
(RNS) — Indian Hindus who grew up after independence have never fully processed the trauma of colonialism.
Preserving stories of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh friendships through India’s partition
By Richa Karmarkar — August 10, 2022
(RNS) — Descendants of those who experienced the Partition of Punjab in 1947 come together to share stories of interfaith collaboration after 75 years of religious animosity in India and Pakistan.
Police break up Muslim gathering in Kashmir, dozens detained
By Associated Press — August 9, 2022
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Muharram is among the holiest months for Shiites across the world and includes large processions of mourners beating their chests while reciting elegies and chanting slogans to mourn the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussein and 72 companions in the battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq.
Dalai Lama travels to remote Ladakh region bordering China
By Aijaz Hussain — July 15, 2022
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Officials said at least 20,000 people gathered all along the road to the Dalai Lama's summer palace, some 10 kilometers from the airport.
Dalai Lama marks 87th birthday by opening library and museum
By Ashwini Bhatia — July 6, 2022
DHARMSALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama Library and Museum contain artifacts, his teachings, and books on his life and struggle for Tibetan autonomy and protection of its native Buddhist culture.
In Kashmir, ‘conscious music’ tests India’s limits on speech
By Sheikh Saaliq and Aijaz Hussain — July 5, 2022
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — A new musical tradition blends progressive Sufi rock with hip-hop in an assertive expression of political aspirations.
India Hindus begin pilgrimage in Kashmir amid heavy security
By Aijaz Hussain — June 30, 2022
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — In massive security arrangements, tens of thousands of police and soldiers carrying automatic rifles and wearing flak jackets have been deployed to guard the pilgrimage.
