A essay on communal harmony in 400-500 words.
Answers
All religions in the world teach peace and peace alone. They say there is only one god. Practicing love and truth are the ways of reaching him. Christianity says, “Love, thy neighbor as you love thyself”, Prophet Mohammad taught universal brotherhood. Hinduism taught “Sarvejanah Sukhino Bhavantu”. Let all people in the world live in happiness or bliss.
Budhism also taught the gospel of love. Yet the world has gone through many wars fought on the basis of religion. The crusades, the partition of India and the massacre that followed, are a few examples where religion disturbed harmony and peace.
The problem does not arise for nations or State where its entire people belong to one religion. The problem arises where people belonging to more than one religion live. Of late, we see that there are conflicts even among those who follow the same religion but belong to different sects. Man with his powers of reasoning and intelligence gives his own version of truth and God, and the difference leads to a sect. in Christianity there are Catholics and Protestants. In Islam there are Sunnis and Shias. In Bhddhists there are Hinayanas and Mahayanas. In Hinduism the divisions are many. All these religions preach that there is only one God. Yet in praying to the one God there are differences and conflict.
Hinduism stands for unity in diversity. There are three specified systems of philosophy ‘Advaita’, ‘Dvaita’ and Visisthadwaita’. They all say there is one God, but the man – god relationship differs in each. In Hindus there is a pantheon of gods to be prayed for God appears in different forms. Sit is all right for a philosopher. But for a common man it leads to conflict.
Casteism in Hinduism is another malady. Whatever may be the root-cause for the establishment of caste it has now come to stay as a big hazard for the unity of Hindus. When harmony does not exist within one community where is a religion of tolerance. It has accepted all faiths as one and had co--existed with them for centuries. It has even absorbed Buddha as one of the ten ‘Avatars’ of Lord Vishnu.
Apart from that India has produced great kings and saints who saw the oneness of all religions in the name of one God. Akbar, the greatest of the Moghul Kings, gave even a new religion in 1582 blending all faith, calling it “Din-e-Ilahi”. Saints like Kabirdas and Saibaba have sung in the name of one religion. The Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj movements have take up the cause of uniting all men and to establish communal harmony in society. In spite of all efforts, conflicts still arise and peace is disturbed.
The main cause for disharmony is not religions. Disharmony is due to not understanding the truths therein properly. Gandhiji sang “Eshwar Allah tereo nam”. Still he could not prevent partition of India. Why? Man is always selfish and religion is like opium. When man is under its influence he does not know what he does. He feels that he is serving God by harming or hurting the other man. It is a mob frenzy that takes place. To prevent it, a lot of rational thinking on religion and proper understanding of truths in it’s necessary.
India is home to people from different religions and castes. People belonging to different ethnic groups and religions live here in harmony with each other. At workplaces, in schools, while doing business dealings people from different backgrounds come together and work/study together. A harmonious atmosphere is maintained at such places. However, there have been times when there have been problems due to religious differences among citizens of our country. Here is how our government binds the citizens in unity and how they have fallen apart at various points.
Secularism Binds People
With the 42nd Amendment of the Indian Constitution enacted back in 1976, the Preamble to the Constitution stated that India is a secular nation. The country does not follow any official state religion. The laws require the state and its institutions to accept and respect all the religions. Each individual in the country is free to choose his religion and change it at any time. Treating all the religions equally and giving freedom to choose one’s religion is a way to ensure communal harmony in the country.
Instances of Communal Riots
While the Constitution of the country is imbued with the spirit to maintain communal harmony, the same has been disrupted many a times. Here are some instances of communal riots in India:
1857 Bharuch Riots
These riots occurred between the Bohra Muslims and Parsis in May 1857. The riots broke out as some Muslims accused Bejonji Sheriaiji Bharucha, a Parsi of desecrating a mosque. Five days later as many as 200 Muslims gathered together and attacked Dastur Kamdin Dar-e Mihr, a fire temple and brutally murdered its High Priest.
1969 Gujarat Riots
This refers to the riots between Hindus and Muslims during September-October 1969 in Gujarat. This was the first major communal violence in Gujarat that involved looting and massacre on a wide scale. Near about 660 people were killed and 1074 were injured during these riots.
1984 Anti-Sikh Riots
Also known as the 1984 Sikh Massacre, these were a series of attacks against the Sikhs in India. These riots were said to be carried out by agitated mobs in reaction to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s murder by her Sikh bodyguards. Around 2800 people across the country were killed during these riots of which approximately 2100 were from Delhi.
1984 Bhiwandi Riots
These riots took place in and around Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi town in the year 1984. As many as 278 people were killed and more than 1000 injured during the Bhiwandi riots. The outbreak occurred when a saffron flag was placed on the top of a mosque.
1985 Gujarat Riots
These riots started in February 1985 and continued for almost 9 months that is until October. It is believed that this violence was invoked by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in an attempt to defame the ruling government. This was initially an intra Hindu caste issue owing to the reservation policy. However, gradually it turned into Hindu-Muslim communal riots.
2006 Vadodara Riots
Also referred to as the 2006 Dargah Riots, these occurred in May 2006 in Vadodara, Gujarat. The riots were a result of the municipal council’s decision to remove the Sufi saint Syed Chishti Rashiduddin’s dargah. It is said that the police targeted Muslims during this incident. Incidents of Hindu-Muslim clashes were reported in several areas during these riots.
Conclusion
Religion is a very sensitive issue. India has always followed a policy of secularism. The Constitution of our country gives absolute freedom to every individual to choose his/her religion. However, there are certain groups and individuals that disrupt the peace and harmony in the country by spreading communal violence. But ultimately peace has always triumphed over communal violence.