Shikha Dalmia on Hinduism's Growing Chasm With Liberal Values
Hinduism is regarded as a pluralistic and tolerant faith given that it is not based on revealed truth, is not
monotheistic, and does not require believers to go around converting the infidel (unlike in Islam and Christianity). Yet it has taken a fanatical and dogmatic turn over the last two decades with the rise of Hindu nationalism. No doubt the nationalist agenda is politically driven to exploit the Hindu sense of grievance. Still, one would have thought that an inherently tolerant faith would control the worst extremist tendencies of its adherents.
Why, asks Reason Foundation Senior Analyst Shikha Dalmia, is Hinduism having difficulty doing so?