Dear Editor,
As Hindus, we have a long history of being centred on our immediate families and being dismissive of the total community. It is a cultural factor because we do not have the same evangelical judgemental fervour where we embrace or ostracize people because of their individual beliefs and way of life.
Islam and Christianity’s historical background did not promote individual freedom on matters of faith. Both faith demands uncompromised obedience to the teachings and practice and seek to reinforce steadfast subservience to the commandments and laws, as revealed. The Islamic Brotherhood, as we know, does not tolerate blasphemy or any act which condemns or censures the prophet or the Koran.
The words in the Bible and the Koran are considered divine revelations directly by God and Allah. As such, everyone must submit to the Prophetic authority of Muhammed – the divinely chosen messenger of Allah; or to Jesus Christ – the son of the Christian God who can redeem all born again Christians of all their sins through baptism and repentance.
Non-compliance is not tolerated by these two Abrahamic religions; conversions of non-believers are mandated as a duty by all Muslim believers and born-again Christians. Every member holds themselves to be defenders of their faith and will gladly surrender their lives with the belief that they will get immediate salvation if they are martyred.
As Hindus, we are fundamentally culturally inclusive but not fervently bonded to one absolute God principle, which requires any structured rigidity in our beliefs and the way that we choose or worship or not worship. Sanathan Dharma believes that every soul is born as an aspect of God and that we are responsible for reuniting with God’s absolute reality through our good deeds and actions. We can be enlightened by knowing that we are indivisible from the divine consciousness …which is our birthright – similar to how every river surrenders to the mighty ocean and reunite with the source of its existence, as one, by losing its identity.
Cliff Rajkumar