You can't really justify this bigotry by weird interpretations of religious texts since they are products of a time when Islam had not made a significant connection to India. The devout Hindus I mention do not really read religious texts. They just listen to fascist demagogues on YouTube and WhatsApp etc.
I don't mean to say that Hinduism in its "real" form is good and inclusionary. (I don't have a strong opinion about this but I feel what I have been told of the Hindu epics seems problematic to put it lightly.) Just that the modern interpretation of the religion has taken a life of its own and spun out of control. Hinduism as it exists today is defined by what RSS and BJP preach it as and I don't see any opposing voices within the religion. So I feel it cannot be redeemed.
You can't really justify this bigotry by weird interpretations of religious texts since they are products of a time when Islam had not made a significant connection to India. The devout Hindus I mention do not really read religious texts. They just listen to fascist demagogues on YouTube and WhatsApp etc.
I don't mean to say that Hinduism in its "real" form is good and inclusionary. (I don't have a strong opinion about this but I feel what I have been told of the Hindu epics seems problematic to put it lightly.) Just that the modern interpretation of the religion has taken a life of its own and spun out of control. Hinduism as it exists today is defined by what RSS and BJP preach it as and I don't see any opposing voices within the religion. So I feel it cannot be redeemed.