between Islam and Hinduism increasingly created conflict, particularly among
religious fundamentalists and activists.
During the British colonial period
from the early 1800s until 1947, conflict
between Muslims and Hindus intensified. When independence came in 1947,
the former Indian land was divided into
predominantly Hindu India and Muslim
Pakistan (West Pakistan and East Pakistan, the latter now called Bangladesh).
This division was an extreme effort
to separate Hindus and Muslims to avoid
bloodshed, but the division was not complete. Although an astounding 15 million
Muslims and Hindus were displaced,
many Muslims were not willing to give
up their family lands in India to leave.
Although India is constitutionally a
India is now the world’s second largsecular state, bloodshed from religious
est
Muslim
country after Indonesia. Its
quarrels has frequented this democracy’s
Muslim population is estimated at 136
history. The latest deadly events included
million and represents about 14 percent
a train fire that killed 53 Hindus and an
of India’s population. The Muslim popuurban riot that may have killed 300 mostly
lation is mostly concentrated in the Ganges
Muslims in Ahmadabad. These two reValley and along the Indian borders with
cent incidents, however, are related to
Pakistan and Bangladesh, but there are
events nearly a decade ago in another
clusters scattered throughout the counplace more than 600 miles (965 km.) to the
try.
northeast.
Although India is secular, conflicts
The recent train fire occurred in the
between fundamentalist, or orsmall West Indian town of
thodox, Hindus and MusGodhra near Ahmadabad.
lims seem to be a fact of
In order to protect train paslife and death. Secularsengers from non-passenAFGHANISTAN
ism, or the purposeful
gers, Indian trains have
exclusion of religion
CHINA
bars on the windows. Acfrom
government, is
cording to the Associated
PAKISTAN
NE
specified
in the Indian,
Press (March 2, 2002), MusBHUTAN
PA
L
as well as U.S., constitulims allegedly set fire to the
Ayodhya
tions. Secularism, howtrain carrying Hindu activever, cannot prevent reliists. When the fires were
BANGLADESH
Ahmadabad
gious conflict, particularly
set-apparently using an acGodhra
when religious beliefs of
celerant such as gasolineMYANMAR
INDIA
two
different faiths directly
the bars on the rail car wincontradict
one another.
dows prevented passenThe religious site of
gers from escaping the
Arabian Sea
both Hindus and Muslims
flames and they were inBay of Bengal
located in Ayodhya is the
cinerated.
match that lit the recent
The Hindu victims of
train fire in Godhra and
the fire were activists rethe retaliatory urban riot
turning from a religious site
Muslim Dominated Regions
SRI
in Ahmadabad. This saga
LANKA
called Ayodhya in North0
500 mi
is
ongoing, however, and
ern India’s Ganges Valley.
0
500 km
we are likely to see similar
They were planning to
INDONESIA
events erupt all across Inbuild a Hindu temple on Geography in the News 03/22/02
P.T. Beane, Jr./M. Johnson
©2002 maps.com
dia, as fervent worshipers
the religious site, which is
attempt to gain exclusive
holy to both Hindus and
claim to the religious site at Ayodhya.
soon thereafter by Arab traders along the
Muslims. In 1993, 4,000 fundamentalist
And that is Geography in the News.
coast.
By
the
11th
century,
Islamic
influIndian Hindus destroyed a Muslim
March
22, 2002. #616.
ence
covered
much
of
South
Asia.
When
mosque built in 1528 on a low hill at
Turkic
invaders
from
Central
Asia
ruled
Ayodhya. They believed that it was built
(The author is a Professor of Geography
India from 1526-1857, many more Indion the birthplace of a Hindu god, Rama.
at Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.)
ans converted to Islam. The competition
Of course, Muslims were extremely of-
INDIA’S
RELIGIOUS
QUARRELS
fended at the destruction of their mosque.
Bloodshed immediately followed the
mosque’s destruction in 1993, with 800
dying in riots in Mumbai (Bombay) alone.
More than 40,000 Bangladeshi Muslims
soon gathered at the Indian border and
threatened to march to Ayodhya to rebuild the mosque and perhaps to have
revenge.
In order to appease the Muslim population and to hold down bloodshed, the
Indian government proposed rebuilding
the mosque. This act, however, only partially appeased the Muslims, while simultaneously enraging fundamentalist
Hindus.
The history of conflict between Hinduism and Islam for the conversion of
India’s population dates back nearly to
the founding of Islam. Hinduism is South
Asia’s oldest major religion and has its
largest number of adherents in India. Hinduism was formed by and brought to
India by the Aryans about 500 BC. Eighty
percent of India’s population today is
Hindu.
Islam, the faith of Muslims, was introduced to the Indian subcontinent by
invading Afghans in the 8th century and
Hindus vs. Muslims
© 2002 maps.com