On religious discrimination, India next only to Iraq

[Macj]

Ill try again: So in a region that encompasses Saudi Arabia where folks are imprisoned for displaying religious signs other than those proscribed by Islam the creators of this report deem it fair to call up India. A nation where the Hindu Temple donations are used to pay for Hajj pilgrimages. Kudos to bias.

[Ram]

Does India have a large number of individuals/groups who have a vested interest in spreading hate and fear based on religious lines? Probably yes. Given that we're now 1.2 billion people with an extremely diverse and under-educated population, it was only natural that this was the case. Frankly, people should have been surprised if it wasnt. However, as a society in general, is the majority religion tolerant and respectful of the minority religion and vice-versa? Of coouuuuuuuuuuuuurse.. Our peoples have an extremely high sensitivity towards the practices and rituals of all religion. Anyone who cannot see that FACT is plain effing blind. Our Prime Minister is from a minority religion. Many of our top-businessman/politicians/actors/sportsmen are from minority religions. Its one of those rare aspects of the Indian society, that make me feel proud of being Indian.

[Brainfade]

Oh ... the irony The irony is so obvious, it bears no comment. http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/12/23/december.dilemma/index.html Excerpt from the linked CNN article:

L.S. Narasimhan, chairman of the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, is a Hindu and doesn't celebrate Christmas. But he said he admires the Christian celebrations of his friends and has attended Christmas Eve services at several churches. "Hindus are typically more open-minded and tolerant. Hinduism is very comfortable in accommodating a diversity of ideas," he said. "It is very common for Hindu families to have Christmas trees at their homes, purely as a fun thing to do for their children. When they visit shopping malls, Hindu parents in general are comfortable with a photo-op for their little kids with Santa." But at the same time, there are pressures about the encroachment of Christianity on Hindu life. "Television commercials, good selection of merchandise and great sale prices persuade Hindu-Americans to take advantage of the shopping spree," Narasimhan said. "Several Hindu temples have risen up to the challenge and added some special Hindu prayers and ceremonies to engage Hindus who are on winter holidays but not on overseas vacations." Dr. Shefali Chheda, an Atlanta-area pediatrician, is a Jain -- practicing a religion with Indian roots. Growing up in Houston, Texas, she said her parents "felt comfortable letting us celebrate Christmas," perhaps to help fit into American society and maintain a sense of normalcy. "The spirit and meaning of Christmas, of helping others and of giving, are nice messages. Therefore, it is hard to consciously object to it," Chheda said. "Jains, as a whole, are a minority in India. Many Jains celebrate Hindu holidays, so celebrating Christmas with Santa and a tree and presents is no different. Since Jains wholeheartedly believe in 'ahimsa' -- peace toward all living beings in thought, word and action -- the Christmas spirit is a very Jain-like philosophy." The religious aspect of Christmas -- believing Jesus is the savior and that December 25 is his birthday -- is not celebrated in Jainism, but the customs and symbols are interwoven into daily life, she said. "Now that I have toddlers in the house, they come home with stories about Christmas. They sing songs about Rudolph and Santa, and Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah. But it's Santa that everyone talks about, so they talk about him as well," Chheda said. "I use Santa as a behavioral modification tool. 'Santa's watching you, so you better be good' works infinitely better than timeout. My kids will be living in this country; they will have a hard enough time anyway with their names and food and other cultural traditions; Christmas -- and the Christmas spirit -- is not one tradition that I want to take away from them."