Pride v.s. Fundamentalism

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:30 pm by Ambaa Choate

Pride v.s. Fundamentalism 2015-03-13T22:30:14-04:00 Ambaa Choate

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Many of the people that I chat with on Twitter feel that people who express pride in Hinduism are being branded as Fundamentalist, “Right” wing, Hindutva, and Fantatic.

I think I can kind of see both sides on this one. I understand the fears of the people who are doing that labeling. Sometimes being vocally proud of your religion/beliefs/practices can be a code for wanting yours to be number one and to oppress people with different beliefs. I’ve seen that happen.

I’m pretty far from what anyone could call a fundamentalist but at the same time I am absolutely proud to be a Hindu and proud of what Hindus and Hinduism have achieved and continue to achieve.

Having pride in your faith is not the same as being a fanatic or a fundamentalist, but at the same time it’s something that outsiders aren’t sure how to interpret. Even though Hinduism doesn’t have a history of forced conversions or exclusivity like many of the other world religions, there’s still a fear that some Hindus may start wanting it to be that way and silence other religions.

Now, I am not Indian and I don’t live in India so I don’t know, but I suspect that some of the things that Hindus are dealing with in India mirror things that Christians are dealing with in America. Maybe it’s the nature of being in the majority faith.

Sometimes when the majority faith is asked to make room for minority faiths to be heard, it can feel like you’re being attacked. It can feel like you’re being asked to have a lesser role and let others steamroll over you. In America with Christianity I would say that’s a misunderstanding and a perfectly understandable one. When you’ve had the majority voice for a long time, being asked to step aside once in a while to let someone else’s voice be heard does mean that you give up some of the power and the voice that you had. You relinquish it for the sake of someone who hasn’t historically been allowed to speak. But when you are the majority, even then your voice is still the loudest.

But I know that it can feel like all the minorities get to dictate everything and they are allowed to have pride and you aren’t, etc. I’ve had someone say to me, “If there are Black pride events, why isn’t it okay to have White pride events?” And the answer is because every day is White pride day. Giving a few moments to acknowledge Black contribution to society is an attempt to raise them a tiny bit closer to what White people in America have all the time.

And it’s like that with religion too. Asking you to acknowledge and respect other religions is not meant to diminish yours or to tell you not to have pride in it. It’s just trying to level the playing field a little because those in minority religions don’t get to see their faith represented every day in the ways that the majority religion does. And maybe you do respect people of other faiths. Because saying that you are proud of yours does not mean that you don’t think other people should also be proud of theirs! Yet sometimes it is interpreted that way.

It’s a very different experience for a Hindu in America than a Hindu in India, I suspect. In America we are less than 4% of the population! I find that the perspective that gives me is very valuable and it’s why I think it would be good for everyone to spend some time living in a place where you are a minority of some kind.

That said, Hinduism is a wonderful way of life and you should absolutely be proud to be a Hindu. Let your actions speak, do great work in the world and let people see that Hindus stand for scientific advancement, equality for women, and improving quality of life for everyone.

Being proud of being Hindu does not make you a fundamentalist. But there are some Hindus who are fanatics (it’s rare, I think, but it can happen) and when people hear you say you’re proud of being Hindu, there is a worry that it’s a code for wanting Hinduism to take over.

Again, this is unlikely since Hinduism is not a proselytizing religion and some of that fear may be due to people from religions that believe in exclusivity being afraid that Hindus want to take over everything.

Yes, I’m very proud to be a Hindu and I hope that everyone has a religion or a path that makes him/her proud.

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