New Delhi: India belongs equally to all of its citizens, Hindu or otherwise, more than three-quarters of respondents to a countrywide survey by the Lokniti programme have said.

When asked if they thought India belongs equally to citizens of all religions or if it belongs to Hindus alone, 79% of Loknitis respondents choose the first option, while 11% chose the second. One in ten respondents did not indicate an opinion.

Lokniti found that more respondents between 18 and 25 years of age indicated a pluralist view (81%) than those aged 56 years and above (73%).

College-educated respondents had higher shares of those picking the pluralist option (83%) than respondents who did not go to school (72%).

Fewer Hindus picked the pluralist option (77%) than did Muslims (87%) or respondents of other minority religions (81%), while residents of towns were more likely (85%) than city-dwellers (84%) or those living in villages (76%) to indicate a pluralist view.

Lokniti is a program conducted by the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. It conducted a pre-election survey between March 28 and April 8 among a total of 10,019 respondents spread across 100 assembly seats in 19 states.

The results of its survey are being published inThe Hindu.

Many think Ayodhya Ram temple will help consolidate Hindu identity

A majority of respondents (48%) also said the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya earlier this year will help consolidate Hindu identity.

One in four respondents (25%) said the temple would not impact Hindus much while 24% did not indicate an opinion.

Among Hindus, Lokniti said upper-class (58%) and upper-caste (59%) respondents were most likely to say the temple will help consolidate Hindu identity.

Overall, most thought the temple will increase harmony between Hindus and Muslims (27%). About one in four (26%) said it will make no difference, while 24% said it will increase differences among the two communities.

Hindu respondents were more likely to think the temple will increase harmony between the two communities, with a majority of 31% saying this.

Muslim respondents, on the other hand, were more likely to think it will increase divisions a majority of 32% picked this option.

Twenty-two percent of Hindu respondents said the temple will increase divisions while 13% of Muslim respondents said it will augment harmony.

We conducted this pre-poll survey more than two months after the consecration of the temple. Yet, the consecration of the temple was etched in the minds of the respondents as a major event, political scientist Suhas Palshikar, who co-directed the survey, said.

He added that the temple issue was undeniably likely to work in the BJPs favour in the general elections.

The temple, which is built on the same place where the Babri mosque was demolished by Hindu nationalists in 1992, was inaugurated in January in Prime Minister Narendra Modis presence.

Proponents of the new temple say Lord Ram was born at the site and that a temple dedicated to him existed there before it was replaced by the mosque.

Religious riots triggered by the mosques demolitionkilled around 2,000 people, mostly Muslim, across India.

In 2019, the Supreme Court handed over the site involved to plaintiffs associated with the Vishva Hindu Parishad.

Views on UCC

The survey also polled respondents views on a uniform civil code (UCC), which is a proposed set of laws that would uniformly govern personal matters across Indias different religious communities.

While a majority of respondents (52%) said they either had no opinion on or hadnt heard of a UCC, 29% said a UCC will empower and enable equality for women while 19% said it might interfere with religious traditions, Lokniti said.

Thirty-one percent of Hindus and 17% of Muslims said a UCC will empower women, while 18% of Hindus and 29% of Muslims said it may interfere with religious traditions.

Also read: Narendra Modi Knows an Actual UCC Will Be an Electoral Disaster for Him

Less enthusiasm for Election Commission

A majority of respondents that shared an opinion were at least somewhat trustful of the Election Commission (58%), but the share of those with the same view just after the 2019 elections has decreased by 20 percentage points.

Those who trusted the body to a great extent (28%) had also declined by 23 percentage points.

The share of respondents that showed not much trust in the commission increased by seven percentage points over the last election (from 7% to 14%) while that of those who did not trust it at all increased by four points (5% to 9%).

Close to half the respondents (47%) said electronic voting machines were at least somewhat likely to be vulnerable to manipulation by the ruling party, while 27% said they were at least somewhat unlikely to be vulnerable to such manipulation.

Next week, the Supreme Court will hear petitions seeking complete verification of the paper trail left by voting machines. Currently, the Election Commission verifies paper trails only in five randomly selected polling booths in each parliamentary constituency.

Originally posted here:

Over Three in Four Indians Endorse Pluralism, New Lokniti Survey Says - The Wire

Updated as of 5:37 p.m. on April 9 to include video of the event.

Elon Universitys Truitt Center celebrated the end of winter and the warmth of spring with the Holi Festival of Colors at Speakers Corner on April 5. Holi represents hope and new beginnings in the Hindu culture. The spring festival includes colored powder or gulal or colored water.

Holi aims to commemorate connection and companionship, as well as bring the community together to acknowledge diverse cultures. The festival also teaches students about India, Hinduism, and traditional stories reflected in the celebration.

University Chaplain and Dean of Multifaith Engagement Kirstin Boswell encourages students to participate in these events, which offer opportunities to learn about diverse cultures. She said the Holi festival educates students about minoritized religions on campus.

We want to represent the diversity that we see within our community, but within the wider world, Boswell said. Then make sure that a full spectrum of diversity is represented because if we only went with celebrating the religious festivals, holidays, and traditions that are most represented on campus, we would be missing a big swath of religious traditions that are minoritized.

Elon students throw powdered paint into the air in front of the Moseley Center on Young Commons to celebrate Holi on April 5.

Boswell said she wants to connect students with the spiritual and ethical practices of other cultures. She said the Truitt Center provides educational opportunities and religious guidance to support students identities.

It's from a perspective of not standing on the outside peering into someone else's religion or tradition in a way that is negative or voyeuristic, Boswell said. But to engender a true appreciation of the identities that we see in the world around us.

Boswell also said the Holi festival symbolizes the reblooming of beautiful colors as an act of love and community, which allows students to understand the significance and perspective of Hindu culture.

We need to have a healthy respect for people regardless of their tradition, regardless of all the various identity markers that they hold within them, Boswell said. Looking outside of just yourself, but how it is that you're treating and embracing others who are different from yourself?

Hillary Zaken is the interim assistant dean of multifaith engagement and said the Holi festival is a great way to have fun and distress from school. The Holi colors include red, yellow, pink, purple, orange, and blue.

Elon University students celebrate Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors, on April 5. More than 100 Elon students and community members celebrated on Young Commons.

It has a religious and spiritual significance, but it's also a wonderful way to bring the community together, Zaken said. To welcome spring in what I think is one of the most beautiful moments when everyone throws the paint in the air after the countdown and the sky is full of color. I love it.

Zaken collaborated with students to organize the Holi festival including their multifaith interns and Surtal Bollywood Dance Group. She said the multifaith interns are practitioners who help share diverse perspectives and experiences of religions.

Juniors Morgan Williams and Madison Williams are twins who participated in the Holi festival. As multifaith interns, they had an opportunity to research Hindu culture and learn the significance of light over darkness or good over evil.

The planning and celebration has taught me a lot about learning about other people as far as their different values and traditions, Morgan said. But I also realized that a lot of the values are holy with the different colors and what they represent. I can identify with that even though I'm not Hindu.

Morgan said as a multifaith intern, she became a global citizen and learned about humility for other cultures. She said the festival brings awareness to different regions around the world.

More than 100 students, faculty and staff came to Elon Universitys celebration of Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, on April 5 held at Speakers Corner.

Madison said this was her first time participating in the festival so she promoted the event to her peers. She said she hopes that students use this opportunity to educate themselves about Hindu culture.

I hope people understand that this is more than just throwing paint and that they're encouraged to look at the meanings of what each color means, Madison said.

Surtal opened the festival with a lively performance of traditional Indian dances, such as

Bollywood and Kathak. Junior Rece Raju, vice president of Surtal, said this was a great opportunity to share her culture with the community.

Growing up, I didn't celebrate any Indian holidays, Raju said. When I got to Elon and got to be a part of Diwali and Holi, it was a whole other thing for me because I wasn't really in tune with that part of my culture. And so that's why it's so special to me because I get to be a part of something that I didn't even realize was missing.

Raju said the Holi festival is an important holiday open to everyone as a great way to immerse themselves in a different culture.

I hope people get out of this event how special Hinduism is, how special the holidays are, and how many people it brings together from all different cultures and religions, Raju said. We welcome everyone.

Freshman Pearson Dyslin said she enjoyed throwing the colors, watching the dance, and taking photos at the festival. This sparked her interest in exploring Hinduism and participating in future events.

I thought that was a fun experience different from what I would normally be doing, Dyslin said. It's really fun to have colors everywhere. And maybe I'll save my shirt.

View post:

Holi celebration educates students about Hindu culture, spreads awareness for diverse religions - Elon News Network

The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are undertaking initiatives to return private land to Hindu and Sikh minorities, reclaiming these properties from warlords linked to the previous West-backed regime.

This development marks a significant step toward redressing the injustices faced by religious minorities in the country, who have long been displaced and marginalised, said a Taliban official, as reported by Time of India .

Indian officials view this development as a positive gesture towards India. A notable development is the return of Narender Singh Khalsa, a Member of Parliament representing the Hindu and Sikh communities, who recently came back to Afghanistan from Canada.

Also Read: Fall of Kabul- Reporting from a hostile war zone

Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told The Hindu, A commission chaired by the Minister of Justice has been established to return to their owners all properties which had been usurped by warlords during the former regime.

Following the Talibans takeover in Afghanistan, a significant number of Sikhs and Hindus fled the country, including Narender Singh Khalsa, who was among the first group evacuated by the Indian Air Force in August 2021.

Also Read: Most UN Security Council members demand Taliban rescind decrees seriously oppressing women and girls

The Hindu and Sikh communities have long been integral parts of Afghanistans demographic landscape, historically constituting around 1 per cent of its population. However, the exodus of these communities commenced in the late 1970s and the 1980s amidst political upheaval and the Soviet invasion that engulfed Afghanistan, The Hindu reported.

More here:

Taliban to restore properties of displaced Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan - The Financial Express

The Angry Hanuman design on a sticker on an autorickshaw in Mumbai (photo via Wikimedia Commons)

In the weeks leading up to the inauguration of the Ram Mandir (temple of Ram) in Ayodhya on January 22, saffron flags dotted streets, marketplaces, and private balconies across the north Indian city. They were attached to bikes, cars, and auto-rickshaws, and forcibly hoisted onto a church by a group of men chanting Hindu nationalist slogans. Featuring an image of the Hindu god Ram standing with a bow and arrow in front of the outline of the temple, the bright-orange flags, a color associated with the Hindutva movement, are a sign of celebration the deitys so-called return to his birthplace. The temple was built on contested land where the 16th-century Babri mosque once stood, before being demolished by a Hindu nationalist mob in 1992. The Ram Mandirs inauguration marked a victory for Hindu nationalists and for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, spearheaded by right-wing politicians in the late 80s, to reclaim Rams birthplace.

When the Ram Janmabhoomi movement picked up, there was this idea that Hindus are victims of historical invaders, and so they needed to have more aggressive, more muscular figures to represent Hinduism, Indian designer and graphic artist Orijit Sen told Hyperallergic. Lord Ram, the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana, was transformed from a serenely smiling god into a warrior wielding a bow and arrow and sporting a six-pack. Other Hindu gods have also changed in appearance, from the battle-ready Hanuman to the impossibly muscular Shiva. The qualities associated with them have morphed as well, from softer virtues of devotion and humility to a fiery morality. While the idol inside the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is of an innocent five-year-old Ram who has returned home, the images on the flags, posters, and banners across the country portray him as a fearsome warrior.

Gone are the curved, graceful figures the Hindu iconography of the 21st century, often in digitally rendered images, conveys a hypermasculine, aggressive new Hinduism to galvanize people into action. And it has become a chilling extension, and tool, of the Hindu right in India.

From the 6th-century rock-cutting in the Ellora caves to the miniature paintings from the 19th century, Hindu gods were portrayed as graceful, rounded, serene figures in art and sculpture. Historian and writer Anirudh Kanisetti explained that during the medieval period, artists often cast them as idealized royals to give kings more authority as lieutenants or partners of the gods. They had lithe bodies, heavily bejeweled and wearing the latest fashions. These renderings also reflected distinct cultural understandings of sex, masculinity, and gender, as in the Bhakti poetry praising the beauty and sensuality of the gods. They are depicted as strong and powerful, Kanisetti told Hyperallergic, but always in a way thats effortless. As though their power emerges from their divinity, rather than from going to the gym.

Raja Ravi Varma, one of Indias first modern artists, incorporated Western realism into his paintings of the gods in the 1890s. Using human models to illustrate deities, his works were mass-produced, and public spaces were soon filled with calendar art of humanistic gods from the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics. Religious iconography continued to evolve over the next century within pop culture and Hindu gods were depicted in media from Amar Chithra Katha comics and to the popular 1987 Ramayan TV show.

This evolution can be clearly traced through depictions of Hanuman, a monkey deity. Traditionally portrayed in Pahari paintings from the 17th to 19th centuries as a full-fledged monkey, Hanumans only human elements were a crown and a dhoti (long loincloth). He is devoted to Ram and portrayed as docile and playful, usually shown sitting at the feet of Ram and Sita, his wife.

But the version of Hanuman that is now ubiquitous across India is starkly different. The image dubbed Angry Hanuman shows a dramatically shadowed, frowning face in saffron and black. Created by 25-year-old graphic designer Karan Acharya in 2015, this scowling sketch of Hanuman went viral within a year. It can be found on the windshields of cars and trucks, flags, t-shirts, watches, and even WhatsApp display photos.

The Angry Hanuman seems to signify a muscular, aggressive Hindutva, said Kanisetti. One of the founding myths of Hindutva is that all Hindus were humiliated by Muslim invaders, and that this was because Hinduism wasnt sufficiently aggressive.

Even before the meteoric rise of the Hindu nationalist movement in 2014 following the election of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the move toward a more contemporary version of Hinduism was already underway. The success of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON), also known as the Hare Krishna movement, the Art of Living organization, and figures such as Sadhguru shows that younger generations were open to more modern portrayals of their religion. Images of a muscular Shiva smoking weed became an icon of a new, chill version of Hinduism, showing up on posters in cafes, on t-shirts, and as a common tattoo choice. Theres this image of Indian nationhood thats being created, Kanisetti said. One that is simultaneously traditional, based on an imagined idea of a single Hindu tradition, and one that is contemporary, based on a recent aesthetic of coolness, and it taps into 21st-century anxieties about masculinity and inferiority compared to the West.

Extremist groups and political parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have harnessed the potential of social media to shape religious messaging. Its a successful strategy given the rise of affordable internet and phones in the country, an unemployment crisis, and a fragile democracy in which religious tension is only growing. The imagery that has occupied public spaces in the past few years shows Hindu gods who match the anger and machismo of nationalist groups, frequently led by men. Kanisetti added that they also tap into the insecurities, anger, and fears that some Hindu Indians harbor. On social media, AI-driven retellings of mythological stories offer visuals of a glorious, imagined past, with gods towering over their subjects, muscles rippling and weapons in hand. Commenting on these AI-based visualizations, Kanisetti noted that while they might be unconvincing to many, younger generations might believe in this depiction of Indias glorious past.

There is a kind of imaginary being created to which these figures belong, and its not really an Indian one, Sen added. Its drawing from Hollywood and superhero comics, from Western popular culture. And the reason were seeing it, absolutely without a doubt, is because the Hindu right is creating and pushing it.

Arvind Rajagopal, Media Studies professor at New York University and author of Politics After Television: Hindu Nationalism and the Reshaping of the Public in India (2009), illuminated the transition from an earlier sense of unchanging values into rapidly changing imagery.

There is now a constant revision of how gods are portrayed, throwing aside traditional texts, but always claiming continuity with tradition, Rajagopal told Hyperallergic. And this is something very different. Its meant to terrorize.

Link:

How Hindu Iconography Became an Extension of Right-Wing Nationalism - Hyperallergic

By Radhika Menon

Published April 9, 2024, 3:00 p.m. ET

Theres a common, condescending refrain about action movies: leave your brain at home. Focused more on fight sequences and big explosions than story, the genre is usually propped up by the pure adrenaline that comes from its choreography. But in Dev Patels directorial debut Monkey Man, the Indian-British actor isnt satisfied with making a hollow film thats just a vehicle for flashy action a welcome step forward. The problem, however, is that the story he lands on is overstuffed and convoluted, without a salient point of view on the many religious and socio-political ideas it introduces.

In Monkey Man, Patel plays a low-class fighter, simply called Kid, who fashions himself a real-life Hanuman, the monkey-headed deity depicted in the Hindu epic Ramayana. In the Ramayana, Hanuman is a devout ally of Rama and aids him in rescuing Ramas wife Sita from the clutches of the evil Ravana. Patels version instead takes vengeance on an evil police officer whom he witnessed indiscriminately kill his mom and burn down his entire village when he was a child.

There is some critique to be had about the films political stance: Monkey Man seems to take aim at the rising right-wing Hindutva movement in India from the POV of a moderate Hindu, but it doesnt fully delineate the beliefs of each side. Simultaneously, it introduces flashes of real-life riot footage against Muslims without having a Muslim character in the fold as a comp for the films story. Its clear Patel is interested in the current political landscape in his home country, but the execution is extremely confusing even for someone like me who has some background on the current climate in India.

But my biggest issues with the film were structural. At its core, Monkey Man is a revenge thriller as Kid avenges his mothers death. But where it falters is in the why of her death. Mid-way through the film, after a failed assassination attempt on the police officer Rana at the high-end club hes connived his way into, Kid gets ready to take his second shot. In a classic training montage (soundtracked by legendary tabla player Zakir Hussein in a loving ode to Indian musical tradition), Kid works through his demons. We see flashes of his idyllic childhood thats disrupted when corporate interests move into the village and forcefully drive out the resisting residents. An extended sequence, far too late in the film, takes us to the night of the violence, where corrupt Rana sets fire to the village and then kills Kids mom with his bare hands.

But who are these corporate overlords moving into town? Why is Rana implicated with them? What is their religious ideology and their reason for burning down this village? The movie tries to haphazardly answer these questions, and focuses its attention in the wrong direction for much of its runtime. Rana is a crony, not the mastermind, we find out, and we only get flashes of the true villain a right-wing nationalist named Baba Shakti (which literally translates to Father Power) who preaches to frenzied mobs. But his introduction comes too late in the film to pack the punch Patel is looking for. Baba Shakti is likely a stand-in for Narendra Modi, Indias current Hindu-nationalist prime minister (and the probable reason that Netflix dropped the project), but the flashes of Baba Shaktis ominous string-pulling dont effectively set him up as the Big Bad. The misdirection and lack of momentum around his reveal makes the final scenes, where Kid finally threads the needle and kills Rana and then barely takes out Baba Shakti, fall flat.

There are still things to love in Monkey Man: The action is propulsive, and Patels co-written script cheekily name-checks its spiritually similar counterpart in John Wick. (You may have heard a few people talk about a particularly fun scene in which Kid holds a knife in his mouth to execute a kill, and those scenes are where the film is at its best.) During the slow second act, Patel showcases Indias hijras (a eunuch, third gender group prevalent in South Asia whose closest Western comp is the female trans community) and builds them up as allies and underdogs, teaming up with Kid to take down the evil forces in the film. It humanizes the group, a welcome depiction of a class of people who are constantly undermined.

The film has gone through its own reinvention numerous times as it moved from Netflix to Universal, producer Jordan Peele came onboard and allegedly helped cull and streamline the footage and its obvious that some crucial character beats and motivational plot points were deleted. Even leaving the thematic issues aside, there are many indications that the long, tortured production hindered the films script: for one, Made in Heavens Sobhita Dhulipalas Sita has absolutely nothing to do but look beautiful and be a damsel in distress in her very limited screen time, despite her namesake from the Ramayana being viewed as a warrior in modern, feminist retellings of the epic.

I went into Monkey Man hoping to love a film that is clearly interested in fraught topics related to religious extremism and showcasing Hinduism in an approachable way. It is an audaciously ambitious film with its heart in the right place, but unfortunately the storytelling is too muddled to really strike on its desired message.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.

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'Monkey Man' Hits During Its Fight Sequences, But Gets Muddled When It Tries To Explore Religious Extremism in India - Decider

Gujarat Buddhism Conversion Row: Clarifying that Buddhism must be considered as a separate religion from Hinduism, the Gujarat government issued a circular stating that any conversion from Hinduism to either Buddhism, Jainism or Sikhism will require the prior approval of the District Magistrate under the provisions of Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003. This circular was released on April 10 by the Home Department of the Gujarat government after it came to light that applications seeking to convert to Buddhism were not being dealt with as per the law, the circular stated. The circular was signed by Deputy Secretary (Home) Vijay Badheka.

In recent years Gujarat has witnessed many people converting to Buddhism during events organised on occasions like Dussehra and other festivals, reported the Indian Express. The notice further said that it has come to notice that the offices of district magistrates are arbitrarily interpreting the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act.

ALSO READ:IAS Officers' Luxurious Paris Trip Under Scanner, Chandigarh Audit Report Reveals Misuse Of Public Money

it has come to notice that in applications seeking permission for conversion from Hinduism to Buddhism, procedures as per rules are not being followed. Moreover, sometimes, representations are being received from applicants and autonomous bodies that for religious conversion from Hinduism to Buddhism, prior permission is not required, it added.

The circular states that some offices are rejecting conversion applications, claiming that Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism are part of Hinduism under Article 25(2) of the Constitution, thus not requiring permission for conversion.

ALSO READ:Varanasi Police At Kashi Vishwanath Temple Seen In Priests' Attire, Akhilesh Yadav Says 'Condemnable'

In cases where applications are filed seeking prior permission, concerned offices are disposing of such applications while stating that under Article 25(2) of the Constitution, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism are included within Hinduism and so the applicant is not required to take permission for (such) religious conversion, the circular stated.

It is possible that the replies given to applicants in sensitive subjects like religious conversion without sufficient study of legal provisions can result in judicial litigations, it added.

The circular mentioned that with reference to Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, Buddhism will have to be considered a separate religion.

See original here:

Buddhism A Separate Religion From Hinduism, Conversion Needs Prior Approval: Gujarat Govt - Jagran English

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The Vatican has issued a new document rejecting the concept of changing biological sex.

The doctrine office finally issued Infinite Dignity, a 20-page declaration that has been in the works for five years, on Monday.

After substantial revision in recent months, it was approved by Pope Francis, who ordered its publication.

In its most eagerly anticipated section, the Vatican repeated its rejection of gender theory.

It said God created man and woman as biologically different, separate beings, and said they must not tinker with that plan or try to make oneself God.

The publication is a setback for transgender people who had hoped Pope Francis might be setting the stage for a more welcoming approach from the Catholic Church.

Around the world, major religions have diverse approaches to gender identity, and the inclusion or exclusion of transgender people.

Here are examples from some religions:

The Catholic Churchs disapproving stance toward gender transition is shared by some other denominations. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention - the largest Protestant denomination in the United States - adopted a resolution in 2014 stating that Gods design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female. It asserts that gender identity is determined by biological sex, not by ones self-perception

However, numerous mainline Protestant denominations welcome trans people as members and as clergy. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America elected an openly transgender man as a bishop in 2021.

In Islam, there isnt a single central religious authority and policies can vary in different regions.

Abbas Shouman, secretary-general of Al-Azhars Council of Senior Scholars in Cairo, said that for us, ... sex conversion is completely rejected.

It is God who has determined the ... sex of the fetus and intervening to change that is a change of Gods creation, which is completely rejected, Shouman added.

In Iran, the Shiite theocracys founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a religious decree, or fatwa, decades ago, opening the way for official support for gender transition surgery.

In Hindu society in South Asia, while traditional roles were and are still prescribed for men and women, people of non-binary gender expression have been recognized for millennia and played important roles in holy texts. Third gender people have been revered throughout South Asian history with many rising to significant positions of power under Hindu and Muslim rulers. One survey in 2014 estimated that around 3 million third gender people live in India alone.

Sanskrit, the ancient language of Hindu scriptures, has the vocabulary to describe three genders - masculine, feminine and gender-neutral.

The most common group of third gender people in India are known as the hijras. While some choose to undergo gender reassignment surgery, others are born intersex. Most consider themselves neither male or female.

Some Hindus believe third gender people have special powers and the ability to bless or curse, which has led to stereotyping causing the community to be feared and marginalized. Many live in poverty without proper access to healthcare, housing and employment.

In 2014, India, Nepal and Bangladesh, which is a Muslim-majority country, officially recognized third gender people as citizens deserving of equal rights. The Supreme Court of India stated that it is the right of every human being to choose their gender, and that recognition of the group is not a social or medical issue, but a human rights issue.

Buddhism has traditionally adhered to binary gender roles, particularly in its monastic traditions where men and women are segregated and assigned specific roles.

These beliefs remain strong in the Theravada tradition, as seen in the attempt of the Thai Sangha Council, the governing Buddhist body in Thailand, to ban ordinations of transgender people. More recently, the Theravada tradition has somewhat eased restrictions against gender nonconforming people by ordaining them in their sex recorded at birth.

However, the Mahayana, and Vajrayana schools of Buddhism have allowed more exceptions while the Jodo Shinshu sect has been even more inclusive in ordaining transgender monks both in Japan and North America. In Tibetan Buddhism, Tashi Choedup, an openly queer monk, was ordained after their teacher refrained from asking about their gender identity as prescribed by Buddhist doctrine. Many Buddhist denominations, particularly in the West, are intentionally inclusive of transgender people in their sanghas or gatherings.

Reform Judaism is accepting of transgender people and allows for the ordination of trans rabbis. According to David J. Meyer, who served for many years as a rabbi in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Jewish traditional wisdom allowed possibilities of gender identity and expression that differed from those typically associated with the sex assigned at birth.

Our mystical texts, the Kabbalah, address the notion of transitioning from one gender to another, he wrote on a Reform-affiliated website.

Its different, for the most part, in Orthodox Judaism. Most transgender people will find Orthodox communities extremely difficult to navigate, says the Human Rights Campaign, a major U.S. LGBTQ-rights advocacy group.

Transgender people are further constrained by Orthodox Judaisms emphasis on binary gender and strict separation between men and women, the HRC says. For example, a transgender person who has not medically transitioned poses a challenge for a rabbi who must decide whether that person will sit with men or women during worship.

Rabbi Avi Shafran, spokesman for the Orthodox Jewish organization Agudath Israel of America, wrote a blog post last year after appearing on an Israeli television panel to discuss transgender-related issues.

There can be no denying that there are people who are deeply conflicted about their gender identities. They deserve to be safe from harm and, facing challenges the rest of us dont, deserve empathy and compassion, Shafran wrote. But the Torah and its extension, halacha, or Jewish religious law, are unequivocal about the fact that being born in a male body requires living the life of a man, and being born female entails living as a woman.

In Judaism, each gender has its particular life-role to play, he added. The bodies God gave us are indications of what we are and what we are not, and of how He wants us to live our lives.

Read this article:

How major religions take very different stances on trans people and gender identity - The Independent

The Gujarat government recently released a circular clarifying that Buddhism is to be considered a separate religion, along with Jainism and Sikhism. Under the provisions of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003, any conversions from Hinduism to these religions now require prior approval from the respective district magistrate.

The circular, signed by Deputy Secretary (Home) Vijay Badheka and issued by the Home department on April 8, addresses concerns about conversions to Buddhism not following the rules. Mass conversions to Buddhism, especially among the Dalit community, have been observed annually during events coinciding with festivals like Dussehra.

Also Read:Great Gamblers of Phalodi: Poll predictions rarely go wrong in this sleepy Rajasthan town

The directive emphasises the need for strict adherence to the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, citing instances where district magistrates misinterpreted its provisions. Some offices failed to follow prescribed procedures for conversions from Hinduism to Buddhism and even entertained representations suggesting that such conversions did not require prior permission, Indian Express reported.

In cases where applications are filed seeking prior permission, concerned offices are disposing of such applications while stating that under Article 25(2) of the Constitution, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism are included within Hinduism. It further instructed the district magistrates to decide on applications for religious conversion after a detailed study of the legal provisions and by following instructions issued by the state government from time to time, the circular read.

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A senior official from the Home Department explained that the circular was issued to clear up any confusion regarding the rules for converting from Hinduism to Buddhism. Some district magistrates were misinterpreting the law, so the circular was issued to provide clarification.

In Gujarat, theres a noticeable trend of Dalits converting to Buddhism. The Gujarat Buddhist Academy (GBA) frequently hosts such conversion events. Ramesh Banker, Secretary of GBA, welcomed the circular, stating, We believed from the beginning that Buddhism is not a part of Hinduism, and for conversion to Buddhism, prior permission of the district magistrate is mandatory in a prescribed format. It was our demand (to issue such a clarification), which has been fulfilled.

In our conversion events, we have always followed the procedure, taking prior permission from the concerned district magistrate by filling up a prescribed form, he added.

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The circular seeks to simplify the conversion process by detailing the requirements for obtaining permission. It also warns against providing incorrect responses to conversion applicants, which could lead to legal disputes.

Referring to the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, the circular asserts Buddhism as a distinct religion. It mandates prior permission from the district magistrate for conversions from Hinduism to Buddhism/Sikhism/Jainism.

The form has to be submitted to the district magistrate one month before the conversion event by the dharmguru (religious head) under whom the conversion would take place. In the form, details of the person(s) to be converted are to be submitted, including name, address, community, whether they belong to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, marital status, occupation, monthly income, the time since when he is following the religion from which he is converting, reasons for conversion, venue and date of the conversion event and the name of the dharmguru who will perform the conversion, among others. So the applicant is not required to take permission for (such) religious conversion, the circular stated, according to The Indian Express report.

It is possible that the replies given to applicants in sensitive subjects like religious conversion without sufficient study of legal provisions can result in judicial litigations, it added.

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Buddhism separate religion, Hindus need to seek permission to convert, says Gujarat government - The Financial Express

ANI | Updated: Apr 12, 2024 21:18 IST

New Delhi [India], April 12 (ANI): India on Friday said that it is a "positive development" that the Taliban is restoring property rights for Afghan Hindus and Sikhs in the country. "We have also seen reports. If the Taliban administration has decided to restore property rights to Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan...I mean, who are their nationals, it is something which is a positive development. That is how we look at it," the official spokesperson of MEA, Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly media briefing on Friday.

Jaiswal responded to a question asked about the reports stating that the Taliban justice ministry has come up with some solutions for the property problems that the minorities were facing and that property rights have been restored to the Hindus, and the Sikhs. Notably, the Land-Grabbing Prevention and Restitution Commission has started investigating cases of usurped land belonging to Hindu and Sikh communities across the country, reported Kabul-based Ariana News on March 10. The Ministry of Justice had said in a statement it instructed technical teams in the capital and in provinces to identify usurped land belonging to Hindu and Sikh communities and land at risk of being grabbed. (ANI)

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"Positive development": India on Taliban restoring property rights for Afghan Hindus, Sikhs - ANI News

In a further outreach to India, the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are actively engaged in restoring private land to Hindu and Sikh minorities, reclaiming these properties from warlords associated with the previous regime supported by the West. This move signifies a crucial stride in addressing the historical injustices experienced by religious minorities in the nation, who have endured displacement and marginalization for an extended period, as stated by a Taliban official.

Indian officials perceive this development as a positive gesture towards India. One of the significant developments includes the return of Narender Singh Khalsa, a Member of Parliament representing the Hindu and Sikh communities, who has recently arrived in Afghanistan from Canada.

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Afghanistan's Outreach To India: Land Restoration For Hindus, Sikhs - NewsX