Return to: Home
To say, as John Elliott does, that India is held back by Hinduism is really the height of western perverseness ("Held back by Hindu gods?", 4 December).
If Hinduism were the main cause of India's poverty, why are the non-oil producing Islamic states (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, etc) even poorer than India? Why, even within India, are Hindu-dominated states (Haryana-Punjab) more prosperous than their Christian counterparts (Goa, Mizoram, Nagaland)? And how come it is the Hindu city of Bangalore, not the Islamic city of Mecca, which is fast becoming the centre of the world's software industry?
India's poverty has many causes, but attributing it to Hinduism is an old argument, often used by the strategists of the Raj to justify not only the British occupation of India, but also the spreading of Christian faith among the natives.
Randhir Singh Bains
Gants Hill, Essex
Post this article to
Post your comment
Please note: you will need to login or register before you can comment on the website
