Sabrina Wiseman
Religious Persecution in India
In the country of India, Hinduism is strictly enforced by radical nationalists, despite
Article 25 of their constitution stating that “all persons are equally entitled to freedom of
conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion”. Violent encounters,
neglection of even basic needs and sexual abuse against women are common occurrences for
those that practice any other religion, particularly Christianity and Islam. Churches are
vandalized, riots are started, and deaths have occurred all because these nationalists believe that
“to be Indian is to be Hindu”, and therefore being anything else takes away Indian identity. Even
if family, friends and neighbors are not opposed to someone they know practicing a different
religion, communication is often halted so they are not considered affiliated with that person.
One Indian family, for example, was prohibited from accessing water at their local village simply
