Ishwar Sharan's Blog

Muslim population growth is changing religious demography in India – Arun Anand

  The shifting religious demography driven by rapid Muslim population growth — both globally and in India — has significant social, cultural, and political implications – Arun Anand The rapid growth in Muslim population due to their high fertility rate as compared to all other religious groups is changing religious demography across the world and […]

Caste discrimination not sanctioned by Hindu scriptures – Vivek Gumaste

Hinduism does not sanction caste discrimination. Additionally, the Hindu concept of varna does not trap a person by birth or deter upward mobility. – Vivek Gumaste Karnataka’s Social and Educational Survey, commonly referred to as the caste census, has stirred up a hornet’s nest and given fresh impetus to the never-ending political discourse about caste […]

VHP will focus on freeing Kashi and Mathura sites only – Rajeev Deshpande

The VHP’s statement that it is concentrating on the Mathura and Kashi temple cases only seems intended to keep away from other burgeoning Hindu-Muslim disputes. – Rajeev Deshpande The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is not going to involve itself in any agitation or legal proceedings beyond the “liberation” of the Hindu shrines it claims at Mathura […]

Faith and a Shoe: Has Hindu patience become a burden? – Rahul Shivshankar

Dr. Rakesh Kishore feels that the courts in India mistake Hindu tolerance for timidity and trample on the community’s rights selectively. – Rahul Shivshankar  A lawyer attempted to hurl his shoe at Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai. The elderly lawyer was thwarted mid-act. The act was unprecedented, a shocking recourse to violence that has no […]

Trump, tariffs, tradition, and the tyranny of tantrums – Ravi Shankar

We cannot defeat tariffs by lobbying Washington; we can only defeat them by rendering them irrelevant by creating products whose desirability overwhelms every obstacle. – Ravi Shankar Only someone in nationalist self-denial will think Donald Trump’s tariffs are taxes, not taunts. India’s historical memory is best riposte to this Wild Bill Hickok’s shooting spree by […]

It’s wrong to portray Hinduism as patriarchal or misogynistic – Sean Bradrick

There are many immensely strong Hindu women, who take great offence to Westerners who promote a misogynistic view of Hinduism and of Hindu men. – Sean Bradrick Due to a biased and superficial Western media, controlled by either right-wing Christians or anti-Hindu liberals, many in the West think Hinduism is anti-woman. There are many millions […]

Racist graffiti in Canada sparks Hindu outrage – Anwesha Mitra

The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) demanded recognition of Hinduphobia as a “specific form of hate that needs urgent attention, alongside other forms of racism” in Canada. – Anwesha Mitra Racist graffiti near a children’s park in Canada sparked social media outrage on [Sept. 27th]—with advocacy groups calling for an investigation. The hateful […]

Silence of India’s US lambs – Minhaz Merchant

A cabal of US-based Indian academics—Raghuram Rajan, Arvind Subramanian and Kaushik Basu—is quick to discredit India’s economic growth and social inclusiveness while giving the county they earn their livelihood from—the United States—a free pass on both. – Minhaz Merchant Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan told Congress leader Rahul Gandhi two years […]

Trump is pulverising America’s founding principles – Edward Luce

Less than a year after Trump was elected, the separation of powers is not working. Congress is irrelevant. The Supreme Court is quiescent. The media is punch drunk. Democrats are fragmented. Independent federal agencies are losing autonomy. … Trump is pulverising America’s founding principles with astonishing ease. – Edward Luce Freedom is the freedom to […]

Hindus in America: Caught in a gun vs butter debate – Rajeev Srinivasan

Anti-Hindu Republican leader Alexander Duncan opposes a 90-foot Hanuman statue in Sugar Land, Texas, claiming Hanuman is a false Hindu god and that the US is a Christian nation. – Media Reports Chandra Mouli Nagamalliah, a 50-year-old motel manager in Dallas, Texas, was brutally hacked to death and beheaded in front of his wife and […]