India is a vibrant, attractive, controversial state. On the one hand, it’s completely alien - with its spicy food, sacred cows, who themselves walk around the streets, bearded Sikhs in turbans and ancient architectural structures. On the other hand, Moscow and New Delhi have never had conflicts and misunderstandings, and Indian culture, despite its exoticism, has always been close and interesting to our citizens.

Where to look for contradictions is inside India itself. More than a billion Indians from 28 dissimilar states speak 22 official languages, trying to find a common one. It does not always work out. Nevertheless, rich and poor people from different castes proudly call their country “the largest democracy in the world”, where everyone has a place and everyone has equal rights.

But do everyone agree with this statement?

Religious conflict

About 200 million Muslims live in India. This compares with the total population of Pakistan, which has been at odds with its neighbor for decades. The apple of discord grows in Kashmir, which each side considers its territory. Islamabad insists that the Kashmiris themselves must decide their fate. And since mainly Muslims live there, the result of the popular will will not be in favor of New Delhi. The Indians, meanwhile, are sending their Pakistani colleagues ... to study materiel. That is, a document from 1947, when the Hindu Maharaja Hari Singh officially joined the Indian dominion, as a result of which the first Indo-Pakistani war began.

Today the situation is relatively stable. Nevertheless, the volcano periodically wakes up. So, last year, India and Pakistan exchanged slaps in the face, knocking each other's military aircraft. Shortly before that, the Indian Air Force attacked the positions of militants who staged a bloody attack in the Indian region of Kashmir.

Now the situation is complicated by the scandalous law on Indian citizenship, which has caused many weeks of mass protests that swept large cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Jaipur and others.

What happened

Starting January 10, obtaining Indian citizenship has become easier for non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The changes caused widespread discontent. At the end of December 2019, hundreds of demonstrators across the country were detained. As in Iran, with which India has very warm relations, students stood at the forefront of protests.

Some Indian states even passed a resolution against the law, fearing an artificial change in the ethnic composition of the population. Human rights activists are outraged by the fact that the provision of benefits on a religious basis strikes at the secular nature of the Indian state.

Of course, in Pakistan (and not only) they yelled about discrimination against Muslims and forced Hinduization - the supposedly targeted political program of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When covering the situation, the media often used such expressions as “persecution of Muslims”, “camps and deportation”, “Hindu nationalism”.

How things really are

Obviously, there can be no question of any harassment. Islam in India is respected in the same way as other Abrahamic religions. The author was convinced of this personally by questioning many Indian Muslims of very different status and affluence. Everyone has plus or minus equal rights and opportunities, as evidenced by at least the names of the richest Indians, among whom there are many Muslims. For example, Azim Premji (person on the Forbes list) or Shahruk Khan - one of the most popular stars in Bollywood.

Well, if you look closely at the law on citizenship, it becomes obvious that the emphasis should not be placed on the word “religion”, but on the word “minorities”. After all, India is not to blame for the fact that in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Muslims are, by definition, not minorities. And those who are targeted by the law themselves often become victims of discrimination.

POST SCRIPTUM

It would seem that a purely Indian history is actually relevant for the United States and for Europe, where the migration issue is very acute. Who to accept and who not to? What is citizenship and what does it have to do with religion?

The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.