HINDUTVA VS HINDUISM

 

When Malaysians do not understand the difference between Hindutva and Hinduism, they often end up making ridiculous claims and accusations.

Hinduism is a religion and a spiritual tradition that is thousands of years old. It includes philosophy, rituals, temples, festivals and a rich diversity of beliefs.

Hindutva, on the other hand, is a modern political ideology that emerged in the 20th century and is associated with certain nationalist movements in India.

Confusing the two is like confusing Judaism with Zionism. Judaism is an ancient religion with spiritual teachings and traditions, while Zionism is a modern political movement. One is a faith; the other is a political ideology.

When we fail to make this distinction, discussions become emotional, unfair, intellectually careless and, at times, insulting to intelligence.

These behaviours are alien to Muslim traditions and in direct contrast to the scholars of Islam’s Golden Age. Al-Biruni (973–1048), whom serious historians consider his book Kitab al-Hind to be one of the earliest works of comparative religion and anthropology in history, was extraordinary in how he studied Hinduism. Instead of relying on second-hand accounts, Al-Biruni learned Sanskrit so he could read Hindu texts directly.

His approach was extremely rare in the 11th century. Most scholars wrote about other religions without studying their original texts. He even criticised Muslim writers who misrepresented Hindu beliefs. Personally, I follow his approach. A scholar, he stressed, must present the beliefs of a people as they themselves believe them, not as critics portray them. Al-Biruni’s method teaches an important lesson: before criticising another religion or civilisation, we must first understand it deeply and fairly.

Another Muslim scholar of the Golden Age worth emulating is Al-Shahrastani (1086–1153), who wrote one of the most famous early works on comparative religion. His most important book is Kitab al-Milal wa al-Nihal (The Book of Religions and Sects), which examined belief systems including Islam and its various sects, Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Greek philosophy and Indian religions, including Hindu philosophical traditions. Like Al-Biruni, he stated clearly that a scholar should describe religions as their followers understand them, not through polemics or ridicule.

Al-Biruni and Al-Shahrastani are scholars who helped establish what we would today call the academic study of religion. Malaysia, which has people of many faiths as fellow citizens, should teach about them and their approach in schools so that by the time we become adults and leaders, we are mature in dealing with inter-religious issues.

Coming back to Hindutva and Hinduism, if we want mature conversations in a multi-religious country like Malaysia, we must first understand what we are talking about. It is naïve to think that the already very fragmented minority community of Malaysian Indians would consider using Hindutva politics in Malaysia.

Peace.
Anas Zubedy
Penang