Criticism of Hinduism

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Criticism of Hinduism has been applied to both historical and current aspects of Hinduism, notably Sati and the caste system.

Historical background

Early opposition

Some of the earliest criticism of Brahminical texts, including the Vedas and especially the Dharmashastras, comes from the Sramana (or renunciate) traditions, including Buddhism and Jainism. Sramana scholars viewed Brahminical philosophy as "heretical." In particular Sramanas denied the sruti (divine) nature of the Vedas and opposed sacrificial rituals which were at the heart of Brahminical philosophy at the time.[1]

Sati

An 18th-century painting depicting sati

Sati was a historical

Rajputs.[8][9]

According to Dehejia, sati originated within the

Kshatriyas (warrior Caste) aristocracy and remained mostly limited to the warrior class among Hindus.[10] Yang adds that the practice was also emulated by those seeking to achieve high status of the royalty and the warriors.[9] The increase of sati may also be related to the centuries of Islamic invasion and its expansion in South Asia.[9][11] It acquired an additional meaning as a means to preserve the honour of women whose men had been slain,[9] especially with the variant of mass sati called jauhar, practiced especially among the Rajputs as a direct response to the onslaught they experienced.[5][12]

The Mughal Empire (1526–1857) rulers and the Muslim population were ambivalent about the practice,[13][14][15] with many Mughal emperors forbidding the practice,[16] and later European travelers record that sati was not much practiced in the Mughal empire.[16] It was notably associated with elite Hindu Rajput clans in western India, marking one of the points of divergence between Hindu Rajputs and the Muslim Mughals.[17]

With the onset of the British Raj, opposition against sati grew. The principal campaigners against Sati were

Privy Council in London. Along with British supporters, Ram Mohan Roy presented counter-petitions to parliament in support of ending Sati. The Privy Council rejected the petition in 1832, and the ban on Sati was upheld.[23]

Caste system

Human Rights Watch describes the caste system as "discriminatory and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment"[24] of over 165 million people in India. The justification of the discrimination on the basis of caste, which according to HRW is "a defining feature of Hinduism,"[25] has repeatedly been noticed and described by the United Nations and HRW, along with criticism of other caste systems worldwide.[25][24][26][27]

See also

References

  1. S2CID 145293468
    .
  2. ^ Feminist Spaces: Gender and Geography in a Global Context, Routledge, Ann M. Oberhauser, Jennifer L. Fluri, Risa Whitson, Sharlene Mollett
  3. S2CID 162954709
    . Suttee, or sati, is the obsolete Hindu practice in which a widow burns herself upon her husband's funeral pyre...
  4. ^ Sharma 2001, pp. 19–21.
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ Dehejia 1994, p. 50.
  7. ^ Nandy, Ashis (1980). Sati: A Nineteenth Century Tale of Women, Violence and Protest in the book "At the Edge of Psychology". Oxford University Press. p. 1.
  8. .
  9. ^ a b c d Yang 2008, p. 21–23.
  10. ^ Dehejia 1994, p. 51-53.
  11. .
  12. ^ Jogan Shankar (1992). Social Problems And Welfare In India. Ashish Publishing House.
  13. .
  14. ^ Sharma 2001, p. 23.
  15. .
  16. ^ a b XVII. "Economic and Social Developments under the Mughals" from Muslim Civilization in India by S. M. Ikram, edited by Ainslie T. Embree New York: Columbia University Press, 1964
  17. ^ Sharma 2001, pp. 6–7.
  18. .
  19. ^ Sharma pp. 7–8.
  20. ]
  21. ^ Dodwell 1932 p. 141.
  22. .
  23. ^ a b "Hidden Apartheid". Human Rights Watch. 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  24. ^ a b "CASTE DISCRIMINATION". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  25. ^ "OHCHR | Caste systems violate human rights and dignity of millions worldwide – New UN expert report". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  26. ^ "UN report slams India for caste discrimination". CBC News. 2 March 2007.

Sources

External links