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
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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
Sati was a historical
According to Dehejia, sati originated within the
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
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
- Saffron terror
- Criticism of Hindutva
- Anti-Brahminism
- Anti-Hindu sentiment
- Persecution of Hindus
References
- S2CID 145293468.
- ^ Feminist Spaces: Gender and Geography in a Global Context, Routledge, Ann M. Oberhauser, Jennifer L. Fluri, Risa Whitson, Sharlene Mollett
- S2CID 162954709.
Suttee, or sati, is the obsolete Hindu practice in which a widow burns herself upon her husband's funeral pyre...
- ^ Sharma 2001, pp. 19–21.
- ^ ISBN 978-0700702848.
- ^ Dehejia 1994, p. 50.
- ^ 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.
- ISBN 9780143414216.
- ^ a b c d Yang 2008, p. 21–23.
- ^ Dehejia 1994, p. 51-53.
- ISBN 9788170418597.
- ^ Jogan Shankar (1992). Social Problems And Welfare In India. Ashish Publishing House.
- ISBN 978-1-86189-185-3.
- ^ Sharma 2001, p. 23.
- ISBN 978-90-474-3102-2.
- ^ 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
- ISBN 978-1-139-91561-8
- ^ Sharma 2001, pp. 6–7.
- ISBN 9781108021043.
- ^ Sharma pp. 7–8.
- ]
- ^ Dodwell 1932 p. 141.
- ISBN 978-0791428382.
- ^ a b "CASTE DISCRIMINATION". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- ^ "OHCHR | Caste systems violate human rights and dignity of millions worldwide – New UN expert report". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
- ^ "UN report slams India for caste discrimination". CBC News. 2 March 2007.
Sources
- Dehejia, Vidya (1994), "Comment: A Broader Landscape", in Hawley, John Stratton (ed.), Sati, the Blessing and the Curse, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195077742
- Sharma, Arvind (2001). Sati: Historical and Phenomenological Essays. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0464-7.
- Yang, Anand A. (2008). "Whose Sati? Widow-Burning in early Nineteenth Century India". In Sarkar, Sumit; Sarkar, Tanika (eds.). Women and Social Reform in Modern India: A Reader. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0253352699.
External links
- Media related to Criticism of Hinduism at Wikimedia Commons