My thoughts are that it is time , actually high time, that we Hindus began to market , teach and articulate the Hindu Point of View and the circumstances today give us the best opportunity. The general dislike, distaste and disgust with Islam is well established. The reason why we see some talk sympathetically about the “innocents amongst Muslims” is because nobody wants a general flare up. We must look at ourselves and what we must do to propagate , if not proselytize, about Hinduism.

This sketch of Muhammed is a brilliant piece of art and it does not seem to be a cartoon. The question to establish is the reciprocity and equivalence between various beliefs. If non Muslims cannot give a face to Muhammad , I am ok with that, then They must also respect and not insult our Godess Lakshmi, Saraswati or Durga as Hussain did in the name of freedom of expression. !! There is a need to establish reciprocity – if Muslim countries do not allow us to have a temple or even congregate to do a religious ceremony , then permitting the same on our land creates an imbalance in respect and reciprocity. While they destroy our temples , they build mosques on our land ! What kind of equivalence is that ? If they convert that’s part of their faith , when we brand it as ” Ghar Wapasi” why is it a blasphemy ?

We must not surrender our freedom to have a dialogue and that’s how we evolve.

Every religious group have their own spokesperson and they get to represent their faith. We Hindus have none to write home about.. . For example , when Dr. Swamy and Rajeev Malhotra were not permitted to speak at Oxford , other than a few mentions in Indian papers no international coverage was seen and no conversation took place even here. Yet the same Oxford invited a Pakistani general who virtually abused the West and it was ok !!

We Hindus have presence but have no clout in the societies we live in. I am proud of Sikhs because they are sincerely establishing their own identity, building a clout , wherever they are even if for some it might mean denying their Hindu roots.
Gentlemen all – we must continue this dialogue in the spirit of respect , freedom, reciprocity and equality for all. From Abu Dhabi to Zurich , the union of a man and a woman conceives a child and we all die because of myocardial infraction – so what matters is not WHO we pray to but WHAT we do that defines us.

Cheers
Vibhuti Jha