To Change or Not to Change?
Heraclitus once said, “all entities move, and nothing remains still.” Interestingly, Dr. Joseph Bubulia’s seminar touched upon something that, throughout history, has remained pervasive to various societies- Religion. Secularism seems to be gaining traction at an unprecedented rate, with an estimated 1.2 billion individuals identifying as atheists by 2020 (Pew Research Centre, 2015). But for most of the population, religious affiliations continue to be a pivotal determinant in the formulation of worldviews and behaviours.
As stated by Dr. Bubulia, “Religious rituals continue to be preserved with high fidelity”. As unifying as this may be for some communities, in societies characterised by acute political and religious stratification the persistence of certain rituals can be problematic and prejudicial. Growing up in India, the first thing my Grandmother told me about Hinduism, a religious affiliation she shares with nearly 80% of the country (Census of India, 2011), was that under no circumstance ever would a “Good Hindu” consume beef. Abstaining from beef has been a sacred ritual of Hinduism since 1500 B.C (Doniger, 2017), so much so that consumption of it has become criminalised by 21 out of the 29 states in India (Doniger, 2017). But what does catering to the religious beliefs of the dominant political group mean for groups with conflicting beliefs?
Between 2010-2017, Muslims represented 86% of the Indians killed by extremist groups for cow slaughter (Doniger, 2017). Killings by cow vigilantes have often focused on “lower-caste” individuals, as abstaining from beef tends to symbolise higher social status. “Beef lynchings” have become commonplace, enforcing fear and constricting the choices of the non-dominant religious and social groups in India, often at the cost of their lives. When such a ritual is being actively used to perpetuate violence and socio-political oppression of minority groups with different views, is it really worth preserving?
REFERENCES
Doniger, W. (2017). Hinduism and its complicated history with cows (and people who eat them). Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/hinduism-and-its-complicated-history-with-cows-and-people-who-eat-them-80586
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (2001). 2001 Census Data. Retrieved from http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/religion.aspx.
Pew Research Centre. (2015). The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050. Retrieved from https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/
