Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava: \u201cAll dharmas [truths, or religions] are equally valid.\u201d\u009d Indians often cite this noble maxim, which was popularized by Mahatma Gandhi, and the country\u2019s constitution remains firmly secular and democratic. In recent years, though, the country\u2019s religious outlook has darkened to the point that minorities\u201d\u201dincluding both Christians and Muslims\u201d\u201dface dangers of severe persecution and violence.<\/p>\n
The fact that that threat receives little attention in the West says much about our stereotypes of other world religions. If we saw a situation where tens of millions of Christians were being similarly maltreated by a Muslim regime, Western media and policy makers would speak out vigorously. But when the enemies of religious liberty are Hindu, members of a faith that Americans idealize, the public silence is deafening.<\/p>\n
Although India\u2019s Chris\u00c2\u00adtians do not represent a large proportion of the country\u2019s vast population\u201d\u201donly about 3 percent\u201d\u201dthey number about 40 million, comparable to the larger European nations. India\u2019s Christians suffer from multiple disadvantages, especially because so many derive from people of low or no caste or from tribal communities on the margins of Hindu society. Official reluctance to accept the reality of conversions makes it difficult to assess the true extent of Christian numbers.<\/p>\n