Islam and Peace
Co-existence of Religions in India
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Islam both stress the need to respect other religious
groups and to show proper regard for them,
irrespective of the circumstances.
Just as religious co-existence is valued in Hinduism,
so also is it valued in Christianity and Islam. If any
differences arise, they do so as a matter of rationale,
and not of actual practice. That is, the goal of co-
existence is achieved in Hinduism through co-
recognition, while in Christianity and Islam, it is
achieved through mutual esteem.
In this way, even with conflicting sets of beliefs
(that is, the manyness of reality and the oneness of
reality) the desired goal of co-existence is a fully
established fact. The basis of this co-existence in
Hinduism is the belief in a common, underlying
Truth, while in Christianity and Islam, this goal is
achieved through tolerance. That is to say that in
one case this co-existence is found at a conceptual
level, while, in the other, it is at a practical level.
Whatever its intellectual sources may be, the end
result – coexistence – is the same.
There are many examples of this kind of practical
agreement within the fold of Hinduism itself. For
