Being a Hindu, Living In A Muslim Society

 “I truly believe that individuals can make a difference in society. Since periods of change such as the present one come so rarely in human history, it is up to each of us to make the best use of our time to help create a happier world.”

Dalai Lama

Since human beings are imperfect, any human society they create is imperfect. Hindus and Muslims have lived together for over 1000 years. There have been times when several conflicts have taken place between both these communities but today time has changed. People used to think that we being Hindus have different kind of thinking or we face special kind of problems but that is not the case in real life, the truth is totally different. We eat, we drink, we think all the same even our tensions we have in our life are same as any other community.

About ten percent of the population in Pakistan is Hindus; still few people think that we have some kind of restrictions or difficulties in living in this country. As a matter of fact there is no such thing. We are pretty comfortable living here; we face no restrictions or difficulties in the schooling of kids, our lifestyle. It actually feels good when people are so supportive of you and want to know about your lifestyle or about your culture.

Even making friends is not that big of an issue. When I was in school my friends were pretty comfortable with me. We used to hangout; we used to eat together and even have sleepovers. I don’t know the exact reason so as to why people even of my religion think that it is a big deal because my family is also friends with Muslims. We were born in this country so I guess religion should not matter much.

As far as terrorism is concerned, it exists for everyone here, be it a Hindu, Muslim or a Christian. Times have changed today and people have accepted the fact that nothing is wrong with being of a different religion. The generation today is very open minded towards these kinds of topics.

Pakistanis celebrate all kinds of festivals, such as Eid, Diwali, and Christmas. It makes no difference even if we are Hindus. Not only we but even my Muslim friends celebrate all the same festivals as I and we enjoy ourselves.

Many people think that we face some problems in our schooling and our lifestyle but that is not the truth. We feel like a normal person when going to the school, shopping and even when we go out for enjoyment or partying. This does not make a difference if we are from a different religion, we feel like a normal person would. It makes no difference if we are Hindus and are living in a Muslim country, we were born over here and we all have grown up over here. Pakistan is also our country and all over the world we are recognized as Pakistanis then why should we feel different.

When we go applying for jobs or internships it doesn’t matter what our religion is what matters is our education and degrees. If we don’t have a degree then we don’t get a job and I guess it is the same for everybody.

Mostly people whom I have met have an interest in our culture and traditions. They are genuinely interested in the wedding ceremony when we have to steal the bridegroom’s shoe and then ask him for money and how we all keep on dancing and enjoying ourselves. Mostly people are also interested in the seven rounds the couple has to take after which they are pronounced husband and wife. I still remember the day when it was my cousins wedding and all my friends were so interested in knowing all about our traditions; I invited all of them to the wedding. All my friends danced with me and we had a great time. It feels good when people from different religions are interested to get to know about you and your religion.

So being a Hindu, living in a Muslim country is not difficult. I hope all of you who wondered what the answer for this question is, have got their answers.

“We stand today at a crossroads: One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other leads to total extinction. Let us hope we have the wisdom to make the right choice.”

 Woody Allen