Inter-Faith Marriages A Big 'No' Among Most Indians: Survey

After more than seven decades of independence, Indians feel that the country lived up to its initial ideals to make India a country where everyone can live harmoniously. It's safe to say that everyone can indeed live in the country; the clause of living harmoniously raises a question nonetheless. India not only accounts for the maximum Hindus, Sikhs and Jains but is also home to the World's largest Muslim population. A famous Pew Research Survey that included face-to-face interviews with more than 30,000 Indians, conducted in 17 languages, reveals that most Indians feel free to practice their faith in the country.

65% of Indians Believe Religious Diversity Is Important

However, more than two-thirds of the people surveyed felt that it was essential to be a Hindu to consider oneself as 'truly Indian', but at the same time, 65 per cent of Indians also believe that religious diversity is essential for the country. Almost one-fourth of the Muslims in the survey felt that their religion was 'extremely discriminated against'. Surprisingly, 21 per cent of Hindus, too, believe that they face extreme 'religion-based discrimination. A massive 84 per cent of the Indians surveyed mentioned that their religious identity was fundamental to them. The same number also opined that respecting and tolerating each other's religious beliefs was crucial for being an Indian.

80% Of Muslims Want To Stop Women From Marrying Into Other Religions

About 66 per cent of Hindus and 80 per cent of Muslims believed that they wanted to stop their women from marrying into other religions. A statement in the survey mentioned, "Many Indians say it is very important to stop people in their community from marrying into other religious groups." About 36 per cent of Hindus said that they would be uncomfortable having a Muslim neighbour. Amongst Hindus, in 99 per cent of the cases, spouses belong to the same religion, while 98 per cent in case of Muslims and 97 per cent for Sikhs and Buddhists and 95 per cent of the times for Christians.

While 95 per cent of Muslims said that they were also proud Indians, one in five Muslims surveyed mentioned that they have faced religious discrimination in their lives. People across religions believe that even though they have a shared background and similar values, people are not much common.

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