It’s no secret that India is a secular nation. But did you know that while most Indians consider themselves religiously tolerant, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center, most Indians are against interfaith marriages? According to the finding, people across faiths said stopping interfaith marriage was “high priority”.
The research comes following the passing of laws to criminalise interfaith love, across several Indian states. The statistics were a result of detailed assessment of 30,000 people across 17 languages, 26 states and three federally administered territories. As per the results, 80 per cent Muslims felt it was important to stop people within the community from marrying into another religion. Approximately 65 per cent of Hindus shared their sentiments.
Those surveyed were asked about the relationship between faith and nationality, and found that Hindus “tend to see their religious identity and Indian national identity as closely intertwined”. Nearly two-thirds of Hindus (64 per cent) said it was very important to be Hindu in order to be “truly Indian.”
The study found that despite sharing certain values and religious beliefs, members of India's major religious communities "often don't feel they have much in common. Indians simultaneously express enthusiasm for religious tolerance and a consistent preference for keeping their religious communities in segregated spheres - they live together separately.”