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Trinidad-    No difference between Hindus and Muslims in Trinidad

 

Hindus and Muslims in Trinidad                                                                                                                           NRIpress.club/Suresh Verma

Hinduism and Islam are the third and second most popular religions in the world respectively.

Hinduism is fundamentally a tolerant religion, respectful of other faiths. Hindus believe in many gods because Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. One of the ideals of Hinduism is "Ahimsa," which means that a Hindu should strive to do no harm to any living thing; Hindu holy texts contain some of humankind's earliest writings on peace. Hinduism has both theist schools and Atheist schools. Theist school of thought believes that there is only one GOD which we call Brahman and all the other Gods are the manifestations of Brahman. Hinduism believes in body and soul. Your soul returns to your body after your death.

Islam is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion, founded by Prophet Muhammad in the Middle East in the 7th century CE. The Muslims, on the other hand, are monotheistic because, like Christianity, they believe in only one supreme God. Islam has historically been a more militant religion, with expansion, conquest and conversion as central tenets of the faith. One of the requirements of all Muslims is "jihad," or struggle. Muslims eat all wholesome and good food including meat of Cow (beef), lamb, goat, and chicken.

Conflict between Muslims and Hindus
It is nothing new or surprise- Hindu-Muslim conflict in India has been going on for centuries. In both societies there are differences, for example, in social expectations and behavior, diet and views on gender, which can make harmonious co-existence challenging for these two religious groups. The differ including idol worship, monotheism and their history.  Islam spread into the Indian Peninsula in the early 700s. In the 20th century, this tension was a major factor in the partition of the British colony of India ....India and Pakistan.

             No difference between Hindus and Muslims in Trinidad
             Conflicts between India and Pakistan do not affect our lives ....
                                                                          Author Aliyyah Eniath

Debuting with a book that gives voice to the lives of people of Indian origin in Trinidad and Tobago, author Aliyyah Eniath believes there is a strong need to convey the stories of the diaspora to the world.

People in this Caribbean nation -- where nearly 40 percent of the 1.3 million population is of Indian origin -- "still tightly hold on to a lot of cultural practices. Diwali is a huge festival which is a week-long celebration in Trinidad. There is no difference between Hindus and Muslims back home. Conflicts between India and Pakistan do not affect our lives", Eniath stated.

"It is very important that we get our stories to the world. We have so many stories to tell. It is important that our voices are heard, that the world should know about us too because India has a huge population and is a significant part of the world population. And it is not all about American writing -- it should be about Indian writing too," Eniath, the author of "The Yard" (Speaking Tigers, Rs 350, pp 272) told IANS in an interview during a visit here.

Although Eniath was born and bought up in Trinidad and Tobago, her roots lie in Uttar Pradesh.

As an author, she believes it is "unfortunate" that publishers in Britain and the US are not too keen on stories about the Indian diaspora. But the Indian publishing industry is doing its bit to fill the gaps. "When I got the offer from the Indian publishing house, I could not refuse as I see India as a big platform for diaspora writers," added Eniath, who is director of a lifestyle magazine.

For her, the book and its characters are a medium for telling the world how the diaspora has been living in Trinidad and Tobago.

"My book focuses on the experience of one family living in The Yard where the characters are compelled to live together. Many Indians living in Trinidad share similar experiences as well. I think that it does convey the emotional and family bonds as well as the culture, especially the Muslims, about whom I have written and how they have different views on religion," Eniath explained.

Talking about taking Indian characters abroad, Eniath said no book had earlier focused on the East Indians. "Authors like Jhumpa Lahiri are writing on the immigrants' experience, but in Trinidad and Tobago, it is different as we really don't feel like immigrants since we have been there from the start. So it has always been a British-Indian-African community.

"The writing is a bit different, but is sort of trendsetting because I don't think such a book has been written before with such a strong T&T and Indian connection. So I think it is a bit new as well," said the author who wanted to become a writer ever since she read "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens.

Choosing Indian characters was inevitable as it is "easier to relate to characters based on my experience" she said, adding: "I grew up in the close network of an Indian family in Trinidad and Tobago where everyone was involved in everyone's life. I wanted to write about the extended Indian family."

And given her fascination with love stories, it was also inevitable that her debut effort is also a love story.

"I am a huge fan of love stories with happy endings, but like them with some layers to it. Mine is a little different; it is mainly a love story but it is also heart-breaking. I do like very much to write about love hoping that it will connect to readers in a big way and it is also what I love to write about," said the author.... By Somrita Ghosh ....IANS