I accept the apology, and I do understand that there have been a few people here who have been blatantly abusive - but responding to them in kind brings everybody else down to their level.
Well, Tabish, from all the Hindus I know, there are very few who think like the Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena is not just anti-Muslim. They have been anti-South Indian in the past too; they use hate and the 'them and us' philosophy to get votes. It's just that, today, Muslims are the easy target, like South Indians in Bombay once were.
Yes, there are possibly many Hindus who hate Muslims in India. But I would assert confidently that the majority of Hindus are, in fact, tolerant people. If not, wouldn't the VHP or Shiv Sena be ruling this country, and wouldn't we be a 'Hindu Rashtra'? And to assume that most of us think like some of the right-wingers here would be to make the same mistake as those people do.
It is unfortunate that the extremist fringe, on both sides, is more vociferous than the liberal majority - a fact that is true of every place.
For instance, I have faced lots of racism in the time I am unfortunate enough to be forced to spend in Germany - some of which included even physical assault. But I resist (though it is highly tempting to generalise) the temptation of stating that most Germans are like that.
So, my statement would be that - not all Hindus are nice people, and the same holds true for any agglomeration of people. :)
