South Asia People Groups

Gujarati of India

Lying on the southern-most part of the Indian and Pakistan border, the Indian state of Gujarat has seen mounting tension between Hindus and Muslims.

Fifty million people create a mixture of religious bodies made up of 88 percent Hindus, 7 percent Muslims, and a small percentage of Jains, Buddhists and Christians. Gujarat is a religious melting pot that has seen division between the various parts and a decrease in religious freedom in light of recent violence.

Originating as a nonviolent culture in 2000 B.C., Gujarat has been ruled as a military feudal system by Indian nobility, Muslims, Moguls and Maratha, and by the British before becoming a part of the Republic of India.

Gujarat played a role in the independence of India through the birth of one of its most well-known citizens, Mahatma Gandhi. Through his use of nonviolent methods, this cotton-spinning, former upper-class citizen of Gujarat peacefully rebelled against the ruling British and inspired future American civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr.

Christian missionaries first started work in India in 1815. Although some Gujarati citizens have knowledge of Christianity, including high government officials, Christians as well as Muslims have faced persecution.

With mounting religious tension, mass rioting between Hindus and Muslims has caused numerous deaths. Refugee camps hold more than 100,000 Muslims displaced by violence.

Rules have also been issued from spiritual leaders asking all Hindu followers to not buy or sell products to Muslims. Those caught breaking this rule are often surrounded and beaten by mobs of Hindus, as two Muslim children buying fast food experienced.

Contrary to the recent treatment of Muslims, the Hindu population believes in reincarnation, achieving a better position in life through showing love and mercy towards cattle and other people. The vegetarian status of Hindus shows their respect for cattle, as does the respect that is shown for cattle breeders and milk vendors.

Seventy percent of Hindu Gujaratis are employed in agriculture, producing cotton, sugar cane, tobacco, wheat, millet and rice. Some families must supplement their income by sending their children to be migrant laborers.

Gujarati Hindus worship 330 million gods and goddesses, making them some of the most fervent Hindus in India. Simultaneously, as the Gujarati Muslims face persecution, they cling to their faith and their religious identity as their communities are burnt and refugee camps become their new home.