The recent consecration of a vast new Hindu temple in Ayodhya has cast Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “the high priest of Hinduism” and confirmed his desire to undermine the secular state. Alas, plenty of power-hungry demagogues, including former US President Donald Trump, have also embraced religious nationalism.
NEW YORK – On January 22, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi consecrated the Ram Mandir, a vast new Hindu temple in Ayodhya. Cast as “the high priest of Hinduism,” in the words of his biographer, Modi gave offerings and blessings to an idol of Lord Ram, one of the most revered Hindu deities, who was supposedly born on this sacred spot. The temple is also a powerful political symbol for Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party: it was built on the ruins of a sixteenth-century mosque that Hindu-nationalist mobs, egged on by BJP leaders, demolished in 1992, sparking sectarian riots that left 2,000 people dead.
NEW YORK – On January 22, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi consecrated the Ram Mandir, a vast new Hindu temple in Ayodhya. Cast as “the high priest of Hinduism,” in the words of his biographer, Modi gave offerings and blessings to an idol of Lord Ram, one of the most revered Hindu deities, who was supposedly born on this sacred spot. The temple is also a powerful political symbol for Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party: it was built on the ruins of a sixteenth-century mosque that Hindu-nationalist mobs, egged on by BJP leaders, demolished in 1992, sparking sectarian riots that left 2,000 people dead.