Extremists Don't Represent Religion
Recently the Dadri mob lynching has caused a lot of outrage among people (and rightly so) as a man was murdered over beef eating rumors by a mob of around 100 people.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/dadri-lynching-up-homeguard-spread-beef-rumour-to-instigate-attack-on-father-and-son-says-police/
While I condemn such violent acts, I have seen a few on social media associate attack on extremists and those supporting (silently and through patronage) as an attack on Hinduism in its entirety. That's funny! I being a Hindu can understand upon whom the outrage is on and who is being attacked but it seems like some people have gotten confused. I shall deal with this later in this post.
But I would like to point out what extremism really is and how it doesn't represent any religion or a fraction of its ideology. Using some examples that people will be able to recall, I shall point out how extremism is rather a weapon for some to gain power and control and how they have to be disconnected as being part of any religion.
The Crusades:
Remember The Crusades?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades
The Holy War against Islamic and Persian rulers? While The Crusades was a military campaign sanctioned by the Church to take back the Holy Land from the Turkish Empire, it was more of a campaign to stop waring European kingdoms from fighting each other and to prevent civil wars and disease.
And it didn't end at just capturing Constantinople or Jerusalem (from time to time and then failing to do so). It continued by attacking and killing Jews, Prussians, Livonians, Christians and many innocent lives in Europe, Russia and the Middle East.
The Crusades did achieve The Church's goal of reuniting Eastern and Western churches but at the same time there were so many Crusades and so many kings and empires took advantage of this, in the end it turned into a political and military campaign for the kings and helped the Church gain followers (they might have lost some too) while it became a tool to loot and plunder various parts of Europe and The Middle East.
Would Jesus approve of this? Would any of the rules of Christianity approve of this? No. Extremism? Absolutely!
Ku Klux Klan and 'Christian' terrorists organisations:
Pretty sure that Americans wouldn't forget Ku Klux Klan and they wouldn't need any introduction about them:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan
But, seeing that most Americans are scared of 'Islamic' terrorists like ISIS, Taliban, Al Qaeda, etc. or Islamophobia as the Western media calls it but surely they cannot deny that 'Christian' terrorist organizations are equally dangerous and they have branches in European countries too (including the Klu Klux Klan which is still active). Some other 'Christian' Terrorist Organizations are:
http://aattp.org/here-are-8-christian-terrorist-organizations-that-equal-isis/
But do these organizations represent Christianity as a whole? No. Surely the Klu Klux Klan in its initial stage didn't represent The Protestants. It had recruited mostly former Confederacy soldiers and was trying to obtain power and control by instilling fear and terror while at the same time giving the former Confederacy soldiers a sense of redemption for their losses and gratification by the crucifixion and burning of African Americans.
Even at present do any of the so called 'Christian' terrorists organizations represent Christianity with their violence and terror? No. Extremists? Yes!
Adolf Hitler & The Nazi Party:
Why would I mention about Hitler and the Nazi Party? Did they represent any religion?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_of_Adolf_Hitler
Well Hitler did use the Swastika symbol. That invokes four religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
http://www.wisegeek.com/did-the-swastika-symbol-really-originate-in-some-eastern-religions.htm
But Hitler was a Christian. Did Hitler then represent all 5 religions? That's not the case. How can The Nazi Party represent these religions? It didn't and no religion would want any ties to such an ideology!
ISIS and 'Islamic' terrorists organizations:
ISIS and many other terrorists organizations like Taliban, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, etc. are nowadays capturing news and headlines off late. Due to this whenever there is a debate or a Google search on terrorists organizations,most of these organizations have a higher recall value.
But did Osama attack The World Trade Centres in the USA because the Americans had committed atrocities against or killed Muslims? Not really:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsibility_for_the_September_11_attacks#Statements_of_motives_prior_to_September_11.2C_2001
Osama's main aim was to free middle east countries from American and Jewish control while at the same time he wanted to take control over the various terrorist cells around the world to increase his power and influence after being removed from Saudi Arabia and then from Sudan:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsibility_for_the_September_11_attacks#Statements_of_motives_prior_to_September_11.2C_2001
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda#History
Osama also wanted to remove all foreign troops and interests from 'Muslim' lands just like other terrorist organizations. Thereby the Al Qaeda would slowly take control of the middle east lands and gain absolute power enforcing stringent and extreme laws. After 9/11 though, the Taliban along with Al Qaeda were driven out of power from the Afghanistan government and since then have been trying to gain lost territory.
ISIS on the other hand which has gained a good share of territory in Iraq and Syria is also one of the many insurgent organizations that were formed to drive out foreign forces from Iraq after the fall of Saddam's regime during the 2003 Iraq invasion:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant#History
As many reports have come out, ISIS has committed crimes not only against minority Christians but men, women and children who are Muslims too. Boko Haram and many other 'Islamic' terror organizations have the same goal of increasing their power and influence using fear and terror tactics. But do these organizations represent Islam? Would Allah approve of such atrocities against men and women? No.
Hindutva:
Quite often the defination of Hinduism has been distorted by those who believe in the Hindutva ideology. Here is the definition of Hindutva though:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindutva
As one can see the term 'Hindutva' itself has no relation to the religion. In fact the ideology it promotes is a Brahmanical and upper caste ideology which wants to be the dominant culture amongst Hindus.
Followers of this ideology have staunchly spoken of how Hindus face grave dangers from Muslims who might overtake the Hindu population although that can't happen as around 80% of India's population consists of Hindus and only around 14%. It will take 220 years for the Muslim population to even reach at par with the Hindu population:
http://scroll.in/article/694975/with-current-trends-it-will-take-220-years-for-indias-muslim-population-to-equal-hindu-numbers
Organizations who have adopted this ideology also want to ban foreign cultures like Valentine's day, will ostracize girls and women who have sex before marriage, want women to stop wearing revealing outfits and many other extreme ideas that sound similar to what the Taliban or Al Qaeda would promote. But how can one do this in a land that used to promote polygamy, multiple wives and husbands, gave birth to the Kamasutra and has the 2nd highest population in the world which surely wouldn't have happened through magic!
Also during the beginning of our civilization, Indian women did wear 'scanty skirts upto knee level' and they had minimal clothing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_clothing_in_India#Indus_Valley_Civilization_period
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30330693
Besides times have changed and while some of the basic rules of Hinduism can be followed and should be promoted, why should one object to what clothes, food or business they do? And what about Hindu tolerance? Unless it is really harming someone then they can object to it but surely none of the Hindutva organizations have any legal authority to take action!
Which now brings me to the point of those associating such extreme organizations to Hinduism which is not only wrong but terrible! What's the message that I want people to know?
That such organizations don't represent any religion in its entirety. Even if some of the organizations are utilizing some ideas and rules of the religion; at the same time they distort the religion completely and at times even go to lengths to distort history to prove they are right! Thereby one must not call them Islamic, Christian or Hindu organisations but simply as extreme and violent organizations.
Once religion is disconnected from such organizations, the purpose and charm of such organizations is lost and thereby it weakens their stand as people would clearly see them as terrorists masquerading under the guise of representing a religion. But such organizations do not want religion to be disconnected from them as they can use it for their protection. What's dangerous is when some in the 4th Pillar i.e. the media use this kind of protection to indirectly promote and protect the acts of these extreme organizations.
One example that I saw was this:
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