Theophobia, Hinduism, and Hindutva

Abstract

This article challenges the conventional view of Hinduism as an “inherently” inclusive tradition, arguing that its historical realities and lived practices often reveal profound exclusivity. The author introduces a conceptual framework that distinguishes religiophobia – a spontaneous, emotional aversion to religious difference – from theophobia, a socially and politically conditioned fear of the religious “other” that fosters rigid “us versus them” dynamics in the public sphere. The paper demonstrates that psychological tendencies towards religious superiority are pervasive, affecting even renowned figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, who implicitly privileged Hinduism over other faiths. Furthermore, the paper documents a history of intra-faith sectarian disputes and inter-faith intolerance, describing the persecution, marginalization, and structural appropriation of other Indic traditions, mainly Buddhism and Jainism. Finally, the text delineates the distinction between traditional Hinduism and modern Hindutva. While Hinduism is described as an open-ended spiritual tradition, Hindutva functions as a narrow, monistic form of cultural nationalism. The paper concludes that Hindutva exploits xenophobic anxieties directed against external faiths to build an exclusive national identity, thereby undermining societal harmony by forsaking fundamental pluralistic principles.