The Inter Press Service News Agency published last week an article on religion in India, titled "Secular Fabric Under Threat." The author , Praful Bidwai , discusses a Hindu-chauvinist terrorist network, which police are now starting to understand better after two months of investigations. Bidwai writes that there are organizations and individuals "tied together by adherence to the ideology of Hindutva" (Hindu supremicism). In any case, the article is particularly detailed and looks at the various organizations, which are accused of attacks against both Muslims and Christians , particularly in Orissa. The main question , not only in this article , but in a lot of writing on terrorism and extremism in India concerns state sanction and popular support. Bidwai interviews a history professor from Nehru University, who says: "Hidutva-inspired terrorists are no less dangerous and indefensible than terrorists inspired by jehadi Islam. But the difference is that the first kind of terrorism has a wider base because the Hindus are a majority in India. It also enjoys official sanction and state patronage, unlike jihadi militancy." The professor distinguishes between majoritarian and minority extremism and argues that majoritarian forms of extremism are more dangerous when they can be disguised as nationalism. This has been the ongoing debate about religious persecution in India: how much does majoritarian extremism fuel minority extremism, or is the propaganda of the minority leading to misinformation about the intentions of the majority? The Christians in Orissa are being blamed for religious propaganda and trying to convert the local Hindu civilians. India, of course, is considered a secular country , "the world's most populous democracy" , but the number of religious clashes has been increasing dramatically. For example, over 130 churches have been destroyed in recent fighting. India has approximately 1.1 billion people , over 800 million are Hindu. There are more than 150 million Muslims in India and about 24 million Christians.
