Religion and Identity in a Multi-Ethnic Society

Multi ethnic and multi-cultural societies are constantly confronted with problems of identity and conflicts based on differential hiddenites. For a variety of reasons religion has been the most potent source of ethnic identity, internal cohesion and external conflicts. Indian society, perhaps more than any other, represents a pluralistic social order which at best can be described as an inclusive society. Though usually perceived as the land of the Hindus, the country has been home to nearly all the religions of the world. Over 12 percent of the total population has embraced Islam while a little over 2 per cent belong to Christian religion-the two constituting the minority religious groups of non-Indic origin. The Indic group includes the Buddhists, the Jains and the Sikhs. The problem of identity based on religion assumes nuances of meanings in a country as vast as India and as populated as India.