Because it’s almost literally halfway across the world, we don’t hear a lot of news about all the crazy stuff that happens in India. As far as most westerners are concerned, India is supposed to be a peaceful place, filled with sacred cows, gurus, and outsourced telemarketers. But all is not well in the world’s largest democracy, and they face the same challenge many other developing nations do; the growing power of religious fundamentalism.

Subodh Kerkar didn’t realize he would be receiving death threats for his sketches of Hindu god Ganesh, but it seems as though a fundamentalist group called Hindu Janajagruti Samiti has warned him they would cut off his fingers for his blasphemy (you can visit their website, but I assure you it’s nothing but nonsense).

The group takes a hard core stance regarding modernism and secularism, which they regard as dangerous. It was founded in 2002 after hardliners felt that the fundamentalism of Islam and Christianity needed their Indian counterpart, and like these two denominations, it is xenophobic, racist, and violently opposed to blasphemy.

I don’t find it surprising at all  so many religions are developing fundamentalist tendencies, especially in light of the growing popularity and power of modernism. These religions rightly feel that education, science, and ethics erode superstitious belief. My concern is these dangerous and ignorant fools will continue to threaten individuals who are simply trying to express themselves. It’s why we need to continue to fight for the rights of all individuals to speak their own minds; it’s the only way to beat these assholes.