Attitudes to Racial Discrimination

Racial discrimination means treating people unfairly because of their race, colour or ethnic origin. It concerns actions, whereas prejudice is an unfair judgement or attitude. A person might hold a racial stereotype; acting on it by excluding someone from a job turns that prejudice into discrimination.

For example, suppose an employer rejects a suitably qualified applicant because of their ethnic origin. The applicant has been judged by group identity rather than ability. The injustice is not simply that the employer dislikes them: it is that they have been denied a fair opportunity.

Fair treatment in Mahabharata 5.39

The Mahabharata is a Hindu sacred epic containing moral and religious teachings. In Book 5, chapter 39, a teaching commonly expressed as ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you’ provides a basis for opposing racial discrimination.

The principle asks people to consider how their actions affect others. Someone who wants a fair chance of employment should offer that same fairness to people of other ethnic backgrounds. Their desire for respect cannot reasonably apply only to their own racial group. Applied to discrimination, the teaching supports equal consideration rather than exclusion or humiliation.

Many Hindus also believe that every person contains a spark of the divine. Racial identity therefore does not remove someone's spiritual worth. Swami Vivekananda expressed this connection between religion and treatment of others: ‘He who loves all beings without distinction, he indeed is worshipping best his God.’ Loving and respecting others becomes part of religious devotion, not merely a social preference.

Why racial discrimination harms society

Discrimination damages individuals and the relationships on which society depends. Unequal access to education or employment can restrict people's opportunities and income. When these disadvantages continue, they deepen inequality and prevent society from benefiting fully from people's abilities.

Exclusion also weakens trust. People who are repeatedly treated unfairly may feel that institutions do not protect or value them. Segregation, the separation of groups, can reduce contact and understanding between communities. This allows stereotypes to persist, making further discrimination more likely.

Hostility can develop into conflict and violence. This is not an inevitable response by victims, but a risk created by division and resentment. For Hindus, such harm conflicts with ahimsa, the principle of avoiding violence and harm to living beings. Discriminatory actions can also be understood as producing bad karma because they harm others and disregard their spiritual value.

A non-religious argument can reach a similar conclusion without appealing to divine worth or karma: people deserve fair opportunities, and discrimination undermines both individual wellbeing and a society's ability to function fairly.

How Hindus can respond

Hindus can apply these teachings through everyday decisions: refusing to exclude people because of race, challenging racist comments and treating people from different ethnic backgrounds with respect. Many Hindu communities express this inclusive approach by welcoming people of different races into religious life.

Responses can also be political. Hindus may campaign against discriminatory practices and support measures that protect fair treatment. Gandhi's opposition to racial discrimination provides an example of Hindu belief influencing public action. The important connection is between a moral conviction that discrimination is wrong and action intended to change how people are treated.

Evaluating the responses

Personal respect and education can challenge the prejudices behind discrimination. Their strength is that they address attitudes rather than only preventing particular actions. However, goodwill alone may not change an institution that repeatedly excludes an ethnic group.

Political campaigning can seek wider changes to unfair practices. Yet changing a rule does not automatically remove prejudice, so everyday behaviour and education remain important. Ahimsa supports challenging injustice without reproducing violence or hatred.

A justified conclusion is that these responses work best together: fair treatment in daily life addresses personal prejudice, while collective action challenges discriminatory practices. Hindu teachings provide strong reasons to oppose racism, but their effectiveness depends on being put into practice.