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India has done it right with the language issue

By Merrill Cassell, New York

The scriptures make it clear that it is good deeds that get folks to heaven, not their religion. It makes no sense for the accident of your birth to determine whether you ascend to heaven or descend into hell.
Most countries have a mix of religions, races and languages. But when a government enforces national priorities in language and religion and discriminates against various ethnic groups (with different languages or religions), then internal strife results, and this sometimes leads to civil war.

India has 33 main languages and 1,650 dialects but uses English as a common language of communication. If India had promoted a nationalist language policy, the country would have been in political turmoil. Every village child in India wants to learn English as a gateway to economic prosperity.
Countries should think beyond boundaries of national particularity and customs. Any norms of neo-nationalism should challenge the political titles and orders of religious barriers and national prejudices.
Ideally, Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Hindus and even Muslims should go about their business, away from religious extremists and national chauvinists.

 
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