While in the service of my country I had ample opportunities to travel overseas, 1 trip involved going to several cities in both Pakistan and India. Pakistan was the first stop. Even though the 2 nations are very close they are quite different. When I got into India I had a conversation with a local. He was adamant that I understand that Indians are very peaceful people but that Pakistanis were very violent. Most Indians are Hindu while most Pakistanis are Muslim. He wanted me to understand that it just wasn't a little violent but that they were deeply violent people capable of causing great harm.
While he never mentioned religion, it was hard to miss the parallels in his argument. 1 of his claims that stands out is that Indians eat mostly a diet that consists of vegetables. His stated that vegetarians by their nature of abstaining from meat meant that they avoided killing animals. He claimed that the killing and consuming of meat was what gave the Pakistanis their violent tendencies. I know those 2 countries have been fighting for years over some disputed land in the Kyber pass. I didn't sense any real hatred for Pakistanis from this conversation just a person stating a fact then backing up his belief.
I also remember seeing muslims in London in Speakers Corner. For those of you who aren't familiar with Speakers Corner, it is a section of Hyde Park. Local legend is that the corner has it's roots from the days of capital punishment and death at the gallows. The condemned were able to say their last words before they were killed. Now it's a place where anyone with an agenda and usually a box to stand on or even a step ladder to get high above the crowd. Anyhow I remember in the early 90s seeing young, bearded men touting how Islam was going to conquer the world. I was quite ignorant at the time to what Islam was. I had other things to worry about. But I use to go into the muslim section of London to purchase their sweet desserts like baklava. I never had a problem going into that part of town and didn't give it a 2nd thought heading down there. I bet I'd be shocked if I ever went back to that area and see if it has changed any.
