Hinduism in Interreligious Relations

ABSTRACT The concept of ‘Hinduism’ brings together a diverse group of traditions, which sometimes makes it difficult to distinguish between intrareligious and interreligious relations. This article assumes that despite all diversity it is possible to draw out some pattern of how Hindus have responded to the contact with other religions. Originally, significant interreligious encounter and exchanged occurred with other traditions of Indian origin. The arrival of Islam on the subcontinent and later colonial Christianity created points of contact with Hinduism that impacted theology, philosophy, social structures and politics. More recently, strong Hindu–Jewish relations have developed both in academia and between Hindus and Jews, leading to the coinage of the word ‘HinJews’ for people who participate in some way in both traditions. Hinduism is also a global religion with significant Hindu communities in countries as far apart as the United Kingdom and Fiji. Hindus are involved in interreligious dialogue initiatives on various levels with a large number or religious traditions. The article will close with examples of Hinduism and theological cross‐fertilisation.