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Minorities in India
In India there are many religious minorities like, the Muslims, Sikhs and the Christians. There are minorities like the Dalits who can be defined under the caste system and then there are the tribal minorities. Sikhs are less than 2% of India's population are Sikhs. Sikhism tried to abolish some of the old Hindu customs such as the caste system and Sati - burning of the widow. In Sikhism everyone has equal rights irrespective of caste, creed, color, race, sex or religion. Sikhism rejects pilgrimage, fasting, superstitions and other such rituals. Sikhism does not have a clergy class as it considers this as a gateway to corruption. Islam is the second-largest religion in India (after Hinduism - 76.5%), where Muslims number around 174 million (16.4%). India has the second-largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. Since its introduction to India, Islam has made religious, artistic, philosophical, culture, social and political contributions to Indian history, heritage and life. About 2.5% of India's population are Christians. Christianity arrived in India almost about the same period as it arrived in Europe, meaning about 2000 years ago. In the Indian caste system, a Dalit, often called an untouchable, is a person who does not have any social rights. They do only the most menial jobs. They are also known as outcastes. Despite several years of independence they are still considered as the lowest of the lows and treated in the most inhuman fashion. The Dalits (literally, "broken people") fall at the lowest level of the caste system in India and are given the most menial jobs. They are, by definition, "the Outcastes." The caste system in India divides people into four main groups: Brahmins-priests and teachers, Kshatriyas-rulers and soldiers, Vaisyas-merchants and traders, and Sudras-laborers. Although the caste system is outlawed by the Indian constitution, everyday life still largely operates according to its principles. Segregation and prejudice mark a Dalit's life on a daily basis. They are considered by upper castes to be repulsive and subhuman. In India there are approximately 240 million Dalits. It means that 1 out of 5 persons is condemned to be untouchable. Dalits generally live under the poverty line, deprived and socially backward. Social backwardness, lack of access to food, education and health care keeps them in bondage of the upper castes.
 
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