I don’t have any statistics, DHW. It is just that we know many doctors from India and from Pakistan, so I can see the contrast quite clearly.
Now it may well be that we see only the intellectuals, the upper middle class, and my view may be skewed for that reason.
However, the Hindus I know are only mildly religious, many of their children, the second generation, have married outside the faith, outside their race, many are married to Caucasians.
We are good friends with a couple. One of their daughters became an Anesthetist. She has a good job, makes good money, but no husband. She recently had a daughter by artificial insemination.
The grandparents were tickled pink, they were as proud as can be. They spend a couple of months with their daughter to help her out; they threw a big party in celebration here. They invited us; there were many Indians at the party.
Such a thing would be unheard of in a Muslim community. The Muslim doctors I know are much more conservative, traditional than Hindu doctors. Particularly, the second generation Hindus are practically westernized, though many of them do practice their own religion.
So no I don’t have any statistics, my evidence is largely anecdotal.
And you make a valid point about how Hinduism is practiced in India. In many parts of India, there hasn’t been any change for hundreds of years. However, the intellectuals, the upper middle class, the clergy, they all evolve in their thinking and that is why Hinduism evolves.
So if you look at villages, in many places you won’t find much change compared to the old days. However if you look at the cities, you will find huge change compared to say 100 or 200 years ago including the way they dress (or so I was told).
But still that is a big improvement over Islam, where things seem to be going in reverse all over the world.
