Sara Smith
Ladakhi Opposition to Interfaith Marriages [journal article review]
When Sara Smith did her fieldwork in Ladakh, she frequently encountered interfaith couples who were being pressured to break up their marriages and return to their respective Buddhist or Muslim communities. However, the region was not always divided so rigidly between the different faiths. In a recent journal article, Smith provides background for the religious […]
A Love Jihad in Ladakh
Tensions in Ladakh over the fact that Muslims are producing more babies than Buddhists bubbled to the surface once again last week. The Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) sent a letter to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, plus other officials protesting what it calls a “love jihad” by Muslims. A journal article by Sara […]
Political, Religious, and Community Tensions in Ladakh [journal article review]
Tense political borders in and around northern India have produced regional political stresses that have fostered strains in the traditional peaceful relations between Ladakhis of different religious beliefs. These strains have produced hostilities and divisions among families, friends, and communities throughout Ladakh, and particularly in Leh. A fascinating scholarly article last year by Sara H. […]
Is Buddhist/Muslim Harmony Growing in Ladakh?
One result of the peaceful values held by Ladakhis has been the frequency of interfaith marriages, which are widely accepted among both Buddhists and Muslims, according to a news report last week. The story indicates that, despite the interfaith troubles of the late 1980s and early 1990s, tensions have subsided and the local beliefs in […]
Buddhist and Muslim Families in Ladakh [journal article review]
A Ladakhi woman suggests that attempts to prevent relationships between Buddhist and Muslim men and women are a poor idea, because when people from different communities get married, it creates harmony. A Ladakhi man adds that intermarriages between people of different communities and faiths are normal all over the world. Sara H. Smith, from the […]
