In Shock and Awe

I tucked him in and reminded him to say his prayers before sleeping. He nodded and as i got up to go, he called me again.. Said he wanted to tell me something. As i sat next to him, he brought his mouth close to me ear and whispered , "Someone said they will break the face of ... (the name of a Hindu God)"!

I thought i heard it wrong.

"Who said, and what exactly?"

"..."(he told me the name of a boy) and repeated his earlier sentence.

"Is he in your bus?"

"No, in my class."

"Does he sit next to you?"

"No"

"Well, ignore him and next time, he says something like this, tell your teacher and tell her i might have to bring my parents to the school."

I told him what i thought was best, at that time. I didn't want to show my shock and anger to my baby at that time.

But I just could not shake this eerie feeling.

They are just 7 years old, 8 at the most. Why this hatred? 

I wondered if it was time to tell our children that in the real world, where they would be alone pretty soon, there is no such thing as 'universal peace and acceptance', but there is such a thing as 'hatred'. I wondered if it was time to introduce them to trivial and stupid reasons for this hatred - a difference in beliefs, faiths, skin colours, creed, race, gender, status etc.etc. It would shock them, break their heart, and confuse them because right now, none of this matters. It might even shake their faith in the adults in general because aren't adults supposed too be better behaved, logical, understanding, peace makers, protectors, accepting, loving and forgiving? 

Right now, my children make friends based on common interests and a sense of comfort rather than nationality, religion, language and least of all, the colour of the skin! They compete together and they celebrate together...irrespective of whether they are Muslim, Hindu, Christian or Atheist; or come from Pakistan, India, China, Japan, Belgium, Iran, Jordan, Egypt, Afghanistan, Lebanon, France or Timbuktu!

I wondered whether it was time to move back home, to India?  India is a secular country, constitutionally and in today's India  a lot more people believe in secularism than fanaticism...but, i reminded myself,  it has some very dark spots of religious riots on its land. Not a very nice aspect of a motherland to introduce your children to!

Isn't Dubai better then? Though an Islamic state, it has shown more tolerance and acceptance than anywhere else that i know of. Religious riots have never been even heard of- isn't that commendable?

And yet still, coming from the mouth of a 7 year old boy, this religion based hatred has left me shocked. I am not sure i understand the how and why of this. But  I am sure i do not see a bright and peaceful future ahead for the world if this what the next generation is already thinking!

Apologies, i tried to see the bright side of this, but failed miserably!