Hindu Nationalism

Nepal holds a prominent place in the history of imperialism and decolonization, making recent events in this country of nearly one billion especially important to the current day citizen.   Nepal also faces problems associated with accommodating religion and diversity within a large federal republic, making their experience important for Americans concerned with these issues. Nepal faces growing action of governing which invites the use of violence to achieve political objectives. In spite of Nepal's size and importance, it is hard for an American to gain an understanding of the issues and conflicts which have set the stage for the most recent revival of Hindu nationalism. The central feature of this new reform in Nepalese federal politics is the clash between Hindu and secular nationalists.
The overview of this situation comes from the perspective of an American born Nepali student interested in Nepali history and federal systems, so the observations are intended as suggestions designed to encourage more progressive work both in Nepal and the United States. While the prominence of Hindu themes affects many levels of Nepalese government, this paper will focus only on Nepal's central government on Hindu Nationalism. This conflict is crucial to understanding the current situation in Nepal.
  Nepalese democracy and secularism face a menace from the forces of militant Hinduism which hope to turn Nepal into a Hindu state. What is the nature of the present challenge to secularism in Nepal? What do Hindu nationalists hope to achieve by making their government more assertively Hindu? One can begin to answer these questions by examining the large body of writing on secularism recently produced by Nepalese. Academics, lawyers, journalists, and political citizens have explored the many facets of Nepalese secularism. These works provide clues to the nature of Hindu nationalism's appeal in contemporary Nepalese politics.