Before the arrival of the Muslims around 1000 C.E; Hindus handily assimilated all the would-be conquerors who came storming over its northern borders. The Kushans (Mongolians), the Parthians (Persians), and the Huns all eventually melted into India's embrace, disappearing into the sea of Hindu Culture.
The broad-minded Hindus were able to accommodate just about everybody who came knocking on their door-until the Muslims. For the first time, foreign invaders left wounds so deep they refused to heal. Hindu tolerance was being put to the ultimate test.
In ancient times, however, religious tolerance was the norm throughout much of the world. The ancient Greeks and Romans, for example, were astonishingly tolerant of other religions,at least by today's standards. As the monotheistic religion's began to dominate world culture, respect for other cultures, religious beliefs largely disappeared. Today Hindu culture is one of the last remaining enclaves of a universal -minded religion.
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