India,+1946

The year is 1946. Finally after 200 years, Great Britain has decided to give freedom to India. Gandhi's non-violent approach has worked!

Now the people of India must decide what should a free India look like. Should it be one country, two countries, or maybe even three countries?

The Congress Party believes that India should be one country. The Congress Party, Gandhi's party believes that people of all religions can live together in peace. Congress Party leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru note that even though India will be a majority Hindu nation in terms of numbers, other religions will be respected. Government will not be based on religion. A united India will be a strong India.

On the other hand, the Muslim League believes that there should be two Indias: a Pakistan (mostly Muslim nation), and a Hindustan (mostly Hindu nation). Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the Muslim League's leader, says that it is not possible for Hindus and Muslims to live together in peace. He points to India's history of Hindu/Muslim tensions. Even in the 1940s, there were still riots between Hindus and Muslims. The Muslim League believes that peace will come to the Indian subcontinent if Muslims have their own nation.

Members of the Sikh religion mostly live in the northern state of Punjab. Punjab is where their sacred sites are located. The Sikhs would like one India because they are only one percent of the population. A united India where government is not based on religion sounds great to the Sikhs. However, if the Muslims get their Pakistan, then Punjab will be part of Pakistan. Sikhs worry about living in a mostly Muslim nation because there is a history of bad relations between Muslims and Sikhs. So if the Muslims get their Pakistan, then the Sikhs want Punjab to become the nation of Khalistan.

Pretend that you live in India in 1946. You can choose to be Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, or Jewish. Which version do you think should be picked for a free India? Give at least three reasons for your answer.