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he oppressive social order extant in the super-
stitious Hindu religion which privileges the
upper castes whilst enslaving the lower ones,
the cruelty it inflicts on women, and the per-
vert ritual sacrifices to idols have caused great
concern to some Hindus throughout their his-
tory. Many new regional religious movements

that rejected the more oppressive aspects of Hinduism emerged as a
consequence and they introduced new practices and teachings in their
stead. Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism in the 6th century BC.
It emerged from Hinduism but with some major differences. Gautama
utterly rejected the caste system but introduced asceticism and pre-
served the false doctrines of karma and reincarnation . (See: Islam and
Buddhism, Harun Yahya, Published by Abdul Naeem for Islamic Book
Service)
Jainism is another religion that emerged around the same time
with striking similarities to Buddhism.
Jainism is a superstitious movement that rejects the caste system
which divides society into different classes and forms a major part of
Hindu doctrine but has its own erroneous and pagan beliefs. It is not
possible to ascertain with any accuracy the period in which Jainism’s

traditions emerged, but research reveals that it is an ancient religion
that became established in India around 500 BC. All of Jainism’s prin-
ciples of belief were amalgamated at this time by Nataputta
Vardhamana or Mahavira, a man belonging to the warrior caste. He
formulated this new superstitious religion, founded its own temples,
initiated male and female monks and encouraged asceticism. Jainism is
considered to be one of the oldest superstitious beliefs in India and has
a worldwide following of approximately four million people.