'Replacement theory' and Christian nationalism in the US; the Sufi Muslim pacifist who turned British resistance agent

Sunday

We explore how different religious groups in the United States regard 'replacement theory'. This is the idea that politicians are attempting to wipe out White Americans by 'replacing' them with non-White immigrants and Jewish people and is often associated with Christian nationalism. This 'theory' was referenced by the 18-year-old who is alleged to have shot 10 people dead in a supermarket in a mainly black area of Buffalo.

Thirty years ago a group of students from different parts of the UK set about carving out dedicated spaces for Hindu young people at universities. The National Hindu Students Forum is now the largest Hindu student organisation outside of India, representing 10,000 students at Hindu societies across the UK. They marked their 30 year anniversary with a celebration at the House of Lords this week. Edwards speaks to Janhavi Dadarkar who was one of the founding members of the Forum in the early nineties, and Dhruvisha Joshi who’s a Hindu student at Loughborough University.

And the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is encouraging us to remember the people of different faiths who contributed to the world wars. We hear about Noor Inayat Khan, the Sufi Muslim pacifist who turned British resistance agent during the second world war. Noor was executed by the Nazis and cremated at Dachau. She was later awarded the George Cross in 1949.

Picture of Noor Inayat Khan courtesy of Shrabani Basu.

Producers: Julia Paul and Rosie Dawson. Presenter: Edward Stourton