Racism.

[Deegee]

I haven't come across the caste system personally, but was talking to a couple of customers engineers that had been supporting a large contract in India, they said the Indians don't see it as discrimination. In their view the "untouchables" in particular have been extremely evil or cruel in their previous life and are just paying the price for that poor behaviour in the same way that we'd expect a murderer or an extortionist to have a rough time in prison.

That doesn't make it right however, and as StM says organised religion is to blame for that in the same way as most faiths try and achieve a controlling interest in your life as payment for explaining why things happen. At the end of the day all Religion is about having an invisible friend, I grew out of that before I was 10.

P.S. I'm not even getting started on the immorality, arrogance or sheer vandalism of missionary work.