How does Hinduism respond to the challenge of Islam?

Answer 1

The response was to retaliate. The slaughter of Muslims in Gujarat was a good recent example. However, Hindus being more conservative in nature, they actually don't seek converts, and mainly due to the cast system they preferred staying neutral to the influence of Islam. It's true, however, that there are a majority of certain Hindus who would like to oppose Islam, perhaps because of them being vegetarians, but more because Islam rejects idol worship and considers Hinduism teachings and scriptures to be false-- not actually not Islam.

Hinduism preaches the idea of the unity of god, yet the millions of demi-gods Hindus adore are basically due to traditional adherence, cast, and culture as well as the prevailing 'school of thought'.

The other major difference would be reincarnation , where your actions determines what type of life you will have in a next one. Looking at this, it is rather a literal way of defining hardship by studying other life forms, hence, it doesn't actually mean that the crime of stealing will turn you into a mosquito in your next life.

In Islam , on the judgment day, you presumably go to hell and suffer great physical pain-- in contrary in heaven. Looking at another interpretation, Could it be that you have to live again? Does your body go to through hell or heaven? Since, if you're dead and your body has decomposed, what could the flames of hell do to you? The similarity is very obvious, this shows a form of reincarnation.