To attain moksha, must you be born as a Hindu?

Question

Imagine that a person is living in the USA or anywhere in the world like Africa is peaceful, loving, and worships God but does not know anything about moksha. Will he get moksha or he will again be born in Aryavarta to follow the teachings of Vedanta, and then be allowed to be free. Can Christians, Muslims, and people from other religions get moksha?

Answer 1

Anyone who is peaceful and loving and worships faithfully can attain Moksha. The guru Ramakrishna said it most clearly:

Wherever I look, I see men quarrelling in the name of religion - Hindus, Mohammedans, Brahmos, Vaishnavas, and the rest. But they never reflect that He who is called Krishna is also called Siva, and bears the name of the Primal Energy, Jesus, and Allah as well - the same Rama with a thousand names. A lake has several Ghats. At one, the Hindus take water in pitchers and call it ' Jal ' ; at another the Mussalmans take water in leather bags and call it ' pani '. At a third the Christians call it ' water '. Can we imagine that it is not ' Jal ' , but only ' pani ' or ' water '? How ridiculous! The substance is One under different names, and everyone is seeking the same substance; only climate, temperament, and name create differences. Let each man follow his own path. If he sincerely and ardently wishes to know God, peace be unto him! He will surely realize Him."

This, of course, is simply one guru's statement, but we can also look at the Bhagavad Gita to confirm this. Krishna says:

In whatever way people surrender unto Me, I reciprocate accordingly. Everyone follows My path, knowingly or unknowingly, O son of Pritha. [4.11]

In other words, it does not matter how you worship or who you believe you are worshipping, all worship is considered a path to god, enlightenment, and moksha.

Answer 2

No. Ultimately moksha needs divine grace and is independent of what religion or dharma a person is following.

This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals Its own form.

Katha Upanishad I.ii.23