NOTE
This is a Research paper submitted at
National seminar on
Contributions of Minorities in Nation building
organised by
Indian Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi &
Indian Institute of
Social Sciences, Bengaluru.
Communalism by on Scribd
Peculiar
Secularism in India leading to Communalism and insecurity among Minorities
curbing the growth of nation
Pity Parker.J & Rajya Lakshmi.M
Andhra
Loyola College
e-mail id : pityparkerj@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Merriam-Webster
dictionary defines secularism as "the belief that religion should not play
a role in government, education, or other public parts of society." But
India defined secularism with its own flavor as “sarvadharma samabhavana” but
neglect the term “dharma Nirapekshata” which is present in its own texts.”
Hence, in India Secularism is quite confused as “equal treatment of religions.”
Indian Constitution assures personal religious freedoms and had declared the
state as secular in the year 1976 whereas C.S Adcock says that Queen Victoria’s
proclamation of 1858 laid the foundation for Indian secularism and established
the semi-legal framework that would govern the politics of religion in colonial
India for the next century. The secular framework followed then after queen
proclamation seems quite contradictory to that of the secularism followed
today. This term Secularism has become more confused with the inclusion of
Article 29 and 30 in the Constitution of India which guarantees special rights
to the minorities. Unfortunately, it also carries contradictory indications of
anti-religious objectives and prominence of Hinduism. This confusion creates
the room for using the cloak of secularism to promote Hindutva.
Secularism
has moreover become a political concept for the minority appeasement than for
the enrichment of tolerance and harmony in the civil society. Even after 72
years after independence, Secularism has not emerged as a reality for the
Indian social and political order. This
wide confusion has been consequently leading to communalism and a wide range of
communal conflict which curb the development of the nation. Series of Communal
conflicts has been creating insecurity among minorities. India to its popular
saying of “Unity in diversity” has only achieved diversity to its extent but
hasn’t achieved unity or harmony due to this confusion of secularism.
Introduction
We
are regressing back to our religious identities. More and more of us are once
again looking upon ourselves as Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and Christians rather
than Indians. Each of us is distancing himself from ‘the us’ to ‘the them’.
This is due to the diluting values of Secularism in the country day by day. In the last few decade
‘secularism’ has been increasingly fighting a losing battle against
‘communalism’. The democratic state derives its authority from a secular source
(the consent of the governed) and is not subordinate to any ecclesiastical
power.
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines
secularism as "the belief that
religion should not play a role in government, education, or other public parts
of society." Donald. E. Smith in his essay ‘India as a Secular state’
defines Secular state as “ a state that
guarantees individual and corporate freedom of religion and deals with the
individual as a citizen irrespective of his religion is not constitutionally
connected to a particular religion nor seeks either to promote or interfere
with religion” upon close
examination of these definitions we can come to a conclusion that a secular
state is a state in which there is
1.
Separation of religious institutions
from state institutions and a public sphere where religion may participate, but
not dominate.
2.
Freedom to practice one's faith or
belief without harming others, or to change it or not have one, according to
one's own conscience.
Indian
Secularism – A conundrum
“Western
dictionaries define Secularism as absence of religion but Indian Secularism
does not mean irreligiousness. It means profusion of religions.”
-
Shashi Tharoor
We
eat something called French fries
which the French don’t know, We eat something called Kashmiri pulav which the Kashmiris don’t know. Likewise, the
concept of Secularism which was originated in the west takes its own colour in
India. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India defined secularism
in the dual sense of “keeping the state, politics and education separate from
religion, making religion a private matter for the individual and of showing
equal respect for all faiths and providing equal opportunities for their
followers.” We all know about the Hindu
concept Sarva Dharma Sama Bhavana which means the equality of the
destination of the path's followed by all religions although the path's
themselves may be different. But it is widely misinterpreted as equal treatment
of all religions by the state. Another famous rendering we hear when we talk
about secularism is Dharma Nirapekshata means religious neutrality. Mrs. Gandhi
frequently stated that this Hindu rendering of Secularism as ‘Dharma
nirapekshata’ literally religious neutrality or religious non-alignment is
inaccurate. Indian Secularism, she affirmed is equal alignment with each
religions. Even the article Secularism in India in Wikipedia shows that
Secularism means equal treatment of religions by the state. Some Western
secular critics say that India has redefined secularism to its extent but the
reality is that it hasn’t defined what Secularism is.
This
silence on defining secularism has been creating a lot of confusion among the
secular clan. Supreme court of India has been known to be an extremely activist
court in most respects. A constitutional bench of the Supreme Court hearing the
case on 28 October,2016 of using religion during elections to seek votes asked
a question that should have been asked a long ago. Can secularism remain aloof
from religion?, the Apex Court asked, saying “ it will be difficult to accept as a proposition that a political
party should have nothing to do with religion and those who have something to
do with it must cease to be political parties”. But this was not all. The
Bench then went on to ask, “Secularism does not mean aloofness to religion but
giving equal treatment to every religion. Religion and caste are vital aspects
of our public life. Can it be possible to completely separate religion and
caste from politics?” This statement by the Supreme Court added to the
confusion. Due to this peculiar secularism, misunderstandings about secularism started
to prevail.
Communal parties such as Muslim league
contend that so-called Indian secularism is fraud and they will have none of
it. It alleges that Secularism is a cloak with which Indian state hides its
true nature which is that of Hindu state. The Akali party of Punjab concurs
with this view. The incidents such as Godhra, Babri Masjid demolition added
insult to injury. On the other hand Hindu parties contend that Secularism is a
subterfuge by which the state seeks to appease minorities, chiefly the Muslims
and thereby deny Hindu majority its rightful due. These opinions are absolutely a result of
one’s sectarian views.
The
Emergence of Secularism in the West and India
“Similarity you can observe is that
the legal emergence of secularism in the West and India is a result of the
triumph of Violence”
Secularism
emerged during the Italian Renaissance, together with an increasing distrust in
organized and state-supported religion during the Reformation became responsible
for the freeing of education, society, and state from the domination of
religion; in other words, the development of modern secularism. In short, to
say, Secularism was born in the west as a result of distrust in the Church.
C.S
Adcock in his book Limits of Tolerance says that Queen Victoria’s proclamation
of 1858 laid the foundation for Indian secularism and established the
semi-legal framework that would govern the politics of religion in colonial
India for the next century. The transfer of power from East India Company and
Queen’s proclamation established a colonial policy of religious toleration
tempered by neutrality. It promised civil equality for Indians regardless of
their religious affiliation, and state non-interference in Indians’ religious affairs. However, this colonial
policy of religious toleration lacks legal authority. Thus we can assume that
it is due to the partition of Pakistan from India led to the inclusion of
Secular rights to the citizens of India. Here the similarity you can observe is
that the legal emergence of secularism in the West and India is a result of the
triumph of Violence. (Reformation
struggles by Zwingli, Calvin, and Martin Luther and on the other hand Jinnah’s
separatist politics)
Some
argue that the word Secular wasn’t incorporated in the preamble at first as the
framers don’t have faith in the secular framework which is absolutely false. H.V.
Kamath had actually wanted the preamble to start with the phrase, ‘In the name
of God’ which was argued that the Indian constitutional scheme would be one of
secular democracy and the Indian nation would include both believers and
non-believers and hence it would be inappropriate to have an invocation to God.
The amendment moved by H.V. Kamath asking for the preamble, to begin with, the
name of God was ultimately put to vote. The amendment lost with only forty-one
in favour and sixty-eight against. This shows the clear intention of the
framers of the constitution towards Secularism.
India
as a secular state
The
prerequisites of establishing a secular state is tolerance among the people.
When the aspect of tolerance speaks loud in the religion, the favour for a
secular state increases day by day. D.E Smith in his essay India as a secular
state presents a table on the religions in India whether they are compatible
with having a secular state.
NOTION
|
HINDUISM
|
BUDDHISM
|
ISLAM
|
Theory
of History
|
Metaphysically at a lower level
of reality
+
|
Metaphysically, similar to
Hinduism. History taken more seriously
+
|
Decisive history. Certain pattern
of Life must be established
-
|
Attitude towards other religions
|
Philosophically Extremely
tolerant
+
|
Tolerant in all terms
+
|
Theologically intolerant
-
|
Capacity
of Ecclesiastical organisation
|
No ecclesiastical organisation
+
|
Well organised monastic order
-
|
Ulama not effectively organised
+
|
Political
and religious functions
|
Two functions by different castes
+
|
Renunciation of world. Monks
cannot rule
+
|
Tradition of prophet Mohammad and
Caliphas fusion of temporal and spiritual authority
-
|
Tendency
to regulate society
|
Caste system, Hindu law
-
|
No attempt to regulate
+
|
Islamic law – Detailed regulation
-
|
+
= Favourable to secular state; -
= Unfavourable to Secular state
*Taken from D.E Smith essay INDIA AS A SECULAR STATE
Hinduism and Tolerance
Dr.
Radha Krishnan, the first Vice president of India says that “Hinduism gives absolute liberty in the
world of thought; it enjoins strict code of practice.” It should be said
that there is very considerable tolerance of different sects within the Hindu fold.
Since the establishment of British rule, reformers emphasizing a particular
path of salvation have come and have been widely accepted. The Bhakti movement
and Hindu renaissance witnessed several reformist groups hardening the attitude
of tolerance.
Islam and Tolerance
Islam
actually according to D.E Smith is theologically an intolerant religion. This
manner of tolerance differed from one country to another. The Non- Muslims in
India were required to pay Jiziya, Land tax, and pilgrimage tax. Public worship
of idols was forbidden. But there are two exceptions to this policy the first
occurred under Mohammad Bin Qasim in which Irfan Habib in his book Politics and
society during the Muslim period hails him for the tolerance. This notion of
tolerance received high praise under the rule of Akbar through his Din-i-illah.
This continued through the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan and finally
nullified by Aurangzeb.
Buddhism and Tolerance
Asoka
preached tolerance of other religions.
Asoka’s
Rock Edict XII says
“The faiths of others
deserve to be honoured for one reason or another. By honouring them one exalts
one’s faith and at the same time performs a service of faith to others”
The
above stands as a glowing example of tolerance in Buddhism.
Rock EDICIT XII
Sikkism and Tolerance
A
verse from Adi granth says as follows
“Know all human beings
to be the repositories of Divine rights; Stop not to inquire about their
origin”
The
Gurus have been protesting against the hierarchy inherent in the caste system.
Entry of Gurudwaras is open to all irrespective of Nationality, Religion, Caste
or Creed and there is no discrimination between the Sikh and Non- Sikh in the
congregation.
From
the above references, we can say that the Religions in India are considerably
tolerant and compatible with a Secular state.
Secularism
as a political tool
The
book Secularism and “Religion in multi-faith societies. The case of India”
presents an interview reported that when uneducated Hindus involved in low jobs
such as the man who crushed sugarcane for juice, the paanwala (betel maker),
and the security guard were asked questions about communal tensions the answer
was...
“This is a perennial problem, which will
always remain within Indian society in general.
Hindu and Muslim communities will never be able to free themselves from the feeling of
communalism. They will go on fighting with each other for all time to come.
Politicians create the problems and they will never let the issue die because the communal tensions serve their interests. In India, in every communal riot, the people who have
been involved have never been punished. No politician gets punished for inciting communal
riots in India. The Babri Masjid dispute is going on for hundreds of years and there is no
solution until now.”
Hindu and Muslim communities will never be able to free themselves from the feeling of
communalism. They will go on fighting with each other for all time to come.
Politicians create the problems and they will never let the issue die because the communal tensions serve their interests. In India, in every communal riot, the people who have
been involved have never been punished. No politician gets punished for inciting communal
riots in India. The Babri Masjid dispute is going on for hundreds of years and there is no
solution until now.”
Here it is clear
that even the commoners were aware of the political chicanery in which the
politicians are employed with for the appeasement of the majority which is
responsible for Communalism. The adding of political forces to the spread of
extremist religious notions is leading to the rise of Communalism.
Communalism
in India
The
Communalism in India has been growing day by day due to the growing fanaticism
among religions. The Hindu forces like RSS and Bhajrang dal occupy the first
seat in communal violence. People like Veer Savarkar and Hegdewar are
responsible for inducing the venom of Communalism in the minds of people. Some
historians like Romilla Thapar and Bipan Chandra have argued that wrong teaching
of history has contributed to the spread of communalism in India.
Veer
Savarkar in a book writes
“Hindus are the rightful
citizens of India, thanks to their sharing on the common Jati(birth group) or
blood”
The
above statement is a highly racial statement and there a high chance of
ignition of communal feelings. He doesn’t stop here but goes on to say
“One becomes an Indian
by honoring all that Hindu culture stands for; One’s devotion to India as one’s
holy land, above all reveals ones
attachment to Hindu culture.”
Thus
Minorities in his eyes can hardly qualify to be Indian because they don’t
consider India their Holy land or punyabhoomi. The disturbing communal
incidents have been continuing since partition and the incidents like Godra,
Kathua stand as examples of communal violence. BJP’s reign since 2014, has been
catalyzing the extremist sectarian views consequently by which incidents like Ghar Wapsi, Beef ban, Gau rakshak dals and the demand for Ram
Mandir were indoctrinated in the majoritarian sections which fuel communal
violence in India. The details of communal violence are shown below in the
table
Communal Violence in India*
(In response to
LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 590)
Religious Violence in India*
Insecurity
among Minorities due to peculiarities
In
one of the constitutional debates on Declaring India as a Secular state Vice
president of the drafting committee H.C Mookherjee, stated that “Are
we really honest when we say that we are seeking to establish a secular state?
If your idea is to have a secular state it follows inevitably that we cannot
afford to recognise minorities based on religion.” This statement needs rapt attention as it has become the problem
of the day. It fails to recognize minorities and their role in nation building due
to its ambiguous attitude. On one hand it preaches equality of religion and
appeases the minorities through reservations which irritates the majority and
on the other hand, it also carries contradictory indications of anti-religious
objectives and prominence of Hinduism like the prohibition of
cow slaughter is also one of the Directive Principles of State Policy contained
in Article 48 of the Constitution.
The
BJP rule has been fuelling these communal forces. Modi in his visit to foreign
countries as a representative of Indian Nation gifted Bhagavad-Gita to the
heads of other nations by which insecurity increases among minorities and he
even mocks on the secular emotions among the minorities
"I brought Gita
for gifting. I do not know what will happen in India after this. There may be a
TV debate on this. Our secular friends will create 'toofan'(storm) that what
does Modi think of himself? He has taken a Gita with him that means he has made
this one also communal,"
-
Indian Express, September 2, 2014
The
idea of a secular state is clearly visible in the Indian Constitution and it is
being implemented by substantial measures. Donald E Smith concludes the main
shortcomings in the Indian realization of Secular goals threefold
1.
The absence of the civil code.
2.
The government interference in religious
matters for the purpose of social reform.
3.
A cultural policy which amounts the
propagation of Hindu religion.
Nehru
in one of his speeches says
“We cannot fashion our policies or
shape our conduct in the way Pakistan does it. We must see that our secular
ideals are actually realized in practice...Here very Muslim should feel that he
is an Indian citizen and has equal rights as an Indian citizen. If we cannot
make him feel like this, we shall not be worthy of our heritage and of our
country.” But contrary to this is the actual reality of Secularism
in India where violence against minorities grows day by day.
Role
of Religious Minorities
Minorities
have acted as catalytic agents in the process of separating the jurisdictions
of religion and state. D.E Smith says that the protestant reformation
introduced the phenomenon of religious diversity and the possibility of the religious
minority in the state. Catholic minority in seventeenth-century England sought
to secure religious toleration. The Baptist minority insisted that the real
solution is the separation of state from the church. The Muslim minorities of
an impressive size of 45 million (10%)* and a considerable number of Sikhs,
Christians, and Buddhists have realized that their future welfare depends
squarely on secularity of the state. The presences of sizeable minorities and
same ethnic stock of majority can realize the ideal of secularization through
great effort and effective utilization of minority reservations.
Interdependence has
become the order of the day and nobody can remain in isolation in this
globalized world and the need of secularism and humanism needs to be induced in
the young Indian minds for a prosperous nation.
First they came for the socialists,
and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade
unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I
did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was
no one left to speak for me.
-
Martin
Niemöller’s Plea for Action
...
References
Secularism and its critics, Rajeev Bharghabva,
Oxford paperbacks, Edition edition (17 December 1999).
Secular values for Secular India, P.C
Chatterjee, Manohar Publishers and Distributors (1 July 1995)
Hindutva Challenge, Christian response
as a call to community, Prasad Lankapalli.
Secularism and Religion in Multi-faith
Societies, the Case of India, Ragini Sen, Wolfgang and Wagner
Caroline Howarth, Springer publications.
Limits of Tolerance, CS Adcock,
Oxford University press.
Beyond Secularism, Neera
Chandoke, OUP India (1 October 1999).
India after independence 1947 – 2000, Bipin Chandra,
Mridula Mukherjee and Aditya Mukherjee, Penguin (1 November 2000)
Web resources
...
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