Fate of Secularism in India & Secularism in India

Fate of Secularism in India & Secularism in India

FAHEEM AYUB QAZI

>Introduction about secularism:-
As we go through the concept of secularism we come to know that in simple words secularism refers as an ideology which provides people with the right to follow any religion or not follow any.It permits the state with the responsibility to maintain neutrality in the matters of religions. In a secular country, no state can legally favor or hate a particular religion.

>Origin of term secularism:-
The term "secularism" was first used by the British writer George Holyoake in 1851. Holyoake invented the term "secularism" to describe his views of promoting a social order separate from religion, without actively dismissing or criticizing religious belief.

>Objectives of secularism in india:-
The Indian Constitution ensures its objectives of a secular state in the following manner:

One religious community does not dominate another.

Some members do not dominate other members of the same religious community.

The State does not enforce any particular religion or take away the religious freedom of individuals.

>Gandhian  view on secularism:-
According to Gandhi, the main aim of religion is to make a one-on-one interaction between God and humans. He believed God is identical with truth. He perceived God through the service of humanity, because God lives in the heart of every human being or for that matter in every one of his creations.

>Recent view of secularism in india:-
The political dominance of the BJP’s brand of Hindu nationalism since the 2014 election has called into question the future viability of the country’s secularist tradition and commitment to diversity.

At home and abroad, one of postindependence India’s defining characteristics is that the nation has managed to sustain democratic governance in the face of striking ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity. In the early years after independence, the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and the ruling Indian National Congress (or Congress Party) advocated for an Indian brand of secularism designed to hold the country’s disparate communities together under one roof. Indeed, Nehru often pronounced that India’s composite culture was one of its greatest strengths. The Hindu nationalists who later came to populate the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its various ideological affiliates have consistently harbored a starkly different view; they envision India as a majoritarian nation-state, not a multicultural one. The tensions inherent in these competing visions of Indian nationhood have come to the fore in recent years, especially since the BJP’s landmark electoral victory in 2014.

To understand these dynamics, it is necessary to define basic concepts and review relevant history. This is because political entrepreneurs who promote ethnoreligious identities—especially Hindu nationalist ideologues—have created much confusion around the notion of secularism, claiming that its proponents have endeavored to make the state hostile or indifferent to religion. That was certainly not the intention of the architects of modern India, whose enemy was not religion, but communalism.

Also,Gujarat riots of 2002 is another instance where the Secularism of India is questioned. Communal riots have been a part of India for centuries. But, Gujarat riots has been the biggest of them all, in terms of the number of lives lost, destruction caused and the communal divide it has brought in the state.BJP, the political party which openly expresses its commitment to Hinduism was in power at the time. Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat during the riots, was claimed to have played a major role in igniting the riots. Though all such allegations were cleared when the Supreme Court gave Modi a clean chit and declared that he tried his best to prevent the riots, people still continue accusing him.

It is claimed by Modi’s supporters that what happened in Gujarat was only a ‘spontaneous’ reaction of Hindus to the killings of 59 Hindus in a train in Godhra.

Does it justify the attacks on the Muslims all over the state?

Firstly, there is still mystery attached to what exactly happened in Godhra, and who was responsible for the killings. Secondly, the persons who were responsible for the Godhra killings should certainly be identified and given harsh punishment, but how does this justify the attack on the entire Muslim community in Gujarat? Muslims are only nine per cent of the total population of Gujarat, the rest being mostly Hindus. In 2002, Muslims were massacred, their homes burnt and other horrible crimes committed against them.

Modi’s supporters say that he had no hand in the killings of Muslims in 2002, and it is also said that he has not been found guilty by any court of law. I do not want to comment on our judiciary, but I certainly do not buy the story that Modi had no hand in the 2002 events. He was the chief minister of Gujarat at that time, and the horrible events happened on a large scale in Gujarat. Can it be believed that he had no hand in the events of 2002? At least I find it impossible to believe it.

Following the violence Bal Thackeray then leader of the nationalist group Shiv Sena said “Muslims are a cancer to this country … Cancer is an incurable disease. Its only cure is operation. O Hindus take weapons in your hands and remove this cancer from your roots”. Pravin Togadia general secretary of the Vishva Hindu Parishad(VHP) said “All Hindutva opponents will get the death sentence” and Ashok Singhal then president of the VHP has said that the violence in Gujarat was a “successful experiment” which would be repeated nationwide. Such communist statements from the leaders of the state are very disappointing. They have definitely encouraged the riots and Muslim killing, at least indirectly.

The Government should have taken immediate action and deploy the police and army on the first two days of the riots itself. More women police troops should have been made active. Relief measures were observed to highly inefficient.

>How we can stop or combat secularism:-
The 5 Ways to combat against secularism are:-
1.Redeeming the Minds of Our Children.
2.Reaffirming a Biblical Worldview.
3.Putting Good Back into the Textbooks.
4.Teaching Children How to Live Right.
5.Training Students to Think for Themselves.

(The author is independent writer and pursuing Bsc from GDC Bhaderwah and can be reached at qazifaheem023@gmail.com).