Explain the importance of secularism in india
Answers
Secularism is most often associated with the Age of Enlightenment in Europe and it plays a major role in Western society. ... At the same time, one significant stream of secularism has come from religious minorities who see governmental and political secularism as integral to the preservation of equal rights.
The Meaning of Secularism.
The concept of secularism as it has come to India from the West implies a separation that exists between the State and religion. As per this concept no religion will be considered the State religion and no one will be discriminated against on the grounds of religion. The American Constitution erected a wall of separation between the State and religion because if the State possesses both religious and secular power, it will be dangerous to individual freedom. Apart from this, right to religion is a Fundamental right. The denial of this freedom is a violation of the basic principles of democracy.
The Case of India
In India, however, the project of modern education introduced by the colonial powers strengthened the role of religion. As a result of the colonial policy of divide and rule, violence between religious communities has become a regular feature of the Indian politics. In pursuance of politics of enumeration, the Muslims were treated as a homogeneous category, and the Hindus were sub-divided onto castes. Such categorization resulted in creating separate identities on the lines of majority and minority. The Hindu community began to argue that the country belonged to them on the grounds of majority, whereas the minority community began to be afraid of being oppressed. However, no community is homogenous because of the differences within each community based on caste, class and gender. But when people are categorized on the lines of religion, inter-community differences become latent and people begin to think of themselves in terms of religion. This was how the colonial power divided the people. The British made it appear that the Hindus and the Muslims belonged to two separate communities.
Colonialism in India has become the colonization of the mind. This occurred through the colonial interpretation of Indian history, culture and tradition and colonial way of categorization of people. The colonial ideology of creating different identities among the people was dangerous because it was lasting as it had been internalised by the colonized. The colonial practice of separate electorates further strengthened these identities. This eventually led to the religious polarization of the people into hostile groups even though they had much in common. The Indian people were polarized in the form of the Hindu Mahasabha and The Muslim League. The former began to speak of the Hindu nation while the latter stood for the two nation theory. The Muslims felt alienated and began to fear that they would be dominated by the Hindu majority. The resultant tension led to the partition of the country in the name of religion.
Secularism is important for India because it regulates the relation between the State and various religious groups on the principle of equality that the State shall not discriminate against any religion. Otherwise people will be subjected to oppression and denial of their right to freedom of belief. The majority is to be told that it does not have the right to control the country and the Minority is to be assured of equal treatment. Thus secularism is the only alternative to destructive communalism.