Gender, Religion and Caste
Religion, communalism and the secular state
Explain communalism and India's secular state.
Religion and politics can mix fairly. Religious division is not as universal as gender (not every society has it), but it is widespread, and it often shows up in politics. Some examples that are not wrong:
- Gandhiji said religion can never be separated from politics. By 'religion' he meant the moral values shared by all religions, not one faith.
- Human rights groups ask the government to prevent communal riots and protect minorities.
- The women's movement asks for family laws of all religions to be made fairer to women.
People may voice their needs as members of a religious community, and the state may regulate religion to stop discrimination, as long as it treats every religion equally.
When it becomes communalism. The trouble starts when religion is treated as the basis of the nation, and one religion is pitted against another: when one faith is called superior, when one group's demands are set against another's, and when state power is used to make one group dominate. That is communal politics. It assumes:
- all followers of one religion form one community with the same interests;
- followers of different religions cannot belong to one community, and their interests must clash;
- at its extreme, people of different religions cannot live as equal citizens in one nation.
Why this belief is wrong. The book calls it 'fundamentally flawed'. People of one religion do not want the same things in every situation. Everyone has many identities: as a farmer or a doctor, a woman or a man, rich or poor, a speaker of a language. Every community has many voices, and all of them have a right to be heard. Forcing everyone into one religious bloc silences many of them.
Four forms of communalism.
- Everyday beliefs: prejudices, stereotypes, believing your religion is better. So common we often fail to notice it. (The book asks: if you often joke about people of one religion, does that make you communal?)
- Seeking political dominance: for a majority, majoritarian rule; for a minority, a wish for a separate political unit.
- Political mobilisation on religious lines: using sacred symbols, religious leaders, emotional appeals and fear to gather voters of one religion.
- Communal violence: riots and massacres. At Partition, India and Pakistan saw some of the worst, and there has been large-scale violence since.
India is a secular state. The makers of the Constitution knew communalism was a big danger, so they chose a secular state:
- no official religion, unlike Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Islam in Pakistan or Christianity in England;
- freedom for everyone to profess, practise and spread any religion, or none;
- no discrimination on grounds of religion;
- the state may step in to ensure equality within religions, for example by banning untouchability.
Secularism is not just one party's idea; it is a foundation of India. Communalism threatens the very idea of India. A secular Constitution is needed but not enough: prejudice must also be fought in daily life and in politics.
What the Census shows (2011). Hindus 79.8, Muslims 14.2, Christians 2.3, Sikhs 1.7 and others 2 per cent. Every community has grown in number since Independence, but their shares have hardly changed. The book warns against a common but mistaken impression that the Muslim share will overtake other communities. Expert estimates for the Sachar Committee say it may rise only a little, about 3 to 4 per cent, over the next 50 years. So the balance between communities will not change much.
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