8th Class Social Science Understanding Secularism Notes - Understanding Secularism

 

Understanding Secularism

 

 

In India, any citizen can contest elections, or Join the armed forces or the police, or own land, or win a scholarship, etc. irrespective of his/her religion. In simple terms, this is what secularism aims to do. Let us learn more about what secularism means and how it ensures that no religious community dominates another. We are proud to belong to a secular State.

 

SECULARISM

 

Secularism means keeping religion or religious beliefs apart from the governance of the State. (We have discussed the meaning of State in the preceding chapter.) In a secular country, the State does not interfere in religious matters and religion has no role to play in the governance of the country. All secular countries share the following elements.

 

NON-ALIGNMENT OF THE STATE TO ANY RELIGION

 

The State neither favours any particular religion, nor discriminates against any religion. In practical terms, this means that no one can be stopped from studying in a public institution, holding a public office, buying a house, running a business, or participating in or utilising anything that is run by the State on grounds of religion. Nor does anyone have an advantage in these matters because of his/her religion. The State does not impose any penalty on people for holding a particular religious belief. Nor does it grant favours to people for belonging to any particular religious community.

 

The State does not participate in any religious activities. For example, government offices and educational institutions do not celebrate religious festivals. They do not display any religious symbols either. The government does not promote any religion, for example, by setting up places of worship or publishing religious texts.

 

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There are many countries in which the State is aligned to a particular religion. The degree of alignment, however, varies. A theocracy is a State governed by the clergy (priests). Iran comes closest to this. Its constitution requires the head of the State to be an Islamic cleric and no law can be passed unless it is in keeping with the Islamic laws. In other Islamic States, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Islamic law (Sharia) is taken as the foundation for all laws, but the State is not governed by the clergy. In Costa Rica and Liechtenstein, there is a State religion (Roman Catholic), while in Italy and Argentina, the State gives special recognition to a religion (Roman Catholic).

 

Whatever be the degree of alignment, linking the State with religion often leads to a lack of equality and freedom. In Israel, for example, Jews have the advantage of 'instant citizenship'. In Afghanistan, one may be punished for changing one's religion.

 

Q. Do you think democracy can exist without secularism?

 

Lastly, religion is an entirely personal affair. The State does not interfere and tell people how to or how not to practise their religion. People are free to belong to any religious faith they like and to convert from one religion to another.

 

 

However, there is a limit to the freedom people enjoy in this context. No one can do anything which is unlawful, or which harms others or the State in the name of religion. For example, no one can say that their religion forbids violence against living beings, so they will shut down any restaurant that serves non-vegetarian food.

 

In 1988, a book called The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, a very well- known author, gave rise to   widespread   protests from Muslims all over the world. People felt that Rushdie had referred to the Quran as satanic verses and had insulted Prophet Muhammad. Though Rushdie denied this, he received death threats and many book stores were burnt down for selling the book. The book was banned in India because it hurt the sentiments of Muslims.

 

NO RELIGIOUS TEACHING

 

There is no religious teaching in any educational institution run by the State. This means students are not expected to learn religious texts, but it does not mean that there is no mention of

 

Q. Do you feel that in a secular country, an author has a responsibility not to write something that may hurt the sentiments of a religious community? Do you think violent protests are justified if people feel that a book, a film or a work of art puts down their religious beliefs?

 

Religion in textbooks. As you know, since the social sciences deal with the lives of people, they include the study of people's religious beliefs. No one is expected to have knowledge of religious teachings to qualify for any public office. Private institutions, however, are free to impart religious education and carry on other religious activities.

 

In 2004, France passed a law banning the wearing of conspicuous (clearly visible) religious symbols by students in government- run schools. The law-makers felt this was in keeping with the constitutional requirement of the separation of the State and religious activities. Many people, however, looked upon it as an interference with the right to religious freedom, especially in the case of Muslim girls, for whom wearing a head scarf is an expression of their religious belief.

 

Discuss

Does the French law uphold secularism or is it against the spirit of secularism? Hold a class discussion.

 

IMPORTANCE OF SECULARISM

 

The basic aim of secularism is to prevent anyone (whether the State, a group or an individual) from mistreating anyone else (group or individual) on grounds of religious belief. In particular, secularism aims to:

 

?      Prevent one religious community from dominating another

?      Prevent one group within a religious community from dominating another

?      Prevent the State from forcing the people to follow any particular religion or from taking away their religious freedom

 

This is important for any democracy because a democratic government is supposed to ensure that all citizens are treated equally irrespective of their religious belief (among other things). If the State were to promote a particular religion, people of that religious community could use the power of the State to deprive other communities of their rights. For example, they could have laws passed to stop other communities from owning land or from building places of worship. Some of these things do happen in non-secular States. Violence and other crimes against the 'other' communities are also often ignored because the police and the courts are controlled by the dominant community.

 

Sudan is a country in north-eastern Africa. In January 2011, the people of southern Sudan opted (by voting) to break away from northern Sudan. One of the reasons was that the Christians and tribals of the south felt that they were being treated 'unequally' by the government, which was controlled by the northern Muslims.

 

The example of Sudan should tell you how important secularism is for the existence of a multi-religious country like India. Differences will always be there between different religious communities. Also, there will always be a few people who will use the differences to arouse hatred and intolerance among people, as has happened on a few occasions in India. However, if the State is secular and the people have faith in its fairness towards all communities, the incidents die down instead of flaring up and threatening the country. Even these unfortunate incidents can be avoided if the spirit of secularism is truly adopted by the people and does not stop at the measures taken by the State.

 

HOW INDIAN SECULARISM IS DIFFERENT

 

In the US and some other countries in the West, religion and the State are strictly separated. This is not the case in India, where the State can and does interfere in religious affairs. However, this 'interference' must be in accordance with the 'spirit of the Constitution'. In simple terms, the State can intervene if it feels that a certain religious practice is taking away the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. For example, by abolishing (doing away with) untouchability, our Constitution interfered in a Hindu religious practice to ensure equality for certain 'lower' castes. In 1956, a law was passed to give women the same rights over property as men. In this case, too, the State interfered in the customary practice among Hindus.

 

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Threats to Secularism

 

?      In 1984, armed mobs in North India attacked gurudwaras, and homes and business establishments owned by Sikhs. Thousands were killed or injured.

?      In December 1992 and January 1993, hundreds of people died in what is known as the Bombay riots. Muslims and Hindus killed each other as a result of tensions between the two communities after the Babri Masjid was broken down in Ayodhya.

?      In 1999, Dr Graham Staines, an Australian missionary who worked among the tribal people in Odisha, was killed together with his two sons while they were sleeping in their station wagon. The Hindu fundamentalist gang responsible for his death said that Staines had been forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity.

?      In 2002, a coach of the Sabarmati Express carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire by miscreants, killing 59 people near the Godhra railway station in Gujarat. In the riots that followed this incident, both Hindus and Muslims were killed.

 

 

St. Stephen's College, Delhi, is a minority institution. Minority institutions are allowed to carry on their activities in their own way.

 

India is different in another way too. The State not only steps in to 'disallow' religious practices that deprive people of their democratic rights, it also 'allows' people to practise their religion the way they wish to. Thus, Sikhs are allowed not to wear a helmet while riding two-wheelers even though this is punishable in the case of other communities. This is because wearing a turban is a very important religious practice for Sikhs. Similarly, though the State keeps away from religion, the festivals of all religious communities are holidays to allow people the time to celebrate them. Religious minorities are allowed to run their own educational institutions. What is more, the government gives grants to help in the running of these institutions. Also, every religious community is governed by its own religious laws in 'personal' matters like marriage.

 

Thus, as the Supreme Court held in one of its judgments, Indian secularism means "equal feeling for all religions and not no feeling for any religion". The real spirit of Indian secularism is tolerance and peaceful coexistence.