What do you mean by “Secularism” Discuss the major debates on secularism in India?

 Secularism is a complex and dynamic concept. This concept was first used in Europe. It is an ideology in which the ideas related to religion and religion are deliberately kept away from the matters related to the world, that is, kept neutral. Secularism prevents the state from providing patronage to a particular religion.

Its use in India after independence was seen in many contexts and it has been interpreted from time to time in different perspectives.

Meaning of Secularism:

• Secularism means that the state should keep religion away from politics or any non-religious matter and the government should not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion.
• Secularism does not mean opposing one's religion but allows everyone to freely practice their religious beliefs and beliefs.
• In a secular state, respect is also given to a person who does not follow any religion.
• Religion, in the context of secularism, is a purely personal matter of the individual, in which the state does not interfere unless there is a conflict between the core concepts of different religions.

Constitutional Approach with respect to Secularism:

• In the Indian context, since the creation of the Constitution, the concept of secularism was contained in it, which is evident from the right to religious freedom (Articles-25 to 28) in the Fundamental Rights mentioned in Part-3 of the Constitution.
• Defining secularism again in the Indian Constitution, the word 'secularism' was added to its preamble by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976.
• Secular here means that the Government of India will remain neutral in the matter of religion. It will not have any religious sect of its own and all citizens in the country will have the right to religious worship as per their wish. The Government of India will neither favor any religious sect nor will it oppose any religious sect.
• The secular state treats everyone equally without discriminating against any citizen on the basis of religion.
• The Constitution of India is not associated with any particular religion.

Positive side of secularism:

• The spirit of secularism presents a liberal and comprehensive approach which is governed by the spirit of 'Sarva Dharma Sambhav'.
• Secularism works to bind everyone in the thread of unity.
• It does not establish the dominance of any community over other communities.
• It strengthens the democratic system and works to separate religion from politics.
• The goal of secularism is to promote morality and human welfare which is also the basic aim of all religions.

Downside of Secularism:

• Secularism in the Indian context is alleged to have been imported from the West. That is, its roots/origins are traced back to Christianity.
• Secularism is also accused of being anti-religious, which poses a threat to the religious identity of the people.
• Secularism in the Indian context is accused of interfering in the affairs of the minorities by being influenced by the majority, which creates suspicion in the minds of the minorities that the state promotes the policy of appeasement. Such tendencies promote communalism in a community.
• Secularism is also sometimes seen as overly oppressive which greatly interferes with the religious freedom of communities/individuals.
• It promotes vote bank politics.

Difference between Indian Secularism and Western Secularism:

The difference between Indian secularism and Western secularism can be clarified from the following points-

• While Western secularism is based on a complete separation between religion and the state, in the Indian context it is based on inter-religious equality.
• In the West, secularism has a completely negative and separatist character, while in India it is based on the constitutional belief of respecting all religions as a whole.

Challenges before Secularism:

In India, the issue of secularism has always been present in public debates and discussions. On the one hand, where every political party declares to be secular, some complicated matters in the context of secularism always remain in the discussion, which from time to time with many types of concerns, challenges to secularism like-

• In the riots of the year 1984, more than 2700 people were killed in Delhi and other parts of the country.
• In the year 1990, forcing thousands of Kashmiri Pandits to leave their homes from the Valley.
• Mumbai Riots of 1992-1993.
• In the year 2003, the riots of Gujarat in which more than 1000 people of the Muslim community were killed.
• Religious and racial attacks under the guise of stopping cow slaughter.
• Protests and violence erupted across the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens Bill (NRC).

In all the above examples, in one way or the other, a group of citizens were kept away from basic necessities. As a result, secularism in India has been mired in doubts and controversies from time to time due to the policy of religious fundamentalism, extremism and appeasement.

Solution:

• Since secularism is an integral part of the basic structure of the Constitution, the governments should ensure its protection.
• In the case of SR Bommai v. Republic of India in 1994, the Supreme Court ruled that if religion was not separated from politics, then the religion of the ruling party would become the religion of the country. Therefore, there is a need for political parties to implement this decision of the Supreme Court.
• The Uniform Civil Code i.e. Uniform Civil Code which challenges secularism needs to be enforced firmly.
• Religion in any secular state is a purely individual matter. Therefore, public representatives should avoid using it as a vote bank.

• Difference between Indian Secularism and Western Secularism

  It is sometimes said that Indian secularism is an imitation of Western secularism. But a careful reading of the Constitution reveals that this is not the case. Indian secularism is fundamentally different from western secularism. Which can be mentioned under the following points-

• Unlike the totally separatist negative secular concept of the West, India's secularism is based on the constitutional belief of respecting all religions as a whole.
• Indian secularism does not stress the separation between religion and the state but emphasizes on inter-religious equality.
• Significantly, Indian secularism has focused simultaneously on inter-religious and inter-religious supremacy. It has opposed the oppression of Dalits and women within Hindus and discrimination against women within Indian Muslims or Christians, and the threats that the majority community can pose to the rights of minority religious communities, making it different from the concept of Western secularism. Is.
• If any religious institution in the West gives any direction to any community or women, then the government and the court cannot interfere in that matter. Whereas in India, the state and courts can intervene on issues like entry of women in temples, mosques.
• Another difference is that Indian secularism is concerned not only with the religious freedom of individuals but also with the religious population of minority communities. Under this, where every person has the right to choose and follow a religion of his choice, religious minorities have also been given the right to maintain their own culture and educational institutions.
• In Indian secularism, there is also scope for state-supported religious reform and also compatibility, which is not seen in the West. For example, the Constitution of India has banned untouchability, while the state of India has also enacted several laws to abolish child marriage and prohibition imposed by Hinduism on inter-caste marriages.
• Under secularism in India, more emphasis has been laid on Gandhiji's concept, according to which there has been talk of encouraging all religions equally and positively.

Thus the secularism of India is neither completely connected with religion nor completely neutral with it. It may be noted that the Supreme Court of India in its decision in the Kesavananda case has considered secularism as a part of India's infrastructure. Indian secularism differs in principle from Western secularism on the basis of these values.

• Nehru's views on Secularism: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru wanted a secular nation that 'protects all religions, does not favor any one religion at the cost of other religions and does not accept any religion as the state religion itself. Nehru was a philosopher of Indian secularism. Nehru himself did not follow any religion. It should be remembered that he did not believe in God, but for him secularism did not mean aversion to religion. In this sense, Nehru was quite different from Ataturk of Turkey. At the same time, he was also not in favor of a complete break between religion and the state. According to his view, secular state can intervene in the matter of religion to improve the society.

  Gandhi's views on secularism: Mahatma Gandhi was a religious person in his personal life, he used to give prominence to the relationship between religion and politics. In this matter he differed from Pandit Nehru.

• Why criticize Indian secularism

  Indian secularism has been the subject of sharp criticism since its inception. Many arguments have been given regarding this. Here we can mention those challenges under the following points-

• Some critics argue that secularism is anti-secular, but Indian secularism is not anti-secular. In this, due respect has been given to all religions. It is noteworthy that while secularism opposes institutionalized religious supremacy, it is not synonymous with being anti-religious.
• It is also said about secularism that it is imported from the West, that is, inspired by Christianity, but this is not a correct criticism. In fact, secularism in India has had its own distinctive identity since ancient times, it is not imported from anywhere but is original.
• India's secularism has also been accused of being a minority issue. It may be known that Indian secularism does advocate for minority rights, but this advocacy is according to justice. In such a situation, minority rights should not be seen as special facilities.
• Secularism in India is governed by the state. Minorities complain that the state should not interfere in matters of religion. It is noteworthy that on the issue of triple talaq, the Muslim Personal Law Board had said that in the name of social reforms, private laws are being interfered by the state. On the other hand, Jains are defending their Santhara system on the basis of its thousands of years of existence.
• Apart from this, it has also been alleged that the state interferes in the affairs of minorities only after being influenced by the majority. On the contrary, the majority suspects that the state is appeasing the minorities. Such a trend is working to increase communalism in the communities.
• Some incidents questioning secularism have also challenged it such as the 1984 riots, the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the 1992-93 Mumbai riots, the Godhra incident and the 2003 Gujarat riots, religious and racial attacks under the guise of stopping cow slaughter. e.t.c.
• Consequently, secularism in India is under threat due to religious fundamentalism, radical nationalism and the policy of appeasement.
• Some critics argue that Indian secularism is oppressive. It interferes more with the religious freedom of the person. While it is not so, the nature of Indian secularism is not oppressive but reformist.
• The word secularism is not well defined in our constitution which provides a proper place for its misuse and undefined. In this sense, the word conversion has also been misused and misinterpreted from time to time.
• Another argument given by critics is that secularism promotes vote bank politics.
• Uniform Civil Code is posing another challenge to secularism In fact, Uniform Civil Code i.e. Uniform Civil Code has not been restored till date and as a secular nation it is the biggest challenge of the country.

• Importance of Secularism

  Indian secularism is a unique concept in itself which has been adopted keeping in mind the special needs and characteristics of Indian culture. Its importance can be understood under the following points-

  • Secularism encourages science and technology and rationalism in society and forms the basis of a modern secular state.
  • A secular state is independent of religious obligations and adopts a tolerant attitude towards all religions.
  • Individuals are highly sensitive to their religious identity and therefore would like to seek protection against violent behavior by an individual or group of individuals. This protection can only be provided by a secular state.
  • The secular state also protects the life and property of atheists and also gives them the right to live their own way of life and life.
  • A secular state is also more stable from a political point of view.
  • Thus secularism is a positive, revolutionary and comprehensive concept that strengthens diversity.