SECULARISM

1 mark

Is secularism a western concept implanted on the Indian soil?

Some of the scholars are of the opinion that the idea of secularism

is a western concept implanted on Indian soil, but it has been

mended and moulded according to the Indian socio-cultural and

political setting.

Which articles of the Indian Constitution deals with the Right to

freedom of religion?

Right to freedom of religion is included in the part III of the Indian

Constitution and Articles 25 - 28 deals with it.

When was the word 'secular' added to the Indian constitution?

The word 'secular' was added in the preamble of the Indian

constitution by 42nd Amendment in 1976.

What does the word 'secularism' imply?

Secularism means equal respect for all religions. The state does not

profess any religion and it treats all the religions alike. India is a

secular state.

Mention one of the important issues discussed in “Prince”.

In “Prince”, Machiavelli discussed that “religion is a tool which

can be used by the ruler to stay in power”.

Who has written “Prince”?

Machiavelli has written “Prince”.

Are minority communities allowed to establish separate

educational institutions in a secular state?

In a secular state, minority communities are allowed to establish

separate educational institutions.

What does minoritism imply?

Minoritism means that special privileges and rights are provided

to the minorities.

What do you mean by the term theocracy?

'Theocracy is a form of government in which the state's legal

system is based on religious law.

Was secularism treated as a value in the Constituent Assembly?

Although the term “secular” was not included anywhere in the

constitution originally in 1949, but secularism was treated as a

value in the Constituent Assembly, which is explicit through the

views expressed by the members of the Constituent Assembly.

Who coined the term ‘hindutva’?

‘Hindutva’ literally means ‘Hinduness’ and was defined by its

originator, V.D Savarkar, as the basis of Indian nationhood.

Who used the term ‘minorityism’ in Indian politics for the first

time?

The term was first used by L.K Advani in 1986 while criticising the

Congress government and its stand on the Shah Bano controversy.

Which three parties in the Indian politics form the Sangh

Parivar?

BJP, VHP and RSS are the three right wing parties which together

form the Sangh Parivar.

Who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat during the time of

Gujarat Carnage?
Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time of

Gujarat Carnage.

Which government appointed the Nanavati Commission?

Nanavati Commission was appointed in May 2000 by the NDA

government to enquire into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Name the Commission appointed to inquire into Babri Masjid

Demolition.

Liberhan commission was appointed to enquire into Babri Masjid

demolition. The Commission gave its final report after 17 years.

Give two cases of communal violence in India against

minorities.

Anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and Gujarat carnage in 2000 were the two

cases where Muslims were indiscriminately attacked by the Hindu

fundamentalists after the Godhra train burning incident.

What does holocaust mean?

Holocaust refers to mass destruction or loss of life. One example is

mass destruction of Jews under the German Nazi regime from

1941 to 1945.
Define vote bank politics.

Vote bank refers to a committed bloc of voters, who support a

particular party.

Vote bank politics refers to the practice of creating and

maintaining vote-bank through divisive policies or ambitious

promises of development.

What were crusades?

Crusades refer to religiously sanctioned military campaigns

undertaken by the European Christians from the 11th to

13th century.

Who said: “All the religions of the world, while they may differ

in other respects, unitedly proclaim that nothing lives in this

world but Truth”.

The above quote was said by Mahatma Gandhi.

What are right wing parties?

Right wing refers to conservative, reactionary political group that

supports segregation of groups based on religion and ethnicity.

What are personal laws?

Personal laws are laws concerning marriage, inheritance and other

family matters which are governed by different religions.

Name the Indian states that have Anti-Conversion Laws?

After independence states like Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra

Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat enacted laws to check religious

conversion.

Suggest two ways to promote communal harmony in society.

Communal harmony can be promoted in a society in two ways:

 Through secular education that trains young minds in

tolerance.

 Celebration of festivals of different communities through

community gatherings.
 2 marks

Do you think Indian secularism is anti- religious?

Indian secularism is not anti-religious since it promotes religious

freedom and equality. Infact a continuous attempt is being made

to protect religious identity.

State the relationship between secularism and equality.

Secularism emphasises equality within and between the religious

groups. It also seeks to remove all forms of discrimination in

different religious groups.

“Secular state does not allow citizens to have a religious

identity”. Comment.

Citizens are not denied of having a religious identity in a secular

state, as they can have faith in any religion of their choice.

Do you agree that the Indian constitution allows state

interference in religious matters?

Yes, the Indian constitution allows positive interference in

religious matters only to bring reforms and to resolve religious

conflicts.
What does the term ‘Principled Distance’ imply?

‘Principled Distance’ is a well-established principle of secularism,

which emphasises that state, will not interfere in the affairs of

religion and the religious groups are not allowed to interfere in the

affairs of the state. The state can intervene in matters of religion

only to bring about positive reforms.

“Secularism opposes inter- religious domination”. Comment.

Secularism stands for equality, freedom and absence of

discrimination and exploitation, so it is necessary that there should

not be any inter-religious domination.

Mention H.V. Kamath's views on a secular state.

Secularism was treated as a value in the Constituent Assembly.

H.V. Kamath said,'' To my mind, a secular state is neither a God-

less state nor an irreligious nor an anti- religious state ''.

Who was Kemal Ataturk?

Kemal Ataturk was a Turkish ruler and Turkish philosopher

who propounded his own theory of secularism. He was

determined to put an end to the institutions of Khalifa in the

public life of Turkey.

“Secularism is an impossible task to accomplish”. Comment.

Critics of secularism believe that it is an impossible task to

accomplish, because people have deep rooted differences and they

cannot live together with the spirit of tolerance.

What is the purpose of secularism?

The purpose of secularism is to promote justice, freedom and

equality by educating the society.

What are Anti-Conversion Laws?

Anti-conversion laws prohibit attempts to convert any person

from one religious faith to another by use of force, inducement,

allurement; also aiding any person or organisation in such

conversion is prohibited.

What are the attributes of an ideal secular state?

An ideal secular state is one that maintains principled distance

from religion. Such a state respects freedom of religion of all

citizens and does not treat people on the basis of their religious

beliefs. Such a state is tolerant towards religious diversity and

practices of different religious groups.

Who said, “religion is an opium for the masses”?

The above quote was said by the German philosopher Karl Marx.

He argues that religion is used by the oppressors to make people

feel better about the distress they experience due to being poor

and exploited.

Is state intervention in religion justified?

State can intervene in matters of religion only to bring about social

reforms.

Nehru never called for complete separation of state and religion;

he played a key role in enacting laws, abolishing caste

discrimination, dowry and sati and extending legal rights and

social freedom to Indian women.

Define communal conflict? What are the reasons for such

conflicts in the society?

Conflicts between people of different religions and ethnic origins

is called communal conflict. Such conflicts arise due to intolerance

towards religious beliefs and practices of other communities.

What does "Freedom to interpret" means?

Freedom to interpret means the independence that all persons

shall have to understand things in their own way. In the context of

secularism, it refers to a person’s liberty to develop their own

understanding and meaning of the religion they practice.

Define Uniform Civil Code (UCC)?

A UCC in the Indian context is a concept that refers to a civil law

code that administers the same set of secular civil laws to govern

all people irrespective of their religion, caste or tribe.

 4 marks

Write a note on secularism.

Secularism is a sign of modernity, plurality, co-existence,

rationalism and acceptance in a fast-growing multicultural society.

One of the essential features of secularism is the separation of state

and religion. Its ultimate aim is to establish domination free,

exploitation free and discrimination free society based on justice,

freedom and equality.

Which party was in power in Utter Pradesh when Babri Masjid

was demolished?

The Babri Masjid was demolished on 6 December 1992 when

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) was in power in Uttar Pradesh. The

party is committed to the construction of a “temple” in Ayodhya.

Mention K.M. Panikkar's view on a plural society.

In the words of K.M. Panikkar, “in a plural society what is

required is an overriding loyalty to the state and a general

tolerance of each other's ideas and not an assimilation of different

groups. That is the type of integration that India has evolved and
to attempt to force any other would be to go against the principles

of India's historical evolution”.

State the difference between “Minorityism” and “Pseudo

secularism”.

Minorityism implies a bias in favour of minorities. Pseudo

secularism means that those who profess to be secular but are not

really so but are anti- Hindu and pro- Muslim.

Mention the political party which propounds the ideology of

“Hindutva”.

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) propounds the ideology of ''Hindutva'',

i.e. a concept of cultural nationalism. BJP is committed to the

concept of one nation, one people and one culture.

What are the common features of western and Indian

secularism?

Although Indian secularism is different from western secularism,

yet they do have certain common features:

 Separation of state and religion

 Non-existence of state religion

 No religious ruler

 State does not discriminate against any religion

 State promotes and progresses on the basis of equality and

justice

“Secular state is not an anti- religious state but a state without a

religion”. Comment.

Secular state is not an anti- religious state but a state without a

religion. It involves the concept of religious freedom for all faiths

living within the state. Secularism is not only a characteristic of the

state but involves the concept of equal citizenship rights. It also

characterizes an attitude of mind which must be shared by the

minority and majority religious communities living within the

state.

Does the separation of the state from religion involve a state

policy of equi- distance, neutrality and non- interference?

 The secularity of the state does not necessitate strict

intervention, non- intervention or equidistance but rather any or

all of these as the case may be.

 Rajiv Bhargav argues a case for ‘group sensitivity’ and

‘principled distance’ as against the policy of equi-distance.

Which article of the Indian Constitution prevents discrimination

on the ground of religion?

The Constituent Assembly stood for a secular state as against a

theocratic state. Article 15 of the Indian Constitution prevents

discrimination on the ground only of religion, caste, sex, race,

place of birth or any one of them.

On what grounds is the Indian secularism criticised?

Critics are of the opinion that Indian secularism is –

 adopted from the western secularism

 based on vote bank politics

 impracticable

 anti- religious

State the problems faced by a state pursuing a secular democratic

project.

The project of secular democracy is confronted by two problems:

 Firstly, they make the democracy receptive to the claims of

communities in a plural society and preventing it from

degenerating into Majoritarianism in a way that consistently

deprives the minorities.

 Secondly, they search for ways to foster compatibility between

conflicting identities in a manner that safeguards the equal rights

of citizenship. The 'Shah Bano Case' and its aftermath are

illustrative of both these problems.

What are the necessary preconditions of a secular state?

A secular state must fulfill the following conditions:

 Equal rights and uniform conditions of citizenship

 Ensures that minority rights are safeguarded against the

possibility of majoritarian democratic procedures working

consistently to the disadvantage of minorities.

 Provides sufficient space for the articulation of one identity

without securing one at the expense of the other.

 Ensures that the expression and recognition of the identity is

subversive to the principles of equality and justice.

 6 marks

Describe Jawaharlal Nehru's view on secularism.

Jawaharlal Nehru associated secularism with modernity and

considered sentiments based on caste and religion as backward.

He felt that religious tolerance, an essential aspect of secularism,

was a characteristic of Indian culture. According to Nehru narrow

religious groupings, binding or loyalties must exclude many

sections of the population and only create Muslim nationalism,

Christian nationalism and Hindu nationalism and not Indian

nationalism. In a country with different religious groups, it is

important to build real nationalism on the basis of secularity.

Secularism is essential for the survival of a multi- nation state. In

his words, “A secular state does not obviously mean a state where

religion as such is discouraged. It means freedom of religion and

conscience, including freedom of those who have no religion. It

means free play for all religions, subject only to their not

interfering with each other or with the basic conceptions of our

state”.

Do you think communalism is the solution for resolving

Minority Vs Majority differences?

Communalism is not a solution to any problem. In fact it

invariably compounds it. It raises moral and philosophical issues

because an ideology based on hatred and violence, both

psychological and physical is not tenable. It also raises a political

question that whether democracy is preferred to a closed system. It

creates an international problem for a world which is shrinking

into a global village and where national boundaries are

increasingly becoming suspect. It is a problem for the

administrative authorities because it involves management of

tension and conflict within society and has adverse consequences

for national integration. The economy also suffers as a large part of

the national resources are diverted to crisis management.

Communalism raises the fundamental issue of nature of

civilization, for it is opposed to everything that we mean by the

term.

What are the major concerns of the minorities?

Security is the major concern of the minorities- the vulnerable

position of the Scheduled Castes, the inability of the state to

protect the Sikhs in the 1984 riots, the demolition of the Babri

Masjid followed by the Bombay riots, the ineffectiveness of the

police in the ethnic conflicts in Punjab, Gujarat, West Bengal and

Utter Pradesh. Gujarat riots of 2002 have led to an increased sense

of insecurity among the minorities. There has been a spate of

violence against Christians in Gujarat, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh

and Bihar. Regional, ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities

have demanded separate states for themselves, where they would

have majority status. Minority groups have demanded reservation

of jobs, especially in the government. Some minority groups,

especially Muslims, have expressed a sense of hurt and resentment

on being repeatedly pressurised by some political groups to prove

their patriotic credentials.

What was the immediate problem faced by India soon after

Independence?

India ran into difficulties soon after Independence on the question

of a Common Civil Code (CCC) which was meant to bring about

gender justice and equality uniformly amongst the different

religious communities. The government, inspite of its majority in

the parliament, had to give in to pressure from orthodox Muslims

that changes in personal law amounted to interference in the

religious laws of the community. Instead Hindu Code Bill was

passed which enacted changes in Hindu Marriage Laws. The issue

of CCC has since been beset with debates, converting a question of

gender justice and equality into a communal one. Many other such
questions acquired a religious connotation and therefore became

problematic for state policy.

Mention the features of secularism, with reference to the

provisions of the Indian Constitution.

The main features of secularism include:

 Separation of state and religion

 No state religion

 Equal protection to all religions by the state

 Freedom to all citizens to profess, practice and propagate

any religion.

 Positive interference of State in religious affairs or

management of religious activities and social reforms.

 Purpose should be to establish the unity and integrity in the

nation.

 It is opposed to communalism.

 No discrimination against any religion.

The following are the provisions in the Indian Constitution on

Secularism.

 The preamble of Indian constitution declares India as a

secular state.
 Article 25 of Indian constitution provides freedom of

conscience.

 Article 26 provides that, subject to public order, morality

and health, everyone has a right to establish religious institutions

and to manage religious affairs.

 Article 27 states that the places of religious worship cannot

be taxed.

 According to Article 28, no religious education can be given

in the educational institutions which are run by the state.

Discuss one controversial case of government intervention in

personal laws to preserve its vote bank politics?

Shah Bano Case: Shah Bano was a Muslim woman, divorced by

her husband in 1978 and refused alimony. The case created

controversy over civil codes of different religions, especially that of

Islam. She approached the Court for securing maintenance from

her husband. The Supreme Court ruled that Shah Bano be given

maintenance money, same as alimony. The orthodox Muslims felt

threatened as they saw the Supreme Court judgement as an

encroachment of the Muslim personal law and protested against

the judgement.
The Congress government being conscious of its performance in

the next elections succumbed to the pressure of the orthodoxy. The

Rajiv Gandhi government passed the Muslim Women (Protection

of Rights on Divorce) Act, in 1986. The Act nullified the decision of

the Supreme Court in the Shah Bano Case. Congress’s action was

disapproved by media and opposition and Congress was branded

as a “pseudo-secular” party. Critics argued that the Act was

passed to appease the minorities and secure Muslim vote bank.

The Shah Bano case once again spurred the debate on Uniform

Civil Code in India.

Comparison

Indian Secularism Western Secularism

It focuses both intra-religious & It focuses only on inter

inter-religious domination. religious domination.

It is concerned with both It is concerned only with

religious freedom of individual religious freedom of

& religious freedom of minority individual and is not

rights. bothered about religious

freedom of minorities.

It is a broader concept of It is a narrow concept of

secularism where states can secularism where state and

interfere to reform secularism. religion are kept mutually

exclusive to each other.