Abstract
A secular state is supposed to remain indifferent to individual beliefs and to ensure that every individual enjoys the religious freedom in personal life. But practically, the nature and character of secularism changes in different contexts. India being a predominantly Hindu and fundamentally religious society has its own flavor of secularism. The Constitution of India on one hand assures personal freedoms and declares the state as secular but on the other hand carries contradictory indications of anti-religious objectives and prominence of Hinduism. This confusion creates the room for using the cloak of secularism to promote Hindutva. As populism and exclusive nationalism seem to dominate the political front domestically in India and several other countries around the world, it seems improbable, if not impossible, for secularism to take over religion as the primary paradigm of life in India. And with the history of communal violence in India, this scenario is threatening not only for minorities as well as the vulnerable and moderate elements among Hindus but also has far-reaching effects for the region and the world at large. With this context in view, this paper has surveyed the treatment of Muslims in India who are the largest minority in the country and the third largest population of Muslims in a country. The article was initially prepared for a presentation in a seminar held at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on July 12, 2017 on the same topic. The author thankfully acknowledges the assistance provided by Nadeem Farhat and Asifa Tanvir in writing the paper.
Highlights
Secularism and StateSecularism, when broadly described in political context refers to a system where the State has nothing to do with the religion, in the sense that the relations of secularism to religion are mutually exclusive.1 A secular state is supposed to remain indifferent to individual beliefs and professing of religious traits and rituals and ensure that every individual has the freedom to follow any religion or no religion in his/her personal life.2If this general description is applied on various countries of the world which call themselves secular, we will observe considerable The article was initially prepared for a presentation in a seminar held at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on July 12, 2017 on the same topic
Ibid “Military veterans write to PM Modi condemning attacks on Muslims, Dalits” http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/over-100-military-veterans-write-topm-modi-condemning-attacks-on-muslims-dalits/storya5xARrPU3fTY7FrB5fewbP.html U.S state department issued a statement on April 2, 2017 criticizing India over human rights violations yet it is not reflected in various policies
Given the fact that India is the second largest country of the world according to population, and is an important player in international politics, the discriminatory behavior with minorities here will cause internal destabilization but will have far-reaching effects on the region in particular and on the world at large
Summary
Abstract [A secular state is supposed to remain indifferent to individual beliefs and to ensure that every individual enjoys the religious freedom in personal life. The Constitution of India on one hand assures personal freedoms and declares the state as secular but on the other hand carries contradictory indications of anti-religious objectives and prominence of Hinduism. With the history of communal violence in India, this scenario is threatening for minorities as well as the vulnerable and moderate elements among Hindus and has far-reaching effects for the region and the world at large. With this context in view, this paper has surveyed the treatment of Muslims in India who are the largest minority in the country and the third largest population of Muslims in a country. With this context in view, this paper has surveyed the treatment of Muslims in India who are the largest minority in the country and the third largest population of Muslims in a country. – Editors.]
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