Author: S.G.V Mani
Publication: www.sulekha.com
Date:
URL: http://www.sulekha.com/articledesc.asp?cid=104918
The campaigns for most Lok Sabha
elections throw up the question of secularism versus communalism as a major
platform for discussion. The Ayodhya dispute leading to the demolition
of the disputed Babri Masjid structure, just as much as tampering with
legislation to appease the conservative Muslim 'sensitivities' by overthrowing
the Supreme Court judgement in the Shah Bano case, and similar instances
which keep raising their heads periodically, trigger again and again bring
forth the need for debate on this issue.
The main problem of the 'secularists'
is the fear of what the Western World and the Islamic World will think
of India if it ceases to be a 'secular nation' as defined by 'them' and
as prescribed by 'them'. Whenever a communal flare-up occurs, for whatever
reason, or the question of secularism as against 'Hindu communalism' (sic)
is brought up for discussion, there is no dearth of comments from 'dispassionate
India-lovers' all over the world, particularly from the U.K. and the U.S.,
that the major strength of India lies in its secular nature, and if it
deviates from its policy of secularism, it will lose its standing in the
comity of nations.
It is worth our while to consider
the secular credentials of the U.S. and the U.K. as the trend setters for
the thinking of the Western World. Officially the U.S. is said to be a
secular nation, in the sense that the religious establishment is not allowed
to interfere with the governance of the country. In fact there is one section
of Americans who believe that the motto: "In God We Trust", which is seen
in the currency notes and other government documents. The statement is
in itself violative of the policy of secularism. This apart, what the American
secularism really means is that the U.S. should be seen as a Christian
nation without any preferential treatment to any one of the multifarious
denominations of Christianity. This can be seen in the proper perspective
if one considers the fact that the Irish Republic is a Roman Catholic country,
the U.K. is a Protestant (Church of England) nation and so on. Officially
in the U.S. the various denominations of Christianity are considered equal
as the American nation is made up of immigrants from all European countries.
This concept of secularism obviously
had, as its background the medieval history of Europe, which is replete
with instances of the Church interfering in affairs of the state, and the
rampant religious persecution of one set of Christians by another set of
Christians. It is one set of such persecuted Christians, hailed later as
the Pilgrim Fathers, who landed in Plymouth, Mass., in December 1620, and
set up the first colony, which was the nucleus for the modern day USA.
Since the early settlers were mainly from England, Protestantism has taken
predominant roots to such an extent, that when John F. Kennedy contested
for Presidency, strong reservations were expressed about the suitability
of a Catholic as President of the U.S. Similarly when Mike Dukakis ran
for Presidency in 1988, the fact that he was the son of Greek immigrants,
and belonged to the Greek Orthodox Church, played a big part in his defeat.
The Founding Fathers of the American
constitution never had Islam or Hinduism or any other religion in mind
when they talked of a secular state. And the present day Americans couldn't
care less for the Muslims or Hindus or anyone else in their 'secular' America.
And their civil code is based on their 'Christian' beliefs and concepts,
and the Muslims and Hindus in America would just do well to conform to
that code, and not make any noises about their personal laws. If the Shah
Bano case had come up in the U.S., there is no question of the Muslims
raising a protest about their personal law being violated and getting a
new law legislated to suit their convenience. Probably when the Hindu and
Muslim populations of the U.S. grow to about 15 - 20%, the Americans will
be confronted with the problems faced by India now, and then they may have
second thoughts about the type of secularism they want India to practise
now. So much for the secularism of the Americans, who consider themselves
to be the champions of human rights and the conscience-keepers of the world.
About the secularism of the British,
the less said the better. The Church of England (Protestant) is the official
Church and the King/Queen is the official head of the Church. The monarch
carries the title of Defender of the Faith. Hence there is not even a facade
of secularism in the U.K. Also, secularism implies the coexistence of all
religions in a spirit of mutual respect and equality, whereas the U.K.
has always triggered and engineered hostility between different religious
groups. This is what they did in India to ultimately dismember the country
with the creation of Pakistan. And this is what they have done in Ireland,
where they have retained the predominantly Protestant Northern Ireland
while giving independence to the Republic of Ireland -- which is Catholic.
On the face of it, the British are the least qualified to talk about secularism.
One may recall that when the Salman Rushdie affair was at its peak, Muslims
in the U.K. protested that though Britain had passed legislation banning
blasphemous references to biblical characters and events, it refused to
extend its provisions to protect Islam from such attacks.
To make any comment about secularism
in the Islamic World of the Middle East region is entirely superfluous.
They do not recognise any such sentiment as secularism. For them Islam
is the one and only religion, and nothing else is valid.
Isn't it significant that it is
these countries of the Western 'civilized' World and the Islamic 'fundamentalist'
World, who have no use for secularism in their own countries, talk the
loudest about secularism whenever a problem arises in India, and give sage
advice to India, that secularism should be protected at all costs within
India? There is no point in blaming them. They have only taken up the refrain
from our own 'secular' politicians, and their misplaced pride in proclaiming
to the world, that they are committed to secularism to such an extent that
they are willing to compromise the interests of their own native religion,
Hinduism, to prove to the world that they are secular. Isn't it the 'secular'
rule of the last fifty years, which has encouraged BBC, CNN and others
to refer to the Government of India (BJP) as the Hindu Nationalist Government,
and get away with such arrogance?
Any psychologist worth his salt
will advise his clients that the fundamental requirement for overcoming
any problem is a liberal dose of genuine self-esteem. Only a person, who
is aware of, and has a healthy respect for one's own endowments, can genuinely
appreciate and respect another person. And it is such a person who earns
the respect of others. Anybody who has a low self-worth can admire and
respect someone else only in a sycophantic way, and will earn ridicule
for his false position. This is precisely what is wrong with our secularists.
They must realise that only a person who says, "I am a Hindu (or Muslim
or Christian or Parsee or whatever) and I am proud of it, but I also recognise
that other religions are equally valid, and I accept people from other
religions as my friends on an equal footing," can really respect others,
as well as earn the respect of others.
Gandhiji said that he would keep
all the doors and windows of his house wide open, so that all the cultures
of the entire world could blow around him freely, but he would not allow
himself to be blown off his feet by any one of them. Gandhiji had his moorings
well and truly tied to Hinduism, and he loved, cherished, honoured, lived
and breathed Hinduism. That is what gave him the capacity to love, cherish
and honour other religions. Secularism grows out of understanding and meeting
the genuine, legitimate interests of everyone, and not through illegitimate
sacrifices of one's own interests. It is time our secularists picked up
the sense and guts to declare to the world: "India is a Hindu rashtra,
and we are proud of our culture and heritage; but we welcome persons of
other religions also with an open heart to the extent they are willing
to go with us as equal partners (without seeking any special minority dispensations)
in our march towards making India great." Only then will India earn the
respect of the world and take its due place in the comity of nations with
honour and dignity. Otherwise all talk of secularism is nothing but hypocrisy.
