Secularism

UNIT 9 SECULARISM*

Structure
9.0 Objectives
9.1 Introduction
9.2 What Is Secularism?
9.3 Secularism in Indian Constitution
9.4 “Anti-Secularism”
9.5 Secularism and religious groups
9.6 Let Us Sum Up
9.7 References
9.8 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercise

9.0 OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this unit are to acquaint you with some crucial issues about
secularism in India. After reading this unit, you will be able:
To explain the meaning of secularism and secularization;
To explain the issues related to secularism;
To streamline main arguments in debate on secularism in India;
And after comparing this unit with unit 10, to underline differences between
secularism and communalism.

9.1 INTRODUCTION
Secularism is one of the most crucial issues in the current political scenario in
world. Yuval Noah Harari, the author of 21 Lessons for the 21st Century includes
secularism among 21 most urgent issues of the 21st century. In India too, secularism
has been at the core of academic, popular and political discourse. Some questions
are often raised about secularism: about its relationship with religion, state and
other institutions, faith, religious communities, place of individual, democratic
values such as freedom and equality about religion, and ethical values. This unit
will discuss secularism in the light of these questions.

9.2 WHAT IS SECULARISM?

The central issue in secularism is religion. Secularism in a society implies that
the religious supremacy of a community does not lead to discrimination and
persecution of religious minorities. The meaning of secularism depending on the
extent of relationship religion has with the attributes mentioned above, i.e,
relationship with religion, state and other institutions, faith, religious communities,
place of individual, democratic values such as freedom and equality about religion,
and ethical values.There are three meanings of secularism according to different

* Prof. Jagpal Singh, Professor of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, IGNOU, New
Delhi. This unit has been borrowed from the course BPSC-132 (Unit 13). 93
Religion and Politics perspectives: one talks about relationship between the religion and the state;
two, is about the possibility or impossibility of applicability of secularism in
India; and the third is about equal respect to all religions or sarva dharma sambhav.
These perspectives have been reflected in the debate within the Constituent
Assembly, popular and academic discourse in India. As you will read in this
unit, the debate on secularism in India, in the Constituent Assembly, and academic
discourse has involved these three meanings to varying levels.

According to Rajiv Bhargav success of secularism depends on certain factors.

These are democracy and independence of the state from pressure of classes and
ethnic groups in society which again depends on presence of state. Democracy
depends on pacification of politics, i.e. peaceful competition or competition
without violence. In fact, secularism is associated with values which are linked
with democracy and equal citizenship. Yuval Noah Harari underlines that in a
secular society, people belonging to different faiths – Hindus, Christians, Muslims,
and atheists follow certain ethical codes. These ethical codes are enshrined in
the values or secular ideals such as truth, compassion, equality, freedom, courage,
and responsibility. For secularists, truth is different from belief, and there is no
single source as custodian of truth. Compassion implies a “deep appreciation of
suffering”, to reduce sufferings in the world in best possible way. Since sufferings
are universal, the commitment to truth and compassion result in commitment to
equality. The search for truth can be achieved with freedom to think, investigate,
and experiment. Courage includes value to fight biases and oppressive regimes,
to admit ignorance and “venture into unknown”. Responsibility means to not
rely on higher power to address problems facing societies, no divine power needs
to be credited for it. The developments result from knowledge of human beings
themselves and their compassion.

According to DE Smith, Secularism can prevail in a secular state. What is secular

state? In DE Smith’s model in India as a Secular State, a secular state can be
identified by its dealing with three subjects: exclusion of state in relationship
between individual and the religion (religious liberty); relations between
individual and state in which religion is excluded (individual as citizen); and
state neutrality. In Smith’s perspective, India had prospects of success of
democracy: characteristics of secularism are present in Hinduism. However, there
have been challenges in consolidation of secular state in India: caste and
community loyalties which could easily turn into communal rivalry and conflict.
Gallenter finds Smith’s critique of Indian secularism unconvincing: countering
Smith, he contends that Indian state departs from principles of secularism by
giving subsidies to religious schools and bodies, promoting Hinduism, and
compromising its secular credentials. For him, precondition for a secular state to
succeed lies in presupposing a normative conception of religion with capacity to
judge and evaluate religion. In his opinion, the compromise in India on secularism,
could be visible in the Constituent Assembly the debate on religious liberty (right
to religious worship, religious practice, whether the state should recognise only
linguistic minorities or linguistic minorities as well); on citizenship (universal
civil code, religion-based political reservation); and on state neutrality (whether
the state should give instructions to the state aided schools).

AkilBilgrami contests the notion of secularism as merely state’s neutrality and

equidistance from different religions. Bilgrami rejects this notion and provides
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an alternative notion. He argues secularism does not emerge in all historical Secularism
contexts. It emerges in some historical contexts. It emerges where there is threat
of “majoritarianism”. It can also emerge in the contexts which are not fully
modernist. Secularism is different from secular and secularisation. Secularism is
a political doctrine. A person may remain secular simultaneously retaining his/
her religious identity.

9.3 SECULARSIM IN INDIAN CONSTITUTION

Indian constitution did not include the word secularism when it commenced on
January 26, 1951. Although secularism was not mentioned in the Constitution,
the fact that Independent India became a democracy, secularism was implied in
it as a cardinal principle, a fait accompli, not needing its mention. Butit was
incorporated in the Preamble of the Constitution by 42nd Constitutional
Amendment in 1976. Later, the Supreme Court ruled in the Bhommai judgement
that secularism is a basic feature of the Constitution. Besides, provisions in Articles
25-30 protecting the rights of religious minorities in the Constitution emerged
from debate in the Constituent Assembly of India: these signify values of
secularism. The questions whether word secularism should be included in Indian
Constitution, what kind of secular state India needed to become (“a secular state
in a religious country”), whether separation of state from religion was a testimony
for secularism, whether a secular state was contingent on a secular society or
whether state that respects all religions equally meant presence of secularism in
India, were discussed on October 17, 1949. The opinions on these questions
were divided in the Constituent Assembly. Finally, the assembly decided to not
include the word secular in the Preamble. However, there was an agreement
among all members of the Constituent Assembly to establish India as a secular
state. And most of them agreed that separation of religion and state was related
to democratisation of society.

Shefali Jha identifies three alternative arguments on secularism which were

debated in the Constituent Assembly. She terms the first argument as “no concern
theory of secularism”. The proponents of this argument argued that religion should
not be concern of the state. Religion is a private affair and there should be
separation between religion as a private affair and the state (public affair). People
have liberty to practice religion as a private affair. The state should recognise an
individual as a citizen not as a person from a religion. The principal representative
of this argument were K.T. Shah, Tajamul Husain and M. Masani. The second
line of argument also suggested that religion and state should be separated. But
their argument was just opposite to the first argument. While the first kind of
argument contended religion was a personal matter for the state to intervene, this
argument suggested that religion was a system of absolute truth. Association of
religion would not weaken the state but would demean religion. Whims of the
majorities which keep changing should not be allowed to have a say in a
democratic state. The third theory which Shefali Jha describes as “Equal Respect
Theory of Secularism” argues that since in India religion was the most important
part of people’s life, the state should respect all religions equally along with
maintaining a distance from religions. The most vocal advocate of this argument
was K.M. Munshi. He argued “we had to evolve a characteristically Indian
Secularism”. In his opinion, India can not have a state religion; nor can a rigid
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Religion and Politics line be drawn between the religion and the state. In this view a people’s state can
not be founded on a kind of secularism that is contemptuous of religion. Since
most religions preach tolerance, if the state allows public sphere to religion it
would not lead to inter-sectarian strife. Jaya Prakash Narayan argued that it was
not religion but use of religion for social, economic, and political purposes that
leads to communal violence.
Check Your Progress Exercise 1
Note: i) Use the space below for your answer.
ii) Check your answers with the answers given at the end of the unit.
1) What is secularism?
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2) What were main points in debate on secularism in the Constituent Assembly?
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9.4 “ANTI-SECULARISM”
The points in debate on secularism which were discussed in the Constituent
Assembly and in the 1950s were discussed in the debate on the theme which
occurred later. One such debate represented a term which came to be alluded to
as “anti-secularism”. Like an argument given in the Constituent Assembly,
advocates of anti-secularism are not opposed to secularism per se. What they are
opposed to is the notion of secularism which suggests separation between religion
and the state. They are critical of both communal-fundamentalist (Hindutva) and
secularists. According to the advocates of anti-secularism, since India is a religious
society, religion and the state can not be separated. They consider the notion of
separation of religion and the state a western notion, which is not applicable to a
religious society like India. Roots of real secularism can be traced in Indian
traditions, which have been tolerant. Secularism can be achieved by equal respect
for all religions (Sarva Dharma Sambhava). The main advocates of anti-secularist
perspective are Bhikhu Parekh, T.N. Madan and Ashis Nandi. Especially, Madan
considers secularism as a “gift of Christianity”, and Nandi has “an anti-secularist
agenda” to critique secularism.According to Achin Vanaik, they focus on six
general themes regarding Indian society: modernity, understanding of culture,
civilisation, religion and Hinduism, past and present; secularism and secularisation;
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particularism and universalism, individualism and communitarianism; and neo- Secularism
Gandhianism. While they share common point that state should respect all
religions equally and Indian tradition has been a tolerant tradition, they have
differences.

Rajiv Bhargava argues that the notion of secularism needs to be reconceptualised

or re-imagined. Instead of focusing on state-church relationship the following is
needed: (i) secularism should be focused as a response to deep religious diversity;
(ii) diversity must be understood as enmeshed in power relations; hidden potential
of religion-related domination must be understood; (iii) the two moves can help
us to view secularism as a response to institutionalised religion (inter-and intra-
religious) domination: secularism is not against religion; and it is opposed to
institutionalised religion-based domination; (iv) and, only by maintaining
principles distance a secular state can show critical respect to all religions and
philosophical world views. He explains Indian secularism in terms of the notion
of principled distance. He states “the idea of principled distance entails a flexible
approach to the issue of state’s inclusion or exclusion of religions, and to the
issue of engagement with or disengagement from religion, which at the level of
law and order depends on the context.” He classifies secularism into two kinds:
political and secular.

According to some scholars (Smith, Tambia) secularism, secularism in India is

facing crisis. There are external and internal factors responsible for this. External
factors include - breakdown of Congress, increasing centralisation of power of
the state, and secessionist movements in the 1980s- in Punjab and Kashmir and
implementation of Mandal Commission Report. Internal factors include –
totalising world-view of which secularism is a part (Madan and Nandi), and
demand for equidistance which can not be met by any state (Chatterjee).

9.5 SECULARISM AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS

Secularism and secularisation are two inter-related concepts. But in the academic
and political discourse, it is the former which has received more attention. Several
articles published in Economic and Political Weekly(Vol. 58, No. 50 Dec. 14,
2013) discuss the notion of secularisation and its relationship with secularism,
and several related aspects with reference to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It
is about the nature of relationship about rights of religious groups and individuals
within them. It is also about ethics or morality.

Secularisation means absence of influence of religion on public policies and

social relations. But it does not negate religion itself. It is about how religion is
the basis of favour or discrimination. It is about modernisation and modernity.
Secularisation must be “collective normative project”; whereas secularism in
Europe was not “launched as a programme of collective action” (Rajiv Bhargava).
Using notion of secularisation, Joya Chatterjee explains how that following the
partition, both India and Pakistan followed policy of secularisation, which was
partial. Both got busy in addressing non-religious issues of partition-affected
families: rehabilitation of the refugees. However, the secularisation was partial.
It was a limited secularisation which did not permeate lower parts of state
machinery.
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Religion and Politics
9.6 LET US SUM UP
Secularism has broadly two meanings: one, separation of religion from the state;
and two, equal respect to all religions by the state or sarvadharmsambhav.
Originally, the Preamble of the Constitution did not mention the word secularism.
It was inserted into the Preamble by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment. The
Constituent Assembly discussed whether secularism should be mentioned in the
Constitution. There were three broad arguments in the Constituent Assembly:
One argument suggested that since religion was a personal affair, there was no
need to discuss it; Second argument contended that there should be separation
between religion and that state; and, the third argument stated that the state should
respect all religions equally or there should be sarva dharma sambhav.
Check Your Progress Exercise 2
Note: i) Use the space below for your answer.
ii) Check your answers with the answers given at the end of the unit.
1) What are the main arguments of anti-secularists?
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2) What is the difference between secularism and secularization?
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3) What is meant by the notion of principled distance?
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 Secularism
9.7 REFERENCES
Bhargava, Rajeev (eds), Secularism and Its Critics, Oxford University Press,
New Delhi, 1999.
Bilgrami, Akil, “Secularism: Its Content and Context”, Economic and Political
Weekly, No.4, Vol. 57, 2012.
Chandhoke, Neera, Beyond Secularism: The Rights and Religious Minorities,
Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1999.
Economic and Political Weekly, Issue on Secularisation, Vol. 58, No. 50,
December 14.
Harari, Yuval Noah, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Jonathan Cape, London,
2018.
Vanaik, Achin, Hindutva Rising: Secular Claims, Communal Realities, Tulika,
New Delhi, 2017.

9.8 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

EXERCISES
Check Your Progress 1

1) Secularism denotes relationship between religion, state, institutions, social

groups and individual. There two notions of it: One, suggests a distance
between religion and the state or equal distance or request to all religions by
the state; another, talks about the relationship of religion with communities
and individuals about democratic values such as freedom and equality, and
morality.

2) In the Constituent Assembly, there were three types of arguments on

secularism: One, the state should not interfere in religious matter; two, state
and religion should be separate because religion is higher than the state/
beyond the scope of the state; and three, the state should pay equal respect
to all religions.

Check Your Progress Exercise 2

1) The anti-secularists argue that secularism which preaches distance between

religion and state is western context. In a country like India where religion
is an essential aspect of like, religion and state can not be delinked. The real
secularism can be traced in Indian traditions, which is marked by tolerance.
True secularism can be achieved by following the principle of sarva dharma
sambhav (equal respect to all religions).

2) Secularism denotes distance between religion and the state or equal respect
to all religions. Secularisation denotes absence of the impact of religion on
the state policies about social groups. It is also about how moral or ethical
values shape attitudes about followers of different religions.

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Religion and Politics 3) The idea of principled distance is propounded by Rajeev Bhargava. It denotes
a flexible approach to state’s engagement or disengagements with religions,
and to their inclusion or exclusion by the state. The level of engagement,
exclusion or inclusion depends on context, nature, and current state of
religions.

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