Secularism is a very famous concept and an ideology followed in many countries including India. The term ‘secular’ originates from the Latin term ‘saeculum’ which refers to a generation or a lifetime. Secularism refers to separating the concept of religion from other aspects of life including cultural, political and traditional aspects. Religion is viewed as an independent entity and a personal matter which does not integrate with other aspects. The interpretation of secularism differs from country to country.
The stepping stones for secularism were observed in early Greek civilizations in Europe, where Greek philosophers advocated for the concept of humanism. Humanism believes that human beings have a moral purpose to fulfill and every human acts towards the same. It believed in the moral responsibility of humans. Under humanism, religion was not given priority but rather the focus was on the moral purpose of men. Thinkers such as Epicurus did extensive research on the concept of secularism and advocated for the same. However, greek philosophy did not explicitly coin the term secularism and neither separated religion from politics. During the Middle Ages, especially in European countries, the role of the church, i.e., clergy in governance and law-making was high. The church was in charge of all governance and major legal decisions which interfered with the king’s power. The king usually consulted the church and had the support of the church in all decisions. This raised the question of the role of religion in politics. Thinkers like Thomas Aquinas debated on this very question and brought about the term ‘natural law’ stating that religion ought not to interfere with law and governance.
At the same time, a lot of thinkers were in favour of the power of the clergy and believed religion was integral for law and governance as according to them it ensured conformity and peace. However, this opinion was contested drastically during the Renaissance period, with an increase in Greek and Roman philosophy which emphasised humanism. Thinkers like John Calvin soon questioned the authority and the power of the clergy. This led to an increase in the disputes between the state and the clergy. The period of Enlightenment advocated for people to use reason and science as opposed to using religion as the reason behind everything. The concept of secularism first arose in the eighteenth century in Europe during this period of enlightenment. During this period, the French Revolution also played a pertinent role as it was a struggle to remove the power of the clergy and to establish a secular and democratic form of government. The French society soon ensured the freedom of religion for all men and women and emphasised the separation of religion and the state. Thinkers such as John Locke and Rousseau also advocated for the same and as founders of the social contract theory, they emphasised the need to keep religion separate from the state.
Since then, the idea of secularism has only evolved and spread across different countries. Philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham, Karl Marx and Charles Darwin interpreted secularism in their own way and provided theories and ideologies such as Bentham’s Utilitarianism, Darwin’s theory of evolution and Marx’s communism, which further supported the need and claim of secularism- to keep religion and state as separate entities. With many countries fighting for nationalism and freedom, many countries included secularism in their constitutions and societies, including India.
In India, the concept of secularism is not something new or a concept that only came in the 18th century. Vedas and Upanishads advocated for equal treatment of all religions and did not promote discrimination against anyone based on any religion. The Vedic concept of ‘Dharma Nirapekshata’ which refers to the indifference of the state to religion, remains an integral part of Indian secularism to date. Secularism as a concept in practice dates back to the time of the Maurya Dynasty, 3rd Century BCE. Emperor Ashoka, a famous ruler of the Mauryan Dynasty is an example of secularism in India. Under his role, there was no role of religion in state and politics, and as a matter of fact, many religions co-existed during his role, having assumed the religion of Buddhism himself. The invasion of Alexander the Great to India also led to the influx of catholicism in India, which also co-existed with the other religions in India. The Mughal rule also led to the existence of another religion in India and during this rule, rulers such as Akbar made policies advocating for religious tolerance, though Islamic policies and rules prevailed, there was no intolerance towards the existence of other religions during this period even with tensions between religions present. During medieval India, we had Sufi movements and bhakti movements, both advocating different religions but at the same time enabling religions to come together with peace and love.
However, with the colonial rule came the policy of ‘divide and rule’. This policy led to the division of people based on geography and also based on religion and caste. This increased the religious divides and conflicts between different communities, the most common being the divide between the Hindus and Muslims. Different electorates were provided for Muslims and Hindus as per this policy and places such as Bengal were partitioned for the same. However, in the 20th century, with the rise of nationalism and the need for ‘self-rule’, there was a show of unity amongst all people of India and also an increase in the concept of secularism. Freedom fighters like Sir Feroz Shah Mehta, Govind Ranade and Gopal Krishna Gokhale approached freedom with a secular mindset. Thinkers like Gandhi and Nehru also advocated the same and provided their own interpretations of secularism and a secular state.
After the independence of India in 1947, the country was declared to be a democratic, republic and a secular country even though there was a partition occurred creating the country of Pakistan, which was said to follow the Islamic religion and a state for those belonging to the Islamic religion. India, on the other hand, did not claim any official religion for the country which meant that the doors were open to people belonging to any and every religion, including those who were Muslim. Indian secularism does not only amount to the separation of state from religion but also extends to various other principles such as equal treatment of all religions, freedom to practice any religion one desires to practice and the right to no discrimination based on religion or any other unfair grounds.
Now, the famous question or rather the famous debate – Is India is truly secular in nature and practice?
To answer that question, I would like to take a reference from our country’s supreme law, the Constitution of India. The constitution provides the freedom to practice and profess any religion that one wishes to as a fundamental right to all the people of the country. The constitution further does not allow the interference of the state in matters of religious concerns and matters, further promoting secularism. Furthermore, as stated before, India as a country does not have any official religion which makes it anything but not secular in nature. The personal laws in our country which include matters such as divorce, guardianship, family property, etc. are still governed by various religious laws and acts in place. This further indicates the separation of the state and religion. The 42nd amendment further added the word ‘secularism’ to the Preamble of our constitution. Our country is home to various religions and religious organisations. We can witness temples, mosques, churches and monasteries standing together in different parts of the county. One might ponder upon the mere fact that when the constitution along with other personal laws are clearly laid out indicating secularism, why does this debate or question exist at present?
Well, to put it simply, our country though secular in nature is not secular in society. In our society, to date, there exist conflicts between different religions. The conflict between the Hindus and Muslims has been going on for decades together just as the question of whether those part of minority religion are subjected to discrimination. Our country, one that used to have religious pluralism even before the West advocated for the same, today lacks in respecting and treating all religions equally. The verdict in the Ayodhya Mandir and Babri Masjid Case along with the recent inauguration of the Ayodhya Mandir has led to many protests and increased conflicts between religious communities. These conflicts and lack of unity hamper the spirit and true nature of secularism in India. It becomes a hurdle for our country to be secular in nature and this very nature of our society leads to the ultimate question which yet remains today on whether India is truly secular or not. The only true way to determine the secular nature of our country is by praticing unity and not diversity. This will also result in the peaceful co-existing of all religions as against conflicts which has become habitual at present.
I would like to end by quoting our very own Gandhi ji- ‘Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and test of our civilisation’.