Pseudo-secularism explained

The term pseudo-secularism is used to describe individuals who claim to be secular but may display biases towards a particular religion, whether consciously or unconsciously. This term has gained popularity in recent Indian politics, where it is often used to criticize individuals who identify as secular and advocate for minority rights while remaining silent or opposing concerns faced by the majority religion. Some Hindu nationalist parties employ this term as a counter-accusation against their critics, alleging that the secularism followed by the Indian National Congress and other self-declared secular parties are flawed or distorted.

Background

The first recorded use of the term "pseudo-secularism" was in the 1951 book Philosophy and Action of the R.S.S. for the Hind Swaraj, by Anthony Elenjimittam. In his book Elenjimittam accused leaders of the Indian National Congress of pretending to uphold secularism.[1]

After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was accused of representing the Hindu communalism in Indian politics it started using the counter-charge of "pseudo-secularism" against the Congress and other parties.[2] The BJP leader LK Advani characterizes pseudo-secular politicians as those for whom "secularism is only a euphemism for vote-bank politics". According to him, these politicians are not concerned with the welfare of the minorities, but only interested in their vote.[3]

The Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has criticized the term as propaganda by Hindu nationalists.[4] Historian Mridula Mukherjee has described it as "a term propounded by the ideologues of Hindu nationalism to delegitimize and deny the genuineness of secularism. The subtext is that secularism is only a veneer put on to hide alleged policies of minority appeasement. The proponents of the term allege the secularists of being pro-Muslim and anti-Hindu."[5]

Examples

The state policies of independent India accorded special rights to Muslims, along with other religious minorities like Christians and Parsis, in matters of personal law. For example,

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Elenjimittam, Anthony . Philosophy and Action of the R. S. S. for the Hind Swaraj. 1951. Laxmi Publications. 188–189.
  2. Book: Deepa S. Reddy . Religious Identity and Political Destiny: Hindutva in the Culture of Ethnicism . 2006 . Rowman Altamira . 978-0-7591-0686-4 . 173 .
  3. Book: Mary Ann Tétreault . Robert Allen Denemark . Gods, Guns, and Globalization: Religious Radicalism and International Political Economy . 2004 . Lynne Rienner Publishers . 978-1-58826-253-0 . 115–.
  4. Book: Mani Shankar Aiyer. Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist. 16 April 2013 . 1 May 2006 . Penguin Books India . 978-0-14-306205-9 . 25 .
  5. News: Mohapatra. Aswini. Mukherjee. Mridula. Mukhia. Harbans. Are we a nation of pseudo-secularists?. The Hindu. 28 April 2017.
  6. Book: Rafiq Dossani . Henry S. Rowen . Prospects for Peace in South Asia . 2005 . Stanford University Press . 978-0-8047-5085-1 . 195–.
  7. Book: Shabnum Tejani. Indian secularism: a social and intellectual history, 1890-1950. 16 April 2013. 2008. Indiana University Press. 978-0-253-22044-8. 9.
  8. Web site: Two Muslim women challenge the Shariat's inheritance law with their two cents .
  9. News: Prohibition of Child Marriage Act doesn't repeal Muslim personal law: HC in 2014 . The Economic Times . 22 June 2022 . Ohri . Raghav .
  10. Book: Kanaiyalalu Manghandasu Talreja . Pseudo Secularism in India . 1996 . Rashtriya Chetana Prakashan . 46 .
  11. Web site: Livemint . 2023-06-10 . BJP believes there should be no Muslim reservation: Amit Shah in Nanded . 2023-07-03 . mint . en.
  12. Book: M. G. Chitkara . Hindutva Parivar . 2003 . APH Publishing . 978-81-7648-461-9 . 84 .
  13. Web site: PTI. Dec 9, 2006. Muslims must have first claim on resources: PM India News - Times of India. 2022-01-06. The Times of India. en.
  14. News: 2006-12-11 . 'PM's remark on Muslims misread' . The Times of India . 2023-07-03 . 0971-8257.
  15. News: Why India is not a secular state . The Economic Times . 2022-04-08.
  16. Web site: Why should the government run Hindu temples? . 2022-04-08 . The New Indian Express.
  17. News: 2022-12-28 . A case for state control of Hindu temples . en-IN . The Hindu . 2023-07-03 . 0971-751X.