→Background: year added |
robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description| | {{Short description|Term describing the alleged religious minority appeasement in India}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}} | {{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}} | ||
In the [[India]]n context, the term '''pseudo-secularism''' is used to pejoratively describe policies considered to involve [[minoritarianism|minority appeasement]].<ref name="Anderson2006">{{cite book|author=John Anderson|title=Religion, Democracy And Democratization | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ountjdD5akC&pg=PA134 | accessdate=16 April 2013 | year=2006 | publisher=Routledge | isbn=978-0-415-35537-7 | page=134}}</ref> The Hindus form the majority religious community in India; the term "pseudo-secular" implies that those who claim to be [[secular]] are actually not so, but are [[ | In the [[India]]n context, the term '''pseudo-secularism''' is used to pejoratively describe policies considered to involve [[minoritarianism|minority appeasement]].<ref name="Anderson2006">{{cite book|author=John Anderson|title=Religion, Democracy And Democratization | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ountjdD5akC&pg=PA134 | accessdate=16 April 2013 | year=2006 | publisher=Routledge | isbn=978-0-415-35537-7 | page=134}}</ref> The Hindus form the majority religious community in India; the term "pseudo-secular" implies that those who claim to be [[secular]] are actually not so, but are [[Anti hinduism|anti-Hindu]] or pro-minority.<ref name="Mani2006">{{cite book | author=Mani Shankar Aiyar | title=Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_7Fsq8rBUtkC&pg=PA25 | date=1 May 2006 | publisher=Penguin Books India | isbn=978-0-14-306205-9 | pages=25–}}</ref> The [[Hindu nationalism|Hindu nationalist]] politicians accused of being "[[communalism (South Asia)|communal]]" use it as a counter-accusation against their critics claiming that the [[Secularism in India|Secularism]] followed by [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] is faulty or "perverted".<ref name="Rowman2006">{{cite book | title=Religious Identity and Political Destiny: Hindutva in the Culture of Ethnicism | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sn7akxOaISkC&pg=PA173 | accessdate=16 April 2013 | year=2006 | editor = Deepa S. Reddy | publisher=Rowman Altamira | isbn=978-0-7591-0686-4 | pages=171–173}}</ref> | ||
== Background == | == Background == | ||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
After the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) was accused of representing the Hindu [[communalism (South Asia)|communalism]] in Indian politics it started using the counter-charge of "pseudo-secularism" against the Congress and other parties.<ref name="Reddy2006">{{cite book | author=Deepa S. Reddy | title=Religious Identity and Political Destiny: Hindutva in the Culture of Ethnicism | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sn7akxOaISkC&pg=PA173 | year=2006 | publisher=Rowman Altamira | isbn=978-0-7591-0686-4 | page=173 }}</ref> The BJP leader [[Lal Krishna Advani|LK Advani]] characterises pseudo-secular politicians as those for whom "secularism is only a euphemism for [[vote bank|vote-bank]] politics". According to him, these politicians are not concerned with the welfare of the minorities, but only interested in their vote.<ref name="MaryRobert2004">{{cite book | author1=Mary Ann Tétreault | author2=Robert Allen Denemark | title=Gods, Guns, and Globalization: Religious Radicalism and International Political Economy | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f8hbUa3FZjsC&pg=PA115 | year=2004 | publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers | isbn=978-1-58826-253-0 | pages=115–}}</ref> | After the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) was accused of representing the Hindu [[communalism (South Asia)|communalism]] in Indian politics it started using the counter-charge of "pseudo-secularism" against the Congress and other parties.<ref name="Reddy2006">{{cite book | author=Deepa S. Reddy | title=Religious Identity and Political Destiny: Hindutva in the Culture of Ethnicism | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sn7akxOaISkC&pg=PA173 | year=2006 | publisher=Rowman Altamira | isbn=978-0-7591-0686-4 | page=173 }}</ref> The BJP leader [[Lal Krishna Advani|LK Advani]] characterises pseudo-secular politicians as those for whom "secularism is only a euphemism for [[vote bank|vote-bank]] politics". According to him, these politicians are not concerned with the welfare of the minorities, but only interested in their vote.<ref name="MaryRobert2004">{{cite book | author1=Mary Ann Tétreault | author2=Robert Allen Denemark | title=Gods, Guns, and Globalization: Religious Radicalism and International Political Economy | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f8hbUa3FZjsC&pg=PA115 | year=2004 | publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers | isbn=978-1-58826-253-0 | pages=115–}}</ref> | ||
The Congress leader [[Mani Shankar Aiyar]] has | The Congress leader [[Mani Shankar Aiyar]] has criticized the term as propaganda by Hindu nationalists.<ref name="Aiyer2006">{{cite book | author=Mani Shankar Aiyer|title=Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_7Fsq8rBUtkC&pg=PA25|accessdate=16 April 2013 | date=1 May 2006 | publisher=Penguin Books India | isbn=978-0-14-306205-9 | pages=25 }}</ref> Historian [[Mridula Mukherjee]] has described it as "a term propounded by the ideologues of [[Hindutva|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."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mohapatra|first1=Aswini|last2=Mukherjee|first2=Mridula|last3=Mukhia|first3=Harbans|title=Are we a nation of pseudo-secularists?|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/are-we-a-nation-of-pseudo-secularists/article18260757.ece|publisher=The Hindu|date=28 April 2017}}</ref> | ||
==Examples== | ==Examples== | ||
The state policies of independent India accorded special rights to Muslims in matters of personal law. For example, | 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, | ||
The [[Reservation in India#Religion|religion-based reservations]] in civil and educational institutions are also seen as evidence of pseudo-secularism | * In 1986, a Muslim woman [[Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum|Shah Bano Begum]] was denied alimony even after winning a court case, because the Indian Parliament reversed the court judgement under pressure of Islamic orthodoxy. This is often presented as proof of the Congress's practice of pseudo-secularism by many Indians.<ref name="RafiqHenry2005">{{cite book | author1=Rafiq Dossani | author2=Henry S. Rowen | title=Prospects for Peace in South Asia | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TwO9zmj6aQ0C&pg=PA195 | year=2005 | publisher=Stanford University Press | isbn=978-0-8047-5085-1 | pages=195–}}</ref><ref name="Tejani2008">{{cite book|author=Shabnum Tejani|title=Indian secularism: a social and intellectual history, 1890-1950|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6xtrPKa59j4C&pg=PA9|accessdate=16 April 2013|year=2008|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-22044-8|page=9}}</ref> | ||
* Special laws for Muslims, such as those allowing [[triple talaq]] (now banned) and [[polygamy]], are also considered as pseudo-secular and supporters of this{{Clarify|reason=Supporters of what?|date=April 2022}} demand an equal legal code for all communities including Muslims called [[Uniform Civil Code]]<ref name="Talreja1996">{{cite book | author=Kanaiyalalu Manghandasu Talreja | title=Pseudo Secularism in India | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wa3XAAAAMAAJ | year=1996 | publisher=Rashtriya Chetana Prakashan | page = 46 }}</ref> | |||
In 1998, the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] accused BJP of playing along with pseudo-secular parties for compromising on issues like [[Article 370]], [[Ram Janmabhoomi|Ram temple]] and [[Uniform civil code of India]].<ref name="Chitkara2003">{{cite book | author=M. G. Chitkara | title=Hindutva Parivar | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nUohXJC-RZUC&pg=PA84 | year=2003 | publisher=APH Publishing | isbn=978-81-7648-461-9 | pages=84 }}</ref> | * The [[Reservation in India#Religion|religion-based reservations]] in civil and educational institutions are also seen as evidence of pseudo-secularism and are criticized to undermine merit<ref name="Tejani2008" /> | ||
* In 1998, the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] accused BJP of playing along with pseudo-secular parties for compromising on issues like [[Article 370]], [[Ram Janmabhoomi|Ram temple]] and [[Uniform civil code of India]].<ref name="Chitkara2003">{{cite book | author=M. G. Chitkara | title=Hindutva Parivar | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nUohXJC-RZUC&pg=PA84 | year=2003 | publisher=APH Publishing | isbn=978-81-7648-461-9 | pages=84 }}</ref> | |||
* In 2006, [[Manmohan Singh]], then [[Prime Minister of India]] said that "We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. These must have the first claim on resources." during his speech at the 52nd meeting of [[National Development Council (India)|the National Development Council]]. According to the critics , this later part of the statement goes against the idea of secularism which might state that each and every citizen of this nation must have an equal share in the resources of this country. BJP and RSS accused the Prime Minister of 'Muslim Appeasement".<ref>{{Cite web|agency=PTI|date=Dec 9, 2006|title=Muslims must have first claim on resources: PM {{!}} India News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/muslims-must-have-first-claim-on-resources-pm/articleshow/754937.cms|access-date=2022-01-06|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2006-12-27|title=‘Muslims must have first claim on resources`|url=https://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/muslims-must-have-first-claim-on-resources_344587.html|access-date=2022-01-06|website=Zee News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Minorities must have first claim on resources: PM|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/minorities-must-have-first-claim-on-resources-pm/articleshow/754218.cms?from=mdr|access-date=2022-01-06}}</ref> | |||
* Hindu Temples are managed by state government. Religious places of minority religions like Islam, Christianity and Sikhism are managed by their followers. This is considered as an example of pseudo secularism.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Why India is not a secular state |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/why-india-is-not-a-secular-state/articleshow/50072294.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2022-04-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Why should the government run Hindu temples? |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2022/jan/14/why-should-the-government-run-hindu-temples-2406605.html |access-date=2022-04-08 |website=The New Indian Express}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| Line 30: | Line 33: | ||
* [[Victim playing|Victim card]] | * [[Victim playing|Victim card]] | ||
* [[Islamo-leftism]] | * [[Islamo-leftism]] | ||
* [[Counter-jihad]] | |||
* [[Paradox of tolerance]] | |||
* [[Reservation in India]] | |||
==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
| Line 39: | Line 42: | ||
*Goel, Sita Ram (1995). Perversion of India's political parlance. {{ISBN|978-8185990255}} | *Goel, Sita Ram (1995). Perversion of India's political parlance. {{ISBN|978-8185990255}} | ||
*Goel, S. R. (2003). India's secularism, new name for national subversion. New Delhi: Voice of India. (Original in Hindi: Sekyūlarijma, rāshṭradroha kā dusarā nāma; translation into English by Yashpal Sharma.) {{ISBN|978-8185990590}} | *Goel, S. R. (2003). India's secularism, new name for national subversion. New Delhi: Voice of India. (Original in Hindi: Sekyūlarijma, rāshṭradroha kā dusarā nāma; translation into English by Yashpal Sharma.) {{ISBN|978-8185990590}} | ||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Latest revision as of 16:46, 26 June 2022
In the Indian context, the term pseudo-secularism is used to pejoratively describe policies considered to involve minority appeasement.[1] The Hindus form the majority religious community in India; the term "pseudo-secular" implies that those who claim to be secular are actually not so, but are anti-Hindu or pro-minority.[2] The Hindu nationalist politicians accused of being "communal" use it as a counter-accusation against their critics claiming that the Secularism followed by Congress is faulty or "perverted".[3]
Background[edit | edit source]
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.[4]
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.[5] The BJP leader LK Advani characterises 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.[6]
The Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has criticized the term as propaganda by Hindu nationalists.[7] 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."[8]
Examples[edit | edit source]
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,
- In 1986, a Muslim woman Shah Bano Begum was denied alimony even after winning a court case, because the Indian Parliament reversed the court judgement under pressure of Islamic orthodoxy. This is often presented as proof of the Congress's practice of pseudo-secularism by many Indians.[9][10]
- Special laws for Muslims, such as those allowing triple talaq (now banned) and polygamy, are also considered as pseudo-secular and supporters of this[clarification needed] demand an equal legal code for all communities including Muslims called Uniform Civil Code[11]
- The religion-based reservations in civil and educational institutions are also seen as evidence of pseudo-secularism and are criticized to undermine merit[10]
- In 1998, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh accused BJP of playing along with pseudo-secular parties for compromising on issues like Article 370, Ram temple and Uniform civil code of India.[12]
- In 2006, Manmohan Singh, then Prime Minister of India said that "We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. These must have the first claim on resources." during his speech at the 52nd meeting of the National Development Council. According to the critics , this later part of the statement goes against the idea of secularism which might state that each and every citizen of this nation must have an equal share in the resources of this country. BJP and RSS accused the Prime Minister of 'Muslim Appeasement".[13][14][15]
- Hindu Temples are managed by state government. Religious places of minority religions like Islam, Christianity and Sikhism are managed by their followers. This is considered as an example of pseudo secularism.[16][17]
See also[edit | edit source]
- Secularism in India
- Communalism (South Asia)
- Dominant minority
- Minoritarianism
- Reverse discrimination
- Victim card
- Islamo-leftism
- Counter-jihad
- Paradox of tolerance
- Reservation in India
Further reading[edit | edit source]
- Shourie, Arun (1998). Indian controversies: Essays on religion in politics. New Delhi: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-8190019927
- Shourie, Arun (2005). A secular agenda: For saving our country, for welding it. New Delhi, India: Rupa. ISBN 9788190019934
- Goel, Sita Ram (1995). Perversion of India's political parlance. ISBN 978-8185990255
- Goel, S. R. (2003). India's secularism, new name for national subversion. New Delhi: Voice of India. (Original in Hindi: Sekyūlarijma, rāshṭradroha kā dusarā nāma; translation into English by Yashpal Sharma.) ISBN 978-8185990590
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ John Anderson (2006). Religion, Democracy And Democratization. Routledge. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-415-35537-7. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ Mani Shankar Aiyar (1 May 2006). Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist. Penguin Books India. pp. 25–. ISBN 978-0-14-306205-9.
- ↑ Deepa S. Reddy, ed. (2006). Religious Identity and Political Destiny: Hindutva in the Culture of Ethnicism. Rowman Altamira. pp. 171–173. ISBN 978-0-7591-0686-4. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ Elenjimittam, Anthony (1951). Philosophy and Action of the R. S. S. for the Hind Swaraj. Laxmi Publications. pp. 188–189.
- ↑ Deepa S. Reddy (2006). Religious Identity and Political Destiny: Hindutva in the Culture of Ethnicism. Rowman Altamira. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-7591-0686-4.
- ↑ Mary Ann Tétreault; Robert Allen Denemark (2004). Gods, Guns, and Globalization: Religious Radicalism and International Political Economy. Lynne Rienner Publishers. pp. 115–. ISBN 978-1-58826-253-0.
- ↑ Mani Shankar Aiyer (1 May 2006). Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist. Penguin Books India. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-14-306205-9. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ Mohapatra, Aswini; Mukherjee, Mridula; Mukhia, Harbans (28 April 2017). "Are we a nation of pseudo-secularists?". The Hindu.
- ↑ Rafiq Dossani; Henry S. Rowen (2005). Prospects for Peace in South Asia. Stanford University Press. pp. 195–. ISBN 978-0-8047-5085-1.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Shabnum Tejani (2008). Indian secularism: a social and intellectual history, 1890-1950. Indiana University Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-253-22044-8. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ Kanaiyalalu Manghandasu Talreja (1996). Pseudo Secularism in India. Rashtriya Chetana Prakashan. p. 46.
- ↑ M. G. Chitkara (2003). Hindutva Parivar. APH Publishing. p. 84. ISBN 978-81-7648-461-9.
- ↑ "Muslims must have first claim on resources: PM | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. PTI. 9 December 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ↑ "'Muslims must have first claim on resources`". Zee News. 27 December 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ↑ "Minorities must have first claim on resources: PM". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ↑ "Why India is not a secular state". The Economic Times. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ↑ "Why should the government run Hindu temples?". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 April 2022.