INDIAN CONSTITUTION'S APPROACH TO SECULARISM

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

What can France learn from the Indian Constitution's approach to secularism?



Secularism in India does not mean separation of religion from state. Instead secularism in India means a state that is neutral to all religious groups. Religions is one of the toughest challenges facing modern secular societies in their search for identity, equality and cohesion. For members of different communities to have a sense of equality , the state needed to create a public culture that was hospitable to religious differences - one that allowed individuals to enter and participate in public life despite their religious beliefs. To create a comfortable and non-alienating public culture, the Indian constitution gave each individual the right to observe their religious practices, and gave minorities the right to set up their own religious and educational institutions. Minority educational institutions could receive funds from the state, if they so desired.

The lesson is the importance of creating a diverse public sphere that is inclusive and welcoming to all. And most of all, one where cultural choices- in dress codes, food habits and modes of address in social interaction-are not shaped entirely by the culture of the majority. This is the opposite to what we see in modern day France, or multiculturalism as implemented in a number of Western democracies. This can be seen in the banning of Islamic clothing, kosher or halal meals and "burkinis" in France.

Current political debates in the France and other western countries need to open up to solutions that go beyond secularism, from places like India and from elsewhere. They need to embrace differences with policies for integrating minorities into education, the labour market and overall public life.


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