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UPSC SOCIOLOGY – PAPER 2 – PART C – Challenges of Social Transformation – Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.
GS 1 MAINS – Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues
Recently, there was apprehension about spreading of hate through WhatsApp messages in the context of bogey of love jihad. There was row over J & K administration asking authorities to implement a ban on slaughter of bovine animals ahead of Eid. Ruckus over Halal and Jhatka meat was another subject in news. Thus, a correct understanding of communalism is necessary to stop heap of religious hatred spreading in the veins of our country today.
COMMUNALISM
- Communalism actually stems from religious fundamentalism that makes one believe that one’s own religion is the only true faith.
- Communalism is divisive in that it stresses the significance of one religion over the others.
- According to Seth,it signifies inter communal rivalries and social tension, economic, political or cultural differences of the rulers and the ruled.
- Sabrewal argues that communalism as a concept emerged due to the fact that members of a multireligious society had to witness and confront the behavioral pattern practiced by
specific community per se. - Kamath tries to explain the meaning of communalismthrough the concept of communal harmony in the context of a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society. When various communities live together within a territory with understanding and cooperation, there is communal harmony. On the other hand, whenever such groups, either ethnic or religious, fight for their
exclusiveness, group identity or group interest even at the cost of national interest or try to impose their way of life on other group, there is communal disharmony and this is termed as communalism.
REASONS FOR GROWTH OF COMMUNALISM IN INDIA
- British Policy of Divide and Rule – Partition of Bengal, Government of India Act 1919 (separate electorates, Communal Award 1932 are few examples.
- Socio-economic reasons – Stagnant economy; Rivalry for trade, job and industry among Muslim and Hindu classes.
- Communalism in History writing – Ancient India as Hindu phase and Medieval India as Muslim phase.
- Reform movements – Wahabi movement, Shuddhi Movement, etc fanned the fire of communalism.
- Militant Nationalism – Quest for Hindu Rashtra, Hoisting of Hindu festivals, etc gave nationalism a communal colour.
- Feelings and fear – The minority community was afraid and insecure and started demands of a communal fervour and this increased communal tendencies of majority community.
- Evolution of two-nation theory.
- Politics of appeasement; Caste Politics; Vote bank politics in post-independent India.
VIEWPOINTS ON COMMUNALISM
- Colonial – The British seemed to see ‘Hindu-Muslim antagonism’ much earlier than the term ‘communalism’ emerged. Colonial thinkers like Hugh McPherson in his work ‘Origin and Growth of Communal Antagonism’ rejects the idea that ‘communalism’ is “a modern invention, the product of recent political developments”, which refers specifically to the politics of separate electorates. In order to prove his point McPherson cites the Benares riots of 1809 and the testimony of a “landholder of Bengal” to the age-old animosity between Hindus
and Muslims which dates back to the Muslim invasion of India. - Nationalist – For the nationalist, while both nationalism and ‘communalism’ were responses to colonialism, the former was the ‘right’ response and the latter, the wrong one. The nationalist project a unitary and symbiotic culture of historic co-operation between Hindus and Muslims which was thwarted with the colonial rule especially with the policy of Divide and Rule, of the British rulers in India which gave rise to communalism.
WAY FORWARD
- Schools and higher educational institutions should use various teaching aids promoting national values and communal harmony.
- Religious leaders have an important role to play as the preaching is followed by the masses.
- The media should act responsibly and avoid delivering news in a manner that will further encourage violence.
- NGOs should go for large-scale publicity campaigns in media promoting communal harmony and national unity.
- Public awareness needs to be raised about the harmful impact of communalism.