Secularism and national security

As we draw closer to elections politicians are going to talk about religion and its role in society and how they will defend the rights of every religious group of people For people of religious minorities this is significant as they look for an affirmation that their rights will be protected as determined by the Indian constitutionNearly 3 decades after independence in 1976 lsquoSecularismrsquo was inserted into the Constitution and today manifestos of all parties affirm this belief but actions taken by those who represent those parties do not always reflect that beliefDuring a recent rally in Arunachal Pradesh Narendra Modi raised the issue of illegal Bangladesh migration and its effect on demographics in the North EastThe Samajwadi Party which was perceived as protector of the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh went into a freeze mode when riots broke out in Muzaffarnagar in August 2013 in which Muslims were targeted The Army had to be deployed for the first time in 20 years in the stateTV debates on election issues centre on BJP and Congress spokespersons hurling accusations at each other of being architects of 1984 riots and the 2002 riots in Gujarat Jammu and Kashmir has its own brand of religious identity politics Narendra Modi who is the front runner for the post of Prime Minister in the country on Saturday raised the issue of illegal Bangladesh migration and its effect on demographics in North East IndiaCampaigning in Arunachal Pradesh Modi said all states in India must accept Hindu refugees from Bangladesh but then he also mentioned that illegal Bangladeshis should be sent back Secularists were immediately up in arms claiming that Modi was indulging in double speak while welcoming illegal Hindu immigrants he wanted illegal Muslim immigrants to be sent backBut is only Modi to blame for this case of double speak Hasnrsquot the UPA government openly allowed Hindu refugees from Pakistan to settle in India But then we also have Tibetan Buddhists refugees Burmese Muslims and Buddhists Afghans Sikhs and Muslims Sri Lankans and Maldivian Buddhists Hindus Muslims who have settled in India fearing persecution in their lands for religious or political reasonsAnd why do they come to India Just to disappear in the one billion plus and remain safe in their anonymity It goes beyond that It is essentially because of the pluralism that Indians by and large practice It is because of the secular nature of the Indian constitution It is because our democracy embraces this pluralism and secularism despite periodic aberrationsHistorian S Irfan Habib says ldquoSecularism is not merely a slogan but the core for our very survival in India In our multireligious and multicultural context it becomes crucial even for our national security This is the huge difference between India and the monochromatic Europe and even other parts of the worldrdquoIn our neighbourhood Pakistan is on the brink of being turned into a theocratic state because of the brute force of the Taliban A country born out of a sense of religious alienation is now grappling with saving itself from self destruction in the name of religion Pakistanrsquos prepartition pluralistic society is almost wiped out as Shias Ahamedis Hindus are being butcheredBangladesh the only country that came into being on the foundation of a language movement fought against the imposition of Urdu by West Pakistan embraced secularism against all odds is now bravely fighting panIslamic militant outfitsrsquo call for Intifada in the Delta NationWestern Nations have formulas for South Asia which separate religion from state In an idealistic sense such a formula might mean end of wars or at least end of conflicts But it is untenable A sarvadharmasambhava kind of solution where secularism is the overarching principle would work betterSecurity analyst Praveen Swami says ldquoSometimes the west doesnrsquot understand the South Asian context and why this value of secularism is so important to social peaceIn complex multiethnic societies like ours where secularism isnrsquot defended it invariably leads to tension between various groups to a point where nations become dysfunctional every nation in the region has been through this havocrdquoWhile it isnrsquot expected of political leaders to abandon their religious beliefs they cannot and should not make it the made the basis for public policy It is time for our leaders to wear their genuine secular credentials very proudly on their sleevesNot for votes but to reaffirm our belief that our leaders are those who represent Indians of all faiths Disengaging with religion is impossible for national politics and national securitySmita Prakash is Editor News at Asian News International You can follow her on twitter smitaprakash