‘Even Shabana Azmi cannot escape religious bias in India’
The discrimination against Muslims in India is such that even famous celebrities including Shabana Azmi find it difficult to rent a flat in a posh area because of her religion, Professor Ram Puniyani, an educationist championing the cause to promote secular values, said on Friday.
“You can imagine what the rest of the poorest of the poor are going through. India’s Muslims, who make up 17 percent of the country’s population, are not only physically assaulted during riots, but they are also constantly marginalised and are living in ghettos since the 80s.”
The Indian scholar was addressing an audience at an event organised by the Pakistan Medical Association on the topic, “Challenges of Secularisation and Secularism: the Indian Experience”.
Puniyani is the general secretary of Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai. He is also affiliated with the All-India Secular Forum and ANHAD.
He has been writing on issues related to the human rights of the weaker sections of society: dalits, adivasis, women and religious minorities. He has authored nine books on the subject.
Communalism
Puniyani described communalism as politics done in the name of religion. “When we look at the moral injunctions of all the major faiths in the world, they overlap; but when you bring in identity and faith, then religion creates the basis for difference. Hence, it becomes a source of contention among people.”
He cited the example of Hindu fanatics, who claimed that Lord Ram was born exactly where Babri Masjid was situated. “The birth of Lord Ram is a myth; no documented evidence of his birth exists unlike the existence of other pioneers of religion. But Hindu fundamentalists had an axe to grind.”
Puniyani said Hindu fundamentalists went out on a killing spree based on a social hysteria, without contemplating common sense.
He said the prosecution of Christians on a regular basis in India has propelled a silent exodus of the community from the country, as the censuses from the 70s to the early 2000s showed a significant decrease in their numbers.
Puniyani was of the opinion that although the basic premise of the Indian state was based on democracy and secularism, but the forces of “Saffron Terror” were bent on destroying the values of democracy.
He noted that progressive activists in India today were working to remove the myths and misconceptions about the minorities.
“By conducting activities like interactive seminars and documentary screening, we are fighting the constant battle of bridging gaps between the communities. If we don’t do it, who will?”
Plundered wealth
Puniyani was also the guest speaker at a talk titled, “Secular Values in South Asia: Are there Lessons from the European Experience?” The event was organised at the University of Karachi’s Area Study Centre for Europe.
The general perception in India is that Hindus were enslaved for a thousand years, first by Muslims and then the British. However, Puniyani differed.
“The Muslim rulers never plundered the wealth of the sub-continent; they kept it within the land. The British on the other hand took revenue back to England,” he remarked.
During his talk, the Indian scholar compared the similarities between the clergy in Europe during and before Renaissance and the feudal mindset in South Asia that deters the existence of a secular system.
Rail, mail and jail
Rail, mail and jail were the three main things that the British developed in the sub-continent to smoothly run their empire, because he believed, this was only way they could “plunder” efficiently.
“From here, a new class of locals emerged: the elite business class, the working class and the educated middle class.”
The three new classes, he maintained, were the rising classes. “The old feudal class, i.e. Nawabs, Rajas, Sardars etc, had the same lavish lifestyles, yet they were losing power. This was the class that introduced religion into politics.”
The feudal lords, he believed, were the first to oppose the formation of the Congress. “They said it was against their religion. The Congress was the creation of the rising classes.”
The same, he said, happened in Europe during the Renaissance. “During the 14th Century in Europe, a mechanical clock was brought to a king who asked its maker, ‘Whose rule will the clock follow?’ The clockmaker replied, ‘The law of nature.’ Next, the clockmaker went to a bishop, who asked him a similar question and was given the same reply.” Neither the king, nor the bishop liked the answer. “So in the end, the clock was placed in the municipality.”
Puniyani said a system was developed in Europe to maintain the authority of the kings. “Obey the king because he is the son of God. To keep the king happy was to keep the clergy happy, and the clergy was the key to heaven.”
When, Galileo discovered that the earth was round, the church called him a heretic. In 1992, the Pope realised that Galileo was right and so he took away the edict. Now, according to the Church, Galileo could go to heaven. “This,” he said, “was exactly what the Fatwa is like. It must be obeyed. And this exists in India as well, they just wear different clothes.”
Benefits of secularisation
The professor maintained that there were three benefits of secularisation: liberation of self, liberation of women and liberation of society from the clergy.
During the question and answer session, he was asked if regional peace could help promote secularism, he answered in affirmative. “Fundamentalists on both sides of the border take food for thought from each other. When something happens in Pakistan, outfits like the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh get a reason to exist.”
Land reforms
At a separate event, Puniyani noted that land reforms were essential for secularism and democracy.
Delivering a lecture arranged by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, Puniyani said the kings and priests were the ruling class in Europe before industrialisation. But later, a new class of industrialists and businessmen emerged and changed the political role of the ruling class.
The clergy and the feudal lords were asked to stay away from the affairs of the state. The clergy was asked to perform religious rites only, whereas the powers of the kings were curtailed. Feudal lords were even sent to the guillotine during the French Revolution.
“The feudal class has created a misconception about secularism that it opposes religion. In fact, secularism talks about liberty, equality and fraternity.”
He observed that secularism resulted in the abolition of feudalism in Europe. “But unfortunately, feudalism survived in the sub-continent and this resulted in the creation of two groups – right and left or the rising class and the declining class.”
He explained that the right supported religious forces. It projected its religion, but not its teachings. Puniyani said India and Pakistan should work together because their political developments affect each other.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-Ne...na-Azmi-cannot-escape-religious-bias-in-India
, it had been accepted since the time of Ms Indira Gandhi itself who preferred to have Simla Agreement and live with whatever Kashmir India had till then, including other lands which India lost. Indian government and common Indians would only try to have a distance from Pakistan+Bangladesh. also, as India had the true nationalist leaders like Mr AK Azad so India had a valid reason to remain 'non-religious' country, otherwise India after 1947 was deserved to be a Hindu+Sikh religious country, but 88% Hindu majority was more meant for a "Hindu India" in 1947, similar to how even Western countries define themselves as Christian countries? even in Australia, we had holidays for Christmas only, not for any other religion? sometimes it is also argued that secularism of Hinduism is infact a weakness of India............ 
