There’s a friend of mine. He claims to be a secular person. Interestingly, his secularism seems to be different from mine. To understand the whole scenario, let’s talk about secularism first.
Secularism as a concept sounds extremely amazing and humanitarian. It seems to enforce a belief that everyone is equal and it evokes extreme support from a lot of people from various demographies, thanks to its allure.
But, is it the truth? Well, no. Indian Secularism was indeed the inception of western secularism – the belief that a religion such as Hinduism has a duty of being tolerant to any level of injustice done to it. While Abrahamic religions which are inherently intolerant to anything other than themselves are to be put up with because that way, 2 incompatible sides can exist at the cost of the more tolerant side.
And thus, it is high time Modi Government introduces true secularism which, in a true sense, is all about equality and humanity.
What should be the consecutive steps for the Modi Government to go secular and how it should do it? Well, the article is all about that.
Phase 1: The refurbishment in the religious education system
Quality education is a must for any country which is looking forward to the development of human capital in today’s world. The Constitution of India in Article 21 (A) provides the right to education to children between six to fourteen years of age. Article 30 of the Constitution also provides minorities with the right to establish and administrate educational institutions.
Undoubtedly, these rights have ensured a better education system of the country but the fact the poor quality of education being provided in the Madrasas throughout India cannot be denied. There are approximately 2.5 crore students enrolled in various Madrasas throughout India. And, serious questions have been raised over the quality of education being provided in these Madrasas.
The only solution to rectify the problem is the elimination of Madrasas but in a calculated way. Instead of shutting down thousands of Madrasas from a particular district or city or area, the government needs to phase them out slowly. This is how minority students will receive a similar education as others. It will lead India to become a better place and secular in a true sense.
Phase 2: Reforms in religious teachings
Imams and Maulanas who are supposed to preach the community and lead them to a better path are rather found practising religious extremism. Under the garb of preaching, they are often found inculcating hate against India and the majority community.
Moreover, the people are introduced to the religious beliefs of Muslims only and thus, they are bound to stay in that particular eco-chamber.
What the Modi Government needs to do is a crackdown on these Maulvis and Imams. They need to expel Imams and Maulvis who have led the Muslim students to stay within a particular boundary without any freedom to explore other religions and their practice.
The minority people, however, need to be educated about the religious beliefs of every community. Be it Quran, Bible, Gurugranth Sahib or Geeta, everyone needs to read everything.
Phase 3: The true history needs to be taught
How many times was Delhi invaded by Islamic marauders? A whopping 12 times. well, everyone is aware of the same.
And how many times did the Indians, especially the Hindus, win Delhi back? Most people are unaware.
Selective screening of material and careful hiding of information by Marxist intellectuals and academicians, who have mostly written the history books we have read in our childhood, have kept us in the dark about our true history. We’re one of those rare civilizations which are relatively aware of how we were invaded and subjected to incessant torture, pillage and massacres, but not of how we ferociously resisted them, fought back, and even won many a time.
We know how the Turks, the Uzbeks, and even the Mughals invaded India and tried to subjugate her to Islamic influence, but we hardly know about how our ancestors fought back and maintained the diversity that our nation is proud of.
Thus, it is high time the Modi Government begin keeping a check on the syllabus and what is being taught in the schools. The truth of how the Islamic invaders need to be rightfully told. In addition to that, our real heroes who did everything to protect the nation from enemies need to be introduced.
This is what I meant when I mentioned ‘my secularism’ in the beginning.
