Indian Secularism and Religious Minorities: The Case of Muslims

A secular state is supposed to remain indifferent to individual beliefs and to ensure that every individual enjoys the religious freedom in personal life. But practically, the nature and character of secularism changes in different contexts. India being a predominantly Hindu and fundamentally religious society has its own flavor of secularism. The Constitution of India on one hand assures personal freedoms and declares the state as secular but on the other hand carries contradictory indications of anti-religious objectives and prominence of Hinduism. This confusion creates the room for using the cloak of secularism to promote Hindutva. As populism and exclusive nationalism seem to dominate the political front domestically in India and several other countries around the world, it seems improbable, if not impossible, for secularism to take over religion as the primary paradigm of life in India. And with the history of communal violence in India, this scenario is threatening not only for minorities as well as the vulnerable and moderate elements among Hindus but also has far-reaching effects for the region and the world at large. With this context in view, this paper has surveyed the treatment of Muslims in India who are the largest minority in the country and the third largest population of Muslims in a country. The article was initially prepared for a presentation in a seminar held at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on July 12, 2017 on the same topic. The author thankfully acknowledges the assistance provided by Nadeem Farhat and Asifa Tanvir in writing the paper.