Secularism is a core principle of India's constitution that guarantees equal treatment of all religions. However, India's personal laws vary by religion in areas like marriage and inheritance. This has led to issues of unequal rights. Supporters argue it respects cultural differences, while opponents say it violates equal human rights principles. Secularism in India differs from Western secularism, which separates religion and state completely and ensures equal laws for all citizens regardless of religion.

1. 1050 words essay on Secularism and National Integration
Article shared by Rohit
Essay on Secularism and National Integration. The preamble to our constitution reads:
We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign,
Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic…..”.
This idea has been ingrained into the basic rudiments of our National Policy and unless
the character is maintained, the country will be heading towards fragmentation.
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The start of our Independence saw the tragic partition of our country, all due to greed for
power, by our stalwart politicians, the communal riots which erupted in its aftermath was
a manmade holocaust of unprecedented proportions. Men, women and children were
slaughtered, maimed for life and burnt alive. Girl Childs to aged women were brutalized
and raped, all in the name of religion.
Religion, the practice of which is guaranteed by our Constitution, has made the
country strong over thousands of years. It is only about 500 years back that our country
saw the influx of any religion other than Hinduism. Jain’s and Buddhist relate to a
different belief only and have been existent over last two millenniums. The country saw
a cultural diversity with the advent of Muslim invaders and Christian occupation. But it is
to the credit of our society that the new religions got assimilated easily and has now
become an irreversible part of it.
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This is where secularism stopped in and all religions were treated as equal in our
constitution. However the word secular has undergone a sea change for our politicians
and these so called secular leaders have harmed the society extremely. Under their
regime it became a fashion to be irreligious and there was the advent of two separate
streams of politicians of course both serving their own cause. It is being used as a
drawing power for votes, to be garnered during elections. One group indulges in
derogatory statements against religious personalities and scriptures while the other
group has swung to the extremes of religious fundamentalism. The fashionable sector
has become more permissive and being apathetic to religion has been losing the
qualities derived from morality.
Secularism is one of the base factors of National Integration. It is this tolerance of all
faiths and religions which is keeping our country together. But for how long? The
present definition of secularism has been turned around to being critical of Hindu
fundamentalism and turning a blind eye to Islamic fundamentalism. If fundamentalism is
wrong then it should be equally so for all religions. The offshoot of this tolerance has
resulted in the growth of terrorist activities in the name of religion.
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The recent spurt in terrorism is due to this blind tolerance, all for the purpose of
regaining the lost vote bank. The activities should have been nipped in the bud but no!
We have created a Goliath which seems to be eating away at the fabric of national
integration, shredding it is surprising that over the last one and a half decades of this
mass displacement and mayhem, forced on the Hindu community, not a single Prime
Minister of our country has bothered to go to Kashmir and take strict steps to stem the
rot. The right to live and practice one’s faith and livelihood is a guarantee under our
constitution and successive governments have failed to ensure even this Could it
remain so if this had affected the Muslims. We shall not talk about minority rights as
Kashmiri Hindus are minority in the state.

2. A comparison with the Gujarat situation gives an explicit example of the differences in
attitudes. Godhra tragedy last year in February (2002) is a case in point. It cannot be
denied that whatever happened in the aftermath was ideally unmoral or immoral and
can never be condoned, but why has not the same level of outcry and reaction resulted
from the discrimination and upheavals faced in Kashmir. Just because, the sufferers in
Gujarat are mostly Muslims and in Kashmir – Hindus. Is this the new definition of
secularism?
The levels of degradation and brutality witnessed in both the states have raised
pertinent questions on the inefficacy of religions and its negative effects on the society.
Religion is now being treated as an instrument of politics to be wielded by so-called
religious leaders and politicians for their selfish interests. The mafia and anti-national
elements are also very much into the act. These elements who are supplied money and
arms from across the border, by our neighbors, are hand in glove with the so-called
protectors of fundamentalism. The result is that fanaticism is being fanned into an
inferno. What happened at Godhra is a result of this nexus.
It is unfortunate that the advent of 21stCentury and the new-millennium has been a
witness to this indelible piece of history. Citizens of the country, who had been living like
brothers for decades have suddenly turned blood thirsty and are after each others life.
Houses were burnt, rail carriages full of passengers were doused with petrol and set on
fire, living human beings were burnt alive and women, even pregnant ones were stabled
and raped. This is a blot on humanity and the insanity of the incidents is too
overwhelming to be recollected.
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Religion teaches us fraternity, brotherhood, love and conform respect for fellow human
beings, teaches us to protect nature and tolerance of all beliefs, faiths and religions. We
have forgotten all our teachings, forsaken all values and developed intolerance of any
belief, not in conformity with ours.
What is needed today is the need for upholding our constitution strictly, even if it means
the imposition of Emergency. The barbarism resorted to by unsocial and anti-national
elements need to be put down on a firm footing. The urgent need for upright politicians
and officers, who are not afraid to call the spade a spade, persons who are not
hypocrites and are really dedicated to the cause of a prosperous nation, is being felt the
most. Amongst a sea of inhumane persons, they will stand out and ensure that our
Constitution is respected and the ideals incorporated, with secularism as top priority, are
upheld in deeds and not words.
Communal harmony will bring lasting peace and the nation can not ahead with the
agenda needed to uplift the lives of the poor, to have their needs attended to and their
voices heard, above the cacophony of rhetoric, a truly egalitarian society.

3. Secularism in India means equal treatment of all religions by the state.
With the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution of India enacted in 1976,[1] the Preamble
to the Constitution asserted that India is a secular nation. However, neither India's
constitution nor its laws define the relationship between religion and state. The laws
implicitly require the state and its institutions to recognise and accept all religions,
enforce parliamentary laws instead of religious laws, and respect pluralism.[2][3] India
does not have an official state religion. In matters of law in modern India, however, the
applicable code of law is unequal, and India's personal laws - on matters such as
marriage, divorce, inheritance, alimony - varies with an individual's religion. Muslim
Indians have Sharia-based Muslim Personal Law, while Hindus, Christians, Sikhs
Muslim Indians live under common law. The attempt to respect unequal, religious law
has created a number of issues in India such as acceptability of child
marriage,[4] polygamy, unequal inheritance rights, extrajudicial unilateral divorce rights
favorable to some males, and conflicting interpretations of religious books.[5][6]
Secularism as practiced in India, with its marked differences with Western practice of
secularism, is a controversial topic in India. Supporters of the Indian concept of
secularism claim it respects a Muslim person's religious rights and recognises that they
are culturally different from Indians of other religions. Supporters of this form of
secularism claim that any attempt to introduce a uniform civil code, that is equal laws for
every citizen irrespective of his or her religion, would impose majoritarian Hindu
sensibilities and ideals, something that is unacceptable to Muslim
Indians.[7][8] Opponents argue that India's acceptance of Sharia and religious laws
violates the principle of equal human rights, discriminates against Muslim women,
allows unelected religious personalities to interpret religious laws, and creates plurality
of unequal citizenship; they suggest India should move towards separating religion and
state.[9][10]
Comparison with Western secularism[edit]
In the West, the word secular implies three things: freedom of religion, equal citizenship
to each citizen regardless of his or her religion, and the separation of religion and
state.[24]One of the core principles in the constitution of Western democracies has been
this separation, with the state asserting its political authority in matters of law, while
accepting every individual’s right to pursue his or her own religion and the right of
religion to shape its own concepts of spirituality. Everyone is equal under law, and
subject to the same laws irrespective of his or her religion, in the West.
In contrast, in India, the word secular does not imply separation of religion and state. It
means equal treatment of all religions.[24][32] Religion in India continues to assert its
political authority in matters of personal law. The applicable personal law differ if an
individual’s religion is Islam, Christianity, or Hindu. The term secularism in India also
differs from the French concept for secularity, namely laïcité.[33] While the French
concept demands absence of governmental institutions in religion, as well as absence
of religion in governmental institutions and schools; the Indian concept, in contrast,
provides financial support to religious schools and accepts religious law over
governmental institutions. The Indian structure has created incentives for various
religious denominations to start and maintain schools, impart religious education, and
receive partial but significant financial support from the Indian government. Similarly,
Indian government financially supports, regulates and administers the Wakf council
(Islam), historic Hindu temples, Buddhist monasteries, and certain Christian religious
institutions; this direct Indian government involvement in various religions is markedly
different from Western secularism.[8][34]