Secularism against pluralism

In Paris when I walk along the Champs Elysees, I see scores of Muslim women wearing head scarves. But rarely do I come across one in a veil. There were European women also, wearing the bandana.

I was, therefore, surprised and disturbed to read about the official report on church-state relations in France submitted by a 20-member commission chaired by Bernard Stasi and made up of religious leaders, teachers, politicians and sociologists. The report recommended the enactment of a law banning 8220;conspicuous8221; religious symbols by children in public schools. It will ban hijabs for Muslim girls, skull caps for Jews, large crosses for Christians and perhaps turbans for the Sikhs.

Huge demonstrations by Muslim women against such a ban have erupted in France and other countries. In France, Sikhs are collecting signatures. In UK, they are protesting loudly. French secularism itself is being brought under the scanner. To us in India this appears like secular fundamentalism, a feeling gathering momentum even among French Christians.

France has spurred us in our independence movement. It also inspired us to give to ourselves a sovereign, secular, socialist, democratic republic. Its cry of liberty, equality and fraternity along with justice forms the four pillars of our Constitution.

India can legitimately boast of being not only the largest democracy, but also the most pluralistic society. Besides being the birthplace of Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism, it is also home to other religions and communities, such as Muslims, Christians, Jews and Parsis.

With this multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-communal composition, India has chosen the path of democracy and secularism. It is based on 8216;8216;sarvadharma sambhav8217;8217; 8212; equal respect for all religions. Nehru rightly described India as a secular state which is not based on religion. India gives freedom of conscience to every one.

The provisions of the Constitution for ensuring secularism are precise. It has abolished all distinctions on the ground of religion by the equality clauses of Articles 14, 15 and 16. Freedom of conscience is a fundamental tenet of Indian philosophy enshrined under Article 25. The Supreme Court has asserted 8216;8216;The State shall have no religion of its own and all persons shall be equally entitled to the freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion.8217;8217; Secularism has also been held by the Supreme Court to be a basic feature of the Constitution.

An unusual situation arose in Kerala. Three students during the morning assembly at school would stand respectfully during the recitation of the national anthem but refused to sing it 8212; on the ground that it was against the tenets of their religious faith. They were Jehovah8217;s Witnesses. Their religious tenets did not permit them to sing the national anthem or salute the national flag. These religious tenets have been acknowledged and upheld by courts in USA, Canada and Australia. But in India they were expelled from the school. The matter went to the Supreme Court which set aside their expulsion. Justice Chennappa Reddy, while making it clear that the students were not disrespectful to the national anthem, emphasised: 8220;Our tradition teaches tolerance; our philosophy preaches tolerance; our Constitution practices tolerance, let us not dilute it8221;.

How does a head scarf or a skull cap or a turban affect secularism? Christians wear a hat but remove it when they enter the church to pray. Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs pray with their caps on. Do they cease to be patriotic Indians? It is not what they wear but what they feel under what they wear that is important. India has learnt a lot from France. It is time President Chirac learns tolerant secularism from India.