Introduction to Communalism

India is home to a variety of religious groups, including Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Buddhists. Of these, Hindus are the largest religious group. There are also Muslims, Christians, and other religious groups to consider. 

In India, communalism is the outcome of the creation of modern politics, which has its origins in the partition of Bengal in 1905 and the establishment of a separate electorate under the Government of India Act of 1909. Later, in 1932, the British administration used the Communal Award to pacify various communities, despite significant opposition from Gandhi ji and others. All of these actions were taken by the British government to satisfy Muslims and other groups for political reasons. Since then, the sense of communalism has grown stronger, fragmenting the Indian society and causing turmoil.

Communalism and Religion

Communalism becomes a problem when religion is seen as the basis of the nation. 

• Communal Politics: It is a situation of the superiority of a particular religion over another religion. Political power is also used to dominate the minority religious groups
• The idea behind Communal Politics: Religion is the principal basis of the social community
• All the followers of one religion have the same community, and their basic interests are also the same
• People cannot belong to the same social community if the religions followed by them are different. Their interests are sure to be different and involve conflict
• The extreme form of Communalism: It leads to the belief that people of different religions can not live as equal citizens in the same state. Either of them will dominate the rest or they need to form different nations

Flaws in the Idea of Communalism

Followers of a particular religion do not always have the same interests and beliefs. It is not possible to bring all the followers of one religion under one roof, as they may have different views and biases. Any effort to bring all followers of one religion together in any context other than religion will definitely lead to suppression of voices within that community.

There are a variety of reasons for communalism:

Causes in the past

The doctrine of ‘divide and rule’ in British rule is primarily to blame for communalism.Muslims in India wanted to maintain their distinct identity as well. They took several steps to protect their identity, which was to isolate themselves from other communities.

Politics of appeasement

The people’s social, economic, and political unrest provided breeding ground for communalism. Communalists promote a stateless, classless, moneyless, and decentralised society made up of a system of directly democratic citizens’ assemblies organised in confederal manner in local communities/cities.

Factors of psychology

Muslims are economically and educationally backward due to a variety of factors. Lack of interpersonal trust between two groups frequently results in one community’s impression of threat, harassment, fear, and danger toward members of the other community, leading to fights, hostility, and rage phobia.

Cultural differences

Hindus and Muslims have significant cultural and social differences. Their customs, traditions, and social structures are all unique. Despite their differences, they appear to have a strong sense of community.

Types of Communalism

Political Communalism

Leaders often propagate the concept of community divisions implicitly to thrive in the political realm. As a result, political communalism emerges, in which various groups of people are split along political lines and ideologies.

Economic Communalism

Economic Communalism is defined as a disparity in economic interests between groups of individuals or communities that leads to additional confrontations in society.

Social Communalism

When people’s views separate them into distinct groups and cause them to compete with one another, Social Communalism emerges.

Cross border factors

Pakistan’s provocations have heightened sectarian tensions in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. As long as this cross-border factor exists, communal problems in India are likely to persist.

Government failure

Both the Union and state governments have been trying to keep communalism at bay in the country but still have not been successful in their efforts.They fail to take any preventive measures due to a lack of prior information.As a result, communal violence has the potential to take innocent lives and destroy property.The post-Godhra riot in Gujarat demonstrates the government’s inability to control the communal riot. Failure to take immediate and effective action has contributed to the persistence of communalism.

Conclusion

Communalism is an ideology that posits the partition of states (people, groups of people, or communities) based on nationality, religion, beliefs, morals, and other factors. Differences between two or more religious, ethnic, or social groupings can lead to societal conflicts.In India, politics is dominated by the promotion of casteism, communalism. It is common that Indian politics is sometimes dominated by religion-oriented groups, and sometimes by the community. It is the biggest obstacle to achieving the goal of  good governance and development. But, the state is secular in terms of imposing law and order.