There are so many countries in the world that have people from different races, backgrounds, and religions. Many people within the nation itself, a nation they call their country face discrimination based on their religions. This is where communalism comes into the picture.
What is Communalism?
The basic ideology that follows communalism is that a certain religion is considered to be more superior to other religions.
The other elements which constitute communalism are;
- People from the same religion have the same social, political, and economic interests.
- People from another religion can not have the same interest as followed by a particular religion.
- The religion which is said to be superior is shown the best and the interest of other religions are considered invalid or insensible.
All these elements have to lead to discrimination and inequality. Especially considering when Communalism starts entering the field of politics. It has its term, Communal Politics.
It separates and disintegrates the entire country into pieces and segments, making every religion wanting to stand for their rights and the superior religion forcing domination over minority religions.
How does communal politics affect people’s lives and the country as a whole?
As mentioned above, communal politics lead to the domination of one religion and it creates a mentality in people’s minds that all other religions are invalid and should be suppressed.
It makes one right to a voice, a fundamental in democracy loses all its power and poses a threat to the dignity of an individual. And slowly with time, the communal riots may make it so bad that it can lead to a disruption in the unity and integrity of the country leading to disintegration of the nation and religions going out forming and demanding a separate nation. One example that could be seen is the partition of India and Pakistan that happened back in 1947.
When communal politics takes a toll, there are high chances that the laws made or rather remade will be more focusing and favourable to the considered superior religion, neglecting the needs and demands of all other standings in cue again leading to disruptions and religious wars.
It’s not just that, not too long ago it was noticed how communal politics gave rise to a case of brutal patriarchy where interreligious marriages were considered to be a shame, leading to a girl committing suicide in Karnataka, India.
These ideas and notions of religious oppression have also been highlighted when it comes to seats reserved for the woman in the government bodies, again being discriminated against with the belief system of the dominating religion and clear-cut domination of the suppressed minorities.
Governing bodies in the name of a particular religion start laying out rules and regulations, hurting the religious sentiments of many others.
Concluding Thoughts
It’s important to keep in mind that oppression doesn’t last long and in most cases ends up with the worst outcome one could imagine. One must start respecting the boundaries of all religions, marking them all as equal and valid, creating a strong nation with positive notions and values.
