(Pseudo)-Secularism: A Threat to our National Identity
Breaking down the systematic Hindu oppression and minority appeasement.
Secularism. The word seems to trend every now and then in India, and not very surprisingly, this ‘secular’ spirit usually comes to be seen when it’s about welfare of the majority.
Last time I checked, secularism meant equal treatment of all citizens, and equidistance of every religion in a democracy.
However, it now seems that secularism has become an umbrella term for minority appeasement, and distancing from majority beliefs.
Most of those claiming to be secular in India are actually anti-BJP or anti-Hindu. In order to be seen as politically-right and of a liberal approach, these secularists have been putting down our Hindu heritage ever since the Nehru era.
For the longest time, our country was ruled by a government that used ‘secularism’ as a political trick to privilege the minorities in exchange for votes. This created a coercive milieu wherein Hindutva started to be viewed as backward, and the minorities as victims.
In his book - The Discovery of India, Nehru mentioned his “unease with Dharma” and seemed to be oriented by Islamicate. When it came to non-Hindu religious concerns, they were addressed with empathy. But with Dharmic beliefs, his insinuation seemed to be that decisions in the majority’s favor could erode the secular character of the state.
This cultural unease towards our Hindu roots has since been alive through our media and academia. From the books we are taught, to the channels we watch, they are still dominated by the intellectual bent they consciously or unconsciously mimic, in the name of being secular.
It is a result of these deep-rooted notions that the liberals of today scoff at Dharma but celebrate Islamicate.
The most recent instance would be the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan on 5th August in Ayodhya, wherein the foundation for the grand temple was laid on a place of great spiritual importance for Hindus. It remains a fact, even validated by the Supreme Court of India, that a Lord Ram Temple did exist on the spot which was later demolished by Mughal invader Babur to build a mosque.
After over three decades of struggle and court hearings, a temple symbolic of our faith was finally to be constructed in a country with 80 percent Hindus. It was a moment of immense happiness for believers all over the world and should have been celebrated by everyone keeping in mind our secular spirit.
But again, not-so-surprisingly, the very people who wished and even celebrated minority-festivities with pride, went into hiding, and didn’t even care to acknowledge a day of such significance for their own religion. Most of the people idolized by the youth, from Bollywood stars to Cricketers, who are otherwise very vocal about contemporary issues, avoided commenting on or celebrating the occasion.
While rational people even from other communities, who understood the religious importance of Ayodhya for Hindus joined the celebrations, we saw a segment of people who claimed that the day was the ‘death of democracy’.
Was this an effort to appease the minorities, an expression of the ingrained Hindu-phobia, or an attempt to be seen as intellectual and above the ‘petty’ religious matter?
Whatever it was, it’s clearly visible how this ‘secular’ (read pseudo-secular) narrative has influenced the nation to such an extent, that even Hindu’s themselves have been brainwashed into believing that following and supporting their own religious practices is ‘communal’.
The left-liberals are quick to find flaws in the way we celebrate our religious festivals, be it Diwali or Holi, saying it harms the environment. Ironically, this concern is not to be seen when it comes to minority festivities, and hundreds of animals are killed mercilessly in the name of religion. This bias for the minority and selective outrage, clearly shows how such agendas are purely communal and only hidden under the guise of issues like environmentalism.
As a result, this has become a society where Hindus themselves mock their own religion in the name of ‘comedy’, and disrespect it in the name of ‘art’. This is even true for our film industry, which has since long maintained a passive-aggressive attitude towards Hinduism by appropriating Hindu sects. While Mughal invaders and looters are glorified through its movies, Hindu figures are ridiculed.
Here minority traditions equal devotion, and our traditions equal superstition.
What’s even absurd is that this propaganda is also motivated by the Hindu youth, who have taken being anti-Hindu or anti-BJP as a sign of being ‘progressive’.
Secularism as a socio-political ideology is obviously welcome, but Pseudo-Secularism that thrives on tyranny by radicalized ‘minorities’ and left-liberals is only an enemy for our religion and the true secular spirit of our country.
If you look around what goes on in the country and still fail to recognize the systematic pattern of Hindu oppression, you are living in a bubble. This ignorant attitude of the Indian Hindu youth has greatly affected the way we are treated.
You can’t respect all religions until you respect your own. It’s about time we call a spade a spade and speak up against the false rampart built by pseudo-secularists and their entourage in the media, academia and politics.
by Amisha Singh | instagram: amixhaa
