When the mind chooses to blindly follow a particular idea or belief, without thinking logically and factually, it is termed as fanaticism, and the individual, a fanatic. When this idea or belief is religion, we call it religious fanaticism. Whilst religion is a moral and spiritual belief, fanaticism introduces a psychological element to it. The difference between faith and fanaticism, concerning religion, lies in the fact that when people follow an ideology and principle based on reason, it is faith. Whereas, when sheeple fanaticize or radicalize religious beliefs, it becomes religious fanaticism.
According to the All-India Religion Census Data-2011, 79.8% of the population (then, 121 crores) identify with Hinduism, 14.23% identify with Islam, 2.3% identify with Christianity, 1.7% identify as Sikh, 0.7% identify with Buddhism, 0.37% identify with Jainism, and 0.66% (79.38 lakhs) identify with other religions.[1]
Religion and demographics:
While Hinduism is professed by the majority of the Indian population, other dominant religions persist in the country. While Islam is primarily practised in the Northern States of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and in the Southern States of Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Christianity is prominent in the North East States, as well as the Southern State of Kerala. Sikhism is predominantly practised in the state of Punjab.
Although religion is a congruous source of division, it still has immense potential to promote unity. Despite having a highly disparate population, as statistics show, what binds us together is honouring each other’s faith and the concept of secularism, designed to amalgamate such diverse communities. Unity can be seen amongst people who practise different religions. The Lucknow Pact[2] of December 1916 between the INC (Indian National Congress) and the All India Muslim League is a great example of how communities can unite to serve a common purpose, setting aside their religious differences.
Unity can also be seen amongst people belonging to different communities, caste, creed, gender, affluence, who practise the same religion. Festivals like Ramadan, Christmas, Diwali, which have a tremendous aptitude to instil harmony, are celebrated by all people alike, disregarding geographical and societal barriers.
Religion and politics[3]:
Over the years, Indian Politics has gone through different strains, foreign influences, cultural and religious transpositions. A brief of significant events throughout the years is as follows:
● Victory of the INC in the first general elections in the year 1951
● The declaration of state of emergency in 1975
● Operation Blue Star in 1984
● Assassination of Indira Gandhi, consecutively Rajiv Gandhi
● The demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992
● The return of Congress in 2004 under the leadership of Manmohan Singh
● The 26/11 attacks of 2008
● BJP’s landslide win under the leadership of Narendra Modi in the year 2014 ● Pulwama Attack of 2019
● The Supreme Court’s verdict on Ayodhya dispute, the passage of Citizenship Amendment Act
Politics[6] in India has come a long way. There was a time when the moderates[7], the Indian National Congress, was the only powerful national movement in India, along with strong opposition from the extremists, namely the Communist Party of India[8] (CPI) and Janata Dal (United). Today, the prevalent ruling party is the Bharatiya Janata Party, with its roots firmly implanted in right-wing politics. The presence of strong regional parties, such as the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Left Democratic Front (Kerala) (LDF), are making politics and religion more integrated. The point to be noted lies in the shift of the presence of majority/ruling parties. From one ruling party and its oppositions, we live in an era where multiple ruling parties exist in different regions, along with their oppositions.
The growing integration of religion in politics:
Now that the reader has a brief idea about the pragmatics of religious fanaticism, distribution of religion across our country, both geographically as well as population-wise, notable historical events and the evolution of politics in India throughout the years, we have all the ingredients ready. It’s now time to combine these ingredients and gratify the desired recipe.
The main reason for the existence of political parties is to promote specific ideologies or stratagems they have. To do so, political parties coordinate with like-minded people and contest in elections, thus establishing their organization. In order to do all this, they must garner votes. They must make individuals believe in their intentions, blueprints, and justifications. A facile way of amassing votes is by tapping into the vast potential religion possesses, mainly by promoting unity, as discussed earlier. When a political party invokes the religious sentiments of any community, it is natural for them to gain more supporters from all across the country due to the vast geographical distribution of religion throughout India.
Examples where such situations have been recorded, include statements made to BBC by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, where he directly tried to belittle and affront sentiments of the Muslim community, while also claiming to adulate Hinduism. [9]
It is one thing for a political party to tap into the potential that religion possesses and another for it to be misused to hurt the religious sentiments of other communities. A certain fraction of religious apostles blindly follow a particular religion, owing to the political party that invoked the feeling of spirituality in the first place. When people involve themselves (irrationally, ofttimes) in political affairs and the reason for their involvement in religious fanaticism, we get what is known as religious fanaticism in Indian politics. This is not something new and can be traced back right from the genesis of a political system in our country.
Religious Fanaticism in Indian Past:
A dark chapter in the history of India was engendered on 16th August 1946. Violence unbridled on the streets of Calcutta, initiated by the All India Muslim League, under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in the form of “Direct Action Day”[10]. Thousands of lives were lost as mayhem erupted across different parts of North India. The day was declared in support of the Muslim League’s demand for Pakistan, as Jinnah realised, he could not become the first anchor of an independent India. The moral purity of multiple religious communities was sullied for three long days. The indiscriminate slaughter that took place on this day, in the name of religion, displayed fanaticism at its peak.
January 1990: [11]Massive crowds assembled in mosques across the Kashmir valley, shouting anti-India, anti-Pandit slogans. This was the beginning of the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits. Hundreds of innocent Kashmiri Pandits and their families were killed, tortured, and raped. The Kashmiri Pandit minority were given two choices: to either convert to Islam or to leave the homeland. To refrain from religious fanaticism in the form of forced religious conversion to Islam, they either fled from Kashmir, or embraced death. Since January 1990, there have been four different massacres of Pandits in the valley. A high level of religious fanaticism can be observed in this incident. One, by forced religious conversions. Two, by treating the Kashmiri Pandits in a ghastly manner, in the name of religion.
[12]The demolition of the Babri Masjid was illegally carried out on 6th December 1992. [13]The action can nowhere approach the term “constitutional”, defying the values of secularism, justice, dignity, etc. Quoting P. Chidambaram, member of Rajya Sabha,
"The demolition of the Babri Masjid[14] was a manifestation of religious fanaticism and an act of extreme prejudice. Likewise, taking to the path of violence in the name of religion must also be deplored in unequivocal terms." [15]
The demolition can rightly be considered as an act carried out by religious fanatics because while religion can contribute to violence, religion doesn’t promote violence. Excessive obsession towards a political party or excessive fanaticism towards religion is the root cause behind such atrocious incidents. [16]
What harm does the existence of religious fanaticism in politics bring?
One can easily understand that not all political upheavals are brought about due to religious differences. Many upheavals are caused due to difference in political, social, or cultural opinions. When rioters use religion as a medium to bring more people under their influence, religion is fanaticized. When politics fabricates the motive of religion, which in turn leads to mischievous acts, religious fanaticism is born.
Riots have the potential to get out of hand quickly, especially when people get influenced without using their intellect. Thus, religious fanaticism can cause a lot of harm, especially when brought about in politics. A person with true faith in any religion would never cause physical or psychological harm to another individual, with the motive of foisting their opinions. Defying this would declare the act political.
We must understand that there are many underlying reasons for the widespread inception and involvement of religious fanaticism. The involvement of religious fanaticism in politics can create animosity between different religious communities and can even lead to the loss of innocent lives. Religion can serve as a source of unity, even during times of division. Something so paramount and sacred should never be misused.
Conclusion:
“God looks at the heart, and that what he supremely desires is the inward loyalty to righteousness.”
-Borden Parker Bowne
Religion is a set of defined values and ritual practices whilst establishing a relationship with God/Divine. People who practise and preach religion must demonstrate kosher faith in the same. We should use our intellect and not get swayed into religious fanaticism. Do not reduce yourself to a puppet, a mere part of propaganda.
Article by -
Smriti Sivakumar
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