Civics Ch - 2 Understanding Secularism Social Studies - Civics Ch - 2 Understanding Secularism

The Indian state is secular and works in various ways to prevent religious

Recently, some of the Members of the Lok Sabha have claimed that the words "Socialist" and "Secular" were omitted in the New Copies of the Preamble of the Constitution of India.
Source: Mint
Why is the term 'secular' particularly significant in a country with a diverse religious population?

Identify the type of freedom from the information given below.
I. Indian police stations and government schools do not promote any one religion.
II. The Indian state allows Sikhs an exception to the law of wearing helmets while riding two-wheelers.
III. The Constitution of India grants religious communities the right to set up their own schools and colleges.

Mukesh, a Hindu citizen of the United States of America, lives in a part of the country where Christian fundamentalism is very powerful. No one is willing to rent their house to him.
Which of the following statements best reflects the situation?

Which of the following is correct with reference to Saudi Arabia?

The Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution are based on secular principles.

The police stations in India are supposed to display and profess the religion of the police superintendent.

The Indian Constitution does not allow religious communities to set-up their own schools and colleges.

In Indian Secularism, the State is not strictly separated from religion.

_______________ refers to a persons's liberty to develop their own understanding and meaning of the religion they practice.

Indian Constitution bans _______________ to prevent discrimination of lower castes.

The Indian State is not ruled by a _______________ group, nor does it promote any _______________ on its own.

The intervention of the State can also be in the form of _______________ .

_______________ is important for a country to function democratically.

Can India be regarded as a non-religious country?

What laid the foundation of secularism in America?

What do you mean by untouchability?

When did France pass a law banning students from wearing any conspicuous religious or political signs or symbol?

Give examples of one secular state and one non-secular state.

Can you think of a recent incident, from any part of India, in which the secular ideals of the Constitution were violated and persons were persecuted and killed because of their religious backgrounds?

Government schools often have students from different religious backgrounds. Re-read the three objectives of a secular state and write two sentences on why it is important that government schools do not promote any one religion?

Can there be different views within the same religion?

Re-read the introduction to this chapter. Why do you think retaliation is not the proper response to this problem? What would happen if different groups followed this path?

Look up the annual calendar of holidays of your school. How many of them pertain to different religions? What does this indicate?

Festivals	Religion	Number of Holidays
Lohri	Sikhism	1
Holi	Hinduism	3
Good Friday	Christianity	1
Mahavir Jayanti	Jainism	1
Buddha Jayanti	Buddhism	1
Dussehra	Hinduism	3
Diwall/ deepawali	Hinduism	3
Guruparv	Sikhism	1
Christmas	Christianity	1
Muharram	Islam	1
Id-ul-zoha	Islam	1
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti	Sikhism	1
Id-ul-fitr	Islam	1

Find out some examples of different views within the same religion

Complete the following table:

Objective	Why is this Important?	Example of a violation of this objective
One religious community does not dominate another.
The state does not enforce any particular religion nor take away the religious freedom of individuals.
That some members do not dominate other members of the same religious community.

List the different types of religious practice that you find in your neighbourhood. This could be different forms of prayer, worship of different gods, sacred sites, different kinds of religious music and singing etc. Does this indicate freedom of religious practice?

"The Indian Constitution guarantees religious freedom for all and separates the power of religion and the State. Secularism refers to this separation of religion from the State."
What does it mean for India to be a secular state

What is the nature of the State in Israel and Saudi Arabia? How is it different from India?

The Indian State both keeps away from religion as well as intervenes in religion. This idea can be quite confusing. Discuss this once again in class using examples from the chapter as well as those that you might have come up with.

Discuss the practice of untouchability as a social evil.

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
The most important aspect of secularism is its separation of religion from State power. This is important for a country to function democratically. Almost all countries of the world will have more than one religious group living in them. Within these religious groups, there will most likely be one group that is in a majority. If this majority religious group has access to State power, then it could quite easy to use this power and financial resources to discriminate against and persecute persons of other religions. This tyranny of the majority could result in the discrimination, coercion and at times even the killing of religious minorities. The majority could quite easily prevent minorities from practising their religions. Any form of domination based on religion is in violation of the rights that a democratic society guarantees to each and every citizen irrespective of their religion. Therefore, the tyranny of the majority and the violation of Fundamental Rights that can result is one reason why it is important to separate the State and religion in democratic societies.
Q. 1. What are some of the benefits of secularism?
Q. 2. What is the relationship between secularism and democracy?
Q. 3. What is the potential outcome if the majority religious group has access to State power without separation?

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.
In February 2004, France passed a law banning students from wearing any conspicuous religious or political signs or symbols such as the Islamic headscarf, the Jewish skullcap, or large Christian crosses. This law has encountered a lot of resistance from immigrants who are mainly from the former French colonies of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. In the 1960s, France had faced a shortage of workers and, therefore, had provided visas for these immigrants to come and work in the country. The daughters of these immigrants often wear headscarves while attending school. However, with the passing of this new law, they have been expelled from their school for wearing headscarves.
Q. 1. The new law was passed in France with which of the following objectives?
(a) To reduce religious tensions in the country.
(b) To reduce immigration from Muslim countries.
(c) To promote secularism in the country.
(d) To promote French culture.
Q. 2. What were the views of the immigrant community regarding the new law?
(a) They were generally supportive of the law
(b) They were generally opposed to the law
(c) They were divided in their opinion on the law.
(d) None of the above
Q. 3. Which of the following situations encouraged France to encourage immigrants into the country?
(a) To address a shortage of workers.
(b) To promote cultural exchange.
(c) To encourage tourism.
(d) To boost diplomatic relations.
Q. 4. What was the consequence of not adhering to the new law that was passed in France in 2004?
(a) Daughters of the immigrants were asked to leave the school.
(b) The parents of Jewish students were fined.
(c) Daughters of immigrants started a protest against this law.
(d) All of the above