COMMUNALISM

Introduction

· India is a land of multiple faiths and religions leading often to violence and hatred among the
people. Those who fan this religious violence do not consider religion as a moral order but use it
as a means and weapon to pursue their political ambitions. Communalism essentially leads to
violence as it is based on mutual religious hatred.

· Communalism is characterised by a strong allegiance to one's own ethnic group rather than to
society as a whole. the basis of allegiance may be varied such as language, ethnicity, region,
religion etc. In India, communalism as a social phenomenon is characterized by the religion of
two communities, often leading to acrimony, tension and even rioting between them.

Factors contributing to Communalism:

· Vested political interests: Certain politicians or political parties in order to further their own
gains give indirect support or patronage to communal groups or activities. POLITICS OF
APPEASEMENT

· Rise of communal organisations: Communal organizations established on the pretext of

· Religious fundamentalism: Some religious leaders followed ardently by herds of devotees use
their influence through inflammatory speeches to misguide the masses. Especially the ignorant
masses get caught up in religious fervor and are willing to act violently.

· Politicization of local problems: Local issues or problems involving different communities, which
can be resolved by the local authorities, are sometimes magnified and given political dimensions
to use communalistic passions and often lead to riots. Ex. Malegaon and Bhiwandi.

· External threats: There exist many foreign forces which train extremists and supply them with
modern weapons to undertake terrorist activities to fuel communal unrest in the nation.

· Role of Media – It is often accused of sensationalism and disseminates rumours as "news" which
sometimes resulted into further tension and riots between two rival religious groups.

Impact of communalism on Indian society: Communalism has divided our society for long. It causes
belief in orthodox tenets and principles, intolerance, hatred towards other religions and religious group,
distortion of historical facts and communal violence.

· Social fabric:
 It causes hatred among different religious sections in the society and disrupts the peaceful social
fabric of our society.

· Communal Violence: Communal riots often break out in many parts of the country and

· Economy fallout :

Economic growth can take place only in environment of peace and tranquillity, communalism
creates an atmosphere of intolerance and violence which would impede the flow of goods and
capital.

The flow of labour from productive activities is diverted to unproductive activities; there is
massive destruction of public properties to spread the ideology.

The investment attitude towards the country from foreign investor would be cautiousness; they
tend to avoid the countries with highly communal country, for not take the risk of end up losing
their investment.

· Political scenarios: Voting on Communal Basis: Voters generally vote on communal lines. After
getting elected, the representatives try to safeguard the interests of their community and ignore
national interests. These conditions hinder the progress of democracy in the country

· Individual psychology: Due to prevalent communalism in the society individuals are never at
peace and a spiritual powerhouse India seems to lose its charm.

MEASURES –

· There is need to reform in present criminal justice system, speedy trials and adequate
compensation to the victims, may act as deterrent.

· Codified guidelines for the administration, specialised training for the police force to handle
communal riots and setting up special investigating and prosecuting agencies can help in
damping major communal disgruntlement.

· Emphasis on value-oriented education with focus on the values of peace, non-violence,

· Government can adopt models followed by countries like Malaysia that has developed early-
warning indicators to prevent racial clashes.

· The Malaysian Ethnic Relations Monitoring System (known by its acronym Mesra) that makes use
of a quality of life index (included criteria such as housing, health, income and education) and a
perception index to gauge people’s needs and feelings about race relations in their area.
 · Also the Hong Kong model of combating communalism by setting up a “Race Relation Unit” to
promote racial harmony and facilitate integration of ethnic minorities, can be emulated by India.

· RRU has established a hotline for complaints and inquiries on racial discrimination. Meanwhile,
to create awareness about communal harmony, RRU talks to schools on culture of ethnic
minorities and concept of racial discrimination.

· Government can encourage and support civil society and NGOs to run projects that help create
communal awareness, build stronger community relation and cultivating values of communal
harmony in next generation.

· There is a need for minority welfare schemes to be launched and implemented efficiently by
administration to address the challenges and various forms of discrimination faced by them in
jobs, housing and daily life.

· A pro-active approach by National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), the body
responsible for promoting communal harmony is needed.

· A legislation is required to curb the communal violence. Communal Violence (Prevention,

Way forward:

Public awareness needs to be raised about the harmful impact of communalism. Our constitution, which
labels India as a secular nation makes provisions to protect the interests of all religions and goes beyond
the code of any religion. Hence one must learn to put national interests above one’s religious views.