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Understanding Secularism | Chapter 2 | Social and Political Life | Class 8th | Questions and Answers |

 

Chapter 2: Understanding Secularism

 

Exercises

 

Question 1.
List the different types of religious practices that you find in your neighborhood. 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?

Answer.
Different types of religious practice:
(i) Jagran
(ii) Kirtan
(iii) Namaj
(iv) Mass
(v) Havan
Yes, this indicates freedom of religious practice.

 

Question 2.
Will the government intervene if some religious group says that their religion allows them to practice infanticide? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer.
The government will surely intervene if some religious group says that their religion allows them to practice infanticide. Needless to say, that the practice of infanticide is a crime. Under this practice, the life of a newly-born child is killed. The law does not allow anyone to kill a life.

 

 

My special thanks, appreciations, and credits to Teacher Rimpy Sharma for providing solutions to this chapter. Thanks a lot.

 

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Question 3.

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.

 

Answer.

 

Objective	Why is this important?	Example of a violation of this objective
One religious community does not dominate another.	It is important for establishing harmony in the society.	i) A Muslim family living among Hindu people in a locality is forbidden to offer Namaz. ii) A Hindu religious procession is not allowed to cross along the road passing through a Mosque.
The State does not enforce any particular religion nor take away the religious freedom of individuals.	It is essential in order to stabilize the ideals of the Indian Constitution.	Demolition of Babri Masjid.
That some members do not dominate other members of the same religious community.	It is important in order to establish equality in the society.	Dalits are discouraged to enter a temple.

Question 4.
Look up the annual calendar of the holidays of your school. How many of them pertain to different ‘religions? What does this indicate?

Answer.
Holidays in a school calendar for different religions:

 

Religions	Holidays
Hindu	Holi, Dussehra, Deepawali
Muslim	Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Azha, Moharram
Sikh	Lohri, Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, Guru Purab
Christian	Christmas, Good Friday

 

The holidays of different religions shown in the above table show that India is a secular country. It gives importance to every religion in the country.

 

Question 5.
Find out some examples of different views within the same religion.

Answer.
Different views are followed even within the same religion. As, for example, only in the Hindu religion, we have hundreds of deities worshipped by different groups of people. Similarly, in the Muslim community, there are Shiyas and Sunnis. In Jainas, there are Shwetambar and Digambar sects. In Buddha Dharma, there are Hinayaans and Mahayaans.

 

Question 6.
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.

Answer.
India is a land of complex ideas. It is difficult to understand what it really wants. There are many, ideals in the Constitution but practices are quite different from them. In many cases we see laws explain a concept in a different way. But people interpret it differently. Law itself in some cases acts differently. As, for example, in secular state law has nothing to say in any of the practices of the religion but when the dominance of upper castes in religion was brought to question the law took favours of the lower castes. This interference of the State creates confusion.

 

Question 7.
This poster highlights the need for ‘Peace’. It says, “Peace is a never-ending process….. It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests.” Write in your own words what you think the above sentences are trying to convey? How does it relate to the need for religious tolerance?

 

This chapter had three drawings on religious tolerance made by students of your age. Design your own poster on religious tolerance for your peers.

Answer.

a.     Peace is a never-ending process. It is the need of today.

b.    Peace respects our common interest, and removes or minimizes our difference.

c.      Peace helps us to live together in harmony.

 

I. Multiple Choice Questions

 

Choose the correct option:

(i) Which one is a correct statement with regard to Saudi Arabia?
(a) Non-Muslims can gather in a public place for prayer.
(b) They cannot build a temple, church, etc.
(c) They can live in their own way.
(d) None of the above

Answer. (b) They cannot build a temple, church, etc.

 

(ii) The most important aspect of secularism is its ……
(a) Separation of religion from state power
(b) Separation of politics from religion
(c) Separation of one community from another
(d) Mixing of religion with State power

Answer. (a) Separation of religion from state power

(iii) The government cannot force Sikhs to wear a helmet while driving two-wheelers because ………..
(a) Sikhs are very powerful
(b) They do not obey government rules
(c) They look handsome in pagri
(d) Wearing a pagri is a very important part of the Sikh religion

Answer. (d) Wearing a pagri is a very important part of the Sikh religion

(iv) In American secularism, there is a …………
(a) The strict separation between religion and the State
(b) The loose separation between religion and the State
(c) The strict mingling of religion with the State
(d) The strict rule that contracts all religions
Answer. (a) The strict separation between religion and the State

II. Fill in the Blanks.

 

Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.

 

a.     The intervention of the State can also be in the form of ………….

b.    In the United States of America, most children in government schools have to begin their school day reciting the ‘Pledge of ……………….

c.      The most important aspect of secularism is its separation of religion from …………. power.

d.    Government schools don’t celebrate any ………….. festivals on the school premises.

e.     The Indian State is not ruled by a ……………….. group and nor does it …………… any one religion.

 

Answer.

a.     The intervention of the State can also be in the form of support.

b.    In the United States of America, most children in government schools have to begin their school day reciting the ‘Pledge of allegiance

c.      The most important aspect of secularism is its separation of religion from state power.

d.    Government schools don’t celebrate any religious festivals on the school premises.

e.     The Indian State is not ruled by a religious group and nor does it support any one religion.

 

III. True/False

 

State whether each of the following statements are True or False.

 

a.     In Indian secularism, the State is not strictly separate from religion.

b.    Wearing a pagri is central to a Sikh’s religious practice.

c.      Government schools can promote any one religion.

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

e.     In Indian secularism, the State cannot intervene in religion.

 

Answer.

a. True, b. True c. False d. False e. False

 

IV. Matching Skills

 

Match the items given in Column A correctly with those given in Column B.

Column A	Column B
(i) The Indian State (ii) The forces used by a legal authority (iii) The practice of untouchability (vi) Jews (v) Muslims	(a) Abolished (b) Skull cap (c) Secular (d) Headscarf (e) Correction

 

Answer.

 

Column A	Column B
(i) The Indian State (ii) The forces used by a legal authority (iii) The practice of untouchability (vi) Jews (v) Muslims	(d) Headscarf (e) Correction (a) Abolished (b) Skull cap (c) Secular

 

 

Very Short Answer Type Questions

 

Question 1.
What examples does history provide us on the grounds of religion?

Answer.
History provides us with several examples of discrimination, exclusion, and persecution on the grounds of religion.

 

Question 2.
What happened in the Jewish state of Israel?

Answer.
Muslim and Christian minorities were treated badly in the Jewish state of Israel.

 

Question 3.
How are non-Muslims treated in Saudi Arabia?

Answer.
In Saudi Arabia, non-Muslims are not allowed to build a temple, church, etc. They also cannot gather in a public place for prayers.

 

Question 4.
What does the term ‘secularism’ refer to?

Answer.
The term ‘secularism’ refers to the separation of the power of religion from the power of the State.

 

Question 5.
What do you mean by the freedom to interpret’?

Answer.
‘Freedom to interpret’ means an individual’s liberty to develop his own understanding and meaning of the religion that one practices.

 

Question 6.
Why cannot government schools celebrate religious festivals?

Answer.
Government schools cannot celebrate religious festivals because it will be a violation of the government’s policy of treating all religions equally.

 

Question 7.
Why is Paramjit allowed to drive in pagri?

Answer.
Paramjit is a Sikh youth and for him wearing a pagri is a very important part of his religion.

 

Question 8.
How is Indian secularism different from that of American secularism?

Answer.
Unlike Indian secularism, there is a strict separation between religion and the State in American secularism.

 

Question 9.
What is meant by ‘principled distance’?

Answer.
This means that any interference in religion by the State has to be based on the ideals laid out in the Constitution.

 

Short Answer Type Questions

 

Question 1.
Why is it important to separate religion from the State? Explain with examples.

Answer.
There are two main reasons why the separation of religion from the State is important:

The first is to prevent the domination of one religion over another. Example: 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 easily use this power and financial resources to discriminate against and persecute persons of other religions. This would violate Fundamental Rights.

The second is to protect the freedom of individuals to exit from their religion, embrace another religion or have the freedom to interpret religious teachings differently. Example: We can give an example of untouchability in Hindu religious practice. If state power were in the hands of those Hindus who support untouchability, then it would be a difficult task for anyone to abolish this practice.

 

Question 2.
What are the three objectives of a secular State?

Answer.
The three objectives of a secular State are:

One religious community does not dominate another.

Some members do not dominate other members of the same religious community.

The State does not enforce any particular religion nor does it take away the religious freedom of individuals.

 

Question 3.
Explain with an example that in Indian secularism the State can intervene in religious affairs.

Answer.
An important aspect of India’s secularism is that the State can intervene in religious affairs. We can prove this fact with an example of untouchability. It was a practice in which the members of the same religion, i.e. upper-caste Hindus, dominated other members, i.e. lower caste people, within it. In order to prevent this religion-based exclusion and discrimination of lower castes, the Indian Constitution banned untouchability. In this instance, the State intervened in religion in order to end a social practice that it believed discriminated against and excluded and that violated the Fundamental Rights of Lower castes.

 

Question 4.
What is secularism?

Answer.
The Indian Constitution contains Fundamental Rights. These rights are very important because they protect us against State power as well as against the tyranny of the majority. The Indian Constitution allows individuals the freedom to live by their religious beliefs and practices as they interpret these. Thus, our Constitution gives religious freedom to all, and to maintain it India adopted a strategy of separating the power of religion and the power of the State. Secularism is, in fact, the separation of religion from the State.

 

Long Answer Type Questions

 

Question 1.
In what different ways does the Indian State work to prevent religious domination?

Answer.
Indian secularism works in various ways to prevent religious domination:
(a) It uses a strategy of distancing itself from religion. The Indian State is not ruled by a religious group. It also does not support any one religion. In our country, government places like law courts, police stations, government schools, and offices are not supposed to demonstrate or promote any one religion.

(b) The second way in which Indian secularism works to prevent the domination of religion is through a strategy of non-interference. This means that in order to respect the sentiments of all religions and not interfere with religious practices, the State makes certain exceptions for particular religious communities. Just take the example of the Sikh community. For Sikhs, wearing a pagri is a very important part of their religion. The government cannot force them to wear a helmet while driving a two-wheeler.

(c) The third way in which Indian secularism works to prevent the domination of religion is through a strategy of intervention. Untouchability presents a good example where members of the same religion, upper-caste Hindus, dominate other members, lower castes within it. In order to prevent this religion-based discrimination of lower castes, our Constitution banned untouchability. Here, the State intervened in religion in order to uproot a social practice that it believed discriminated against and excluded, and that violated the Fundamental Rights of the people belonging to the lower caste.

 

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