Q.What are the challenges to our cultural practices in the name of secularism

Body Analysis

Challenges to Culture from Narrow Perceptions of Secularism

graph TD
    SIC["Secularism's Impact on Culture"] --> EI["Erosion of Institutions"]
    SIC --> MIS["Misinterpretation of Secularism"]
    SIC --> FR["Festival Restrictions"]
    SIC --> UP["Uniform Policies"]
    SIC --> PSL["Public Space Limitations"]

1. Challenges Posed by Misguided Perceptions

• Equating Religiousness with Fundamentalism: The perception that religiousness is anti-secular and pro-fundamentalist discourages various religious practices like rituals, clothing, and thoughts. People who wear saffron dress, keep a beard, or wear a skull cap (Taqiyah) are sometimes unfairly labeled as fundamentalists.
• Equating Secularism with Atheism: Secularism is often equated to atheism and apostasy. Those who do not believe in God or abandon their religious beliefs are marked as secular. This thought is leading to a slow degradation of cultural practices.
• Restrictions on Food Choices: Some states, through following majoritarian religious sentiments, restrict the sale of beef, impacting the food culture of certain communities.
• Judiciopapism: Sometimes, the judiciary also takes a narrow glimpse of secularism and interferes in religious celebrations and practices. Example: Rajasthan High Court’s ban on Santhara and the Supreme Court’s ban on the sale of crackers on Diwali.

2. Challenges Due to the Rise of Constitutional Morality

Following are the grounds of objections to several cultural practices as considered by the judiciary:

• Right to Equality: The practice of triple talaq and the ban on the entry of women in the Sabarimala temple were declared unlawful by the Supreme Court. These decisions were made on account of gender inequality and gender exploitation inherent to these practices.
• Animal Rights: The Supreme Court banned the traditional practice of Jallikattu because of the cruelty to animals involved in the sport.
• Objection to Harmful Cultural Practices: The illegality of female genital mutilation (FGM) practices in the Dawoodi Bohra Community was brought into the limelight in 2018. The Centre and the Supreme Court are of the opinion to ban this practice in India.