I quite agree with what Dr. Godbole has opined about Islam and Christianity and the concept of Secularism or Sarvadharma Sambhãv or Sarva Panth Samãdar etc.
Yes, it is utterly wrong to bracket Hinduism (and its offshoots like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism) with such exclusivist ideologies as Islam and Christianity. It is in fact wrong to regard Christianity and Islam as Dharmas. Let us discuss why.
Dharma is a way of life based on certain principles as enunciated by the great Manu - his ten principles and so on. The basic difference between the Sanatan Dharma and the prophetic religions is that whereas Dharma is the result of the experiences acquired by our seers and sages for a period spread over thousands of years, the Semitic religions are based exclusively on the principles and practices enunciated by a certain individual or a certain scripture and are the by-product of certain special historical and political circumstances. Whereas prophetic ideologies do not permit any deviation from the set principles, Hinduism allows the individual the freedom to march towards greater intellectual and spiritual heights. The door to knowledge is kept wide open in contrast to the prophetic ideologies which actually blind one�s intellect.
A Christian is a Christian only so long as he has exclusive belief in the Sonship of Jesus Christ. Likewise, a Muslim is a Muslim only if he has hundred percent faith in Quran and Hadith. A Hindu has no such binding. Being in permanent bondage, the followers of prophetic ideologies cannot but believe that they are following the path of righteousness, and that others are on the wrong path. For them, there is the kingdom of heaven with gardens under which flow rivers; for us, the non-believers, only the hell of fire. They have not only exclusive ideologies but their special Gods as well who are kind to them and them only. So says the Bible: �He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned� (Mk XVI: 16). And so says the Quran more than once: �And fight them until persecution is no more and religion is for Allah �� (II: 193); �O ye who believe! Choose not disbelievers for (your) friends in place of believers �� (IV: 144); �And slay them wherever you find them (II: 191). As has been pointed out, Islam is an exclusivist ideology which isn�t under any circumstances prepared to accord respect or recognition to any other ideology howsoever tolerant the latter may be towards it. According to Ibn Taymiah and Syed Qutb the entire globe belongs to Allah and his messenger and Muslims and Muslims only are rightful heirs to it!
As Dr. Godbole points out, some Hindus think it is against Hinduism to criticize other religions. Still other Hindus genuinely seem to believe that resurgence among Hindus would cause permanent damage to the Hindu society and that by destroying what they term �our composite cultural heritage� and �unity in diversity� we would be making our country weak. Far from it. To them I would like to point out that the so-called �composite culture�, �unity in diversity�, �Sarvadharma Sambhãv� etc. have been mere myths; they have never been achieved nor is there any likelihood of their taking shape in future also. If some of our ancestors ever talked of it, it could only be said to have emanated from a state of desperation which they may have found themselves in owing to more than a thousand years of political subjugation. Political subjugation often leads to intellectual deterioration resulting in perverted thinking as well. It is sheer self-deception to believe that the alien cultures which the invaders brought with them mingled with our ancient culture, or enriched it further. It is also a folly to believe that Hindu culture fully assimilated the alien cultures. Such a thing never happened. Moreover, the imperialist forces did not invade India to establish a society where Sarvadharma Sambhãv would prevail. It is only we who have fallen prey to such illusions. Muslims and Christians never talk of it; they have never had such illusions.
Strangely enough, a thesis is being propounded by the so-called secularists that every Indian is a Hindu! This is an attempt to devalue the importance of the term �Hindu� and to reduce it to a mere noun from an adjective. A Hindu is not a geographical creature. Hindus are a nation unto themselves; any attempt to use this term for Muslims and Christians is to deny the existence of a Hindu nation which has been a reality for thousands of years.
Peaceful coexistence with Islam is just not possible. Sambhãv with Christianity is an impossibility too. Such ideas are totally alien to these ideologies. Any attempt to try to assimilate them is bound to meet a dismal fate, as it has for centuries.
Secularism in its Indian form is a highly repugnant term. The very basis of this Secularism is anti-Hinduism. BJP turned secular long time ago (assuming that it was ever committed to Hindutva). Now the R.S.S. too has followed suit. Compared to the self-proclaimed secularists, these neo-secularists masquerading as votaries of Hindutva are more dangerous, more poisonous. For it is they who are making the already intransigent Muslims more and more intransigent, more and more demanding, more and more obstinate. What we need to do is to expose them thoroughly, to punish them to the hilt, for it is these people who are the greatest enemies of the Hindu Nation.
Alas!
the greatest misfortune of the Hindu Society has been that it has never
in its long history turned communal. This incidently is the greatest reason
leading to our subjugation from time to time. If we want to keep alive
the spirit of Hindu Nation alive we Hindus have got to be communal. Without
Hindu communalism, the Hindu Nation has no future whatsoever. True nationalism
resides in Hindu communalism, not in foolish Secularism.
Footnotes:
The
writer is a highly qualified medical practitioner living in Ranchi in Bihar.
