Short Answers:
Q1. When does the act of discrimination take place?
Ans. Discrimination occurs when members of one religious community either persecute or discriminate against members of other religious communities. These acts of discrimination take place more easily when one religion is given official recognition by the State at the expense of the other religions.
Q2. Why are government schools not allowed to celebrate religious festival?
Ans. The celebration of the religious festivals within the school would be a violation of the government’s policy of treating all religions equally. Government schools cannot promote any one religion either in their morning prayers or through religious celebrations. That’s why government schools are not allowed to celebrate religious festival.
Q3. What is secularism in the Indian context?
Ans. The Indian Constitution allows individuals the freedom to live by their religious beliefs and practices as they interpret these. In keeping with this idea of religious freedom for all, India also adopted a strategy of separating the power of religion and the power of the State. Secularism refers to this separation of religion from the State.
Q4. How is the Indian concept of secularism different from the United States?
Ans. There is one significant way in which Indian secularism differs from the dominant understanding of secularism as practised in the United States of America. This is because unlike the strict separation between religion and the State in American secularism, in Indian secularism the State can intervene in religious affairs.
Q5. When you look at the list of holidays in the annual calendar, you will see that they pertain to different religions. What does this indicate?
Ans. This indicates that India is a secular country where religious freedom is granted to its citizens and all religions are equally respected. Thus, holidays are given without prejudice or religious preferences.
Long question:
Q1. List the different types of religious practices 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? Ans. The Ans. Various types of religious practices found in our neighbourhood are:
i. Hindus performing Puja and Havan ii. Muslims offering Namaz
iii. Sikhs visiting the Gurudwara
iv. Christians praying in the Church
There are churches, gurudwaras, mosques and temples in our neighbourhood. People of different cultures and religions stay together and celebrate festivals. This indicates that all the citizens are able to practice their religion with freedom in a secular environment
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