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Fundamentalism Versus Secularism
Dalip Singh Wasan, Advocate.

It is an accepted fact that all the religions had been taking their birth at different places and at different times and that is the reason their names are different and they had been adopting different way of life, but fundamentally all the religions had been making efforts to reform this man. Basically all the religions are agreeing on fundamental points. All the religions believe that God is one and only one and all the religions are also telling us that we all have been sent by God on this earth, we live life as per directions issued by God, we behave as per directions of God, we enjoy and suffer as per stock of our luck written by God, we also work as per directions of the Devil and that is the reason, the people in religions believe that all those who had been functioning under the directions of the Devil shall be punished and shall be sent to Hell and all those who had been obeying the directions of the Soul are sent to Heaven.
These are fundamentals of religions, but if we have a look on the history of this mankind, we shall find that man had not been allowed to live properly because of these different religions and if we smell the history books, we shall smell that all these records were written with the blood of this man. And most of the killings had been because of these religions. It is on record that the rulers had been trying to convert the subjects to the religion of the ruler and the if the subjects refused to adopt this religion, they were forced to adopt the religion and if need be there had been killing in name of religions. The system introduced centuries ago is still alive and now we are noting that people are taking the course of human-bomb just to protect their religion and most of the killings to day are there because of different religions.
We have noted that people in all the religions have started establishing that principles in their religious books are better than those which are contained in religious books of other religions, they are celebrating religious days, they are coming out in processions celebrating religious days, they are collecting and taking part in religious discourses, there are new sub religions, there are people who have taken up these religious discourses as away of life and they have taken up these institutions as a profession, trade, calling and employment and we have noted that these new units are flourishing.
Today the world is divided in name of religions and if there is another world war, that war shall be between people of two religions and they shall try their luck and their strength in that war. The people of one religion shall try to finish the people of the religion.
There had been sacrifices in name of religions, but today people are still fundamentalists and they are taking course to human-bombs and they are sacrificing their lives for the sake of religion. It is on record that the group which feels that they are weak people and are not in a position to fight in direct war, they have taken up the course of terrorism and they are striking the people who are indulging in terrorism or utilizing their power in other way. Even countries like India who have adopted secularism as the basic principle in life and in administration, they too are suffering because of terrorism and because of riots. We had faced biggest riots in 1947 in which lakhs of people had been killed and crores had been forced to migrate to unknown places. That was the biggest tragedy in the world in which such killings on higher side had been noted and migration of such a big size had been faced. We, the people of India could not learn a lesson and there are instances where the people are still indulging in terrorism and riots and they are killing their own people with their own hands. At times, we the people of India start feeling that the secularism which we had adopted long long ago is still half-way because the people in India re not one in India, but they are divided on the basis of different religions and they are not at peace. There are terrorists and there are rioters and both are ready. When one side sees that killings are on the higher side, the other side comes in the field and commits riots and the scores are equaled. This is the secularism in India. Because of these religions and because of these terrorist activities and riots, the people of India re not becoming a nation. They are fighting amongst each other and they are seen talking on the partition of 1947 and they say that this partition was not complete, when Pakistan had been created for the Muslims, why all the Muslims did not migrate to Pakistan and the other side says that when they have been retained in India, their rights be protected. Even the Sikhs who had joined India at their own accord had tried for a separate country in the name and style of Khalistan. They failed, but there are still people working as terrorists for the attainment of Khalistan, There are reports that the Muslim terrorists coming from the side of Pakistan are given shelter, boarding and lodging facilities, money help, supply of arms and ammunition here in India and when they strike, they are again given hiding places and the people on this side are providing all these facilities to them.
So religion shall be playing its role in the world and at least now we cannot think of clubbing all the religions in one religion. Akbar the great tried to establish one religion in India and he failed. Shri Guru Arjan Dev of the Sikh community tried to compile one common Granth sahib, but even then one religion could not be established. There seems no chance to establish a common religion. The people have started establishing their own religions and they are trying to show that their religions are the best in the world. And till these religions are there in the world, we would not be able to bring the whole world in one fold and there shall be terrorism and fundamentalism both fighting in each other and they shall be killing innocent people and when people are killed by man, we should believe that this man is not turning religious but he is turning something which is antireligious. So the man of tomorrow shall not be a religious person, but he shall be a terrorist or a rioter. And both these groups are antireligious. And when people are killed by these groups, we must say that secularism has failed and the fundamentalism has won.
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