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Communalism is discrimination against a group of people because of the particular community to which they happen to belong. This community may be defined according to race, class, economic status or religious affiliation. There are many forms of communalism in the world and almost no country is without it. Communalism is a problem in all societies today because different classes, races and religious groups are present in every land.
India as a diverse subcontinent has its communal problems, mainly
along religious lines, with ongoing Hindu-Muslim conflicts. But it
also has clashes between the different classes of society,
particularly the so-called higher classes versus the lower classes
or untouchables. There have been
many efforts to eradicate communalism ever since the inception of
independent India. However in spite of, and sometimes because of
misguided efforts at removing communalism, communalism has increased
in recent years.
What is stranger in this regard is that anticommunalism in India has in
fact become a new form of communalism. It condemns certain communities on principle as
communal, which incites discrimination against them. Under the guise
of eliminating discrimination between communities, certain
communities are targeted and suffer various forms of discrimination.
Author : David Frawley
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