Ban on religion-based parties
Recently, the High Court has scrapped the Fifth Amendment in our constitution, and because of this, it is likely that religion-based parties will be banned from politics. The 14-party Grand Alliance is also planning to launch a campaign to ban religion-based parties.
Well, I am entirely against imposing an all-out ban on such parties. The constitution SHOULD keep provision for religion-based political parties. Islam is a religion that caters to all aspects of human life including political life. The political ideology preached by Islam is 'Caliphate'. Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) was not a mere prophet but was also the head of the first Islamic State (Medina) which he governed according to Sharia laws. After him, this legacy was carried forward by the four Caliphs. Those were the golden years for Muslims. If some political parties believe in such ideology then it is illogical to ban them. Our constitution is a democratic one which gives every individual the right to preach and practice his/her religious as well as political beliefs independently. By banning religion-based parties, the very spirit of our constitution will be contravened since they will be deprived of preaching and practising the political ideology they believe in. Such parties therefore shouldn't be banned.
Even in a secular state like India, a religion-based party BJP has not been banned and they have been in power before. It is ultimately up to the general public to decide if such parties should be voted to power or not. I am against such political parties who use religion as a tool to hoodwink people and grab power but not to practise the teachings of Islam sincerely. I don't mind if the government bans parties which advocate establishment of an Islamic state by bombing people. Therefore, I urge the government to look into this matter seriously before banning any party solely for the political ideology.
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