Editorial
Use of religion in politics
A phenomenon secularists must be wary of
At a meet held in Dhaka recently, participants voiced concern over increasing use of religion in South Asian politics. Bangladesh too is facing its demon. The recent desecration of Buddhist sites of worship in Chittagong Hill Tracts drove home the message that obscurantist elements are never short of devious machinations. It points to secular and democratic forces not rising to the occasion to combat this new menace.
However, like Bangladesh, countries in the neighbourhood have their hands full dealing with their own home-grown extremism that freely indulges in using religion to advance political goals. That this is a regional reality is not lost on anyone. What is now obvious is that merely enshrining "secularism" in the constitution of a nation does not automatically guarantee that its spirit will permeate all levels of society. That the religious right has been partially successful in portraying secularist governments as "anti-religion" is ominous enough.
Religious extremism has gotten to a stage in certain countries in South Asia where we find that rather than meeting the challenge head on, some governments may be found negotiating with them. This is a common problem in South Asia. Since obscurantist forces are not averse to using violence to achieve their goals, we would urge governments across the subcontinent and beyond to increase cooperation in combating this very real threat.
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