Secularism precondition for democracy

Many thanks to The Daily Star for printing recently the preamble of the Bangladesh constitution and I noticed its cornerstone pillars of nationalism, socialism, secularism, and democracy. This raises the question of whether any of these four can exist at the expense of the others. Where secularism is not firm, can there be lasting true democracy? It seems naïve to think that democracy can somehow tame extremism, because extremism is not satisfied until its world view becomes the law of the land. Enduring democracy requires enduring secularism and enduring secularism requires shunning extremism. Democracy does not mean mindless inclusion of all groups regardless of what they believe and do simply to be perceived as “free, fair, and credible”. To be qualified for democracy, groups must shun extremism which begets violence. Democracy requires secularism, and secularism is one of the four pillars of the Bangladesh constitution.
Scott Elliott
Living and working in Dhaka