What Are Ambedkar’s Observations on Minority Rights?
Ambedkar observed that minority rights are absolute rights which are unconditional and every minority is entitled to claim them irrespective of any other considerations.
Ambedkar observed that minority rights are absolute rights which are unconditional and every minority is entitled to claim them irrespective of any other considerations.
Aggressive cultural nationalism become a threat to the minorities when it excludes those who do not belong and denies them the constitutional rights.
Secularism is based on the principles of freedom and equality with respect to religious practice. These two principles are the essence of democracy. Secularism is a part of democracy, which grants citizens equal rights. Secularism protects democracy by limiting the power of the majority and by protecting the equal rights of the minorities.
The colonial power divided the people by the politics of demographic enumeration thereby creating an inter-group consciousness which ultimately led to the polarization of religious groups.
No community is homogenous because it is divided on the basis of caste, class and gender and such other considerations.
Colonialism becomes colonization of the mind when the colonial power interprets the history, culture, tradition and literature of the colonized to suit their ideology.
The real motive of the colonial practice of separate electorates for Hindus and Muslims was to polarize the two religious communities politically.
The American Constitution erected a wall of separation between the State and religion for two reasons: it wanted to protect the minority religious groups from being discriminated against, and It wanted to prevent the State from adopting a Particular religion as State religion which will be harmful to democratic values.
The western concept of secularism implies: separation of politics from religion, Absence of a State religion and equal treatment of all citizens without any discrimination on the grounds of religion.