UNMASKING INDIAN SECULARISM: Why We Need a New Hindu-Muslim Deal

Category Philosophy & Religion
Format Paperback
Imprint Rupa
Price 295

ISBN: 978-93-5520-406-6
Pages: 208 pages
Date: 5th May 2022

ABOUT THIS BOOK

• Was the rationale behind choosing secularism as a state policy correct?
• Was a western concept suited to a deeply religious Indian society?
• Was secularism destined to fail?
In a bold attempt to help break the impasse in Hindu–Muslim relation, this book brings a much-needed perspective to a polarized debate on conflicting notions of secularism. It calls for de-hyphenating the so-called ‘Muslim Question’ (place of Muslims in a Hindu-majority India) from the wider debate on secularism and advocates a new Hindu–Muslim deal based around the centuries-old common cultural heritage skirting religious differences.
In a refreshing break from liberal orthodoxy, the book explores the idea of a secular Hindu state which will recognize Hinduism as the official religion but guarantee equal rights to all its citizens, irrespective of their faith: a version of Britain’s secular Christian state.
An incisive analysis of why secularism failed and the rise of majoritarian Hindu nationalism, it underlines the urgent need for a new road map to restore communal harmony before it’s too late for course correction.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Hasan Suroor is a well-known journalist and has written extensively on identity politics and Hindu–Muslim relations. He was a Press Fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge University, studying the British experience of multiculturalism. His previous works include India’s Muslim Spring: Why Is Nobody Talking About It? Who Killed Liberal Islam and Making Sense of Modi’s India (ed).