Welcome to the secular Nepal where being Nepali is the true religion. Now extremists should stop politicizing religion.
By Deepak Adhikari
Nepal became another secular state at a time when fundamentalism is growing in different parts of the planet. But, this oldest nation state of South Asia has a history of harmony that is rarely found in the world. Christians in neighboring India decode Brown’s Da Vinci Code as blasphemous. Srilanka is ravaged by communal violence. Minority Hindus and Christians are suppressed in Pakistan. But Nepal has remain a safe haven for people of different faiths.
Professor Lokraj Baral writes in his book Rajtantra Ki Loktantra (Monarchy or Democracy?): “The foundation of Nepali state was on the basis of four castes and 36 colors as propounded by late Prithvi Narayan Shah. This made the monarchy very rigid as a source of power. The constitution of 2015 (1959), however, was secular. But, that too mentioned king as Hindu. After the coup by king Mahendra in 2017, the systematic discrimination on the basis of religion began.” (article continues after the box)
I am a Hindu BUT…
By Dinesh Wagle
In my recent trip to the United States, I faced one question that I found quite difficult to answer in a single word. “What’s your religion?” was one question people would ask me at one point of the conversation. But I never asked them what their religion was. “I am a Hindu,” I used to reply but not without adding a few words to explain the answer. “BUT only when it comes at filling out forms.” Then I tried to tell the questioner what I had written in my personal web site nearly four years ago under the title “Belief in the God“:I follow Hindu traditions because I was born and raised in a family which considers Hindu as the religion, tradition and the culture. I am more than a liberal when it comes to religion. I equally respect other religions and think there is only one God. Yes, be it Christ or Shiva; Vishnu or Buddha or Muhammad.
What I think is respecting other’s religion is a RELIGION itself. Secularism is a way of respecting each other’s religion. Every individual has right to practice religion of his/her choice. And the state shouldn’t give priority to one religion over the other. Religion and politics should be kept separate. Religions shouldn’t dictate politics. The difference between India and Nepal is that we have comparatively tolerant religious tradition. Our Hindus and Muslims or Christians are more assimilated with each other than people with different faith in other countries.
There is a big hue and cry over the recent Parliament Proclamation that declared Nepal a secular state. There is no more the ‘world’s only Hindu kingdom’ title before or after Nepal. This is indeed a good decision because many people in the country were fighting for religious equality in Nepal. Majority of people in Nepal are traditionally Hindu and this situation will remain for centuries to come. There is no reason to relate the threat to Hindu religion to the declaration of secularism. Nepal is very different from other countries of the world because we haven’t have religions problems. We have now the challenge to contain those religious fundamentalists who are trying to fish in the dirty water by raising the voices like making Nepal a secular state is equal to pushing the Hindu religions to the edge.
The continuation of Nepal as Hindu kingdom is redundant now. To emphasize one religion means to minimize others. Hindu religion doesn’t preach disrespect to other religion, but teaches not to discriminate any one on the basis of religion. If to be Hindu is a matter of pride, other religious groups or even the atheists should be equally respected. To do so, the state should not be aligned to any religion. State should be devoid of religion. Rather, it should be directed by the politics of people’s aspirations.
Nepal has a history of people adhering to multiple faiths living in harmony. Our own lifestyles and cultural behavior define us as Nepalis. Thus, to be Nepali in itself is a religion. Moreover, ours is a country where a plethora of class, caste, languages working together making it one of few diverse countries in the world. Loktantra or full-fledged democracy is a system that encompasses the minorities. In loktantric system, a state that adopts a religion hurting a minority is unconceivable.
Though Hindu religion as such doesn’t advocate caste division. But, the practitioners used it as a tool to suppress so-called lowly caste. We should condemn such discriminations that are played citing religious scriptures. The newfound secularism has sent a positive message among minorities in Nepal. But, this part of the world has shown an example of religious tolerance even in the turbulent times.
>>Inputs from Monday’s editorial in Kantipur daily.
United We Blog 
Comments
128 responses to “Nepal as a Secular State: All Religions Equal”
now bloggers playing the hindu card supporting the hindu monarchy, it is on the same Vishnu line.
Is religion not a personal thing, fundamentalists like muslims are killing those who are converting to another one.
Hindu and Muslim in India are killing each other because of their religion, in Sri Lanka Hindu and Buddhist are doing the same, but nobody will attack the Hindu in Nepal because they are undisputed majority, so who are the Hindus in Nepal aiming?
I support the idea of “Hindu Republic of Nepal”
The incident at the inaar, when a bahun baaje asked you to step aside when he is getting his “chokho paani” is disturbing and I understand your feeling. but it is very common in our culture because our religion stresses on “individual freedom” and “personal way of life”. the baaje of course did not ask you to bathe in a certain way and perform puja, did he? He was doing it for himself and he wanted help from you. And also, if he thinks you are untouchable and lower in caste, that is his problem. You can deny him the same way if you want to revenge him. In Hinduism there are so many paths and ways and one does not froce the other, that is why they have been surviving. For example, my mother is a Vaishnawa. I cannot even touch her most of the time, such as when she is praying, eating and the like. she is a strict vegetarian and lives her own life. My father loves to eat meat but only goat and my mother does not eat with him, neither does she allow him in the prayer room. I eat literally anything, but my wife is again a vegetarian. On the day I eat meat, I cannot even sleep with her in the bed. But we all respect each other, u nderstande our differences and live together. This is the story of most of our families. We have stronger and more caring families than any other country in the world. Why? How? Because of our tolerance. My mother has never tried to force my father or me. We are all happy in our ways.
Imagine, is it possible in a Christian society? In a Muslim society, even a slight difference in opinion is DEATH. “All must behave, eat, beleive the same way.” You cannot invent your own way and practice it without risking your life from the religious fundamentalist authorities. Try it in a Muslim country and you will see it.
Hinduism practices diversity and tolerance. That is why so many ethnic cultures, which always contradit each other, have survived over these thousands of years.
yes, I do not like the caste system and the idea of superiority and inferiority but our constitution and law does not discriminate it.
We already have a system that is indifferent to caste hierarchy.
And also, look at the new generation, how they theink. Nobody, whether they are Brahmins or newaars or Sherpaa, beleives and practices the caste system. After the old people (how long will they live?), Nepal will see the country run by only the neo-liberal generation. the caste system will no more exist.
So why this secularism? I know why, to PROMOTE CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM IN NEPAL and to convert Nepal from a peaceful country into a battleground of faiths between the two colonizing religions.
It’s about Change and Status Quo.
-Why would the Royalists want to change to Democrats when they were benefiting from royal patronage?
-Why would corrupt politicians change into clean politicians and pass the necessary laws to control corruptions including laws that mean severe punishment for the corrupt?
-Why would Maobadi’s stop their extortion and drop their guns and instead live quietly during the ceasefire?
-Why would you…ah you don’t want to hear this because it would hurt to hear the truth.
Aryal, that was an interesting write up. A baje defending a baje! Unfortunately in the rural areas some lower caste people get killed for daring to drink from the same well as the upper castes. But we don’t want to discuss that here. Since you eat everything I guess you get to sleep alone a lot huh?
One question if proselytizing religion in Nepal was banned would you guys be happy with being secular?
Birjunj shut down for the second day
Led by World Hindu Federation (WHF), Hindu religious organizations shut down the southern town of Birgunj, Parsa district, for the second consecutive day on Thursday, against the parliament’s declaration turning Nepal into a secular state.
Reports from Birgunj said hundreds of activists associated with various Hindu religious organizations blocked the roads and marketplaces. They also blocked the Birgunj-Kalaiya road and the Tribhuvan highway from early morning.
However, no violent incidents took place during the protests, reports added.
At least one dozen Hindu religious organizations instantly threw their weight behind the WFP’s call for protest against the declaration to turn Nepal as a security state from a Hindu Kingdom. They have demanded that the House of Representatives withdraw its declaration.
WFP is a fundamentalist Hindu outfit lead by Bharat Keshar Singh, the honorary ADC of the King. The erstwhile royal government had shelled out millions of rupees to Singh to organise a WFF’s public meetings, according to reports.
“It’s about Change and Status Quo.”
Change is good but should well thought. I redress again, Evolution not Revolution. No instant solutions please.
“The incident at the inaar, when a bahun baaje asked you to step aside when he is getting his “chokho paani” is disturbing and I understand your feeling. but it is very common in our culture because our religion stresses on “individual freedom” and “personal way of life”. the baaje of course did not ask you to bathe in a certain way and perform puja, did he?”
Really, are you just trying to argue nonsense or do you even realizing your argument cancels itself. What is wrong is wrong. The Baje should not be allowed to do that and it is a discriminatory act. But i do agree an instant Hindu to secular status is not the right way, the people have to be secularized first. Yet i redress again, we need to evolve to that status first. Otherwise i fear the rise of hindu fundamentalism will gain support. Like it or not, you have to take all things under consideration, and the politicians just dont do that. They pass any bill that they seem anatagonist to the monarchy, so they can weaken it. I am afraid the monarchy will get support from fundamentalist channels and we will again have a un-religious monarchy supported by religious fundamentalist who care more abour the gown than the scripture.
Viva la Educacion, albeit, viva la evulacion. The only proven an safe way to do it.
Culture,
You sound like an idiot. Don’t go on quoting French philosophers when you don’t understand what they’re saying, please. You know one or two things about them and want to show off. Please, leave. We’ve seen your type before.
You’re not fit to comment on what a real revolution is or is not. Your statements about the French Revolution show that you have no idea what you’re talking about. Nothing like the idiot who reads five pages of history and thinks he knows all there is to know.
Well culture,
“viva la educacion” is not french, in France it would be “vive la revolution”,
the reason Nepal government has declared Nepal a secular state is now clear, the fundamentalist are backing the royalist and they are trying to influence the people. Monarchy and religion is strongly rooted and interwoven in Nepal and that is were they get support from Indian fundamendalist in the terai.
Characteristics of Nepal
language=Nepali(only)
religion=Hindu(only)
caste=Chhetri and Bahun
sex=Male etc etc
this is what the hindu fundamentalists want
The moderator is a bigot!! I posted links for critical analysis of secularism and religion but removed my comment and links. If this site as blog is filled with bigotry then why continue this blog?
May be the moderator also have been bribed by Christian missionaries, pope or peadophile christians priest!!
http://www.christianaggression.org
You people have been brainwashed by western stuff. Cannot differentiate between the fundamentalist and protector of religion. You only bark because your western masters have said so. You should all visit this website and read links of what is happening in secular India and I am 100% sure that same will happen to Nepal in the future.
http://www.christianaggression.org
Laxmi,
hindu religion is not established by monarchy of Nepal. Hindu religion has seen many uprising and downfall of monarchies not only KG. So relating to it is basesless discussion like of Ramachandra Paudel.
making religion a battlefield is just the issue, go on
I appreciate it should not be made battlefield that is all…but one has right to protest in Loktantra…
manan,
If you think i have a inaccurate representation of the french revolution please cite my innacuracy and correct it. That is if you can, saying im wrong dosnt prove you right, you have to prove me wrong. Since, you want to get technical.
“Well culture,
“viva la educacion” is not french, in France it would be “vive la revolution””
your right laxmi, your a bloody genius, but i aint supporting a revolution. I am a evolutionist. And yes i was using spanish and not french. The point was evolution via education not revolution via secularism. I guess Padma Kanya is decreasing its standards.
The Politics of Caste in Conversion
Posted September 13, 2005
By Sandhya Jain
Organiser
September 11, 2005
The recent Supreme Court judgment discouraging additions to the list of religious minorities and the Central Government’s failure to arrive at a consensus over the Women’s Reservation Bill provide an occasion to debate the meaning of caste and religion, and their usage as instruments of reservation benefits.
From the time of the British Raj, caste has been used to berate Hindu society and has acquired negative connotations in public discourse. Though political parties canvass mass support through caste affiliations, political discourse labels it illegitimate. Even constitutional affirmative action for underprivileged castes is used to put upper caste Hindu society in the dock, though efforts are on to extend the use of caste for political ends. At present, organised religious minorities have launched a virtual crusade for the benefits of caste-based reservations. We need to examine the merits of this quest in terms of the genesis of caste and its applicability to those who have seceded from the Hindu fold.
Caste, the Portuguese name for the Hindu jati and gotra, is simply the organising principle of ancient Indian society. It was the means by which diverse groups in society were integrated and mutual conflicts resolved, on the matrix of an evolving dharma. Both caste and dharma emphasised heredity because ancestry (gotra) was imperative as the spirits of the ancestors had to be invoked in all social sacraments (samskara) to establish the individual’s worthiness to receive the sacrament.
Though apparently restrictive, all groups accepted the heredity principle and “created” ancestries and fabled origins as they progressed in life. The Mundas of Chotanagpur, who were originally organised into exogamous sects called Kilis, changed their Kilis into Gotras. Thus Sandi Kili became Sandil Gotra and Nom Tuti Kili evolved into Bhoj-Raj-Gotra. The Koch tribes of Assam metamorphosed into Bhanga-Kshatriya or Rajbansi, and claimed affinity with Rajputs.
Caste or jati is rooted in the tribal concept of gotra. Sociologists have traced the origins of the Barabhum royal family in eastern India to the Bhumij of the ancient Gulgu clan. The early forts of the Barabhum rajas were at Pabanpur (near Bhula, burial ground of the clan) and Bhuni, where the royal (tribal) Goddess Koteshwari had her sacred grove. But when the Bhumij chiefs claimed Rajput status, they shed their tribal affiliations by renouncing the clan ossuary at Bhula. A similar process was discerned among the tribal Bhumij of Baghmundi and the Manbhum Bhumij. The Bhumij are organised in patrilineal exogamous clans (gotras) affiliated to ancestral villages where the clan ossuaries are located. Gotra is thus the organising principle of tribal societies and the key constituent of Hindu social identity.
Given this reality, the question arises whether individuals and groups who have renounced their Hindu identity should get the benefits of a caste identity. Today, amidst mounting evidence that SC/ST reservations in educational institutions are being surreptitiously cornered by non-Hindus, some are asking why individuals who reject their Hindu identity should retain their caste names and thus mislead society.
It is well known that both Christianity and Islam systematically wiped out the traditional religion and culture in the lands where they spread. Christianity humbled Europe through untold brutality, and the Pope’s talk of Europe’s “Christian roots” cannot disguise the truth that the religion is a cruel imposition of only 2000 years. As for the genocides against the native peoples of North and South America, Australia, and the enslavement of Africa, the less said the better. Islam, similarly, triumphed by wiping out traditional communities (including Christian) where it became dominant.
My point is that both these religions have shown zero tolerance for even vestiges of the old religions in regions where they came to have sway. Both have periodically launched movements against “heretics” and resisted the liberalisation of dogma. While Islam today has the tabligh movement to cleanse Muslim adherents of old practices of their former faith traditions, Christian clergy are engaged in battle with the modern god called “secularism”.
Tolerance of, or co-existence with, old faith identities is therefore ruled out in both religions. In India, they do not even respect the right of the Hindu community to remain the majority community, and persist with aggressive attempts at conversions, vitiating the atmosphere all over the country. It therefore makes little sense to permit so-called Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims to garner reservation benefits intended to overcome social disabilities of Hindu society. If erstwhile Dalits find that Christianity and Islam mistreat them, they must approach appropriate judicial forums for redressal of their grievances or come back to the Hindu fold.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has rendered a sterling service by discouraging the trend towards listing distinct religious groups as “minority communities”. Indeed, as Swami Dayanand Saraswati pointed out in his reaction to the judgment, there are sound reasons why we should reject the classification of minorities on religious grounds. What is happening is that in India transnational religions with enormous numerical, economic and political clouts are claiming privileges as minorities.
India’s religious minorities have access to the enormous resource base of their global co-religionists, yet seek benefits that should go to more needy and deprived sections. The Vatican in Rome caters to the interests of Catholics, while the World Council of Churches in Geneva looks after Protestants. The 2.1 billion-strong Christian community constitutes one-third of the world population, and its clout and reach extends beyond national boundaries, as does that of Islam. Adherents of these transnational faiths, therefore, cannot legitimately be designated as minorities.
The Supreme Court rightly feels that classification of groups as minorities is “a serious jolt to the secular structure of constitutional democracy”. Not only would it generate “feelings of multi-nationalism in various sections of the people,” but it would hinder national integration. The judgment should serve as a stepping stone in the direction of abolishing the category of minority in the Constitution. The educational and cultural rights of all groups can be protected by equal laws for all educational and cultural institutions—it is time to level the playing field.
Let us listen what the fundamentalists say;
Fundamentalist Christians: (offense) Come and convert to Christianity. Jesus is the only way and all others are wrong and will go to hell. Give up your false gods and come and accept Jesus. Only we can give you heaven. We conquered Africa, we conquered Europe, America and part of India. Now it is the time for Nepal.
Fundamentalist Muslims: (offense) Come and convert to Islam. Islam is the only way and all others are wrong and will go to hell. Give up your false gods and come and accept Islam. Only we can give you heaven. We conquered Africa, we conquered the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan and part of India. Now it is the time for Nepal.
Fundamentalist Hindus: (defence) Why do you come to convert us? Leave us alone, we have not pestered your people. Let us keep our culture and identity and you keep yours. We do not go to convert you, then why do you come to us? We already have peace. Do not interfere our life.
UWB: Please do not use others’ name to post your views. The name of this poster has been deleted.
UWB, the impostor is at it again!
hello everyone it was really interesting to go through some of the dicussion though icould not go through all the discussion…i will some day..i think this is what we are talking about…i agree most of the points made by everyone..but what i feel as a peace student, ok i m doing my peace studies in europe..it is not the time to think about what hinduism is and who is hindu and who is muslim or christian.. we should talk about how to bring peace in our country which is the most important thing for us right now.concentrate on what is important not on history or what religion says..i know through the classes that all religion says to respect eachother and viloate it…..it depends how you use it..i am a hindu but there are questions in my mind can i call myself a hindu??since hinduism talks so much ahimsa and i am not a vegetarian. so forget about it….just focus on how can we get peace back not getting into more of problems and creating more…we alrealdy had enough…more than enough so dont creat more…..its time to move ahead not move backward….
just remb there which ever religion u belong to ..all it says is no to violence …
peace…is what we should concentrate on…
opps sorry..on the 10 line i meant and not to violate it…sorry …hope no confusion..
Include nepali full date and other more information?
Include nepali full date and other more information about this with advantgae and demerits
Spot on with this write-up, I truly believe that this amazing site needs a lot
more attention. I’ll probably be returning to read more, thanks for the information!
Thanks it helped me a lot in doiņg
homework 😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇