See the humanity in others - celebrate religious and cultural diversity

THIS lecture, on the centenary of the Arya Samaj South Africa, is a tribute to the enduring legacy and memory of the late Pundit Nardev Vedalankar.

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As a teacher, religious and cultural leader, Pundit Vedalankar espoused and lived by values that stood in direct contrast with what the apartheid state sought to advance as gospel — he lived by the idea of a common and shared humanity — not divided by race, religion, language and difference.

This is important when the world is severely fractured and religious identity is often used to fracture it even more. This message that we share much more in common than that which makes us different is critical and must continue to be heard.

Pundit Vedalankar’s influence extended beyond religion, and he could see the community he served not in narrow terms but within the broader South African landscape.

Issues such as caste discrimination, gender discrimination and gender-based violence were and continue to be matters of concern — demonstrating that our religious and cultural beliefs do not, and cannot, exist in isolation.

Sadly, we continue to see the ongoing manifestation of these social ills even 30 years after the Constitution's adoption, and they persist quite stubbornly. And so, in a democratic state, one asks - how does identity manifest itself in all its different facets, in diverse societies such as ours?

How do you create the space for all of them to flourish while avoiding the domination of one over the other or the fracturing of societies as different identities assert and claim what they may regard as their rightful space?

The preamble to our Constitution recognises the bewildering diversity that defines South Africa, expressing the hope that we can be united in our diversity.

Section 15 of the Bill of Rights recognises the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion.

In doing so, it expressly provides that this recognition must be consistent with other provisions of the Constitution.

Cultural liberty