In Search of Peace

The real question is how to build up trust between the two religions so that Islamophobia is staved off. At the core of both Hinduism and Islam lay the ideas of love, acceptance and togetherness that can offset Islamophobia and Hindutva

- Tanvir Aeijaz

ANTICIPATING  burgeoning bigotry and communalism in independent India, the founding experts of our Constitution laid down two important fundamental rights to safeguard against ethnonational conflicts and riots. Article 25 provides right to freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion and Article 26 guarantees all religious denominations freedom to manage their religious affairs. Both provisions, in essence, sought ‘equal respect’ for all religions by the State and by members within the civil society, for what Nehru explained as ‘‘free play for all religions, subject only to their not interfering with each other or with the basic conceptions of our State.” The courts, while interpreting these provisions, are expected to be more sensitive to religious and legal pluralism and be respectful of religious freedoms, celebratory neutrality and reformatory justice.