Communalism (South Asia)

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This article deals with the use of the word communalism in South Asia, as a name for a force separating different communities based on some form of social or sectarian discrimination. See the article communalism for the use of the word to denote a force uniting people into a community, as it is used in other parts of the world where English is a major language.

Communalism is used in South Asia to denote attempts to promote primarily religious stereotypes between groups of people identified as different communities and to stimulate violence between those groups.

The sense given to this word in South Asia is represented by the word sectarianism outside South Asia.

Communalism is mainly between Hindus versus Muslims as well as Christians

Political parties are generally considered to play an important role in stimulating, supporting and/or suppressing communalism.

Examples of communalist violence, with strong motivations based on religious identity allegedly encouraged by politicians, include:

• the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots in which the Congress party allegedly played a role in the killing of about 3000 Sikhs following the assassination of Indira Gandhi
• events during the 1990s leading to the Gujarat riots during which the organisations and political parties known as Sangh Parivar were alleged to play important roles in encouraging the killings
• the activity of the Wahabist Tabligh-e-Islam and other Muslim extremist groups.

In Lebanon, communalism, taïfiyya in Arabic, is a derogatory term for the political system based on religious communities.

[edit] See also

• Sectarianism

[edit] References

Ludden, David, editor. Contesting the Nation: Religion, Community, and the Politics of Democracy in India, edited by David Ludden (Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania, 1996). Manuel, Peter. "Music, the Media, and Communal Relations in North India, Past and Present," in Contesting the Nation: Religion, Community, and the Politics of Democracy in India, edited by David Ludden (Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania, 1996), pp. 119-39.

[edit] External links

• Communalism Combat magazine
• Communalism in India by Teesta Setalvad
• Analyses of communalism in India
• Coalition against Communalism
• Notes on the Muslim Question in India Articles on Muslims and caste, anti-Muslim communalism, and related topics.
• Let’s combat communalism
• Communalists and their communities