Excerpt from:
http://exclusives.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1548748.cms
Do you think secular individuals and group will have a different view on such issues?
Shahi Imam: Our problem is that we misinterpret secularism. No individual is secular. It is that states that are secular. States must not discriminate one religious community from the other. Thus the Christians and Muslims have the right to protest and request the government to follow equal treatment, to be called secular. Religious matters should be restrained. In the name of creativity, innovation, freedom of speech and thought, one has no right to hurt anyone of another faith.
I usually don't agree even a speck with Shahi Imam - but I think I agree with a part of the above statement. Individuals have faiths - hence they cannot be secular in every sense of the word - even Gandhiji went on record to state that -'I prefer Hinduism to other religions'.
However, I don't think secularism means not preferring any one faith - it simply means having equal respect for all religions. Faith makes you strong - and secularism makes you stronger. A secular person might himself prefer following a particular religion, however must respect teachings of other religions as well. Further, the more important part is, that he should not interact with another individual with a bias based on his/her religion; not prefer or spurn an individual because of his/her faith - preferring a faith to follow is okay - but preferring people on basis of faith is incorrect !
In a nutshell - faith is a matter of personal preference - lets not make it a public issue or a criteria for our public interactions!
http://exclusives.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1548748.cms
Do you think secular individuals and group will have a different view on such issues?
Shahi Imam: Our problem is that we misinterpret secularism. No individual is secular. It is that states that are secular. States must not discriminate one religious community from the other. Thus the Christians and Muslims have the right to protest and request the government to follow equal treatment, to be called secular. Religious matters should be restrained. In the name of creativity, innovation, freedom of speech and thought, one has no right to hurt anyone of another faith.
I usually don't agree even a speck with Shahi Imam - but I think I agree with a part of the above statement. Individuals have faiths - hence they cannot be secular in every sense of the word - even Gandhiji went on record to state that -'I prefer Hinduism to other religions'.
However, I don't think secularism means not preferring any one faith - it simply means having equal respect for all religions. Faith makes you strong - and secularism makes you stronger. A secular person might himself prefer following a particular religion, however must respect teachings of other religions as well. Further, the more important part is, that he should not interact with another individual with a bias based on his/her religion; not prefer or spurn an individual because of his/her faith - preferring a faith to follow is okay - but preferring people on basis of faith is incorrect !
In a nutshell - faith is a matter of personal preference - lets not make it a public issue or a criteria for our public interactions!
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