IB 511: Religious Intolerance and Identity Crisis in South Asia Report

This report, submitted to the University of Dhaka, examines the escalating issue of religious intolerance and the subsequent identity crisis within the contemporary context of South Asia. It delves into the complexities of identity-based politics, the exploitation of national identities for political gain, and the resulting conflicts among diverse religious and cultural groups. The report highlights the increasing ethnicization of politics, the tensions between majority and minority groups, and the impact of globalization on local conflicts. It explores the role of religion in shaping nation-building, the challenges faced by minorities, and the implications of religious intolerance on human rights and democracy. The analysis covers the political dynamics of South Asian countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal, addressing the historical, social, and political interconnections within the region. The report concludes with a call for tolerance and pragmatic political and social movements to overcome religious biases and promote inclusivity.

IB – 511: International Relations
Term Paper
Religious Intolerance and identity crisis in the
contemporary context of South-Asia
Submitted To
Mohammad Rakib Uddin Bhuiyan
Associate Professor
Department of International Business
Faculty of Business Studies
University of Dhaka
Submitted By
Tanzim Rahman
ID No: KJ-030-079
Master of Business Administration (MBA Program)
Department of International Business
University of Dhaka
Date of Submission: 12th April, 2021

Executive summary
This paper discusses the rising strife in South Asian countries centering religious intolerance
towards minorities, for the most part as well as the practice of identity-based politics and the
actions taken as such to use national identities as a manipulative excuse. Being the home to a large
percentage of the world’s population fighting for scarce resources in an insufficient surface area,
South Asian people varies greatly in terms of religion and culture. Conflicts among such groups
based on their identities is hardly a new occurrence in this part of the world. However, the recent
intensities of related incidents is a proof that things are taking a turn for the worse, as the fact that
such sentiments are used for political gain in an era of tolerance and acceptance, is highly
concerning. The topics presented in this paper will hopefully give the readers an overview of the
situation and make them more aware of the happenings and consequences relating to religion and
identity-based politics.

Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1
Religious intolerance and resulting identity crisis in the politics of
South-Asia ........................................................................................................... 2
Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 5
References ........................................................................................................... 6

1
Introduction
In the South Asian countries as a whole, politics has become increasingly ethicized. Around the
same time, there's something new about recent conflicts: the overwhelming magnitude with which
globalization and current state constitution have resulted in local ethnic clashes. Sketching out a
picture of the complicated relationship of religion, politics, nation building, and terrorism in South
Asia, we find out that religion has played an important role in the development of most modern
states in the region. Another element that has played an important role in the mix of religion and
politics in South Asia is ethnicity. The minority-majority tensions have played a key role in
shaping South Asian politics. Although ethnic and religious nationalist movements throughout
South Asia's history have been very powerful, states in their reaction to such movements must be
careful not to give the movements more momentum. We are entering a new phase of crisis in
which majoritarianism is ascendant not only socially, but also politically in many of these
communities, especially India, where the notion of secularism and the defense of religious
minorities appears particularly bloodstained in today’s world. This relationship between politics
and religion and the resulting identity crisis is discussed here.

2
Religious intolerance and resulting identity crisis in the politics of
South-Asia
South Asia is the birthplace of four of the world’s religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and
Jainism. Three that come from West Asia: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism arrived later.
Zoroastrianism, the major religion in ancient Persia (now Iran) until it became Muslim, also
survives in India. The cultural as well as political dynamics of South Asian countries manifest
closely related colonial pasts, postcolonial histories, multiethnic populations and forms of political
leadership and governance. At the same time, religion in politics does not limit the content of this
special issue, which is also deeply invested in examining the politics of religion and faith and the
ways in which caste, class, gender, ethnicity, sectarianism and other divides rupture and reframe
sacred spaces, discourses or performances. All the south-Asian countries, including India, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal has been facing this religious issue in their politics.
That religion and faith are central to the lives of ordinary people in South Asia is not something
that is contested. The tumultuous history of the societies that composes the South Asian region
testifies to the fundamental role that religion and particularly the politics of ‘majority’ and
‘minority’ religions has played in shaping ideas of nation, state and citizenship. This brings out
the distinction of South Asia as a region as well. South Asia is not merely a region in geographical
terms but is also historically, socially and politically deeply interconnected. Pakistan, Bangladesh
and India have origin stories that cannot be unlinked from each other.
Politics particularly in relation to minorities in one state tend to have its echoes across boundaries.
If Hindu minorities are attacked in Bangladesh or Pakistan, this tends to have reverberations in
India. The fact that a minority in one state is a majority in another and that this is not accidental
but a product of definite historical choices has major implications for the way in which the politics
of religion has developed over the decades in the countries of this region. Thus, the minorities in
one country are related by ethnicity or religion to neighboring states. This often has an adverse
effect on the situation of minorities in these states. In some states, minorities are considered a ‘fifth
column’ and security considerations rather than the concerns of liberal democracy appear to affect
the ways these states treat or deal with these minorities. Global terror discourses have typically

3
constituted the minorities of some of these states as suspect, including, for instance, Tamils of Sri
Lanka or Muslims of India.
As Pfaff-Czarnecka and Rajasingham-Senanayake (1999: 9) argue, there has been an increasing
ethnicization of politics in the South (and Southeast) Asian region as a whole. In addition, in
countries such as Sri Lanka, India or Nepal, the dominant ethno-religious group has developed
what may be termed as a ‘minority complex’ and is seeking to regain its position of historical
supremacy, which is apparently threatened by the numerically smaller religious-cultural groups in
these states. All these societies have seen violence, hatred and bloodshed in the name of religion.
The countries in South-Asia have incorporated fundamental rights for all citizens and special rights
for minorities. despite this, such intolerance based on religious beliefs is a common issue in this
region. For example, in both Bangladesh and Pakistan, the Hindus, particularly, are viewed as a
fifth column and become a target whenever there is violence against Muslims in India. Christians
too have suffered several attacks following the US-led war in Afghanistan. So, it is clear is that
‘religion’ is hardly disappearing from the countries of South Asia. At least, the ethnicization of
religious boundaries in the political domain remains extremely significant, even if within the
communities themselves, fluidity of faith and practice are tolerated. The limit of that tolerance is
itself questionable as groups come into conflict over the purity of faith and there is sectarian as
well as other differences that emerge. All the while, religious boundaries are sharpened and
become the basis for struggling against or making claims on the state. Yet, faith as a personal
project of spirituality and salvation should not be completely effaced.
Although ethnic and religious nationalist movements throughout South Asia's history have been
very powerful, states in their reaction to such movements must be careful not to give the
movements more momentum. In particular, states must guard against taking punitive actions
against an entire ethnic or religious group as a means to respond to terrorists or other violent
separatist movements. Thus, states often with the best of intention set into motion a vicious cycle
where in the fight against terrorism, the states commit human rights violations that weaken the
health of the democracy as a whole and actually in the end create further grievances that are used
by the terrorists to justify their actions.

4
In the above background, there is deep and extensive divide in the society and the identity crisis
has deepened in many minds. But if we can take cognizance of aforesaid social trends, with
pragmatic united political and social movement, the politics of south Asia can be more open to
people from all religious beliefs.

5
Conclusion
Religious freedom is a basic human right that is guaranteed by both the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In addition, most states
grant religious freedom in their constitutions and national statutes. Religious bigotry, sexism,
crime, and populism, on the other hand, are on the rise in Asia. While some political leaders have
used religion to consolidate their own personal or political power for reputational or financial
reasons, others have genuinely sought to establish a religious state or at least to formally
institutionalize religious values. Overall, it seems that states are not doing enough to prevent
violence from occurring, or protecting religious minorities during periods of violence, bringing
justice to victims, arresting perpetrators, providing adequate compensation and taking preventative
steps to break the cycle of religious violence. What is necessary is that all parties should be more
tolerant to come to an end to this practice of religious biased based politics.

6
References
Hussain, Ishtiaq. 2010. ‘Religious Minorities in Pakistan: Mapping Sind and Baluchistan’, in
Manchanda, Rita States in Conflict with Their Minorities: Challenges to Minority Rights in South
Asia. New Delhi: SAGE Publications, 173–203.
Mohsin, Amena . 1999. ‘National Security and the Minorities: The Bangladesh Case’, in Sheth, D.
L., Mahajan, G. Minority Identities and the Nation-state. New Delhi: Oxford University
Press, 312–32
Manchanda, Rita. 2010. ‘Introduction’, in Manchanda, Rita States in Conflict with Their
Minorities: Challenges to Minority Rights in South Asia. New Delhi: SAGE Publications, 1–30
Zia, Shahla . 2010. ‘Discrimination in Pakistan Against Religious Minorities: Constitutional
Aspects’, in Manchanda, Rita States in Conflict with Their Minorities: Challenges to Minority
Rights in South Asia. New Delhi: SAGE Publications, 143–72.
Pfaff-Czarnecka, Joanna, Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake. 1999. ‘Introduction’, in Pfaff-
Czarnecka, Joanna, Rajasingham-Senanayake, Darini, Nandy, Ashis, Gomez, Edmund
Terence Ethnic Futures: The State and Identity Politics in Asia. New Delhi: SAGE
Publications, 9–40.
Robinson, R. (2017) ‘The Politics of Religion and Faith in South Asia’, Society and Culture in
South Asia, 3(2), pp. vii–xx. doi:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_discrimination_in_Pakistan