French Secularism So Unique.
Hello Friends, Let’s see how French Secularism is So Unique.
The freedom of expression in France is unique. It’s almost absolute. This means that there are no laws for blaspheming in France. These people have the right to offend someone’s religious sentiments. Thus, French political leaders believe that violence should be condemned. They even try defending France’s freedom of expression. They said that they’d maintain the ‘ Right to Offend’. Most people and countries have condemned violence. There shouldn’t be any debate regarding this.
Violence should never be an answer no matter what religious beliefs one holds. As Atal Bihari Vajpayee said,” a book should only be berated by another book”. The French government’s decision to support its freedom of expression has been widely criticized in many countries with a Muslim population. In particular, Malaysia, Turkey, and Pakistan. India has given a strong statement in support of French President Emmanuel Macron. Despite India’s support, we should keep in mind that India’s concept of freedom of expression and secularism differs greatly from France’s. The Indian constitution guarantees freedom of expression but it also puts reasonable restrictions to curb social tensions and violence.
Article 19(2) it’s stated that reasonable restrictions can be imposed on these rights. Many of you might argue that France’s stance on freedom of expression is fair and that everyone should have a right to offend. Many of you might support India’s concept of freedom of expression and argue that there should be reasonable restrictions to curb social tensions. To grasp this we first need to understand the nature of French secularism and freedom of expression. In India, secularism means that the state should be impartial to every religion.
Indian political leaders attend several religious events. Let’s not think that this started with the current government. Almost every political leader has been seen attending a religious event. French secularism has a different concept. Laicite or French secularism was defined as a law in 1905 that announced the complete separation of the state from religion. The law was a hard-fought rejection of the Catholic Church that had been influencing French Politics. These practices might seem unacceptable to us but the French citizens support them. Many believe that this extreme form of secularism, where a government could control what a person should wear in public spaces.
Today, the French population has diversified, Thus, it has become difficult to impose such extreme measures. Researchers argue that such an extreme form of secularism can create social divisions. Mocking religious authority goes back to the 18th century. This absolute freedom of expression and secularism is being opposed in the country as well. This was about freedom of expression. But there have been debates regarding secularism as well. A student told a newspaper that without the ban girls who wear the headscarf would be harassed at school. Another citizen argued that secularism entails for the government to remain impartial towards all religions. And not erase the differences between them.
