Do you agree with the following statements ? Give reasons for supporting or opposing any of them.

(a) Secularism does not allow us to have a religious identity.

(b) Secularism is against inequality within a religious group or between different religious groups.

(c) Secularism has a western Christian origin. It is not suitable for India.

(a) I disagree. Secularism does  allow us to have a religious identity. It gives equal respect to all religion. 

(b)Secularism is against inequality both within a religious group and between different religious groups. The Indian government maintains equality within religious groups to prevent discrimination and eradicate practices that are exploitative for an individual.

(c) I oppose this statement. India evolved a variant of secularism that is not just an implant from the west on Indian soil. The fact is that the secularism has both western and nonwestern origins. In the west, it was the Church-state separation which was central and in countries such as India, the ideas of peaceful co-existence of different religious communities has been important.