On Jun 22, 2006, at 10:19 AM, ulhas wrote:
>
> India's anti-colonial movement was predominantly a secular movement.
> Hindu sectarian currents like the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha were on
> the periphery of the anti-colonial
> movement or were even hostile to it. Muslim sectarian politics became
> a mass phenomena primarily in 1940s, ie few years before independence.
> The British imperialism played a substantial role in building up
> Muslim sectarian movement which ultimately lead to the Partition of
> British India. India remains a secular state though Indian secularism
> faced a serious threat in the 1980-90s from Hindu sectarian movements.
> Since BJP's defeat in 2004 elections, BJP is in complete disarray. The
> claim that "Religion has come to be a tool of the state which is used
> to homogenise society" in India is a dubious one.
according to Eqbal Ahmad it was kind of inbetween. Gandhi hindued up the movement used alot of hindu concepts, the rule of Ram, symbols, devotional music etc. for mass mobilization. there's the famous phrase "mr gandhi is spiritualizing the hindu nationalist movement". he wasn't sectarian but alot of things he did inadvertantly contributed to it. before that muslim nationalism was whipped up in an attempt to save the caliphate in turkey. i would say that the leaders of the anti colonial movement were secular.
~J