In which month and year did France pass a law banning students from
wearing any conspicuous religious signs or symbols?
April 2006
February 2004
March 2005
January 2003
Which of the following is a fundamental right?
Right to Work
Right to Freedom of Religion
Right to Property
Right to Marriage
The Indian Constitution mandates that the Indian states be
Secular
Religiously inclined
Discrimination oriented
Tyranny
The Right to Equality bans the practice of
Sati system
Reservation
Untouchability
Child marriage
In which country are non-Muslims not allowed to build temples or
churches?
Israel
Iraq
Saudi Arabia
In which country do children studying in government schools have to begin
their school day reciting the pledge of allegiance?
New Zealand
Canada
Brazil
USA
allegiance duty
Unity of India lies in our
Religion
Diversity
Caste
Coercion means
Requesting someone to do something
Ordering someone to do something
Forcing someone to do something
All the above
Non-interference means
Respect of one religion
Respect for no religion
Respect the sentiments of all religions
None of the above
The Indian state is
Not secular
Does not support one religion
Not ruled by religious groups
None of the above
Celebration of religious festivals cannot happen in which schools?
2
Government schools
NGO-operated schools
Private schools
None of the above
Which of the following is a fundamental right?
Right to Freedom of Religion
Right to Property
Right to Work
Right to Marriage
What is referred to as separation of religion from the state?
Secularism
Sovereign
Monarchy
Socialistic
Hitler established a dictatorial regime in Germany and persecuted
various innocent people. Which community was persecuted the most by
Hitler?
Jews were persecuted the most by Hitler.
Principled Distance can be defined as
Principled Distance means that the states interference in religion has to be
based on the ideals laid out in the constitution
A few countries are not secular and restrict the people belonging to
other religions from practicing their religion. Which of the following
countries does not allow its citizens to build temples, churches etc.?
A) India
B) Pakistan C) Saudi Arabia
D) Sri Lanka
Saudi Arabia does not allow its citizens to build temples, church etc. as it is
a Muslim state
Which of the following features is not a component of the First
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?
A) Non intervention of state in religious matters
B) Interference of state in religious matters
C) Non interference of state and religion in each others affairs
D) Prohibition of legislation, which denies free practice of religion
Interference of state in matters of religion is not an feature of the First
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The Indian Constitution provides the citizens the right to freely
practice their religion. Which Articles of the Constitution guarantee
religious freedom to all Indian citizens?
A) 14, 15, 16, 17
B) 19, 20, 21, 22
C) 23, 24
D) 25, 26, 27, 28
Articles 25, 26, 27 and 28 provide religious freedom to all citizens of India.
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The most important aspect of secularism is the
A) separation of state from religion
B) separation of politics from religion
C) separation of one community from the other
D) mixing of religion with state
The separation of state from religion is the most important aspect of
secularism.
Untouchability has been abolished by the constitution of India. Which
article of the Indian Constitution abolishes untouchability?
Article 17 of the Indian Constitution abolishes untouchability.
What is the one significant difference between American and Indian
secularism?
The State can intervene in religious matters in India unlike the USA where
state intervention in religious matters is strictly forbidden.
The separation of the State from religion does not ensure the freedom to
A) interpret religious teachings differently
B) defame other religious groups
C) practice religion ones individual choice
D) exit from a religion
1. Secularism in USA
i. State intervention in religion
2. Principled distance
ii. First amendment
3. Secularism in India
iii. Respect for sentiments of all religions
4. Abolishment of untouchability
iv. Interference based on constitutional
norms
B) 1 ii, 2 iv, 3 iii, 4 i
What are the objectives of secularism in India?
Ensuring that one religious community does not become dominant
over others.
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Seeing that some powerful members do not dominate the other
members of their own community.
Ensuring that citizens are guaranteed religious freedom.
How is secularism maintained by the Indian state?
It keeps itself aloof by not promoting any religion.
It does not interfere in the practices of any religious community.
It intervenes to prevent any religious segregation within a community.
Secularism: The Indian Constitution allows its citizens the freedom to live
by their religious beliefs and practices. Secularism refers to the separation of
religion from the State.
Why is it Important to Separate Religion from the State?
To avoid the oppression of the majority and the violation of Fundamental
Rights.
To protect the freedom of every individual to exit from their religion,
embrace another religion or have the freedom to interpret religious
teachings differently.
What is Indian Secularism?
The Constitution of India made it mandatory for the Indian State to be
secular to avoid the following:
o The domination of one religious community over the other.
o The domination of a few members of the same religious
community over the others.
o The enforcing of any one religion on the state and the curbing of
religious freedom of individuals.
The Indian State works in various ways for preventing the above
mentioned dominations. They are as follows:
o The Indian State is not ruled by any religious group nor does it
support any one religion.
o The Indian secularism prevents the above mentioned
dominations through the strategy of non-interference.
o The State makes certain exceptions for particular religious
communities in order to respect the sentiments of all religions
and not interfere with religious practices.
o The State follows the strategy of non-intervention. In order to
prevent religious discrimination of the lower-castes, the Indian
Constitution banned untouchability.
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1. The most important aspect of secularism is it separation of ___________
from _____________ .
2. The tyranny of __________ could result in the discrimination , coercion
and persecution of religious minorities.
3. The objectives of Indian secularism are:
a. One religious community does not_________ another.
b. Some members do not dominate other members of the __________
____________ community.
c. The state does not _________ any particular religion nor take away
the religious___________ of individuals.
4. The policies of Indian state to secure the above objective are:
a. The strategy of __________ itself from religion.
b. The strategy of non -___________.
c. The strategy of _____________.
5. In U.S.A most children in government schools have to begin their school
day reciting _________________________.
6. In February 2004, ___________ passed a law banning students from
wearing any visible religious or political signs or symbols.
7. The knowledge that certain rights exist makes us ___________ to their
violations and enables us to take _________ when these violations take place.
Tick the correct answer:
8 Laws relating to- equal inheritance right , abolishing of untouchability and
sati practice are examples where state had adopted the policy of
a. Intervention
b. Non-interference
9. The special feature of Indian secularism compared to secularism of U.S.A
is the strategy of
a. Intervention
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b. Non-interference
10. The _____________ state is not strictly separate from religion but it does
maintain a principled distance vis--vis religion.
a. Indian
b. U.S.A
Coercion: To force someone to do something. In the context of this chapter,
it refers to the force used by a legal authority like the State.
Freedom to interpret: The independence that all persons shall have to
understand things in their own way. In the context of this chapter, it refers
to a persons liberty to develop their own understanding and meaning of the
religion they practice.
Intervene: In the context of this chapter, it refers to the States efforts to
influence a particular matter in accordance with the principles of the
Constitution.
