Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist
Author | : Mani Shankar Aiyar |
Publisher | : Penguin UK |
Total Pages | : 296 |
Release | : 2006-05-13 |
ISBN-10 | : 9789352140718 |
ISBN-13 | : 9352140710 |
Rating | : 4/5 (710 Downloads) |
Download or read book Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist written by Mani Shankar Aiyar and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2006-05-13 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist, Mani Shankar Aiyar, crusader for a secular credo, calls for an unambiguous and decisive restoration of secularism to the core of our nationhood. In doing so, he revisits every dimension of our secular ethos and exposes the various myths perpetuated by communal elements of all hues. Putting under the scanner contentious issues like conversions, uniform civil code and Article 370, he nails the falsehood underlying terms like 'pseudo-secularism', 'appeasement' and 'soft Hindutva'. And he places the domestic debate over secularism in India in the wider external dimension by discussing the experiences of countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Israel and erstwhile Yugoslavia. Admitting to wearing his secularism on his sleeve, Aiyar reasons that only a determined and inflexible adherence to secularism can counter religious bigotry and fundamentalism. Clear in his convictions, with history, logic and persuasive argument at his command, this is Mani Shankar Aiyar at his best, on a subject that we can ignore only at our own peril.