The dynamics of spiritual democracy by Jug Suraiya

The dynamics of spiritual democracy

Topic: The dynamics of spiritual democracy

Writter: Jug Suraiya

Publish Date: Saturday, 16 December 2017

Published on : The Times of India

The dynamics of spiritual democracy

During a recent visit to India, former US President Barack Obama spoke of the importance of the individual citizen in the dynamics of democracy.

By far, the most crucial office in a democracy is that of the so-called aam aadmi, the common citizen. It is the duty of individual citizens to judge and respond to the policies and decisions made on their behalf by their political leaders.

Governmental policies and actions are nothing more, or less, than the reflected will of the people, of individual citizens forming a consensus. As such, prime ministers and presidents are – or ought to be – mirrors reflecting the will of those who have elected them to office.

Obama was talking about political democracy. But his words could apply equally to what might be called spiritual democracy. Despite the routine and repeated pronouncements that India is a secular nation, and that there is a separation between the state and religion, in fact, religious faith and politics are inextricably intertwined.

This is more true today than ever before, when the nation is increasingly divided along religious lines, and politicians on both sides exploit the growing rift between the majority and minority communities.

This is where the dynamics of spiritual democracy come in, to counter the cynical politics of sectarianism and communalism played for the sake of winning votes.

What are the dynamics of spiritual democracy? Essentially the same as the dynamics of political democracy as outlined by Obama. In political democracy, it is the right, and the responsibility, of individual citizens to examine and, if necessary, question the policies and actions of their elected leaders.

Similarly, spiritual democracy requires that individual members of any particular faith examine, through the prism of their conscience, the teachings of their religious leaders, which could be shaped to further a political agenda. Spiritual democracy entails the examination of any specific precept to see if it is a central tenet to the faith concerned. Two topical examples could be the demolition of the Babri masjid and the demand for the building of a Ram temple on the disputed site, and the practice of triple talaq.

Is the construction of a temple to Ram exactly where the mosque stood central to that over-reaching body of philosophical thought and spiritual belief to which has been given the portmanteau tag of Hinduism, or is it a core issue only for the political agenda of Hindutva, which is an entirely different matter?

Similarly, is triple talaq an integral and essential part of Islam, or can it, for the sake of social equity, be dispensed with without loss of either face or faith?

These are only two politically-charged issues concerning religion in which the dynamics of spiritual democracy have an important part to play. Political democracy affirms the active participation of citizens, and the citizens’ right to question governmental policies they disagree with.

Spiritual democracy is an affirmation of the believers’ right to question the relevance of quasi-religious dogmas of their communities. In order to be a true Hindu, must i endorse the mandir?  In order to be a true Muslim, must i endorse triple talaq?

These and similar questions make for not just a public political debate; they can make for a transformative inner and individual spiritual debate.