Religious tolerance
Also called: Religious toleration · Topic: Secularism: Western and Indian Models · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 8 "Secularism"
Meaning
Religious tolerance means putting up with other faiths. India has a long tradition of it. NCERT (Class 11, Secularism) warns that tolerance can exist alongside domination: a powerful group may allow others some room while still keeping them below itself. So tolerance gives only limited freedom. It helps after a civil war, but in peacetime people want equal dignity, and that is what secularism demands.
Example
Ashoka's Rock Edict XII, Akbar's sulh-i-kul (peace with all) and the Bhakti-Sufi saints show India's tradition of tolerance. Still, tolerance alone did not end inequality, such as dalits being barred from temples. Ending it took equal rights, such as the abolition of untouchability under Art. 17.
Don't confuse with
- Secularism: secularism requires equality and freedom between and within religions. Tolerance only means putting up with others, and domination can continue alongside it.