Communalism in Politics

Bangalore, April 1, 2025. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Communalism as “loyalty to a sociopolitical grouping based on religious and ethnic affiliation.” The concept of communalism is a highly conservative philosophy that is a key feature of far-right governments and politicians. It promotes an ‘us vs them’ ideology, antagonising an opposing ethnic minority under the guise of promoting the welfare of one’s community. Its persistent existence reveals a necessity for introspection of its rise and its current day application in the global world. This mental attitude arises as the community has faced decades of persecution and discrimination at the hands of another community, leading to the persecuted individuals banding together in a strong movement to fight for their rights. It has long been used by prominent politicians and authoritarians to consolidate and garner majority support. Communalism in recent years has grown significantly due to the global rise of right-wing governments. History of Communalism in Context of Twentieth Century The age of imperialism, a period characterized by racial discrimination and superiority of races, saw rampant communalism across the world. The Indian Council Act(Morley-Minto Act) 1909 introduced in British India separate communal electorates for Muslims. This Act officially legalised communalism and was an attempt by the British to disseminate the Muslims from the rising wave of rampant nationalism. The Muslim League(herein referred to as The League) by Sir Sayyad Ahmed Khan was an ethnic body that aimed to promote only Islamic interests, despite the secular nature of the already existing Indian National Congress. The League was the primary reason for the greatest act of communalism based on religion the country has ever seen, known as the formation of Pakistan. In contrast to this, an organisation called the Rashtriya Samyamsevak Sangh(herein referred to as RSS) was founded in 1925 to impart traditional Hindu discipline and unify the followers of Hinduism to form a strong Hindu nation known as Hindutva. The RSS developed into a self-proclaimed guardian of the Hindu faith and has grown to be extremely influential in politics. The above organisations developed into powerful entities of religious sentiments and their propaganda was only exacerbated by any and every religious riot. However, communalism was not only confined to imperial colonies. The Nazi Party founded in 1920 led by Adolf Hitler is a classic example of communalist politics. This political party propagated the idea of a ‘master race’ and aimed to lead Germany to victory in a ‘racial struggle’ over the ‘inferior race’, especially the Jews. This philosophy portrayed the Jews as Germany’s true enemy, exploiting the existing dissatisfaction of the Germans. This communalism contributed greatly to Hitler’s meteoric rise to power in just 13 years. Another notorious case of communalism and its catastrophic consequences is the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. This was one of the most devastating massacres of the modern era. The conflict was between two prominent minorities in the country of Rwanda; the Hutus and Tutsis.The Tutsis were of generally higher status and wealth due to the favouritism they faced during the colonial era, while the Hutus were considered rural labourers. Politicians used the tools of the state to disseminate propaganda against the Tutsis, promoting that the Hutus were threatened and had to defend themselves, a normal response of “honest people.” This eventually lead to the ethnic genocide of the Tutsis by the Hutus. Communalism in Present There has been a persistent rise of far-right governments in recent years, a reaction to the long era of liberalism after the end of the Second World War. There have been several political parties that have promised policies in order to win elections that may be considered communalist. The Bhartiya Jayanta Party(herein referred to as BJP) in India has often been accused of aggravating the pre-existing communal tensions in India in recent years with discriminating Acts, especially the Citizenship Amendment Act that made it much more facile for non-Muslim immigrants seeking citizenship from neighbouring countries. This led to the Opposition, primarily the Indian National Congress(herein referred to as INC), to propagate increasingly communalist policies. The Manifesto released by the INC during the Lok Sabha elections of 2024 talked extensively about the privileges that would be awarded to minorities.] These policies promised an emphasis on personal laws and increased quotas for minorities. These promises were criticized for their catering to specific communities instead of actual progress and reform. Such back and forth between the dominant political party and its opposition has led to increased ethnic and religious tensions substantially. Northern Ireland is another region that is facing the effects of communalism. Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom(herein referred to as UK), was partitioned from the Republic of Ireland by the Good Friday Agreement. This divided the small island into the Catholic-dominated nation of Ireland and the Protestant-dominated Northern Ireland. This communalism has dominated the politics of Northern Ireland to date, with the political parties split into Nationalists—who support a sovereign Ireland–and Unionists– who support allegiance to the UK. This is primarily due to the native Catholics banding together against the invasive Protestants, eventually forming the Nationalists and Unionists, respectively. The political machinery of Northern Ireland caters to this communalism, with the First Minister being of the largest political party while the Deputy First Minister is mandated to be of the opposing ideology. Africa, a destitute continent rich in natural resources, has historically been plagued by wars between communities. The bloody Nigerian Civil War was between the secessionist Igbos and the various ethnic factions in Nigeria. The Lord's Resistance Army insurgency was due to religious extremists banding together to establish a theocratic Christian state in Uganda. The ongoing civil war in the Central African Republic is between the Christian-dominant anti-Balaka and the Muslim majority Séléka militias. Nearly all the humanitarian crises in Africa have been a result of war between ethnic and religious communities that have confederated based on similar ideologies. These wars have only aggravated the antagonism against other ethnicities and strengthened communalism despite the continued efforts of the United Nations to promote integration and ensure lasting peace. Contrary to popular belief, conservative policies are not unique to developing and under-developed nations with rigid political systems but also to the pioneer of democracy, the United States of America (herein referred to as ‘America’). The widespread racism against non-white individuals has led to communities galvanising into strongly bonded units against aggressors. Politicians in America exploited this by specifically targeting these marginalised communities. The two dominant political parties in America–Republicans and Democrats–have promised policies regarding affirmative action. Affirmative action is described by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “an active effort (as through legislation) to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups or women.” Affirmative action measures like Executive Order 13583, which was viewed as a government-wide effort to encourage diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce, became more prevalent during the administrations of Democratic president Barack Obama. The return of Republican Donald Trump saw the scrapping of diversity, inclusion and equity(DE&I) policies based on affirmative action. The voting results of the recent elections also show how specific communities support certain candidates. The recently re-elected Republican President Donald Trump received nearly 60% of white voters while opposing Democrat candidate Kamala Harris received more than 80% of African-American votes.

Consequences of Communalism

Communalism in politics has certain ramifications. Voters tend to be based on the larger communal loyalty towards a specific political party rather than based on the policies. This leads to the loss of individualism and private rights as politicians further make policies that benefit the ethnicity and not the individual. This philosophy was the leading cause of the rise of Benito Mussolini and fascism.

Fascism is a philosophy that supports a strong, centralised government run by a dictator. It is an authoritarian and ultranationalist ideology. In spite of fascism openly promising to curtail individual rights, the ideology grew rapidly, chiefly because they were indoctrinated to hate other communities.

The veneration of a political leader may lead to authoritarianism as the leader is not subjected to unbiased scrutiny and is given disproportionate power. Leaders may use communal rhetoric to rally support while failing to deliver on promises or address the needs of their constituents. Yogi Adityanath, the current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, famously said during an election rally, addressing a remark by an opposing candidate calling upon the Muslim minority for votes, that he did not need Muslim votes because his Hindu community would vote for him. This statement was criticized as it seeked to alienate the Muslims from Hindus, and amplify the antagonistic feelings between the two communities.

Statements such as these have made him the longest serving chief minister of Uttar Pradesh despite critics allegeding lack of true social justice in the state. Another example of rhetoric is the term “woke” used by Republicans to describe their Democrat counterparts. Originating as an African-American term used to describe awareness of the dangers against the Black community, it has now evolved into an insult that means overly irrational political correctness bordering on the nonsensical. This word has become general political discourse, permeating all communities.

This is a type of exploitation that can breed cynicism amongst community members and undermine trust in leadership. The lack of fraternity amongst communities is further deepened as politicians tend to incite their followers to detest their opposition. This may eventually cause a breakdown of constitutional machinery and undermine democracy. The Jan 6 storming of the Capitol in Washington in order to overturn the impending election results was an unprecedented event in American history, a blatant violation of democracy by the supporters of Donald Trump. Communalism, despite its insidious consequences, is not without merits. The increased sense of communal identity leads to social cohesion and the development of solidarity towards each other. In a highly bonded community, it is extremely easy to mobilize resources and operate effectively during times of catastrophe or crisis. The feeling of ethnic identity helps in the preservation of culture as often all outside influences are considered alien and detrimental. The community tends to bond closer when subjected to external pressure as a method of survival, displaying resilience against foreign factors.

Conclusion To conclude, communalism is when a group of individuals bond together, forming a community based on a mutual feeling of shared identity. This is a reaction to historic discrimination and dissatisfaction. The individuals develop a sense of communal and ethnic identity. This is usually exploited by politicians who seek to further their own interests at the expense of society. This is a prevalent feature of hard-right governments as displayed throughout the twentieth century, and also through the rise of conservative governments across the world. In spite of its demerits, communalism is not without its advantages. Communalism is a policy that, in limited quantity, could lead to benefits, yet its overuse may deteriorate the complex political machinery that seeks to grant free individual rights. To conclude, nearly the entire world has grappled with communalism; some have made strides in mitigating its impact, while others still struggle from its effects. India has tried to reduce communal violence through constitutional safeguards and an independent judiciary, although ethnic identities are still exploited for electoral gain by the political parties. Countries like Rwanda and the Central African Republic have suffered generations of damage due to the politicians using hate speech and rhetoric that increased ethnic tensions. Germany and Italy, amongst other countries, have relatively progressed from their radical communal ideologies and have become formidable forces on the global forum despite their dark history. However, it is not impossible to seek a disintegration of communalism and politics. Communalism requires a united front from political leadership and civil society alike, developing active awareness and exposing rhetoric to unbiased criticism. Such dynamics make it clear that viewing "unity in diversity" not as a mere slogan, but rather as an essential foundation for peaceful existence and progress in an increasingly interconnected world is paramount. Communalism in politics is a consequence of despotism in political leadership that sacrifices entire countries to bloody conflicts to satisfy a need for transient power.

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