Introduction

There is growing support for the secular system among Muslims due to recent political developments where the rights of the Hindus have gained a far greater ascendancy than ever before in the history of independent India. This chapter explores the background in which these developments have taken place. India is integrally a pluralist country made up of peoples from various ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds. Secularism is a very important necessity as a counterforce against arguments of homogeneity and attempts to create false uniformities. The chapter looks at how the arguments for and against secularism have historically played out. The chapter focuses on the Muslim view of secularism with special reference to Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's approach to interreligious harmony and the notion of unity in diversity. People remained religious and are more affected, influenced and moved by religious symbolism than secular principles; the fundamental ethos of India remains religious.