Historian and writer S Irfan Habib has expressed deep concern over linking religion with nationalism.
He said on Friday that it is not wise to link religion with nationalism as doing so can create problems, as has been seen in the case of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Habib was speaking at the inauguration of ‘Sahitya Aaj Tak’ program at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi. He participated in a discussion with author Ratan Sharda in the session ‘Religion and Indian Nationalism’.
Irfan Habib said, ‘Religion has its own place. It is not wise to link it with nationalism because if you see a thousand years of history, many communities changed their religion once or twice, but they did not change their nationality.
If you look at the last 50 years, you will find that our nation was divided in the name of religion.
The nation that was formed in the name of Islam could not remain united even for 25 years.
‘There can be many religions in one country’
Irfan Habib is the author of ‘Jihad or Ijtihad: Religious Orthodoxy and Modern Science in Contemporary Islam’. He said that Pakistan and Bangladesh are divided on the basis of culture and language, while their religion is the same. He said, ‘There can be many religions in one country.
If you build a country on the basis of religion, you are going to face a lot of problems.
Meanwhile, Sharda said that Islam, Christianity and Vaishnavism may be different religious communities, but they all have a connection with the religion of humanity.
There are different sects and communities in India, but there is no doubt that we all have one religion.
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