Nepal Declares A Secular State - An Overview
While the country has become increasingly secularized in recent times, no one can deny that the traditional culture of Nepal is not without its own peculiarities. Although the government has encouraged the Hindu religion to a large extent, Nepal has an extensive system of Hindu temples, shrines, and other places of worship. The influence of Hindu culture can be clearly seen in the presence of traditional foods, music, dance and costumes that can only be seen in the Indian subcontinent and not in the predominantly Muslim country.
Although no official declaration has been made as to what is considered to be a secular country, it is understood that a government of Nepal, which declares itself to be a secular state will not interfere with the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizens. If any government tries to interfere in this regard, there are some instances in which people have faced charges of violating the fundamental rights. This is the reason why the government of Nepal has announced that a special status has been declared to Nepal in accordance with the international human rights standards.
Nepal's constitution declares the Constitution of Nepal to be a secular Constitution with all the basic human rights protected under it. All the fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion, and belief are guaranteed under the Constitution of Nepal.
Under this charter, the right of each citizen to practise and profess his/her religion in an independent and impartial manner, the right of freedom of thought, conscience and religious beliefs, as well as the right to practice and profess non-violence, are granted to all citizens. It also provides for the freedom to manifest one's religion according to the customs prevailing in that religion.
This charter also states that every citizen of Nepal is entitled to participate in public and private life in an atmosphere of tolerance and respect and without discrimination. The government, therefore, enforces the charter to ensure that all the citizens enjoy these rights. The government has also taken measures to ensure that the rights are enjoyed by the minorities.
As regards the laws and order in Nepal, it has been noted that there is a considerable difference in the treatment meted out to different communities. For instance, Hindus who live in rural areas face many problems like harassment and threats from the minorities in the rural areas. On the other hand, Muslims have a problem of discrimination at the national level, as the Hindus are a majority and the Muslims are a minority. In addition, a law called the Mandal Bill has been passed to protect the rights of women in terms of property ownership and inheritance.
Nepal Is Declared A Secular State - Why Does It Create A Stir?
On 31st August, Nepal declared itself a secular state. The main reason behind this was the recent incidents of violence between the Hindu community and the Muslims and the subsequent violence in other states of India. The declaration says that Nepal is a non-religious state, and the government will not be interfering with religion or practicing religion.
There has been a great deal of turmoil caused by this declaration in Nepal. In the past, there was very little political agitation from the Hindus and the Muslims, both groups were very contented with the status quo. However, due to the recent incidents of violence, the Hindus have seen their privileges being taken away from them, while the Muslims are not happy about the declaration. Some other countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and India have also made an appeal to Nepal to back off the declaration.
This declaration will surely affect the lives of the people in Nepal, as they are forced to live in a secular state, which means no religion can interfere with the government's policies and activities. Even if there is a slight criticism of a particular religion or a leader, it will not lead to any violence or unrest.
This means that when you go for a holiday in Nepal, you will not be allowed to take anything along, like Eid-ul-Fitr sweets, which are widely known for being a part of the festivities. The same applies to any Hindu temple or religious gathering, as the government cannot intervene in such events.
However, this does not mean that Nepal will follow any strict Islamic rule, as the declaration does not say that the government will enforce any rule over the Hindus or the Muslims. However, the government will be doing all possible to make sure that nothing is done which could disturb the stability of the state.
In a nutshell, the government made the declaration in order to avoid any major unrest, which could lead to the partition of Nepal. Since there are many states in the country which are quite unstable, this may be a good thing for the peace and stability of the country. So if you are planning a trip to Nepal, make sure you do not bring anything that you may have got a problem with, as you will not be allowed to do so on your trip.
Nepal is also trying to create an atmosphere that is friendly towards all religions, which is why the government has made this declaration. Many people, including the majority of the population, want to live in a country where they do not have to pay any kind of respect to their religion, as they do in many countries. Therefore, the declaration is helping all the different groups in Nepal achieve this goal, which was once only attainable through violence.
However, even if this declaration is not the main reason for the outbreak of protests, it may well have created a spark for such a situation, as the government has been trying hard to get a secular state and secular laws in place in Nepal. There are many who claim that the declaration will cause some kind of social unrest, but this is not true.
Nepal population
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