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Religion in the public sphere of Nepal

On 31 August 2004, Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, was in total chaos. On the

day before 12 Nepali workers had been killed, 11 were shot and one was beheaded, in

an Iraqi city by an Islamic extremist group called Army of Ansar al-Sunna. It was one of

the "worst days" in Nepals history. The militants said the 12 Nepalis had been killed

because they "came from their country to fight the Muslims and to serve the Jews and

the Christians".

This incident brought unprecedented waves of protest and anger in the streets of Nepal.

Thousands of angry protesters came to the streets, and for the first time in Nepals

history a mosque in the heart of the capital city was attacked and destroyed. At the same

time the political elements who were secretly working against the stability and

democracy in Nepal also used the situation in their favour and fuelled the

demonstrations to achieve their political aim. In the beginning, the Muslim community

in the country was targeted; however, later the violence spewed into almost all sectors

of the society causing several killings, injuries and a huge economic loss. The capital

city was under curfew for several days and the religious minorities felt insecure and

intimidated. This incidence radically shook the religious tolerance of Nepal which had

been a Nepali identity since time immemorial. On the other hand, it raised a major

question about the relationship between religion, society and the state.

Nepal was the worlds only constitutionally declared Hindu state till 2006, though a

revolutionary political change of April 2006 made the country a secular state. For

almost 240 years the country had been ruling by the Shah dynasty who were believed to

be the reincarnations of the Hindu gods. In this way, the rulers used Hinduism as a tool

for the perpetuation of their oppressive reign.

According to the 2001 census, 80.6 percent of Nepalese are Hindu, whereas, 10.7 and

4.2 percent believe in Buddhism and Islam respectively. Almost 3.6 percent of Nepalese

are Kirati, followers of an indigenous religion called Kirat, while 0.5 percent being

Christian believers.

Before the establishment of democracy in Nepal in 1990, Hinduism would play a

significant role in socio-political matters. The kings, believed to be reincarnated gods,

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would work as the absolute rulers and the laws would be built on their wish which

would largely be based on Hindu norms and doctrines. Moreover, donations obtained

from the Hindu temples would be sent to the royal palace instead of social welfare

works. Social life was also intricately linked and governed by religious beliefs. Majority

of social norms, traditions and rules were based on mythological Hindu texts and their

interpretations. In absence of democracy, media was not free and the state-owned radio

and television would start their broadcast by chanting Hindu mantras and songs.

However, the Nepali society did not let its religious harmony erode even during the

most difficult days. There have been no major religious scuffles in the modern history of

Nepal except few exceptions such as the inter-religious riot of August 2004.

The new social and political paradigm of post 1990 significantly decreased the role of religion from the socio-political sphere. Democratic norms, values and customs started

superseding the narrow religious codes. The 1990 democratic constitution ended the

states promotion of Hindu nationalism and official suppression of political participation

based on religious, cultural, and linguistic traits offering greater freedom of religious

expression. Recent statistics show that the number of Hindu believers is steadily

declining from the population of Nepal; however, there has been gradual increase in the

number of Buddhist, Christian and Kirat believers.

The present Nepali scenario vividly demonstrates that the role of religions in public

sphere is gradually declining. Whereas, there is another reality that Hinduism still plays

a major role in shaping individual behaviors and it has been the source of many cultural

traits since time immemorial. However, when people have to take an important decision

regarding personal or public affairs, rationality plays pivotal role instead of religion.

Moving forward from the 1990s constitution, todays interim constitution of Nepal has

declared Nepal as a secular state. One interesting fact is that these days many important

cultural ceremonies are attended by the prime minister as an acting head-of-state, but in

previous days the king would be revered in such festivities as a reincarnation of God.

Today all Nepali people know that a king can be a dictator, but not God. After assessing

all the circumstances, it can be generalized that Nepal will be more secularized in

future.

Nepali media sector has mushroomed after the establishment of democracy. Today thereare at least half a dozen private TV stations and dozens of radio stations all over the

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country; however none of them was established to promote religious propaganda. All of

them are espousing the tenets of modernization, democratization and secularization.

On the other hand, at a time when people are loosing their faith in predominant world

religions, new spiritual beliefs and thoughts have emerged and, interestingly, they have

attracted a significant number of people. It can also be argued that in contemporary

Nepal, where ethnic diversity and cultural pluralism create problems of social harmony,

a kind of civil religion can generate powerful sentiments of national solidarity and

purpose.

In conclusion, the role of religion has been decreasing in Nepal especially in the

political and public sphere, and indications clearly demonstrate that the trend will

remain the same at least for some years. People have started using rational judgments in

every area of knowledge and the days of superstition are no more in existence.

REFERENCES

CBS (2006) Nepal in Figures 2006 , Government of Nepal, Central Bureau of StatisticsKathmandu-Nepal, www.cbs.gov.np

By: Manoj Bhusal, DSS C 23

http://www.cbs.gov.np/http://www.cbs.gov.np/