A person is forced to leave his job because of his colleagues’ persisting comments about his religious and ethnic identity as inferior. What is he a victim of?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Communalism
Option (1) Casteism — Incorrect. Casteism is prejudice and discrimination based on caste: people of one caste treat those of another as inferior, deny them opportunities or favour their own caste. The man here is mocked for his religious and ethnic identity, not for his caste, so this is not casteism.
Option (2) Communalism — Correct. Communalism is aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity: one’s own religious group is seen as the only worthy one and others as inferior. His colleagues keep calling his religious identity inferior until he has to leave his job, which is this attitude in action.
Option (3) Regionalism — Incorrect. Regionalism is a strong loyalty to one’s region, rooted in its language, culture and a sense of regional deprivation, as in demands for a separate state. It sets regions against one another, not religions, so it does not fit the case.
Option (4) Secularism — Incorrect. Secularism is the opposite of communalism: a secular person or state does not favour any religion over others and shows equal respect to all. The colleagues’ behaviour is the very thing secularism rejects.
NCERT (2025-26): “Communalism In everyday language, the word ‘communalism’ refers to aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity. Chauvinism itself is an attitude that sees one’s own group as the only legitimate or worthy group, with other groups being seen – by definition – as inferior, illegitimate and opposed. Thus, to simplify further, communalism is an aggressive political ideology linked to religion.…” |