Communalism: A Dangerous Ideology

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Rashid Faridi
  • Communalism, in a broad sense means a strong attachment to one’s own community. In popular discourse in India, it is understood as unhealthy attachment to one’s own religion.
  • It’s an ideology that, in order to unify the community, suppresses distinctions within the community and emphasizes the essential unity of the community against other communities.
  • In this way it promotes belief in orthodox tenets and principles, intolerance and hatred of other religions and thus, divides the society.
  • Positive aspect of communalism stands for the affinity of an individual towards his own community involving efforts for the social and economic upliftment of his community.
  • However, in negative connotation, it is an ideology which emphasises the separate identity of a religious group in relation to other groups with a tendency to promote its own interests at the expense of the others.

Communalism is a dangerous ideology that promotes the false belief that one group, particularly one religious group, has more differences than similarities with outside groups.

An Ideology

Communalism, like most ideologies, is a school of thought shared by a specific group of people. Specifically, communalism is the shared belief within a particular culture that promotes religious and secular isolation from another group. In other words, communalism is a form of segregation, only it’s segregation that the group being segregated actually chooses. In theory, there are many different reasons a group could become communalist, but typically these groups resort to isolating themselves based on religion.

A communalist group believes that their loyalty should lie within the group that they’re a part of above any other loyalty, like nationalism (or loyalty to a country), because their ideals and beliefs don’t match those of other groups. Many communalist groups even believe that they’re a nation of separate confederacies rather than part of the country in which their members actually reside.

Often, the trouble with communalism is that each group denies the fact that they have more commonalities with other groups than they have differences. This can result in groups becoming hostile to one another, which has given communalism negative connotations. But it’s important to remember that it’s not always the groups themselves that originally instituted the ideology of communalism. In India, for example, much of the communalism (and resulting inter-group conflict) between the Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians was initially promoted by the British. Seems like a strange thing for a government to do, right? Let’s explore why.

Colonization & Government Control

Communalism didn’t really become an ideology until the British colonization of India, making it a fairly modern concept. It got started after the British realized that when they promoted nationalism, minority groups might realize they had shared interests, become more dominant, and resist British control of India, which could have led to another revolt like the Revolt of 1857. So instead of promoting nationalism, the British encouraged groups to essentially isolate themselves from and reject other religious groups.

This is not an uncommon practice even today, and even outside of colonial governments. For example, the American political system, especially during political campaigns, is notorious for promoting fear in an effort to win votes. Candidates often exploit the differences between cultures, effectively dividing the population. This is especially dangerous because it can evolve into fundamentalism.

Progression of Communalism

Minorities ended up being shut out of government, since education was essential for government positions and Hindus were more educated than Muslims. With fewer men in government and trade and industry, the minorities continued to be exploited and controlled, which made them feel a greater need to protect themselves as a group, tightening the influence of communalism.

Communalism is a shared ideology within one group that promotes the isolation of that group from others. Essentially, it’s a form of self-segregation that hinges on a group’s belief that is has more differences than similarities with other groups of people.

In India, communalism was originally promoted by the British colonizers after the Revolt of 1857 in an effort to keep groups from joining together to fight British rule. Within India today, the concept of communalism is apparent in divisions between Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and Muslims.

Source(s):

Study.com

Drishti IAS

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Urban Forms: Evolution and Future City Planning

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Rashid Faridi
Urban spaces are pretty important part of human history.

Kinds of Urban Forms

Cities are loud. They are crowded. Parking is expensive. So, why do so many love them? Regardless of your personal feelings, urban centers have been of tremendous importance throughout world history. Urban spaces are products of pure human innovation, reflecting the unique human ability to transform landscapes to increase our chances of survival, happiness, and comfort. But what matters isn’t just that we embark on this transformation; it’s how we carry it out. The physical patterns, layouts, and structures that make up an urban center are collectively called the urban form. As the most basic canvas upon which settled human societies are built, urban forms are critical to both our daily lives right now and our interpretations of past cultures.

Before we delve into our brief history of urban forms, let’s talk a little more about the term. Urban forms are ever changing, adapting with every new building, park, sidewalk, road, or gate that’s erected. As urban forms develop and change, we can identify two major variations. An organic urban form is one that develops without centralized planning. Nobody tells people where to put houses, or which way the city gate should face. In contrast, a planned urban form is designed and coordinated. The ways that urban centers grow, whether in organic or planned ways, can tell us a lot about the attitudes, beliefs, lifestyles, and influences of people who live there.

Origins of Urban Form

Our story begins up to 12,000 years ago during a period called the Neolithic Revolution. This period saw the earliest experiments with agriculture. Agriculture allowed people to stay in one place throughout the year and build permanent structures.

As people settled down, they developed the first urban societies. We assume that most of these arose organically, but it did not take people long to develop planned urban centers. The first true cities developed in the Middle East between 4500 and 3500 BCE and were very carefully organized. Many cities were enclosed within walls, with formal entrances and defined places for markets, temples, and royal homes.

Advanced City Planning

As cities grew larger and larger, many tried even harder to plan out the shapes, forms, and compositions of their urban spaces. Ancient Greece and China both developed the practice of dividing cities into uniform blocks or municipal units. This was often used to try to control the behaviors of citizens. Some parts of town could only be used for specific economic, religious, or leisure activities. Often, neighborhoods were built only for people of certain levels of education, wealth, or power. By doing this, the city became a more controlled space.

The ancient Greeks and Romans both put so much effort into their city planning that certain urban forms almost became synonymous with their civilizations. The Romans in particular established routine urban forms. This was very important to them. Whenever they expanded their empire and tried to bring Roman society into a new area, they did so first and foremost by building a Roman-style city.

Medieval Urban Forms

After the fall of Rome, European societies of the medieval period gave up on formal urban planning. New cities had more organic forms, with people building and adding to the cities as needed. This gave many cities a jumbled but natural feel as space was used in practical ways.

By the rise of the Renaissance in the 15th century, patterned urban forms once again became popular. Cities of the time were growing, and architects attempted to find ways to bring order to the organic forms of previous centuries. Many European cities today are defined by a mixture of patterned and organic spaces that overlap and connect again and again. Of course, as this was happening in Europe, colonists to other places took these ideas with them. Both patterned and organic urban forms found their ways into the colonies of the Americas.

After the Industrial Revolution

The next major period of growth for cities came with the Industrial Revolution of both the 18th and 19th centuries. The introduction of industrial technologies added a new element to traditional urban forms: factories. Factories separated people into classes of owners and workers, and helped keep these two groups separated.

From the 19th through 20th centuries, urban forms reflected many changing social patterns, particularly in the United States. At some periods, people flocked to the cities. At other times, the majority retreated to the suburbs, developing a new form of urban space there. Around the world, our urban centers continue to change along with our lifestyles and ideas, and for as long as we can tolerate the city, it will keep on moving with us.

Urban spaces are important parts of human societies and histories. As purely constructed places, the physical shapes and components of urban centers can tell us a lot about people. Collectively, we call the physical patterns, layouts, and structures of an urban center its urban form. Sometimes urban spaces are organic, formed without centralized planning and developing as needs dictate. Organic urban forms appeared in the first settled communities, after the fall of Rome, as well as at several points in between. However, many cities are also planned. Planned urban forms were very important to the ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as to the people of the Renaissance and Industrial Revolution. Throughout history and across the world, our cities have been pretty important. Even if the parking is expensive.

Links and Source(s):

Study.com

Medieval Indian Cities

Posted in earth, urban morphology, Urban Studies | Leave a comment

Sect And Cult: Concepts and Differences

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Rashid Faridi

The word sect comes from the Latin word secta, which means “school of thought.” It is a subjective term that may apply to religious faith or denomination, or it may refer to a heretical splinter group. Sometimes, the connotation is one of disapproval, similar to the “destructive heresies” spoken of in though there are no consistent or accepted exemplars to use to identify a sect.

Sects are found in all religions. Islam has Sunnis and Shias, Judaism has Orthodox and Karaites, Hinduism has Shiyaism and Shaktism, and Christianity has Baptists and Lutherans. These are all examples of religious sects, and they can be thought of as “branches” of different religions. There are also non-religious sects, such as capitalists and socialists among economists, or Freudians and Jungians among psychiatrists.

In contradistinction, the word cult always carries a negative connotation. There are specific criteria used to identify a cult. In Combatting Cult Mind Control, deprogrammer Steven Hassan singles out what he refers to as “destructive cults,” which he defines as “a pyramid-shaped authoritarian regime with a person or group of people that have dictatorial control. It uses deception in recruiting new members (e.g. people are NOT told upfront what the group is, what the group actually believes and what will be expected of them if they become members).” Hassan also correctly points out that cults are not only religious; they may also be commercial or secular in nature.

Hassan developed the BITE acronym, which describes the components employed by destructive cults using mind control. BITE covers the following areas of control:

Behavior Control: An individual’s associations, living arrangements, food, clothing, sleeping habits, finances, etc., are strictly controlled.

Information Control: Cult leaders deliberately withhold or distort information, lie, propagandize, and limit access to other sources of information.

Thought Control: Cult leaders use loaded words and language, discourage critical thinking, bar any speech critical of cult leaders or policies, and teach an “us vs. them” doctrine.

Emotional Control: Leaders manipulate their followers via fear (including the fear of losing salvation, fear of shunning, etc.), guilt, and indoctrination.

From a Christian perspective, a cult is any group that follows teachings that contradict orthodox Christian doctrine and promote heresy. Under this definition, the Watchtower Society and the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are both cults.

Source(s):

Got Questions

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Amenities at Tourist Destination

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Rashid Faridi

Amenities include access to basic facilities and services that help a visitor feel comfortable and secure at destination. Sometimes referred to as the “pleasantness” of a place, they play an important role in shaping the visitor experience and include things like public restrooms, signage, connectivity, emergency services, postal facilities, roads, sidewalks, safe drinking water, etc. And while it can be tempting to take these elements for granted, ready access to them plays a major role in determining whether visitors will plan a return visit or recommend your destination to others.

Visitor Centers

If you have a visitor center in your area, ensure that it’s staffed with people who are both hospitable and knowledgeable about your destination. They are sometimes a visitor’s first interaction with your destination, and what they say matters. Regarding the visitor center itself, what are the conditions of the parking lot? How about the bathrooms? Is it well-lit?

 Website

An attractive, user-friendly, easily navigable website is another important component. No doubt your site already has information for travelers who are planning a visit, but what about for visitors who are already in town? Featuring weekly articles on your homepage that suggest a list of the top 5 things to check out that week is a great way to make visitors feel valued while they’re in market.

Partnering With Local Stakeholders

City Officials

The conditions of the roads and sidewalks in the most trafficked areas of your city should be on your agenda so local officials can (hopefully) prioritize them when it comes time for maintenance and repairs. And, in the same way you are keeping your website content up to date, the wayfinding signage in your destination can likely always be improved upon. Be sure this signage is on your agenda with this group, and voice the value of wayfinding to the visitor experience so regular updates and major upgrades can be included in the city’s planning budget.

Law Enforcement

Think about the last time you visited a new place. Do you recall seeing law enforcement out and about? On foot, car, horse, motorcycle, bicycle, standing scooters, etc.? Did you see them only at night? Or only as security at the big events in town?  Residents might not notice when they see police out and about, but knowing they are close by can create a sense of safety and security for visitors who may be unfamiliar with your town.

Hotel Partners

Hotel staff are some of the first people visitors encounter when they arrive in your city. Their professionalism and ability to accommodate visitor requests play a crucial role in shaping overall perceptions of your destination. Help your hotel partners anticipate and stay one step ahead of guest requests by educating them on who your target markets are and what they expect during their stay.

For example — some travelers prioritize exercise before their day begins. While for some that may mean utilizing gym facilities, for others it means an early morning run. Talk to your hotel partners about offering options beyond traditional amenities, such as maps that outline the various mileage of different jogging routes to simplify the process for their guests and offer them safety and peace of mind.

At the end of the day, every interaction visitors have in your destination matters. Your DMO works hard to promote brand awareness and positive associations among potential visitors. By evaluating and improving the amenities your destination has to offer, you are that much closer to ensuring visitors leave having had a good experience, intending to return AND most importantly, recommend your destination to others in their (real or virtual) social circles.

Source:

Stamp

Posted in Class Notes, earth, Tourism and Travel | Leave a comment