Communalism refers to a social and political ideology in which a group of people give more importance to their own religious or ethnic community than to the nation as a whole. It arises when individuals identify strongly with their religious or community group and believe that their groupβs interests are separate from, or even opposed to, the interests of other communities.
In simple terms, communalism occurs when religion is used as the basis for political mobilization or when people of one religion consider themselves superior to others. It often leads to misunderstandings, conflicts, and tensions between different religious or social groups.
Communalism can take different forms. In its mild form, it promotes the belief that people belonging to the same religion share common social, economic, and political interests. In its extreme form, it can result in hatred, violence, and riots between communities. Such divisions weaken national unity and disturb social harmony.
Therefore, communalism is considered harmful to a democratic society because it promotes division instead of unity and creates barriers between different sections of society.