The diversity of India’s cultures, languages, and religions has always intrigued people. Four religions originated here: Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Since the 42nd Amendment Act of 1950, Indians have been able to practice their religion in peace. In India, the right to religious freedom is protected by the Constitution. However, how much freedom of religion protects these religious conversions is unclear. The primary focus of this article is on examining the extent of the right to freedom of religion, as protected by the Constitution, and on answering as many questions as possible about religious conversion.
How does religion conversion work?
The Indian government does not recognize any official religion, and none of the major religions are supported in the country. Ultimately, the definition of religion is a matter of personal choice, faith, or a set of beliefs. A belief in religion is to a person what Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary defines as a belief that people have in a supernatural being to which their spiritual being is connected, which entails a feeling of dependency and obligation as well as the behaviors and sentiments that follow logically from such a belief.
It is the right of every individual to follow whatever religion they so choose. Every citizen of India has the right to practice, profess, and spread the religion they choose without any restrictions. As a matter of fact, one of the most contentious issues in modern culture and politics by far is the acceptance of a different religion or set of ideas while rejecting others or enunciating one religion in favor of another. This is known as religious conversion and is one of the most contentious issues in both culture and politics. The reasons for changing one’s religion are varied, but they include, among others, the following:
- Changing one’s beliefs or becoming a Christian as a result of a change in one’s behavior is another type of conversion
- As the name implies, forced conversions are those that occur through coercion, improper influence, or temptation, rather than by choice
- A conversion that is caused by marriage, or a conversion resulting from marriage
- The conversion has been made in order to make it easier to use.
How does India change religion legally?
Any person who chooses to change their religion in good faith has the right to do so. Conversion cannot be referred to as the result of a verbal or written declaration. In order to convert, it is necessary to demonstrate credible proof of the desire to convert, followed by clear overt actions which carry out that desire. In this case, the actions taken will reveal the sincere intention behind the intention if there is a sincere purpose.
A person who wishes to change religion can do so by abiding by the religious personal law of the religion in which they want to change. The rites that must be carried out at conversion in a specific way are provided by numerous personal laws.
There is a possibility that an individual may convert to Islam by following some of the ceremonies outlined in Islam in the process of doing so. As a first step, the individual needs to visit the mosque, where the imam will ask him to make a “Shahada” or a declaration of faith that must be signed by him. It is important to pronounce la ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasool Allah loud and clear.
Obviously, he cannot simply hear the testimony and make a decision based on it. As the only true messenger sent by God to humanity, Muhammad, and can say this with confidence and comprehend its full meaning, which is that there is no true deity except Allah. It is after reading the Kalema that he receives a Muslim name, which has to be registered with the Imam.
Among the fundamental liberties that we have as Indian citizens, is our right to freedom of religion, which is guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. Taking this into account, we can conclude that as long as the decision was taken voluntarily without the use of coercion or force, a person in India can change their religion (due to religious beliefs or personal reasons, marriage, or divorce).