Reclaiming Gandhian Spirituality in the Age of Religious Nationalism

Gandhian Hinduism was the ethical source of India’s secular and pluralistic ethos. It affirmed the sanctity of all faiths and the equality of all human beings.

By Dr Muqtedar Khan
October 06, 2025

This article published in The Diplomat.

Mahatma Gandhi, Pundit Nehru and Maulana Azad

October 2 — the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation — is observed annually in India as Gandhi Jayanti. This year, I had the honor of delivering a talk titled “Truth in Public Life.” This address was part of a two-day conference held in Washington, D.C., from October 1–2, titled “Voices of the Republic: Reviving Gandhian and Nehruvian Values for Democratic Renewal.” The event brought together scholars, activists, and thinkers to explore how Gandhian and Nehruvian ideals can guide us amid the growing crisis of democracy, polarization, and intolerance in today’s world.

Truth as the Moral Foundation of Democracy

My reflections focused on truth (Satya) as the moral foundation of democracy. Truth, as Gandhi taught, is not merely factual accuracy but the alignment of one’s words, thoughts, and actions with moral integrity. Democracy depends on this ethical commitment to truth because without it, public trust erodes and civic discourse collapses. In a world where misinformation and cynicism shape politics, truth becomes a form of resistance — a way to reclaim moral coherence in public life.

To engage in truthful speech is not just a private virtue; it is a public duty. Gandhi’s politics of Satyagraha — holding firmly to truth — was a reminder that truth and freedom are inseparable. For me, truth is the essence of our humanity, and if we lose truth, we lose our humanity.

Dialogue with Dr. Rajmohan Gandhi: Faith and Secularism

A memorable part of the conference was the participation of Dr. Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who joined virtually to share his insights on democracy and faith. His words embodied the moral depth of the Gandhian tradition. During the session, I asked him whether, instead of simply promoting secularism, it might be more effective to counter the rise of religious nationalisms by exposing them as distortions of their own faiths.

Over the past few decades, we have witnessed many Muslim scholars like Feisal Abdul Rauf and Khaled Abou El Fadl articulating visions of Islam that repudiate the violent ideologies of Islamic State, al-Qaida, and the Taliban. These thinkers have reclaimed Islam’s moral and spiritual essence, demonstrating that such extremist movements are grotesque caricatures of the faith. Might not similar efforts be undertaken in other religions to recover their inclusive and compassionate dimensions?

For instance, could there be a form of Judaism centered only on peace and universal dignity, or a Gandhian Hinduism rooted in the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — the idea that the whole world is one family? Such projects could serve to disarm the intolerance that emerges when religion is reduced to identity or ideology.

Rajmohan Gandhi’s response was illuminating. He agreed with me that Mahatma Gandhi himself was not secular in the Western sense of being detached from religion; rather, he was profoundly religious in a way that was inclusive, humane, and open to all faiths. He also concurred that there is value in recovering the compassionate dimensions of religious traditions, yet he emphasized the need for a secular public space — a civic arena where people of diverse faiths can interact freely and equally.

In a country like India, with its extraordinary religious and cultural diversity, such a secular framework is not a rejection of religion but a precondition for peaceful coexistence. It allows believers and non-believers alike to participate in the moral and political life of the nation without domination by any one creed.

The Inner Struggle of Hinduism

This exchange led me to reflect that India’s current ideological conflict is not merely a confrontation between secularism and Hindu nationalism — the Nehruvian ideal versus the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is also an internal contest within Hinduism itself: between the Gandhian Hinduism of compassion, inclusivity, and truth, and the political Hinduism of Hindutva, which seeks cultural and political hegemony.

Gandhian Hinduism was the ethical source of India’s secular and pluralistic ethos. It affirmed the sanctity of all faiths and the equality of all human beings. Hindutva, by contrast, transforms religion into ideology and faith into power, narrowing the vast moral universe of Hinduism into an exclusionary political identity.

Ihsan and the Moral Foundations of Governance

In my own work, particularly in my book “Islam and Good Governance: A Political Philosophy of Ihsan,” I have sought to explore similar tensions within Islam. There, I develop a political theory that critiques the Shariah-based concept of the “Islamic State” advanced by groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida. I argue against the centrality of law in constructing an Islamic political order and propose instead a vision based on Ihsan — doing what is beautiful, good, and excellent.

This concept of Ihsan reframes politics as a moral and spiritual enterprise rooted in freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, freedom of thought, and the freedom to reinterpret tradition. It envisions a political community where faith inspires virtue, not coercion; where diversity is embraced, not feared.

Traditions such as Sufism in Islam and the Bhakti movement in Hinduism exemplify this spirit — using the resources of religion itself to transcend dogma and emphasize love, humility, and the equality of all people. Similar currents can be found in the mystical traditions of Judaism and Christianity. Across civilizations, spiritual renewal has often come from within faith, through the rediscovery of its humane core.

Diversity as a Divine Design

In this sense, I believe that promoting secularism alone is insufficient. What we must strive for is a secular space that enables people to pursue goodness within their own religious identities. Secularism provides the framework, but moral transformation must come from within traditions themselves.

The Quran expresses this vision beautifully: “If God had so willed, He could have made you a single community; but He willed it otherwise, so that He might test you in what He has given you. So, compete with one another in doing good.” (Quran 5:48)

This verse, to me, encapsulates the divine purpose of diversity. God created us as different nations and tribes not to divide us into warring camps, but to encourage us to compete in goodness, not in domination. Diversity, therefore, is not a problem to be solved but a gift to be cultivated — a call to moral excellence through mutual respect.

Reviving the Moral Imagination

The challenge before us is not only political but civilizational: to renew the moral imagination of humanity. Whether in India, the Muslim world, or the West, the task is the same — to resist the instrumentalization of religion for power and to reclaim it as a force for compassion and justice.

On this Gandhi Jayanti, as we reflected on Gandhi’s life and Rajmohan Gandhi’s words, I was reminded that democracy cannot survive without truth, and truth cannot survive without compassion. To defend democracy, we must defend both — the secular space of equality and the spiritual traditions of compassion that make that equality meaningful.

Only then can we hope to create a world where, in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, and in the Quranic command to compete in goodness, humanity may finally learn to live as one family.

Guest Author

Dr Muqtedar Khan

Dr. Muqtedar Khan is professor of international affairs at the University of Delaware and a senior nonresident fellow at The Newlines Institute. He is the author of “Islam and Good Governance: A Political Philosophy of Ihsan” and he hosts a YouTube show called Khanversations.