Abstract:
Sri Lanka is among the many countries in Asia that have grappled with federal ideas
and approaches to accommodate their diversity of ethnicities, cultures and religions.
The links between ethnicity and federalism are well researched, but the link between
federalism and religion has been little explored. While in the West there is an apparent
association between secularism and federalism, the same is not the case in Asia, where
federal and quasi-federal approaches occur in countries that privilege particular
religions. Secularism itself is a highly contentious concept and Asian approaches by no
means follow the Western trend of strict separation between religion and the state.
Nonetheless, given the established ability of federal approaches to accommodate
diversity and a multiplicity of identities, and because the success of Asia's non-secular
federal systems is questionable, it could be argued that secularism is a necessary
condition for federalism. However, non-secularism does not seem to impede the ability
of a federal state to operate or to accommodate religion, but it can be shown to have
inhibited the adoption of federalism in countries such as Sri Lanka. Federal and quasifederal
countries in Asia accommodate religion in one or more of four types. There are
those that accommodate majority religions at the centre (through some privileged
status); at the units via special religious rights and authorities; at a group level through
the recognition of rights to apply personal laws (e.g. Sharia law); and, at the individual
level via basic protections of religious freedom and the prevention of discrimination.
In addition, it is noted that while Islamic and Hindu countries in Asia have adopted
federal approaches, resistance among Buddhist countries persists. Three explanations
are explored and although not definitive, it is hypothesised that the perceived relative
threatened position of Buddhism may combine with traditional practices and interestbased
emphases to work against the adoption of federal approaches to the
accommodation of diversity.
