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Nepal and the Secularism Question

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Nepal and the Secularism Question

The country wrestles with a constitutional matter that has implications for religious freedom.

As Nepal’s Constituent Assembly readies to vote on a draft of a new constitution over the next few weeks, a Hindu right-wing party is demanding that the term “secularism” be dropped from the draft. The nationalist party wants Nepal to be reinstated as a “Hindu nation,” a status the country had until the monarchy’s fall in 2006. The country’s four major political parties are yet to decide on the issue, but the draft they have agreed on doesn’t promise full religious freedom. In this video, The Diplomat speaks with leaders of the concerned parities and a constitutional expert to learn more about the issue confronting the nation.