Religious contributes to identity formation in fundamental ways. First man in society is not only a tool making animal but also a meaning-seeking and symbol- creating social creature. To the extent the symbols that man weaves around him and his universe are mostly religion inspired whose symbolic meaning could be understood in a religious context. Symbols are the cultural tags of identification and meaning, which lend that cultural continuity so vital to identity formation and maintenance.
Second the primary social values by which socialisation take place in any tradition but complex society are basically derived from a world religion. Such religion-derived social values tend to give relatively the same psychological orientation and same moral standards of behaviour and action this creates adequate society-wide psychological conditions for consensus on the nature of social order and expected behaviour in society, there by creating the collective conscience so vital to the functioning and maintenance of social identity.
Thus, social selfhood is symbolically and psychologically stuffed with material from religion. This social fact may be felt subconsciously by secularised intellectuals but consciously uphold by the masses of believers in most third world countries. Christianity in England is English Christianity the nation history behind it the national idea in front of it. Socialism in England is English socialism coloured by English culture and aiming at the solution of English problem by English methods.
In the third world especially in the former colonies the political party has been the primary agent of mass mobilisation. In the third especially during the nationalist movement the party has been chiefly an instrument of mass mobilisation of peasantry and other classes for the pursuit of national independence and national interest. Without mass mobilisation any movement, nationalist or social, would be ineffectual.
Khomeini preached not Islam of the Caliphate of the palace but Islam of people, of the exploited and of the poor. He defined Islam as the religion of those who desire freedom and independence. Khomeini politicised tradition for political ends. This is what makes religion an explosive political force that can over throw a regime, state armed to teeth. The organisation structure of the Iranian mass mobilisation ran along religious network especially mosques.
Chatterjee, who raised the slogan Vande Mataram, hail to motherland; he write that spiritual movement based on spiritual value-system embedded in the people, cannot be killed without killing the entire people among whom it takes it birth. A mere political revolt might easily be crushed by superior physical force or diplomatic cunning.
By M.Sarjov
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