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Muslims in India are socially, economically, and politically marginalized

I think India will go for war with Pakistan in which China will going to play a massive role. Later on in few months or may be in just 1 month; India will break a part as BD and Burma might also support the people in their bordering land to separate from India.

I think it's up to India and then China and Pakistan to make decision over India's fate of future.
 
Demand for equal opportunities
09/08/2015 – by Ghazala Jamil

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Muslims are India’s largest minority. They deserve to be treated as citizens with equal rights. However, this community is marginalised in economic and political life. In spite of Muslims becoming victims of communal violence again and again, the government and members of public in general associate Islam with the terrorism. By Ghazala Jamil.

The conventional narrative of Muslims in Indian politics is that they are a socio-economically disadvantaged group and[GJ1] that the Congress party, and to some extent other political forces, have been winning their collective votes by catering to their special interests. This narrative does not make sense. If Muslims have been a government-appeased vote bank since India’s independence in 1947, why are they still “backwards” in socio-economic terms? Obviously, things are more complex than the conventional wisdom allows.

To understand the present, it is useful to consider the past. In colonial times, British history books portrayed Indian Muslims as foreign aggressors, comparing the British empire favourably to Mughal rule. Independent India inherited this discourse, and the idea of Muslims as foreigners was reinforced because Pakistan became a separate country. Though many Indian Muslims preferred to stay in India, they were viewed with suspicion.

Today, India has the world’s third largest population of Muslims after Indonesia and Pakistan. 172 million Indians are Muslim. With about 14 % of the people, they are the second-largest religious group after Hindus. Most Muslims live in urban areas. Their homes tend to be in segregated enclaves that are derisively called “mini-Pakistans”. People of Islamic faith are exposed to prejudice, suspicion, discrimination and violence. They do not enjoy equal opportunities, as became evident in the report of the Sachar Committee in 2006 (see box).

Identity politics
The truth is that there have not been any major government programmes to improve the material condition of Muslims. On the other hand, governments have heeded calls from patriarchal, self-styled leaders of Muslims on “protecting Muslims’ faith”. Such action was largely symbolical and is supposed to allow Muslims to live according to the holy scriptures. Unfortunately, the approach also gives space to right-wing Hindus to target Muslims further for their “unequal treatment of women”. The truth, however, is that Indian society in general is deeply patriarchal and no religious community treats women fairly. The Hindus are no exception.

Misconceptions about Muslims abound. The community is generally described as a homogenous group with rigid religious beliefs. In his book of 2008, Mushirul Hasan of Jamia Millia Islamia, India’s national Muslim university in Delhi, however, refutes the idea of a monolithic block being guided primarily by faith doctrines. He points out that nuances and differences within the community tend to be ignored.

In spite of doing nothing to improve the socio-economic situation of Muslims, Congress-led governments were accused of “pampering” Muslims. This is a topic the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is now in power, keeps returning to. The BJP belongs to the Sangh Parivar, a group of organisations that emphasises Hinduism in a supremacist manner.

Anti-Muslim pogroms
The BJP and related organisations have a history of anti-Muslim violence. After their mass agitation, hooligans destroyed Babri Mosque in Ayodhya in 1992. That event triggered violence across northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Thousands were killed. In 2002, an anti-Muslim pogrom rocked the state of Gujarat. In 2013, there were similar “riots” in Uttar Pradesh.

Violent events of this kind are typically called “Hindu-Muslim riots”. The term is misleading since there is evidence that of attacks on Muslims, their property and their religious freedom normally being planned and premeditated. The talk of “Hindu-Muslim riots”, however, suggests that both sides are equally to blame. A brutal irony of the matter is that Muslims’ reputation for suffering communal violence makes it easy to portray them as potential terrorists and terror sympathisers.

Indeed, BJP leaders have admitted that pogroms serve the “consolidation of the Hindu-vote” and are meant to render the political participation of Muslims futile. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi likes to present himself as the champion of development, his subtext is always one of consolidating Hindu power.

Modi was chief minister of Gujarat during the pogrom of 2002, and he never disowned the perpetrators. Since Modi became prime minister, there has been a spate of organised and sporadic violent attacks on Muslims across India. It obviously encourages attackers to know that their man is in power.

The idea of the Congress party monopolising “the” Muslim vote is nonsense, by the way. Raphael Susewind and Raheel Dhattiwala have done research on voting patterns in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. It turns out that, unsurprisingly, Muslims tend to vote for the candidate of any party who has best chance to beat the candidate of the BJP or its allies in their constituency. In some cases, where Muslims feel particularly threatened, they even vote for anti-Muslim candidates in an attempt to conform with the perceived majority.

Indian Muslims are generally very conscious of being in the minority and depending on peace and harmony. They know aggression does not offer a way out of despicable conditions of existence. The silver lining to the dark cloud is that India’s Muslims are beginning to demand equal rights.

Increasingly, they are moving the courts and demanding that the written principles of India’s constitution must finally prevail over unwritten, but popular ideas of what is wrong or right. Movements for the rights of women or Dalits, India’s out-cast communities, have shown that this can work.

It is a good sign that courts have begun to acquit individual Muslims who were accused of terrorism and detained without proof for years. Victims of violence in the 2013 riots in Uttar Pradesh have gone to court, and some other cases are proceeding in a slow but promising manner. Indian Muslims are increasingly articulating their sense of hurt at being treated as non-citizens in their own country. They are expressing their dissatisfaction at being placated with mere lip service to cultural rights as a minority. They are beginning to claim their rights as equal citizens of a democratic country.

Indeed, identity plays an important role in Muslims’ yearning for participation and for representation. But it plays a role in the sense of the positioning of the community in Indian society, state and polity, rather than in the sense of some essentialised quality of Islam – the faith of the Muslim Indian subject.

Ghazala Jamil is an assistant professor at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.

Indian Muslims deserve equal opportunities, but are marginalised in social, economic and political life | D+C - Development + Cooperation

For more information on how Hindutwavadi terrorists are marginalizing Muslim minority, following must be consulted.

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Claiming of victimhood mentality Habit dies hard.

Pakistan should well come Oppressed Muslims in Pakistn like India does for Hindus and see How many of them want to go to Pakistan. Dudh ka dudh aur pani ka pani ho jayega.
 
U dont study well and remain uneducated . . . Government is responsible.

Uneducated people dont get better job in a competetive environment and stay economically backward. . . . Government is responsible.

Economically backward/uneducated people mary and produce kids in a number they cant even mange . . . Government is responsible.

These unmanagable number of kids again go through the process of lack of good education and good jobs . . . .Government is responsible.



In the end its always Government's fault :D
 
I think India will go for war with Pakistan in which China will going to play a massive role. Later on in few months or may be in just 1 month; India will break a part as BD and Burma might also support the people in their bordering land to separate from India.

I think it's up to India and then China and Pakistan to make decision over India's fate of future.
Oye Phantom ruk ja oye.
 
They deserve to be treated as citizens with equal rights. However, this community is marginalised in economic and political life.

Yes of course - Muslims in India are treated as second class citizens.For example..


  • The Indian law forbids a muslim from giving evidence against a Hindu..

  • Muslims are forbidden from holding any constitutional positions-they can't become the PM,president,a cabinet minister.

  • Muslims in India are also legally persecuted using blasphemy laws-many have already been put to death for accusations of blasphemy against Hindu scriptures,gods and gurus

  • Their are restrictions on their religious freedom,a Muslim can't wear a skull cap or do 'salat' in public,they would be arrested by the 'hindu sharia police'

  • Muslims are also forbidden from entering Hindu holy cities like Varanasi.

  • Any Hindu who converts to Islam in India is punished with death penalty,so does every muslim who preach their religion

Is that right Syed Ali ?:lol:

That's how the minorities - so called 'Kafirs' are treated in 'islamic' countries.Please do care about their condition too-BTW is that women 'Asia Bibi' dead yet ?

In spite of doing nothing to improve the socio-economic situation of Muslims, Congress-led governments were accused of “pampering” Muslims.

Does this author know how vote bank politics work ?

Violent events of this kind are typically called “Hindu-Muslim riots”. The term is misleading since there is evidence that of attacks on Muslims, their property and their religious freedom normally being planned and premeditated. The talk of “Hindu-Muslim riots”, however, suggests that both sides are equally to blame. A brutal irony of the matter is that Muslims’ reputation for suffering communal violence makes it easy to portray them as potential terrorists and terror sympathisers.

Playing the victim card again ? There are several recorded cases of violence by islamic extremists,in India

leaving poor aside (as are balmed of their illiteracy),, famous muslims are sometimes pushed to walls....

lol,who ?
 
Muslims Ind India focused on more and more child to Make India a Muslim country. They never focused on education. They preferred to keep their girls in Burka. Their Career goal was to open a garage at the most. If they have to blame anybody than it is their backward thinking and nothing else. Poor mentality ruins individual, Community and countries. We have seen many examples.
 
In India about 600 Million are in Poverty even if we say all the muslim population that is 170Million is in poverty, still you get 400million people other than Muslims not in main stream so what's your Point OP.
 
Sachar Commision Report is more than enough to blunt the lies told by Hindutvawadi terrorist apologists.

Indian muslims are more educated and richer than Pakistanis. Dot.
Still not believing? Visit India once and see for yourself.

In India about 600 Million are in Poverty even if we say all the muslim population that is 170Million is in poverty, still you get 400million people other than Muslims not in main stream so what's your Point OP.

Do you know that 600 million in India are in poverty ? Those are bloated numbers. The actual count is somewhere around 250-300 million.
 
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Indian muslims are more educated and richer than Pakistanis. Dot.
Not believing, visit India once and see for yourself.

One of My friend just came from US. He said that Pakistanis in US identifies themselves as Indians to not to be seen by suspicion by Local people.

Indian muslims are more educated and richer than Pakistanis. Dot.
Not believing, visit India once and see for yourself.



Do you know that 600 million in India are in poverty ? Those are bloated numbers. The actual count is somewhere around 250-300 million.


As per world bank last report, They are less than 100 Million as per PPP 1.25 USD criterion.
 
One of My friend just came from US. He said that Pakistanis in US identifies themselves as Indians to not to be seen by suspicion by Local people.




As per world bank last report, They are less than 100 Million as per PPP 1.25 USD criterion.

100 million is too less my friend. Definitely it should be much higher.
And, by the way I generally don't trust these reports.
 

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