By Muslim Mirror Staff
Islam is the second largest religion in India, with 14.2% of the country’s population or roughly 172 million people identifying as adherents of Islam. Over the centuries, Muslims have played a notable role in economics, politics and culture of India, however 70 years after independence the overall condition of Indian Muslims is pathetic.
Poverty illiteracy and ghettoization has marred Muslims for decades now. Ghettoisation among Indian Muslims began in the mid-1970s when first communal riots occurred. It got heightened after the 1989 Bhagalpur violence in Bihar and became a trend after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. Soon several major cities developed ghettos, or segregated areas, where the Muslim population moved in. This trend however, did not help for the anticipated security the anonymity of ghetto was thought to have provided.
During the 2002 Gujarat riots, several such ghettos became easy targets for the rioting mobs, as they enabled the profiling of residential colonies. This kind of ghettoisation can be seen in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and many cities of Gujarat where a clear socio-cultural demarcation exists between Hindu-dominated and Muslim-dominated neighbourhoods.
In places like Gujarat, riots and alienation of Muslims have led to large scale ghettoisation of the community. For example, the Juhapura area of Ahmadabad has swelled from 250,000 to 650,000 residents since 2002 riots. Muslims in Gujarat have no option but to head to a ghetto, irrespective of their economic and professional status.
Increase in ghetto living has also shown a strengthening of stereotyping due to lack of cross-cultural interaction, and reduction in economic and educational opportunities at large. Secularism in India is being seen by some as a favour to the Muslims, and not an imperative for democracy
The Sachar Committee Report explored and commented upon a truly wide range of random issues and concerns, often with a view to forcefully place the Muslim viewpoint on those issues in the public sphere. This included making observations on the high birth rate in the Muslim community in comparison to Hindus: the committee estimated that the Muslim proportion will stabilize at between 17% and 21% of the Indian population by 2100.As per the 2011 census, the population of Muslims is nearly 15% and rose by over 2% over a period of only ten years.
The Sachar Committee highlighted and presented its suggestions on how to remove impediments those preventing Indian Muslims from fully participating in the economic, political, and social mainstream of Indian life. The report was the first of its kind to reveal the “backwardness” (a term used in Indian academic and legal discourse for historically dispossessed or economically vulnerable communities, not meant to be pejorative) of Indian Muslims. An issue highlighted was that while Muslims constitute 14% of the Indian population, they only comprise 2.5% of the Indian bureaucracy. The Sachar Committee concluded that the conditions facing Indian Muslims was below that of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Report brought the issue of Muslim Indian inequality to national attention, sparking a discussion that is still ongoing. The Committee recommended setting up an Equal Opportunity Commission to provide a legal mechanism to address discrimination complaints, including in matters such as housing. In response to the Committee’s findings, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram proposed an increase to the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation’s (NMDFC) budget, citing new duties and expanded outreach that the institution would take on to implement the Committee’s recommendations.
However, no such recommendations have been implemented and Muslims continue to suffer in India even seven decades after independence.
Obviously you cannot blame BJP for this. In fact BJP is only party who has done lot of good for Muslims.
Can you please elaborate, lot of good things done by BJP for Indian Muslims?
A recent UN report on poverty alleviation,Something which Congress was not able to achieve in its 60 years of rule. India was able to brought at least 5 cr people from poverty line (just between 2014 to 2018). Out of this 40% we’re Indian Muslims. Even Bill gates presented this data while he was speaking on world and poverty subject. Under Modi government Muslim woman are greatly empowered.
Yes hatred of Muslims for Modi and BJP is well understood. BJP does politics over religion only to safeguard its Hindu votes. Congress successfully eroded this by playing soft Hindutva politics in recent elections. It was loss for BJP and so good news for Muslims like you.
But mind it congress cannot be trusted either.
Besides Sachar report, PM LB Shastri had an equivalent report by Rafiq Zakaria, and Indraji had one from Mr. Gopal. All three central government reports concluded more or less the same as Sachar, except that Muslims became worse off than Dalits. I refuse to accept the ‘wrong belief’ that Congress is secular/better toward Muslim. This is a myth, mostly maybe because of most Kashmiri Brahmins love Urdu poetry/ghazal. Don’t forget that India lost the most famous Urdu names of Josh M. and Niaz F. during Nehru’s time. Be it soft or hard, it has been Hindutva-guided from 1947 onward. The Indian treatment of Muslim oppression can’t remain hidden forever.
First of all I am talking about a report which is worldly accepted, it doesn’t talk only about India but all countries of world. It’s not india’s Internal politically motivated report.
Facts and data don’t lie. It doesn’t matter if you love or hate Modi. Very notion of oppression of Muslims in India is a farce idea. Muslims are much happier in India than anywhere else in the world. If you still want assurance and confirmation on this then ask your brothers in Myanmar, China , Syria, Yemen and even in your most beloved Pakistan.
Ha ha ha, nice one Brother!