By Khan Mohammad Obaida
“Muslims should have faith in India and the country is yours. This is what Muslims are for. The fundamental decisions about the country will remain incomplete without Muslims”. These are the words from Maulana Azad’s iconic speech which was given at Jama Masjid in Delhi on the occasion of Bakrid in 1947.
On the basis of Maulana Azad’s assurances, those Muslims chose to stay in India after India and Pakistan were divided. They discovered no changes to their political, social, economic, or educational backgrounds, as they continued to be orphans in their own motherland.
Despite their significant presence, Muslims in India have never enjoyed the fruits of democracy in proportion to their share of population (in terms of their democratic representation, share in government employment and inclusion in decision-making processes) like other religious group.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi said- For me, there are four biggest castes in the country. For me, the biggest caste is the poor. For me, the biggest caste is the youth, the biggest caste is women. For me, the biggest caste is farmers. Only the uplift of these four castes will make India developed. And if it happens to these four, it means it will happen to everyone).
I agree with the prime minister’s assertion that poverty, youth, women, and farmers are the main caste. We may argue that these four classes are the cornerstones of our nation; every nation’s future rests on these principles, however we find it concerning that these classes are only discussed during election seasons. Since independence, Muslims have consistently performed the best among the poor; among young- Muslims have experienced unemployment or a lack of quality education; among women- Muslims have experienced oppression; and finally, 11% of Muslims are engaged in farming, but no debate can be seen on this issue.
Analyzing the 4 Caste of Prime Minister
1.Poor – India has a largest number of people living in multidimensional poverty in the world. The hard truth is that, According to United National Development Programme and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI)’s global multidimensional poverty index, every second person belonging to the Scheduled Tribes and every third person belonging to the Scheduled Castes remains poor. Similarly, every third Muslim is multi-dimensionally poor.
According to National Sample Survey of India, Muslim religion is the poorest religious group in India. Muslims’ average per capita spending a day is Rs. 32.66, while it is Rs. 37.50 for Hindus, Rs. 51. 43 for Christians and Rs. 55.30 for Sikhs.
2. Youth -India has more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35%. The average age of an Indian is 29 years.
The biggest problem which is faced by the youth is the unemployment, according to ILO report the youth unemployment rate in India is 23.22%.
PLFS (Periodic Labour Force Survey) The data shows a decrease in the unemployment rate in rural areas from 5.3% in 2017-18 to 2.4% in 2022-23, and in urban areas from 7.7% to 5.4%. moreover, the data highlights that, among all religious group, it is the Muslims who are experiencing the decline in their Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and worker population ratio (WPR).
3.Women – According to World Bank, India comprises 48.41% women population. Its, known to all of us that women are facing challenges since ancient time and still they are facing discrimination from Nangeli to Bilkis Bano.
4. Farmers – In India, 70% of the population works in agriculture, making it an agricultural nation. Nearly 40% of the GDP is derived from agriculture (Gross Domestic Product).
Farmers have opposed three agriculture law bills in 2021, and the current government has disregarded their objections. Farmers are currently staging protests to demand the MSP (Minimum Support Price) be guaranteed.
A survey from the Rural Development Ministry states that 85% of rural landowners are Hindu, and little over 11% are Muslims. whereas 14.2% of the population resides there.
Demands of Muslims in 2024 Lok Sabha election
1. IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATION OF SACHAR COMMITTEE AND RANGANATH MISHRA COMMISSION REPORT
The first word revealed of the Quran was “Iqra” which means “Read” and Seek knowledge! Educate yourselves! Be educated. To seek knowledge is the sacred duty in Islam, but the study found that Muslims are not fulfilling their duty as they are lacking in every sector.
Muslims are the largest minority in India, majority of this community is far lag behind with respect to all material benefits, particularly in education and employment.
Malcolm X was a famous African American human rights activist who says that ‘education is the passports of the future, for tomorrow belong to those who prepare for it today’. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was a great socio-religious reformer and Messiah of ‘Muslims education’ said that ‘it is the categorical verdict of all the nations and great seers of the world that national progress depends on education and training of the people’. Keep in mind that life without education and training is like a bird without wings.
To quote late Prof. Rasheeduzzafar, former Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, educationally, the Indian Muslims have been trading, trotting and trecking for the last 130 years but are get to arrive. For all their effort, today they find themselves exactly at the place where they began.
The Sachar Committee was appointed by UPA government in 2005 for the study of social, economical and educational condition of Muslims, which submitted its report in 2006. The report mentions, “The literacy rate among Muslims in 2001 was 59.1 %. This is far below the national average (65.1 %). The report has also revealed that ‘one fourth of Muslim children in the age group of 6-14 years have either never attended school or are dropouts. For children above the age of 17 years, the educational attainment of Muslims at matriculation is 17%, as against national average at 26%. Only 50% of Muslims who complete middle schools are likely to complete secondary education, compared to 62% at the national level’ (Ministry of Education, GOI). Their literacy rate, mean year of education, representation in senior secondary education and higher education is below to other communities of India. For example, Literacy rate among Muslims is 57.3%, which is far behind from national average 74.4%. When we see another minority community in India their literacy is far better than Muslims minority. The majority Hindus whose literacy is 63.6%. Literacy among other minority such as Jain is 86.4%, Among Christians is 74.3%, Among Buddhist is 71.8% and, Sikh is 67.5% in India. This shows that the Muslims have the highest illiteracy rate of any single religious community in India.
If we strictly follow the age cohort 18-23, the PLFS data confirms this trend. Muslims do even worse than Dalits and Adivasis. According to this source, only about 19 per cent are currently attending higher education institutions, as against 21 per cent among Adivasis, 26 per cent among Dalits, 34 per cent Hindu OBCs and 45 per cent Hindu upper castes.
The Recommendation of Sachar Committee must be taken into consideration-
1. Every location where there is a concentration of Muslims should have top-notch government schools. exclusive schools for girls had to be established. Muslim females would be more likely to attend school as a result. The number of female teachers hired in coeducational schools needs to increase. In accordance with the constitution, basic education must be available in one’s mother tongue. Primary education in Urdu should be offered in places where the number of Urdu speakers is concentrated, and an accurate mapping of that population is urgently needed.
2. A more rational delimitation procedure that does not reserve constituencies with high minority population shares for SCs will improve the opportunity for the minorities, especially the Muslims, to contest and get elected to the Indian Parliament and the state assemblies.
3. The Committee advised the University Grants Commission to set up women’s hostels in colleges and universities in areas with a high Muslim concentration.
4. Even private colleges, including those run by the minorities and which have affiliation with universities or are recognized by state bodies can be provided additional funds if they have a diverse student population and charge reasonable fees.
5. Take necessary steps to connect Madrassa education with Higher Secondary school boards, so the student may shift to English education without any hurdle. Institution of more scholarship for higher or technical courses.
6. Recognize Madrassa degrees equal to degree qualification for defense, civil and banking exams.
7. To create a National Data Bank where all relevant data for various Socio-religious communities are maintained.
8. No interference of government in Waqf property.
9. Evaluation of the content of the school textbooks to eliminate religious and other discrimination.
10. Posting Muslim police personnel in thanas and Muslim health personnel and teachers in Muslim-concentration areas.
The Ranganath Mishra Committee recommendation must be taken into consideration-
The Ranganath Mishra commission submitted its report in 2004 with the certain recommendation, after they found that Muslims of India are socially, politically and economically backward-
1. At least 15 percent of seats in all nonminority educational institutions should be earmarked by law for the minorities, as with 10 percent for the Muslims and the remaining 5 percent for the other minorities.
2. 15 percent of the share will be earmarked for minorities, with a break-up of 10 percent for Muslims in all government schemes like the Rural Employment Generation Program, the Prime Ministers Rozgar Yojna, Grameen Rozgar Yojna, etc.
3. 15 percent of posts in all cadres and grades under the Central and State Governments should be earmarked for minorities, with a break-up of 10 percent for Muslims.
2. SCHEDULE CASTE STATUS TO PASMANDA MUSLIMS
Islam does not make any stratification but the followers of Islam i.e .Muslims follow such practices. Indian Muslims are stratified into three main castes. At the top of the pyramid are the Ashrafs (literally, the ‘nobles’, who trace their ancestry to inhabitants of the Arab peninsula or Central Asia or are converts from Hindu upper castes), Ajlafs (literally, the ‘commoners’, who are said to be converted from Hindu low castes) and Arzals (literally, the ‘despicable’, who are said to be Dalit converts).
Who are Pasmanda Muslims?
‘Pasmanda’, a Persian term meaning “those who have fallen behind” refers to Muslims belonging to the Shudra (backward) and anti-Shudra (Dalit) castes. It was adopted as an oppositional identity to that of the dominant Ashraf Muslims (forward castes) in 1998 by the Pasmanda Muslims Mahaz, a group which mainly worked in Bihar.
Pasmandas encompass those who are socially, educationally and economically backward comprising of 85% of the total Indian Muslims population. Within the Muslim population in India, the Pasmandas are the group with the least political representation. The reports of the Sachar Committee and the Ranganath Mishra Committee have shown a number of injustices and forms of discrimination that the typical Muslim Ajlaf or Arzal must deal with on a daily basis. These include social segregation, untouchability, restricted or nonexistent access to education, and under representation. These communities include: Kunjre (Raeen), Julahe (Ansari), Dhunia (Mansuri), Kasai, (Qureishi), Fakir (Alvi), Hajjam (Salmani), Mehtar (Halalkhor), Gwala (Ghosi), Dhobi, (Hawari), Lohar-Badhai (Saifi), Manihar (Siddiqui), Darzi (Idrisi), Vangujjar, etc.
The constitution Schedule Caste Order 1950, in its Paragraph 3, expressly sets out, “Notwithstanding anything contained in paragraph 2, no person who professes a religion different from the Hindu [the Sikh or the Buddhist] religion shall be deemed to be a member of a Scheduled Caste.”
This essentially means that barring Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists, no person practicing any other religion can claim to be a ‘scheduled caste’ and consequently, the benefits thereof.
Impoverished people are deprived of Scheduled Caste privileges because of this religious ban on Christians, and Muslims of Scheduled Caste origin and converts. The ban concerning Christians and Muslims is unconstitutional and violative of the rights to equality, discrimination and religious freedom.
If all religions have equality in the Indian Constitution, why do some not qualify protection which has empowered the most marginalized persons in our country?
The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 is discriminatory and violative of Articles 14 (equality before law) and Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, etc) Article 16 (Discrimination in employment), Article 25 (violation of freedom of religion) of the Indian Constitution as it discriminates against Scheduled Caste converts to religions other than Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism.
There must be move from state as well as center government, to include some Muslim caste in a schedule caste as it had done previously in the case of Buddhist and Sikhs. As Muslims are socially, politically and economically backward, which is mentioned by Mandal commission, Ranganath Mishra commission, and Sachar committee.
3.NO UNIFORM CIVIL CODE
Article 44 of the India constitution says ‘The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India’
The impending general election has brought attention to the uniform civil code. The government does not yet have a draft, despite its claims that it will introduce UCC before the election.
The Indian Muslims openly criticized the UCC, they see it as interference with their personal laws. UCC is an imposition of majoritarian practices on Muslims on the name of uniformity.
The RSS Sarsangchalak M.S. Golwalkar himself said, ‘Uniform Civil Code is unnatural to India and against its diversity’ at the time opposed the Hindu Code Bill, describing it as an “atom bomb” on Hindu society.
The government are forcing a majoritarian point of view on everyone. They have drafted the UCC considering a particular Hindu religion and imposing it on everyone.
An optional Uniform Civil Code already exists. There are Special Marriage Act and Succession Act. Anyone who does not want to get governed by religious laws, that couple can get married under Special Marriage Act. Religious personal law will not be applicable on that particular couple. They will be governed by secular law. When optional UCC is available, then why there is need of new UCC from the government?
4.NO CAA & NRC
I contend that India’s democratic regime and secular constitution make the CAA and NRC unconstitutional. A secular constitution prohibits the assignment of rights on the basis of religious identification. Equal political involvement, representation, and regard are also essential under democratic ideology. However, it is clear that the BJP’s Hindu-nationalist ideology is present in the CAA and the NRC, which discriminate against Muslims based only on their religious affiliation. This clearly violates the human rights of Indian Muslims and is unconstitutional.
5.PLACES OF WORSHIP ACT 1991 MUST BE PRESERVED
The Narsimha Rao government tabled a law in 1991, during the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, proposing to maintain all places of worship’s status as it existed on August 15, 1947, the day India gained its freedom. Regarding the Ram Janmabhoomi case, there was only one exemption. The Act states that a holy site’s characteristics cannot be changed from what they were on August 15, 1947, the day India gained its independence. Since Muslims and British invaders targeted and ruled over more of North India, more Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples there were affected than those in Southern India.
Recently the controversy arises over the constitutionality of Places of worship act 1991, where the petition has been filed to replace the Gyanwapi masjid of Banaras and Shahi Idgah of Mathura in the Hindu religious character.
The Places of Worship Act of 1991 is constitutionally valid; if it is repealed, a multiplicity of petitions will be filed by individuals claiming ownership of all places of worship.
6.RESTORE MAULANA AZAD
NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP FOR MINORITY STUDENT
The selective withholding of MANF is highly communal and targets students belonging to minority communities.
The scheme was like a blessing for the minority students falling below creamy layer income to encourage them to pursue higher education like Ph.D. and M.Phil. without worrying about financial constraints. As Muslims lack formal education, the government takes what they have while pretending to aid them.
7.HIJAB
“YATRA NARYASTU PUJYANTE RAMANTE TATRA DEVATA, YATRAITAASTU NA PUJAYANTE SARVAASTATRAFALAAH KRIYAAH” is a famous sloka taken from Manusmriti which means where Women are honored, divinity blossoms there, and where women are dishonored, all action no matter how noble remain unfruitful.
The issue of Hijab is in news, where the people claim that it violates the dress code, while the other side claim that it is their freedom of religion which has been given under Article 25&26 of Indian constitution.
The government must believe in the faith of every religion, if we pretend to stop living in a secular heaven would we realise that religion cannot be separated from a person. Choices are not made in a vacuum. They are profoundly contextual and temporal. The schools have rules, but shouldn’t the rules be made keeping the elements of all faiths in mind?
8.NO INTERFERENCE WITH THE WAQF PROPERTY
Waqf property are those property which belongs to Allah and managed by Mutawalli. The government’s recent claims that waqf property belongs to them due to legal misinterpretation of laws, for example 123 waqf property claimed by Delhi government that it belongs to them, similar incidents in Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh etc.
CONCLUSION
The Muslim demands in the 2024 election platform are significant and symbolize their hopes for equal participation and rights protection. The first and most important demand, which aims to redress socio-economic imbalances within the community, is the implementation of the recommendations made by the Sachar and Ranganath Mishra Committee. Affirmative action measures will include Pasmanda Muslims since their inclusion in them is guaranteed and their intersectionality is acknowledged when they are granted Scheduled Caste status.
The UCC and CAA&NRC is a political tool which used by the government to polarize the election, which infringe the fundamental rights of Muslim in India.
The Places of Worship Act of 1991 serves as a safeguard against degradation or encroachment on sacred locations while affirming the right to religious freedom. Upholding the freedom to wear the hijab is a symbol of the value of individual autonomy and freedom of religion, unhindered by the government. Last but not least, protecting Waqf properties from interference preserves the sacredness of religious endowments and safeguards funds essential for the well-being of the community.
In sum, the demands encapsulate the pursuit of equality, religious freedom, and socio-economic justice for Muslims in India, fostering a more inclusive and pluralistic society.
Gimme, gimme, gimme!
From 15 August 1947 to today.
Muslims are NOT responsible for themselves. Uncle ( Government) pays.