Communalism Watch - 24 January 2018
by Ram
Puniyani
A democracy should be judged by the parameter of
‘how safe and secure the religious minorities are’. In India from among the
religious minorities Muslims and Christians are singled out for discrimination
and physical violence. In addition many misconceptions are spread against them.
Muslim minorities have been subject to demonization in a serious way. They are
also victims of communal violence and indiscriminate arrests on the pretext of
terrorist violence, at the same time the misconception that Muslims have been
appeased have been spread on the regular basis.
With the formation of Indian National Congress
(INC) in 1885, many Hindu nationalists opposed inclusion of Muslims in INC.
Later during the freedom movement, the people belonging to this ideology
accused Gandhi of appeasing Muslims. This propaganda about appeasement became
very intense after the Shah Bano case, when the Government brought in Muslim
Women protection bill to negate the Supreme Court’s Judgment which granted
maintenance to Shah Bano, the divorced woman. It is true that the
implementation of secular policies of the ruling Government has been weak. One
must add that even other parties have also tried to appease fundamentalist
Muslim leadership. While the fundamentalist Muslim leadership has been
appeased, the Muslims in general have been discriminated against; they are part
of lowest socio-economic strata of society, far from being appeased.
Muslim Community in India
Islam came to India first through the Arab traders
at Malabar Coast in seventh century. Later through Sufi saints many
untouchables took to Islam to escape the caste tyranny. Those taking to Islam
came from the sections which belonged to lower socio-economic strata in the
society. With the coming of modern education the elite Muslims took to education
in large numbers while not much was done for education of the poor sections of
Muslims. To add to the problems, with Independence, large number of affluent
and salaried-educated Muslims left for Pakistan, leaving the lower sections
here in larger numbers. The Muslim society at large remained in the grip of
illiteracy and poverty.
Prof. Mushirul Hasan points out “Muslim communities
that remained in India, partition were a nightmare. The demographic picture
changed drastically in Punjab and Bengal, two provinces that had largest
concentration of Muslims in South Asia.” And that “Lawyers, doctors, engineers,
teachers and civil servants were comfortably ensconced in Lahore or Karachi
either in response to Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s clarion call or to bolster their
career prospects. On the other hand, the so-called Islamic community in India,
which had no place in Jinnah’s Pakistan, was fragmented, and left vulnerable to
right wing Hindu thoughts.” (Hasan, P 7, 2001, p. 7)
After Independence the communal politics started
the propaganda that Muslims are responsible for partition. The communal political
groups popularized the biases against Muslims. These misconceptions against
Muslims related to issues like Muslim Kings destroyed Hindu temples, Muslim
kings spreading Islam on the strength of sword etc. Their social conditions
related to poverty, like poor hygiene also became butt of misconceptions
against them. These misconceptions formed the base of the communal violence.
The majority of victims of violence belonged to poor, and majority among them
were Muslims. Communal violence in turn led to their ghettotization and Muslim
community started becoming inward looking in nature. Due to repeated violence
against them, their focus on security took precedence over equity issues. This
led to neglect of education. Last couple of decades, particularly after 9/11
2001, in most of the cases of terror attacks, many innocent Muslim youth have been
arrested.
There was a trend of the police authorities
arresting college/university students on charges of terrorist acts, and then
they rot in jails for long time before the courts come to their rescue. The
towns like Azamgargh and Bhatkal were propagated to be dens of terrorists.
Madarassas have also been looked down as places breeding terrorists. At times,
many parents scared of the prospect of their children being implicated by the
police recalled them back from colleges. The career of many Muslim youth who
were pursuing their studies in professional colleges or were practicing as young
professionals, got ruined. This again added on to the tendency of Muslim
community to withdraw into their own shells. There is another parallel
phenomenon from last four decades; that of Muslim youth seeking and getting
jobs preferentially Gulf countries, this section did become slightly more
affluent, this again is a small segment if we look from all India perspective.
Muslim Appeasement
This propaganda is so strong that reality gets lost
from popular perception. As per the data the employment of Muslims in
Government jobs is abysmally low. For example, the following table shows us
Muslim Employment in Central services. Roughly one can say that though their
ratio in population is over 14%, in matter of government jobs and in private
employment they may not be over 3% on average.
Muslim Employment in Central Government Services:
2000
|
Group
|
Estimated Strength
|
%of total strength
|
Muslim % in 1992
|
|
A
|
77,680
|
2.05
|
1.61
|
|
B
|
1,74,675
|
4.63
|
3.00
|
|
C
|
23,87,625
|
63.22
|
4.41
|
|
D
|
11,36,686
|
30.09
|
5.12
|
|
Total
|
37,76,666
|
100.00
|
|
Source: Omar Khalidi, Muslims in the Indian
Economy, Three Essays Collective, P. 45New Delhi, 2006
Muslim Artisans
Large section of Muslims is associated with a
number of handicrafts and related trades. Here they tend to be employed as
workers, while the retailers and exporters belong to other communities. Khalidi
provides the following statistics, quoting from a 1991 survey, that provide
information about Muslim employment in various handicrafts in the state of
Uttar Pradesh: art metal ware (76%), zari, gold thread/ brocade
and zari goods (89%), embroidery (87.5%), cotton rugs (67%),
wood wares (72%). In several other states, too, Muslims are engaged in similar
artisanal activities. Yet, the state appears to have done little to help Muslim
artisan families and communities.
As an example we can see the fate of artisans over
a period of time. Earlier over 500,000 weavers lived in and around Varanasi,
weaving silk saris mainly for the domestic market. But since the 1990s, these
silk handloom weavers have seen their markets vanish. Similar is the fate of
other textile centers like Bhivandi, Malegaon etc., where Muslims were employed
in large numbers. There are many reasons for this decline, increasing
competition from power loom weaving, changes in government protection policies,
rising prices in raw silk and shifts in market demand. In the past many years, change
in import policies leading to imports of silk fabric from China etc.
As far as the representation of
Muslims in private sector is concerned, it is no better. An earlier study
showed that in the private sector, including the two top business and
industrial houses of the Tatas and Birlas, it was found that the Muslim
employment came to 8.16%, while for the Scheduled Castes it was 11.5%. In the
executive cadre Muslims were only 1.5% while in the clerical class it was
8.28%.
Muslims: Socio Economic Condition
Muslims have also not been able
to take advantage of various government schemes for such groups as small
farmers, marginal farmers, agricultural laborers, landless laborers, etc.. This
owes to discrimination and indifference on the part of planning and
implementation authorities as well as lack of awareness and knowledge of such
schemes among Muslims. Consequently, the limited progress that some sections of
Muslims have been able to make in recent years owes almost wholly to their own
efforts. Overall the economic conditions of most Indian Muslims are unenviable,
to say the least. Most of them eke out a hand-to-mouth existence either by way
of self-employment in petty trade or by working in the unorganized sector. They
are engaged mostly as construction labourers, rickshaw, taxi and truck drivers,
handcart pullers, coolies, barbers, tailors, carpenters, pavement hawkers, or
at best as mechanics, fitters, plumbers, electricians or welders.
Gopal Singh, Rangnath Mishra and Sachar Committee
Reports:
In the light of worsening economic condition of
Muslims the earlier the Congress and later UPA Governments appointed various
commissions. The Gopal Singh Commission was the first one (1982). All these
reports pointed out that far from appeasement the condition of Muslim community
is worsening.
Let us see for example what Sachar Committee says (November
2006). The committee after extensive home work found that the Muslim minority
is way behind the national averages in most of the parameters of social
development, its economic status has been sliding seriously, its representation
in jobs, bank loans is abysmal, and its representation in the political process
has been very poor and worsening on the top of that. In sum and substance,
Muslim community is under-represented in most of the arenas of society barring
the jails. Gopal Singh committee had also affirmed the poor status of this
minority. Gopal Singh committee report kept lying in the deep freezer while the
issues like Ram Temple kept hogging the national attention. To add up one can
say this community’s representation as riot victim is way above its percentage
in population. Sachar Committee has recommended that an Equal Opportunity
Commission should be set up, a national data bank should be started, a
nomination procedure should be started to ensure their participation in public
bodies, in order to promote religious tolerance by a procedure to evaluate text
books for appropriate social values among other.
The Muslim ghettoes which have come to be formed in
the aftermath of violence are islands of deprivation, generally cut off from
the civic, economic provisions, good schooling etc. The Banks, the major
companies are reluctant to open their offices in these areas. These areas are
generally used looked up by Muslims as an arrangement for protection.
State Response
While Gopal Singh committee was not implemented,
over two decades later in response to Sachar Committee report Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh’s stated in the National Development Council that we need “to devise
innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority,
are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development, these must have
first claim on resources.” This statement was backed up by the statement in
Parliament by the minister of minorities affairs that Government will implement
the recommendations of Sachar Committee. This was just a mirage. BJP came down
heavily on this statement demolishing any hope that state will pick up courage
to take up proactive affirmative action for Muslim minorities. RSS combine
started crying foul; BJP started asserting that Prime minister’s statement is
it is rank communalism.
The pressure of communal propaganda and opposition
from Hindu nationalists killed any chances of recommendations of these reports
being implemented. The Government did try to contemplate steps short of
reservations to improve the lot of the Muslim minorities. As it turned out the
Government could not muster enough courage to implement any of the steps to
alleviate the lot of Muslim community. One of the important steps which was
contemplated but never implemented was the idea of Equal Opportunity Commission
to improve the lot of these sections, needless to say such ideas were done
away, and with Modi sarkar coming to power in 2014, such steps have been ruled
out for the time being.
Last Three Years
During last three years, since Modi has come to
power; despite the talk of Sabka Saath
Sabka vikas (with all, for development of all), policies have been
undertaken to break the back of Muslim community. One of the examples of the
this has been the policies related to beef ban and closure of meat shops, on
the ground of their being illegal. The already existing laws on cow slaughter
and beef ban have been tightened. A social atmosphere has been created around
Holy Mother Cow. The implementation of this seems to be guided more by hatred
of Muslims than love for Cows. An atmosphere of terror has been created by
lynching of innocent Muslims by Cow Rakhashaks (Protectors), who are Hindu
nationalist, ideologically inspired by the RSS-BJP. The atmosphere has been so
created that those transporting cattle and dealing with meat/beef have been
intimidated out of their wits to be able to do anything to do gainful economic
activities. Muslims are feeling further intimidated and are being relegated to
second class citizenship is going on at great speed.
(Writer a communal harmony activist can be
contacted on ram.puniyani[at]gmail.com)
