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India is a majority Hindu country, but the largest minority group is Muslim. Precise numbers vary, in part because religious issues can be controversial. Virtually the only facr that is generally agreedcis that since Independence and the exodus of may Muslims to Pakistan, the Muslim population has substantially increased. The question arises as to how well integrated India's Muslims are in the national society. We see notable and apparently wide spread levels of integration among Indian Muslims. Many Muslim women dress just as their Hindu copatriots. And many Muslims participate or are acepting of Hindu festivals. This is a level of integeation and tolerance that has developed over time. Indian Muslims are very diverse and notably therec does not seem to be the violence among Muslim sects that we see in the Middle East. It is difficult to measure these social patterns. It appears, however, that some of modern India's leaders have inadvertely launched a kind of cultural war that has affected the traditional accomodation and tolerance among Hindus abnd Muslims in modern India. Muslim spokesmen complain that they are not faily treated in democratic India. And the same left-oriented inteligensia that lead India down the failed road of socialist economics through the same lens of perpetual victimhood that the left views blacks and other minorities in America. There certainly are some disturbing indicators. There are dreadful out breaks of communal violence in India. The 2002 rioting in Gujarat is an example. And the body count for Muslims is almost always higher than that for Hindus. We do not, however, tend to see the organized attacks and individual violence that we see in countries like Iraq and Pakistan. And in indices of social welfare such as literacy, education, and income, Muslims perform poorly. There is no doubt that Muslims badly lag Hindus in many indicators. One report claims that they not only lag upper-class Hindus which would be expected, but lower-class Dalit (Untouchable) Hindus as well. [Sachar] Ancedotal reports suggests that educated Muslims have trouble buying homes in better neighborhoods in many cities. This is difficult to quatify, but may well be the case. But is often the case, Muslims and leftists tend to want to view these indicators in a vacuume rather than compring India with other comparable countries in the Middle East and South Asia. What Many Muslims and leftists ignore that Muslims are growing as a portion of India's diverse and generally tolerant society. Official statistics suggest that Muslims increased fron 10 percent of the population (1961) to 14 percent (2001) and many observers believe that Muslims are now approaching 20 percent of the population. Compare this to the fate of Christians and Jews in Muslim countries, and these are considered 'people of the book' in Koranic terminology. Muslim are becoming not only the dominant religion but increasingly the only important religious group. Jews have been driven out of most Middle Eastern countries and now Christians are being driven out of countries like Iraq, Palestine, and Syria and are increasingly endangered in Egypt and Pakistan. The terrible Arab assaults on the south and Darfur in the Sudan is an esoeciallegrigious example. And in South Asia, non-Muslims are emigrating from Baladesh and Pakistan in increasing numbers. How badly treated can Muslims be in India when in contrast to Muslim countries, minority Muslims are increasing notably in numbers. In addition, Muslims in India are free to adopt the sect of choice without fearing repercussuions. In contrast, the communal violence in Muslim countries is not only directed at other religions, but fellow Muslims of different sects, especially minority sects. There are many bright spots in Muslim India. Muslims are very active and succesful in Bollywood. Two of the main superstas are Muslim Shah Rukh Kahn and Salman Khan. And they are heavily represented behind the camera with both writers and composers. Mulims are also very successful in other less visible areas, including business, journalism, the military, and politics. A recent president was Abduhl Kalam. India's richest man is business leader Wipro Azim Premji. The important question often is not addressed. Why do Muslims perform so poorly is published indices. There are a range of reasons and most seem to relate to societal choices Muslims make themselves, not Hindu descrimination. Here we have collected several reasons, but would be interested in insights readers more familiar with India might have. 1) attitudes toward female education, 2) polygamy (outlawed for Hindus, 3) an unwillingness to integrate with the wider Hindu scociety (a Koranic injunctiin), 4) the choice of madrasahs rather state schools with stronger math and science curriculums, and 5) the migration of most well-to-do Muslims to Pakistan at the time of independence. The perscription being offered by Muslims and the left-wing establishment is quotas, essentially insisting on equality of outcomes rather than equality of opportunity. This leaves the basic problems in Muslim society causing the societal differential unaddressed. [Dhume]
India is a majority Hindu country, but the largest minority group is Muslim. Precise numbers vary, in part because religious issues can be controversial. The partition of India at independence and subsequent exodus of Mulims from India nd Hindus from Pakistan, substantially reduced the Muslim population of India. The resulting Muslim popukation was probably les than 10 percent. Census figures suggest that the Muslim population has since increased from 11 percent (1961) to 14 percent (2001). ome observers believe tht the Muslim population may now be approaching 20 percent. Virtually the only fact that is generally agreed is that since Independence and the exodus of may Muslims to Pakistan, the Muslim population has substantially increased.
The succesful integration of Muslims into Indian society is critical for the future of democratic India. Some have argued that Islam is incompatable with democracy d secular law and government. And there are few successful examples of democratic Muslim countries. In fact unril the arab Spring there were almost no instances of Muslim countries with real elections. And it i not entirely ckear where the Arab Spring is headed. It probably is true that Whabite Islam and similar findamentalist manifestations of Islam are incompatavle with democracy and seculr government. But thar does not necessaily mean that Indian Muslims can not be integrated into Indian national culture. The whabites have liitle influence in India. And even the radical, fundanentalist Islam in Pakistan does not yet hve great influence. The problem for India is that the Whabite and fundamentalist Pakistais probably have bekiefs closer to Koranic teaching than the oder moderate Indian Muslims. India's success in integrating the countrty's large Muslim minority will be a major factor in the country's future.
The question arises as to how well integrated India's Muslims are in the national society. There is considerabke debate on this issue in India. We see notable and apparently wide-spread levels of integration among Indian Muslims. Many Muslim women dress just as their Hindu copatriots. We also see very conservative Muslim attire, but the more open majority Hindu styles seem more common. This is not a matter of Western dress. Hindu society is also consrrvative and Hindu women dress modestly, only not in the all emcocmpssing ribes and head covers that have developed in the Middle East. There are other indicators. Many Muslims participate or are acepting of Hindu festivals. The apparently Muslim mother here is a good example (figure 1). This is a level of integeation and tolerance that has developed over time. It is difficult to measure these social patterns. Hopefully Indian readers will be able to tell us more.
Indian Muslims are very diverse and notably therec does not seem to be the violence among Muslim sects that we see in the Middle East.
It appears, however, that some of modern India's leaders have inadvertely launched a kind of cultural war that has affected the traditional accomodation and tolerance among Hindus abnd Muslims in modern India. The current situation appears to have its modern origins when revered stateman Mohandus Gandi attempting to mobilize Muslim support for the independnce movement advocared the restoration of the Ottoman/Turkish Caliphate (1920s). Muslims were somewhat less supportive of indeoendence because it would inevitably leadt majority Hindu rule. And this was the issue which lead
Muhammed Ali Jinnah to demand partition. British rule was one thing, the British were relatuvely neutrl or even pro-Muslim. He was afraid of living in a Hindu dominated India. Despite the horendous communal viloence at the time of indepdence, the Congress Party oversaw a democratic India which proteted individual rights. The Muslim community was, however, reduced by partition and population migrations. Much of the upper- and middle-vlass Muslims migrated to India.
Prime Minister Jawaharlalv Nethru made a terrible mistake when Parliament banned a range of antiquated personal practices like polygamy, he allowed the new laws to exempt Muslims (1950s). Primeminister Rahiy Gandhi compounded the problem when Muslim men were exempted from paying alimony to women they divorced (1980s). These policies promote resentment amng Hindus nd a sense of separenes among Muslims. This essentially set in motion the politics of division. It wa aath that read directly demolition of th Ayodhya mosque and resulting nation-wide communal rioting (1992-93). One observer describes the falacy in these decesions, "... the political class blundered by vieig the communitythrough the prismof faith rather rather than nationality. Muslims are Indians and the best way for India to integrate them is to strive to treat them as individuals, not members of a group. Indians disregard this commonsene notion at their peril." [Dhume]
Muslim spokesmen today complain that they are not faily treated in democratic India. And the same left-oriented inteligensia that lead India down the failed road of socialist economics through the same lens of perpetual victimhood that the left views blacks and other minorities in America.
There certainly are some disturbing indicators. There are dreadful out breaks of communal violence in India. The 2002 rioting in Gujarat is an example. And the body count for Muslims is almost always higher than that for Hindus. We do not, however, tend to see the organized attacks and individual violence that we see in countries like Iraq and Pakistan. And in indices of social welfare such as literacy, education, and income, Muslims perform poorly. There is no doubt that Muslims badly lag Hindus in many indicators. One report claims that they not only lag upper-class Hindus which would be expected, but lower-class Dalit (Untouchable) Hindus as well. [Sachar] Ancedotal reports suggests that educated Muslims have trouble buying homes in better neighborhoods in many cities. This is difficult to quatify, but may well be the case.
But is often the case, Muslims and leftists tend to want to view these indicators in a vacuume rather than compring India with other comparable countries in the Middle East and South Asia. What Many Muslims and leftists ignore that Muslims are growing as a portion of India's diverse and generally tolerant society. Official statistics suggest that Muslims increased fron 11 percent of the population (1961) to 14 percent (2001) and many observers believe that Muslims are now approaching 14 percent of the population. Compare this to the fate of Christians and Jews in Muslim countries, and these are considered 'people of the book' in Koranic terminology. Muslim are becoming not only the dominant religion but increasingly the only important religious group. Jews have been driven out of most Middle Eastern countries and now Christians are being driven out of countries like Iraq, Palestine, and Syria and are increasingly endangered in Egypt and Pakistan. The terrible Arab assaults on the south and Darfur in the Sudan is an esoeciallegrigious example. And in South Asia, non-Muslims are emigrating from Baladesh and Pakistan in increasing numbers. How badly treated can Muslims be in India when in contrast to Muslim countries, minority Muslims are increasing notably in numbers. In addition, Muslims in India are free to adopt the sect of choice without fearing repercussuions. In contrast, the communal violence in Muslim countries is not only directed at other religions, but fellow Muslims of different sects, especially minority sects.
There are many bright spots in Muslim India. Muslims are very active and succesful in Bollywood. Two of the main superstas are Muslim Shah Rukh Kahn and Salman Khan. And they are heavily represented behind the camera with both writers and composers. Muslims are also very successful in other less visible areas, including business, journalism, the military, and politics. A recent president was Abduhl Kalam. India's richest man is business leader Wipro Azim Premji. The important question often is not addressed.
Why do Muslims perform so poorly is published indices. There are a range of reasons and most seem to relate to societal choices Muslims make themselves, not Hindu descrimination. Here we have collected several reasons, but would be interested in insights readers more familiar with India might have. 1) attitudes toward female education, 2) polygamy (outlawed for Hindus), 3) an unwillingness to integrate with the wider Hindu scociety (a Koranic injunction--Koran 5:51), 4) the choice of madrasahs rather state schools with stronger math and science curriculums, and 5) the migration of most upper and middle-class Muslims to Pakistan at the time of independence. The migration associated with partition was a one time occuance for Muslims. (Hindus over time have been driven from both Pakistan abd Bangladesh.) While a one time occurance, the depletion of upper- and middle-class Muslims has had long-term consequences. It meant that most of the remaining Muslim population in India was poor and uneducated. And that has affected the behavior and achievemrnts of Indian Muslims to the modrn day.
The perscription being offered by Muslims and the left-wing establishment is quotas, meaning reservations for Muslims in chools and jobs. This essentially means insisting on equality of outcomes rather than equality of opportunity. This leaves the basic problems in Muslim society causing the societal differential unaddressed. [Dhume]
Dhume, Sadannand. "Quotas won't help India's Muslims," Wall Street Journal (July 26, 2012), p. A11.
Sachar, Rajinder. Report (2012). Sachar is a retired judge who issued a report that is widely cited in the debates over this issue in India.
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