Indian Muslims comprise about 14% of the country’s population and are an integral part of its rich cultural and historical context. However, despite these vast contributions, many Indian Muslims still face social, economic, and political hurdles. Such problems stem from historical prejudices, modern politics, and systemic inequalities.
Historical Background
Muslims have a long history in India since Muslim dynasties rose to rule parts of the subcontinent as early as the 12th century. The Mughal Empire was the most influential, but much of the rest of India’s cultural and architectural legacy came from the Mughals. After the British colonised India in the 18th century, divisions between the religious communities, particularly Hindus and Muslims, came into deeper conflict.
These cleavages ultimately culminated in the partition of India in 1947, dividing the one country into two separate nations: Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. The partition was violent and dislodged millions, causing lasting scars to both communities.
Social Challenges
One of the main struggles Indian Muslims face today is social discrimination. Negative stereotypes about Muslims have been perpetrated for decades, often presenting them as backward or inherently violent. Muslims in India cannot afford housing, jobs, or even educational opportunities. A Muslim family cannot be allowed to rent their homes. And in some places, Muslims are not hired by the employers. This creates a feeling of alienation and marginalisation among Muslims.(more)
More than that, massacres and communal riots, mainly due to religious or political tensions, still occur among Muslims. Sometimes, the Muslim community becomes a victim, and religious riots cause casualties and loss of property. Such violence not only damages the Muslim population but also infuses an environment of intimidation and insecurity into them.
Economic Inconveniences
In India, Muslims are generally lagging behind other communities in economic terms. A government report, popularly known as the Sachar Committee Report of 2006, noted that Indian Muslims have lower levels of education, fewer opportunities for employment, and a higher percentage of the population in abject poverty compared with other communities. Partly, this economic disadvantage stems from challenges related to access to quality schooling and patterns of discrimination in the labour market.
Muslim artisans, traders, and small-scale entrepreneurs are further marginalised by their inability to match the competition imposed upon them by the new economic trend. The informal sectors have absorbed many of them, earning them low wages and with minimum employment security. This means that economic exclusion does not allow Muslims to move beyond certain economic levels, partially putting them in a trap of poverty.
Political Marginalization
Indian Muslims face increasing political challenges from various fronts. They rarely have a voice in mainstream politics, and the progression of Hindu nationalist ideologies in Indian politics has significantly made Indian Muslims feel increasingly marginal. It is straightforward for a Muslim to feel left outside the contours of the national identity when policies and rhetoric go with a ‘Hindu-first’ agenda.
Besides, several controversial laws, like the Citizenship Amendment Act passed in 2019, have touched Indian Muslims in one way or the other. The CAA hastens citizenship to persecuted minorities from a few neighbouring countries, but it leaves out Muslims. This has led to widespread protests and anxiety that it may somehow be part of a design to dilute their status in India.
Struggles over religion and culture
Another challenge is practising Islam in India. Muslims have sometimes been discriminated against in society for their religion, like their beef-eating (because a cow is sacred to Hindus) or wearing dresses of their culture, such as the burqa. All these suggest how religious identity sometimes clashes with the general socio-cultural system.
Conclusion
Indian Muslims continue to face a gamut of challenges-from social discrimination to political and economic marginalisation. These conflicts are multi-layered and lie deep in the history of this country. Still, much of Indian Muslims, however, have remained steady in delivering diversity to the place and fighting for more equality and justice. Even though some bits of progress have been made, much is still yet to be done so that Indian Muslims live life in dignity, free from discrimination and violence.
