CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVESITY

NAYAY NAGAR, MITHAPUR, PATNA – 800001.

FINAL DRAFT SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE COURSE;

ON

“STATUS OF MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN BIHAR: A SOCIO -ECONOMIC STUDY”

SOCIOLOGY OF LAW

SUBMITTED TO; SUBMITTED BY – ARFATUL AZAM

DR. SANGEET KUMAR ROLL NUMBER – 2012

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SEMESTER – SECOND

SOCIOLOGY. SESSION – 2018 – 2023

COURSE – B.B.A. LL.B (Hons.)

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................... 2

DECLARATION ....................................................................................................................... 3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ......................................................................................................... 4

CERTIFICATE .......................................................................................................................... 5

I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 6

1.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................... 7

1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ..................................................................................... 7

1.3 HYPOTHESIS ......................................................................................................... 7

1.4 RESEARCH METHADOLOGY ............................................................................ 7

1.5 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION .................................................................... 8

1.6 RESEARCH TOOLS .............................................................................................. 8

1.7 SOURCES OF DATA ............................................................................................. 8

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF STUDY ................................................................................... 8

II. MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN BIHAR: PRESENT SITUATION ........................................ 9

2..1 ECONOMIC................................................................................................................ 9

2.2 EDUCATION : ......................................................................................................... 10

2.3 HEALTH ................................................................................................................... 12

2.4 SOCIAL .................................................................................................................... 12

2.5 MUSLIMS IN VARIOUS GOVERNMENT JOBS ..................................................... 13

III. PROBLEMS FACED BY MUSLIMS IN INDIA ............................................................. 15

IV. MINORITY RIGHTS AND WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MUSLIMS ............... 27

V. FIELD WORK AND DATA ANALYSIS.......................................................................... 35

VI. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION .............................................................................. 42

BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................... 45

2
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the project entitled “STATUS OF MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN

BIHAR” submitted by me at CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY is a record of
bona fide project work carried out by me under the guidance of our mentor DR. SANGEET
KUMAR. I further declare that the work reported in this project has not been submitted and
will not be submitted, either in part or in full, for the award of any other degree or diploma in
this university or in any other university.

___________________

ARFATUL AZAM

Roll no. – 2012

B.B.A LL.B. (Hons.)

Session – 2018-2023

3
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is a fact that any research work prepared, compiled or formulated in isolation is inexplicable
to an extent. This research work, although prepared by me, is a culmination of efforts of a lot
of people who remained in veil, who gave their intense support and helped me in the completion
of this project.

Firstly, I am very grateful to my subject teacher Dr. Sangeet Kumar, without the kind support
and help of whom the completion of this project was a herculean task for me. He donated his
valuable time from his busy schedule to help me to complete this project. I would like to thank
him for his valuable suggestions towards the making of this project.

I am highly indebted to my parents and friends for their kind co-operation and encouragement
which helped me in completion of this project. I am also thankful to the library staff of my
college which assisted me in acquiring the sources necessary for the compilation of my project.

Last but not the least, I would like to thank the Almighty who kept me mentally strong and in
good health to concentrate on my project and to complete it in time.

I once again Thank them all.

ARFATUL AZAM

ROLL NUMBER – 2012

B.B.A. LL.B (Hons.)

SESSION – 2018 – 2023

4
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report entitled “STATUS OF MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN
BIHAR” submitted by ARFATUL AZAM in partial fulfilment of the required for the award
of degree of B.B.A. LL.B(Hons.) to Chanakya National Law University, Patna is a record of
the candidate’s own work carried out by him under my supervision. The matter embodied in
this project is original and has not been submitted for the award of any other degree.

DATE - ____/______/2019.

(DR. SANGEET KUMAR)

Assistant Professor, Sociology.

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 I. INTRODUCTION

Islam constitutes second largest religion in Bihar. According to 2011 Indian census, there
were 17,557,809 Muslims constituting 16.9% population of the state. Most of Bihari Muslims
are concentrated in Seemanchal region which comprises Kishanganj, Araria and Katihar where
Muslim population is around 45-50%1.

Among the sections of the population in Bihar which was bypassed by the development process
in various degrees, the Muslims form a major part. Although Muslims are not a homogeneous
community in terms of their socio-economic characteristics, a majority of them suffers from
the common problems of low income, widespread literacy and many other social, political,
psychological and cultural disadvantages. Since they constitute no less than 17 percent of the
population of Bihar, the overall progress of the state is not possible, without Muslims being
integrated with the general population.

Some of the areas dealt in the project about the Status of Muslim Community in Bihar are;

1. The Population

2. Education

3. Jobs

4. Policies made for them

5. Target of Hate

6. Discrimination (if any) against them

7. Criminal Activities

1
Census 2011

6
After the submission of Sachar Committee Report, several studies have undertaken data –based
analysis of the conditions of Muslim in India. Many researchers, policy makers and in fact,
common Muslims believe that Education can be the only mechanisms to enhance their status
and facilitate entry into better paid Jobs .They have to save themselves, dependence will only
deteriorate their positions further.

1.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• The Researcher tends to throw light on the status of muslims in Bihar.

• The researcher tends to analyse the problems faced by them
• The Researcher tries to know the reason behind the situations

1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is the present status of muslims in Bihar

2. What are the reasons behind these circumstances
3. Reforms needed inside and outside the community
4. Improvements needed for the improvement of the present status
5. What are the rights given under the constitution of India.

1.3 HYPOTHESIS

The Researcher presumes that the status of Muslim community in Bihar is neither bad no good
but it should be improved with the time and it can be only developed when both the
Government and the people from the community would work with each other and accept the
ideas infused by any of them.

1.4 RESEARCH METHADOLOGY

• The researcher will be relying upon doctrinal as well as non – doctrinal method of
research.

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 1.5 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

For the purpose of data collection researcher has used following -:

(1) Observation
(2) Interview Schedule
(3) Case study.

1.6 RESEARCH TOOLS

For the purpose of research various tools such as

(1) Interviews schedule
(2) Observation Guide
(3) Pen
(4) Paper

1.7 SOURCES OF DATA

The researcher uses both, primary as well as the secondary sources to complete the project.

Primary Sources: Books , Interviews

Secondary Sources: Newspapers, journals, cases and websites and Wikipedia.

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF STUDY

The researcher has territorial, monetary and time limitations in completing the project.

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 II. MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN BIHAR: PRESENT SITUATION

Muslims form the second largest population of Bihar, according to 2011 Indian census, there
were 17,557,809 Muslims constituting 16.9% population of the state. The vast majority of
Bihari muslims are Sunni Section and even in pre Mughal Bihar, all the Ulemas, Mullas etc.
were Sunni. There are however a significant community of Shia muslims residing in Patna who
descend settlers from Lucknow who came in the 1800s.

2..1 ECONOMIC
The impact of overall stagnant rural economy has been particularly severe for Muslims, since
over three-fourth depend largely on farm based labour for their livelihood. Migration, both to
small towns in the state and cities outside the state, is largely as unskilled labourers employed
in informal small household enterprises, pretty trade and small industries.

Low wage agriculture labour provides about 40 percent of the household income of rural
Muslim families in Bihar, while remittances (nearly 25 percent) and self-employment (nearly
20 percent) are also important.

While 36% of Muslim households in rural Bihar own any land, less than 2 acres ( much below
the economically viable unit of 5 acres), less than 25% are actual tillers, rest leasing their land
to tillers with comparatively high area of land. About 56% of the rural Bihar Muslims own
some form of livestock, goat, poultry, cattle in that order.

In the non-farm sector, barely 2% of the Muslim households in rural Bihar are artisans(weavers,
potters etc.), compared to over 4% in urban areas. It appears that a large number of workers are
being forced out of skill-based activities in the face of competition from the modern
manufacturing sector, leading to de-skilling and conversion of this work force into wage
labourers. The death of Bhagalpur silk industry, once employing 25-30,000 boon-kers
(weavers), mostly comprising of Muslim Ansaris, is a case in point. In terms of employment
opportunities, however, urban Muslim Artisan households appear to be better off than their
rural counterparts, simply because of access to markets. Less than 1 percent of the Muslim
households in urban areas were engaged in manufacturing activities.

9
Over 23 percent of Muslim households in rural Bihar are engaged in other self employed
activities such as retail trade, bidi making, tailoring, rickshaw-pulling and mechanics for
various machineries, the last two being taken mostly in nearby towns. The average monthly
oncome is substantially higher than those earned by artisans and also generally higher than
those earned by small/marginal cultivators.

2.2 EDUCATION :
Educational backwardness is a key factor responsible for the social cultural economic and
political backwardness of the Muslim community in Bihar. Very few authentic studies are
available on this subject. No serious effort has ever been made to know the actual condition of
the community. The mean duration of schooling of Muslims in Bihar is 2-16 years of age.
Nearly one third of the Muslim children never go to school in Bihar and only 2 out of 5 children
in state ae not able to complete primary education. Only 16% are able to complete the Higher
education and among these, only a little over 5% are girls.

Despite many central and state government sponsored educational schemes for minorities, only
42% Muslims are literate in the state of Bihar.

One thing that is clear from these figures is that the literacy rate in the high concentration
Muslim areas is far less than the national average and it is less than the state average also.
Despite many central and state government sponsored educational schemes for minorities, the
number of illiterates among Muslims are as high as 64%. Primary to Higher Secondary 33.6%,
in Higher education graduation, post-graduation and Technical, the combined figure is 2.4%.
It means only 36% Muslims are literate in the state of Bihar.

There are some other interesting statistics available about the type of educational institutions
and presently school/college going students in the state of Bihar. 51.1 students opt for
government institutions in rural areas and 53.9% in urban areas. 2% students opt for expensive
private institution in rural areas and 7.6% in urban areas. 15.7% go to ordinary private
institutions in rural areas and 24.6% in urban areas. Only 4.1% students study in minority
schools in rural areas and 3.2% in urban areas. 24.1% of rural students and 9.0% of urban
students go to Madrasa.

The educational facilities and standard of education in Urdu/ Hindi medium schools are far less
in comparison to English medium institutions, which is reflected in the low level of

10
performance of students of these institution in general education as well as other competitive
examinations. Thus the problem of education is manifold- High mass illiteracy, low standard
of education and low level of performance2.

Children from poor households do get enrolled in schools but the dropout rate is high, primarily
because they get drawn in some form of work at home (for girls) or outside (for both, boys and
girls). The curriculum clearly has an upper-middle class orientation and most of the muslim
children join madrasas for their elementary education and these madrasas are not competent
enough to provide quality education in the practical way of life and livelihood.

It is estimated that there is a dearth of nearly 1100 schools in Muslim dominated villages in
Bihar and establishing these would involve an estimated investment of nearly Rs. 7000 crores.

Madrasas in Bihar cater to over 2.5 Lakhs of students, including 1.1 lakh girls, which is the
second highest after UP. There are 118 government Madrasas, including 32 which are
exclusively for girls. Contrary to popular perceptions, most madrasas impart modern education,
and due to community ownership are often better managed and more affordable than the local
government schools. However modernisation of madrasas would be important for enhancing
the quality of education imparted to Muslim students in Bihar.

The Government has initiated certain schemes for attracting minority as well as majority
students for the schooling through them “Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Poshak Yojana, Cycle
Yojana, Anganwadi Kendras” are some of them but still it needs a lot of overhauling of the
whole education system in order to make them par with the students of other states and
schools3.

2
Report of former Vice-Chairman of B.R.A. Bihar University, Bihar.
3
AGA Khan Development Network .

11
2.3 HEALTH

Muslims in Bihar share the general problem of chronic poverty and absence of a health service
infrastructure. Yet, the medium and large villages with over 40% Muslim population are seen
to be worse off in terms of access to health infrastructure. The total fertility rate among muslims
in Bihar is 4.4% higher than the general population in Bihar (3.5) and much higher than the
national average (2.9). The child sex ratio is better than the general population but an
overwhelming majority (90 percent) of births occur at home. This is reflected in the birth and
death rate of the Muslims, which is higher than the other socio-religious groups.

2.4 SOCIAL

Nearly 35% of the male working population is between the age group of 15-29. Also, relatively
high worker participation is seen in the age group above 60 years, which reflects economic
stress on the community and lack of social security. Overall participation of Muslim women
is on the lower side, contributing largely to home based livestock related activities. . Villages
with small populations pose a greater problem as it is not economically viable to establish
infrastructure in each of them. It is possible that villages dominated by certain SRCs have been
less successful in securing some amenities than others. In order to see whether Muslims are
deprived on this count, data on village amenities based on the degree of concentration of
Muslim population in a village, needs to be examined. Migration in and from Bihar is
widespread and continuous since 1971. The high population density in the state implies very
low land-man ratios in rural areas while the urbanization levels are also very low implying very
limited non-farm employment. Over 20% of Muslims among the households migrating within
the state choose the urban centres of Patna, Muzaffarpur, Bettiah, Gopalgunj etc. Two out of
three family send at least one family member outside Bihar to earn. Gulf countries are a
favoured destination outside Bihar and 8-12 percent of the migrant workers make it. Over 70
percent of the migrant workers send remittances, which is a significant source of income to the
households. In rural Bihar, the housing conditions of Muslim households are comparatively
better with more pucca dwellings( 25 percent as against 10 percent in general), separate kitchen
(nearly 50 percent), drinking water facility from tube wells (nearly 93 percent as against 74
percent in general) and toilet facilities( 38% as against 10% in general).

12
In urban areas however municipal services like drinking water, electricity and sewerage are
comparatively poorer for Muslim households. However Muslim households continue to fare
much better in terms of toilet facilities within households( 82 percent as against 66 percent in
general).4

2.5 MUSLIMS IN VARIOUS GOVERNMENT JOBS

For years the state had Muslim Speaker of Assembly or Chairman of the Legislative Council,
not to speak of holding some crucial portfolios in the cabinet. True, some of these ministers
and elected representatives were inefficient and lacked guts yet there were several others who
were quite competent. But this is a nation-wide phenomenon. In 1990 for the first time since
independence so many Muslims were posted as Thana incharges or Station House Officers.
According to Asian Development Research Institute5, Bihar had “1756 official of State
Administrative Service, of which 178 were Muslims (10.1 per-cent). Likewise, of the 317
officials of State Police Service, 41 were Muslims (12.9 percent).” The figure may be less in
proportion to 16.5 per cent population of Muslims, but then much higher than most states. In
March 2002, out of 38 districts in Bihar, there were only two with a Muslim District Magistrate
and three with a Muslim Superintendent of Police. But then it needs to be noted that the total
Muslim DMs and SPs in 595 districts of the country was only 18 (three per cent) and 11 (1.8
per cent) respectively. In that respect Bihar’s proportion was much higher, next only to Jammu
and Kashmir. A study of Muslims in different layers of the state Police Administration done in
2002-03 says that there were 35 Muslim Deputy Superintendents of Police out of total strength
of 316. Thus it was 11.1 percent for the community. Out of 444 inspectors, 21 (4.7 per cent)
were Muslims; out of 3,408 sub-inspectors 273 (8.0 per cent) were Muslims; out of 606 Reserve
Sub-Inspector 31 (5.1 per cent) were Muslims; out of 3,051 Assistant Sub-Inspector 295 (9.7
per cent) were Muslims; out of 4,018 Havildars 635 (16.0 per cent) were Muslims; out of
32,868 constables 2,575 (7.8 per cent) were Muslims and out of 7,221 Bihar Military Police
personnel 562 (7.8 per cent) were Muslims. About 22 per cent of lecturers appointed during
the Lalu era were Muslims. Almost similar was the proportion of school teachers; though the
percentage of sub-inspectors appointed was less. The new policy adopted by the Bihar Public

4
Swatch Bharat Report
5
(ADRI) Report (2004)

13
Service Commission increased the percentage of Bihar Administrative Service and Police
Officers. In heydays of Lalu era as high as something between 20 and 25 per cent of sub-
divisional officers (SDOs) used to be Muslims. So the two top foreign remittance earning
districts of Bihar––Siwan and Gopalganj––have a sizeable Muslim population. Similarly, much
has been written about Bhagalpur riots of 1989. True not all the victims got compensation and
not all the culprits punished. Yet more than 300 rioters got punished during the Lalu-Rabri era
and some more during the Nitish rule.

14
 III. PROBLEMS FACED BY MUSLIMS IN INDIA

Primary Data from Sachar Committee Report;

1) Poverty Rates

Rural Poverty among Hindus: 22.6% (Hindu General - 9%, SC/ST - 34 %, OBCs - 19.5%)

Rural Poverty among Muslims: 26.9%.

Rural Poverty among Other Minorities: 14.3%

Urban Poverty among Hindus: 20 .4% (Hindu General - 8 .3%, SC/ST- 3 6.4% OBCs -
25.1%)

Urban Poverty among Muslims: 38.4%

Urban Poverty among Other Minorities: 12.2%

And this would be the pattern everywhere, Muslims would be marginally better off than
SC/ST, but most certainly well behind Hindu OBCs and far behind Hindu General category.
On the other hand, all other minorities in India are treated well and without bias, but
Muslims bear the brunt of discrimination and do not even get even their fair share6.

2) Literacy Rates

• Hindu (NON SC-ST) 65.1%

• SC ST-52.2%
• Muslims - 59.1%
• Muslims over 18 in education -10.2%
• Muslims over 23 in education - 7-4%
• UG Muslims in Medical Colleges - 5%
• PG Muslims in Medical Colleges -2.5%
• UG Muslims in IITS -1.7 %
• PG Muslims in IITS- 3.9 %
• PHD Muslims in IITS- 4.3%.

6
Sachar Committee Report

15
 3) Muslims in Premier Colleges and Universities
• UG Science — 3%
• PG Science — 1.5%
• UG arts — 4%
• PG 5- 15%
• UG commerce 3.7%
• PG Commerce - 1.8%

One Third of villages with dense Muslim population have no educational facilities. Sachar
Committee also pointed out that only 3% of Muslim children attend Madrasa7. Conclusive
observation of Committee: Relative deprivation in education of Muslims vis-à-vis other SRCs
calls for a significant shift in the policy of the State, along with the creation of effective
partnership with private and voluntary sectors.

4) Employment in Central Government Senior Jobs

• Judiciary: Senior Judges, i.e. Sessions Judge and above is 2.7%
• Défense: - Army, Air Force and Navy did not provide Sachar committee with the data,
but from other sources we know the representation of Muslim officers is around 1.5%
while total employed in Défense is around 4%.
• Civil Services
o IAS - 3%
o IFS - 1.5%
o IPS - 4%
o Total Civil Services — 3.2%

Of this 3.2% direct recruitment through Civil Services exams is 2.4% the rest have been
promoted from state. Looking at the civil services exam itself percentage of Muslims appearing
in exams is 4-9%. Of which the ones who get through exams is 4.8% (not 4-8% of 4-9%, total
who get through the main competitive exam is roughly the same proportion as to those who sit
in it, that is 4-8% Of the total who qualify written competitive exam). But those who actually
also qualify through interview is 2.4%.

7
SUPRA 5

16
Which means that by the time Muslims have been selected their employment rate becomes half
of those who qualify to be employed.

Senior Muslim positions in against their total population of 13.7%

• Railways – 2.5%
• Posts — 3.8%
• Banks — 1.7%
• University 3-7%
• PSUs- 2.3%

Other Minorities (around 6% of Indian Population) has 11% representation in senior jobs, but
Muslims (13-7% of Indian population have less than 3%).

5) Muslims on Senior Posts in Bihar

Total Population – 16.5%.

Education - 14.8%

Home - 5.9%

Transport - 8.3%

Other – 7.5%

6) Total of All States Muslims on Senior Posts

Muslims – 16%
Education – 5.7%
Home – 8.7%
Health – 4.4%
Transport – 1.6%
Other – 5.5%

17
Muslims recruited through State Public Service Commission: Senior Jobs 3.2% (against 16%
Muslim population in observed states).

Sachar committee reports observes that the condition of General Category Muslims is worse
than OBC category, or there is a case for all Muslims to be moved in OBC category. The
Muslim OBCs are worse off than SC/ST.

Coming to Private sector jobs (Data from Economic Times Intelligence Group)

BSE 500 companies Muslim directors and senior executives 2.67% (against 14.2% of Indian
population)

Coming to the BSE 100 companies Muslim directors and senior executives 2.56%

Summary of Committee: Overall, one finds that as compared to others, Muslim workers are
engaged more in self-employed, manufacturing and trade activities. Their participation in
regular salaried jobs (especially in the government or large public and private sector
enterprises) is much less than workers of other SRCs. They tend to be relatively more
vulnerable in terms of conditions of work as their concentration in informal sector employment
is higher and their job conditions (contract length, social-security etc.) Even among regular
workers are less for Muslims than those of other SRCs.

My personal view is that the reason they are in self-employment, manufacturing or trade is
because often they have no option.

Availability of Credit to Muslims.

The 44 districts it looked at, where Muslims were more than 40% of the population, the amount
of Credit owed to Muslims was as follows:

• Private Banks - 13.2% (Muslim population over 40%)8

• PSU Banks - 12.9% (Muslim population over 40%).

8
www.indianmuslimstatistics.com

18
Problems Faced by Muslims – An Analysis

a) High Population Growth Rate

There are many reasons for this. Lack of family planning, overall economic backwardness,
unwillingness to use contraception (due to the perceived “evil” nature of contraceptives and
accepting high birth rates as gift from God), lack of awareness and ignorance among Muslim
women, marriage at young age (especially females) etc. are among the major reasons. And this
has hampered the Muslims more than any other community. It has been well documented now
but somehow this gets lost amidst the browbeating and ‘loud” antics of some anti-Muslim
elements in the country. The Muslim community must look within and not be
intimidated/antagonised by such elements and lose track of the problem. There has been a good
decline in the fertility rate of Muslims in India and the trend must continue. The xenophobia
among some non-Muslims related to this is absurd though! Analysing the whole problem will
nullify any misplaced notion on this issue which is generally fuelled by propaganda9.

b) Lack of Security

One of the major problems of Indian Muslims is lack of security. Riots, communal Violence
have become a sad reality of India’s life and the majority of the victims of Riots in India are
Muslims. They face double edged torture of victimisation at the hands of rioters and later by
police. The bloody massacre of Muslims in Gujarat in late February 2002 that led to the death
of over 2000 Muslims is a ghastly reminder of an organized violence with tacit support by the
ruling authorities. According to an official estimate, 1044 people were killed in the violence -
790 Muslims and 254 Hindus including those killed in the Godhra train fire. Another 223
people were reported missing, 2,548 injured, 919 women widowed and 606 children orphaned.
Unofficial estimates put the death toll closer to 2000, with Muslims forming a high proportion
of those killed. When missing people were declared dead after 7 years, official figure of total
deaths went up from 952 to 1,180.

9
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/population-growth-slowing-for-all-on-sex-ratio-muslims-better-
than-hindus/

19
 c) Gender Inequality

Although this is a problem which is present across religions and cultures in India, Indian
Muslims have the worst record for this. The reasons are high percentage of Muslims in agrarian
and “physical labour focused” sectors, over-dependence on clergy in personal matters like
marriage and divorce, marrying off girls at a young age, discouraging higher education among
women (due to the age old “Indian” fear of not being able to find a groom) etc. It is absolutely
incumbent for Muslim women to lead from the front in this regard. The victims have to make
the loudest noise. And I am glad to say that it has already started in India. It may not be
eradicated completely in even the next 5–10 years but such change is seldom achieved

“While the education system appears to have given up on Muslim girls, the girls themselves
have not given up on education. There is a strong desire and enthusiasm for education.” —-
Sachar Committee report10.

d) Religious Conservatism and Intolerance

There…. I said it! I would like Indian Muslims to look at this issue rationally. I’m not going to
quote verses here but will try to discuss this issue with nothing but logic. The main claim that
fuels Islamic conservatism is that Islam is for eternity and it is perfect. OK! Let’s try and make
sense of this. If the religion is for eternity, then it has to re-align itself with changing times to
be conducive for progress. Change and progress are realities which only fools will deny. The
modern world is radically different from what it was in the 7th century. We now know many
things about the world which have never been mentioned explicitly in any of the religious texts.

We also have to acknowledge and respect the diversity in the world and in the country. It cannot
always be “Us vs them”! Ethnically and culturally, there is no “us”. It is a myth. The world is
multi-cultural and diverse including Muslims (especially Indian Muslims). A Hyderabadi
Muslim is completely different from a Bengali Muslim w.r.t language, food habits, dressing
sense etc. There is no “them” too, much like there is no “us”! So, it is futile to wage a war on
anyone.

Let us respect diversity and develop a scientific outlook which will then lead us to rationally
arrive at the truth that everything in the world, in fact, had a common source. All animate and
inanimate things. Personally, I think this is the most unifying and astounding idea (something
purportedly mentioned in religious texts too). But I base this conclusion not on any religion but

10
Sachar Committee Report

20
on science. Religion and culture, however, can act like bridges if conservatism is done away
with, because conservatism invariably leads to extremism.

The above can/has to be applied to any kind of conservatism and I don’t see why estranged
Muslims must be told otherwise to reform/rethink. Realizing this simple truth will discourage
the use of religious texts that “mandate” violence against the “others” by the radical clerics.
Also, no heed has to be given to those who try to demonize and paint billions with a single
brush. Irrationality must not beget irrationality.

e) Selective Representation of History of Indian Muslims

Islam first came to the western coast of India with Arab traders as early as the 7th century AD
to coastal Malabar and Konkan Gujarat. The most tolerant form of Islam, Sufism, rose in
popularity in the subcontinent. Yes, we had the Qazi’s, Ghori’s, Ghazni’s, Aurangzeb’s etc.
but they cannot possibly be representatives of all 180 million Indian Muslims. Also, those who
accuse Muslim rulers to be the only ones to be involved in religious persecution are
misinformed or just partially informed. Shashanka(a Brahman), Mihirakula(a Shaiva) were
among some non-Muslim rulers in India who were actively involved in religious persecution.
Mentions of legends like Madurai massacre in religious documents also indicate that the
subcontinent was not free of instances of religious persecution

Coming to modern India, Muslims actively took part in the freedom struggle. They had been
part of the failed “sepoy mutiny” or the “first war of independence” as well. Remember the
greased cartridges in the Enfield rifles? Prominent Muslims like Maulana Azad, Rafi Ahmed,
Kidwai, and Asaf Ali (among many others) were part of the constituent assembly which oversaw
the drafting of the Constitution of India. Muslims like Asfaqullah Khan and Brigadier Usman
(among countless others) made the ultimate sacrifice for their motherland. Yes of course there were
riots and the partition of the sub-continent happened but these were not the only things in which
Muslims were involved. And if I may say so, Hindus were also among the perpetrators of such gory
acts.

All things left aside, we have now integrated and assimilated into the Indian culture whether
someone/we like(s) it or not. I know of many Muslims who want to be like Arabs (absurd… as
none understand Arabic) and many Hindus who still consider Muslims as outsiders. Truth is India
is stuck with us and us with India. So, best course for both these types of people would be to accept
this and live in peace under the secular constitution.

21
 f) Illiteracy

The Census 2011 data on education level by religious community and gender, which was
released yesterday, reveals that Muslim have the highest percentage of illiterates (42.7 per cent)
in India. Activists working for the empowerment of the Muslims cite financial instability of
the community as the primary reason for this.

"Who's the illiterate? It's the poor. It's an undeniable fact that majority of Muslims in India are
poor. They don't have access to schools and there's a clear-cut discrimination against Muslims
by the governments. I am a witness to many such incidents of discrimination against Muslims,"
says Shabnam Hashmi, a Social Activist at NGO ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and
Democracy) in Delhi. According to the data, nearly 43 out of every 100 Muslims in India are
unable to read and write11.

A person aged seven years and beyond, who can both read and write in any language, is treated
as literate. While as the person of same age group failing to read or write in any language is
classified as illiterate.

One of the six founding members of ANHAD, Hashmi, who has worked with various Muslim
women groups in far-flung areas of Assam and Haryana, also said the illiteracy among Muslims
reflects a "policy level" failure of the successive governments in the country.

According to Hashmi, there are certain "conservative forces" within the Muslims who are not
allowing the community to come out of shadows.

"And the worst affected are Muslim women. It's a mix of different things - patriarchy,
feudalism and conservative outlook - which pull back women. If a family has an educated
women, it means the whole family will be educated because she'll ensure her children are also
educated," she says.

Voicing similar views, Aamir Edresy, President, Association of Muslim Professionals in

Mumbai also traces the roots of illiteracy among Muslims to poverty.

"During the last 60-70 years of independence, the priority of Muslims was safety and
livelihood. As a result the focus on education suffered, “says Edresy, a 35-year-old trained
computer engineer in Mumbai.

11
https://thewire.in/63286/census-literacy-religion/?fromNewsdog=1

22
Edresy, however, points out the trend of education among Muslims started picking up during
90s.

"Another intervention to work constructively for the Muslim community was the appointment
of Rajinder Sachar Committee in 2005 by former PM Dr Manmohan Singh. But many
recommendations of that report were never taken seriously," said.

One of the unfulfilled recommendations, according to Edresy, is the lack of affirmative action
to ensure maximum enrolment of Muslim children in schools and financial aid to help Muslim
students to pursue professional courses.

"We don't want any reservation. There's Right to Education. But Muslim areas usually don't
have similar facilities as that of another areas. So the government needs to focus on education
of Muslims in more particular ways. Like building more schools in Muslim-dominated areas,"
he said12.

g) Lack of Emphasis on Science

This one here is for people across the board (religion, culture, and ethnicity). I am not
suggesting that everybody must major in science or become scientists/engineer/doctors but
emphasis must be laid on understanding and appreciating science. Even doctors and engineers
do not appreciate science in the way it should be.

Almost all of modern economy is based on science. From cellular phones to automobiles to
internet, our life revolves around science. Even those who do not have access to the aforesaid
technologies have only science to rescue them from the dark. So, do not dismiss science in the
face of “religious dogma” or try to reconcile irrational beliefs, borne out of religion, with
science in a conniving and dishonest manner.

h) Demand for Hindu Rashtra and Sharia Law by certain Groups

A country as diverse as India has no choice but to function under a “secular” constitution. The
proponents of “Hindu Rashtra” say that it is inherently tolerant and hence it is an idea worth
considering (they are not always so polite though: P). No! First of all, Hinduism is not a
monolith and caste discrimination, in some towns and villages in the country, is still rampant.
Who is going to decide which version of “Hindu-Rashtra” is to be imposed? Why should the
Muslims, Christians, Tribal, North-East people etc. etc. accept this and live under a

12
The Wire

23
majoritarian constitution. If Hinduism is inherently “secular” what is the problem in living
under a “secular” constitution. According to me, the concept of secularism has been much
abused in the country. I’ve tried to outline my thoughts on this issue in one of my answers.

Now for the Sharia folks! Whenever practices like Triple Talaq are questioned, they say that
people are misusing Islam for personal gains. Even ISIS does the same thing as per these
people. So give me one example where Sharia has been implemented as intended by you
people. Different set of laws cannot be applied to different communities in a country. This
brings chaos and confusion. Also, why Sharia only in Civil matters? The Sharia proponents
must make people sign petitions to introduce Sharia in Criminal courts too otherwise the whole
argument is hypothetical13. The advantage of having a “secular” constitution is that religious
people have every right to follow their religion to the letter until and unless basic rights of the
citizens, as enumerated by the constitution, are not overridden. But the opposite is not possible
as theocracies have always had problems with sceptics, people of other faith and non-religious
people. Therefore, having a secular constitution is a compulsion in a country like India
(considering the vast diversity) and I regard those people calling for Sharia and Hindu Rashtra
to be enemies of my country.

i) Problems on Prejudice and Discrimination

In the Indian context, discrimination especially in providing opportunities to people of different

religious communities is, not at all in practice. The Preamble of the Constitution itself declares
that all people irrespective of their caste, class, colour, creed, sex, region or religion will be
provided with equal rights and opportunities.

Articles 15(1) and 15(2) prohibit discrimination on grounds of religion. Article 25 promises
the right to profess, propagate and practise religion. It is clear that there is no legal bar on any
religious community in India to make use of the opportunities [educational, economic, etc.]
extended to the people. It is true that some religious communities [for example, Muslims] have
not been able to avail themselves of the opportunities on par with other communities.

Reveals that such communities have been lagging behind in the competitive race, mainly
because of the lack of educational qualification.

As far as prejudices are concerned, prejudices and stereotyped° thinking are common features
of a complex society. India is not an exception to this. Commonly used statements such as —

13
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/brutallyhonest.in/amp/think-it-loud/muslims-in-india/3151

24
“Hindus are cowards and Muslims are rowdies; Sikhs are dullards and Christians are converters
“, etc. — reflect the prevalent religious prejudices. Such prejudices further widen the social
distance among the religious communities. This problem still persists in India. Except in some
sensitive areas this problem of prejudice is not disturbing the routine life of different
communities, including that of the minorities.

j) Problems of Preserving Distinct Social and Cultural Life

India is one among the very few nations which have given equal freedom to all the religious
communities to pursue and practise their religion. Article 25 of the Constitution provides for
such a right. Added to this, Article 3D (1) states all minorities whether based on religion or
language shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

They are given the right to preserve their socio-cultural characteristics. It has set up a
“Minorities Commission” to help the minorities in seeking justice. No minority community
can have a grievance against any government particularly in this matter.

Some of the Problems of Minorities in India:

In spite of the provisions of the constitutional equality, religious minorities in India, often
experience some problems among which the following may be noted.

Need for security and protection is very often felt by the minorities. Especially in times of
communal violence, caste conflicts, observance of festivals and religious functions on a mass
scale, minority groups often seek police protection14

Government in power also finds it difficult to provide such a protection to all the members of
the minorities. It is highly expensive also. State governments which fail to provide such
protection are always criticised.

For example, (i) the Rajiv Gandhi Government was severely criticised for its failure to give
protection to the Sikh community in the Union Territory of Delhi on the eve of the communal
violence that broke out there soon after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. (ii) The
Gujarat State Government was criticised for its inability to provide protection to the Muslim
minorities in the recent [Feb. Mar. — 2002] communal violence that burst out. (iii) Similarly,
the Government of Jammu-Kashmir’s inefficiency in providing adequate security to the Hindu

14
Herald.dawn

25
and Sikh minorities in that State against the atrocities of Muslim extremists is also widely
condemned.

k) Poverty

Another problem of Muslim community is its low income. Although the economic and Social
situation of Muslims is not the same throughout India, one cannot deny the fact that poverty
and lack of genuine financial recourses are hampering socio- educational development of the
community at every step. In modern Industries and trades, except for some isolated instances,
Muslims had nor owned large scale industries or business and are found lacking in high
entrepreneurial traits. In a group of 2832 Industrial houses each with the sales of 50 million
and more the Muslims have only four units. The houses allotted to Muslims by Government to
middle and lower income groups the percentage of Muslim allotted is barely 2.86%. The
licenses of fair price shop issued to Muslims in UP is barely 6.9%. Muslims account for only
0.25% tangible benefits extended to artisans from Khadi and village industries commission.
The loans advanced by financial institutions only 3% Muslims shared the loans of Rs. 50,000/-
to Rs. 1, 0000/-. Less than 2% in the slab of Rs. I Lac to 2 Lacs and those between 2.00 lacs to
1 million the figure slumps to less than 1%. In private sector industries Muslim’s representation
is less than 4%.Official data is, at least, enough to figure out that in the post independent India
Muslim community remained downwards economically in comparison to all other majority or
minority communities. And with authentic findings in hand as we have now through National
Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) and the Sachar Committee Report (SCR) about the
profile of second religious majority group of India, official policy can - if any government
wants to - easily identify the groups most in need of state intervention, support and special care.
It is typical of India’s political and social ethos that this fact of gross under representation of a
significant religious minority is not allowed to become an issue. Any such discussion would be
rather viewed as ‘communal’ and anti-secular15.

15
Indian Express

26
 IV. MINORITY RIGHTS AND WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MUSLIMS

The term “minority”, in general context, is used to refer to non-Hindu communities in India,
though there are various other implications of this term. Minorities can be classified according
to their religion as well as language spoken, caste, tribal status and so forth. But the minority
communities as recognized by the government of India are – Muslims, Christians, Sikhs,
Buddhists, Zoroastrians and Jains as under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for
Minorities (NCM) Act, 1992.But the term “minority” has neither been defined in the act nor
the Constitution, and there is no widely accepted definition of the term globally. Population
and religion have been the factors which have decided the scope of the minority status in India
But the rights of minorities provided in the Constitution of India can be described in the
following two heads;

• Common Domain – Rights applicable to all citizens of our country.

• Separate Domain – Rights applicable to the minorities reserved to protect the identity .

Common Domain of Minority Rights

1. PREAMBLE

The Preamble to the Constitution declares the State to be ‘Secular’ and this is a special
relevance for the Religious Minorities. Equally relevant for them, especially, is the declaration
of the Constitution in its Preamble that all citizens of India are to be secured ‘liberty of thought,
expression, belief, faith and worship’ and ‘equality of status and of opportunity.’

2. FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS – PART III OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

Article 14: People’s right to ‘equality before the law’ and ‘equal protection of the laws’.

Article 15 (1) & (2): Prohibition of discrimination against citizens on grounds of religion,
race, caste, sex or place of birth.

Article 15 (4): Authority of State to make ‘any special provision for the advancement of any
socially and educationally backward classes of citizens’ (besides the Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes).

Article 16(1) & (2): Citizens’ right to ‘equality of opportunity’ in matters relating to
employment or appointment to any office under the State – and prohibition in this regard of
discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth

27
Article 16(4): Authority of State to make ‘any provision for the reservation of appointments
or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the opinion of the State, is not
adequately represented in the services under the State.

Article 25(1): People’s freedom of conscience and right to freely profess, practice and
propagate religion – subject to public order, morality and other Fundamental Rights.

Article 26: Right of ‘every religious denomination or any section thereof – subject to public
order, morality and health – to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable
purposes, ‘manage its own affairs in matters of religion’, and own and acquire movable
immovable property and administer it ‘in accordance with law’.

Article 27: Prohibition against compelling any person to pay taxes for promotion of any
particular religion’.

Article 28: People’s ‘freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in

educational institutions’ wholly maintained, recognized, or aided by the State16

3.DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLE OF STATE POLICY – PART IV OF THE

CONSTITUTION

Article 38(2): Obligation of the State ‘to endeavour to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities
and opportunities’ amongst individuals and groups of people residing in different areas or
engaged in different vocations.
Article 46: Obligation of State ‘to promote with special care’ the educational and economic
interests of ‘the weaker sections of the people’ (besides Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes).

16
www.legalserviceindia.com

28
4. FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES – PART IVA OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

Article 51A: which is of special relevance for the Minorities stipulates as under:-

Citizens’ duty to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the
people of India ‘transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; and
Citizens duty to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture.

5. SEPARATE DOMAIN OF MINORITY RIGHTS

Article 25: Sikh community’s right of ‘wearing and carrying of Kirpans.

Article 29(1): Right of ‘any section of the citizens’ to ‘conserve’ its ‘distinct language, script
or culture’.

Article 29(2): Restriction on denial of admission to any citizen, to any educational institution
maintained or aided by the State, ‘on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of
them’.

Article 30(1): Right of all Religious and Linguistic Minorities to establish and administer
educational institutions of their choice.

Article 30(2): Freedom of Minority-managed educational institutions from discrimination in

the matter of receiving aid from the State.

Article 347: Special provision relating to the language spoken by a section of the population
of any State.

Article 350 A: Provision for facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at primary stage.

Article 350 B: Provision for a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities and his duties; and

The Constitution of India, therefore, speaks of Religious and Linguistic Minorities, Scheduled
Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes and makes – or leaves room for making – for
them special provisions of various nature and varying import17 of education to children

17
https://blog.ipleaders.in/minority-protection-laws-india/amp/

29
belonging to linguistic minority groups; and the President may issue such directions to any
State as he considers necessary or proper for securing the provision of such facilities.

The learning and communicative processes involved in the conservation of culture, language,
and script are animated by the constitutional policy of mother tongue instruction contemplated
in Article 350A. According to Article 350A, “It shall be endeavour of every State and of every
local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-
tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups,
and the President may issue such direction to any State as he considers necessary or proper for
securing the provision of such facilities.”

Although Article 350A is a special directive to the State, its function of strengthening the rights
under Article 29(1) suggests receiving instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of
education. As observed by MOHAN, J. in English Medium Students Parents Association v.
State of Karnataka, “where the tender minds of children are subject to an alien medium the
learning process becomes unnatural. It inflicts a cruel strain on the children which makes the
entire transaction mechanical. The basic knowledge can be gathered through the mother
tongue. The introduction of a foreign language tends to threaten to atrophy the development of
mother tongue.”

6. NATIONAL COMISSION FOR MINORITY RIGHTS

The National Commission for Minorities was established by the National Commission for
Minorities Act, 1992 to protect minority rights in the country. The commission consists of one
chairperson and six members representing the six minor communities – Muslims, Sikhs,
Buddhists, Christians, Parsis and Jains. The Commission performs various functions including
evaluating the development of minority communities under Union and States, ensuring the
safeguard of minority rights as per the Constitutional laws and other legislations, conducting
studies and researches on the matters related to minorities and suggesting measures to
Government on these aspects.

The commission also acts grievance redress forum for persons belonging to minority
communities. The commission calls for reports from concerned authorities after taking
cognizance of complaints. These reports are studied and then recommendations are made by
the commission. These recommendations are not legally binding upon the authorities but State

30
takes them seriously and implements them. This Commission functions as a civil court in the
matters concerning summoning of witnesses, discovery and production of documents; it
receives evidence of affidavits, requisitions public records and copies, issues commission for
examination of witnesses and documents, and any other prescribed matter in manner same as
the civil courts.

Apart from these, the linguistic minorities can take up their grievances to the Commissioner
for Linguistic Minorities that was established in 1957 to comply Article 350 B of the
Constitution. The office of Commissioner submits annual report to the government.

In order to strengthen the cause of the minorities, the United Nations promulgated the
“Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic
Minorities” on 18th December 1992 proclaiming that: “States shall protect the existence of the
National or Ethnic, Cultural, Religious and Linguistic identity of minorities within their
respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity.” The National
Commission for Minorities has been observing the 18th December as a Minorities Rights Day
every year.

31
SCHEMES FOR MINORITIES IN INDIA

National Monitoring Committee for Minorities (NMCM) has recently (February 2014) been
Set up under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Minority Affairs to evaluate several
programmes and schemes run by the Ministry.

It primary objective is to assess achievements and modify the process of planning and
execution over a period of time.

List of Schemes run by Ministry of Minority Affairs

1. Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP)

• Launched in 2008-09
• To bridge the development deficits faced by minorities through creation of socio-
economic infrastructure to give them basic amenities for their overall empowerment.
• 710 Minority Concentration Blocks (MCBs) and 66 Minority Concentration Towns
(MCTs) have been identified for implementation of MsDP during 12th Plan.

2. Scholarship Schemes

• Various scholarship schemes are in operation for children of notified minority

communities with intent to improve their education, skill and employability.
• Like: Pre-Matric, Post –Matric and Merit-cum Means Scholarship schemes.

3. Padho Pardes

• It provides interest subsidy to minority students to avail loans from various banks for
overseas studies.

4. The National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC)

• It has helped the poorest section of minorities (6.44 lakh beneficiary) with concessional
loans to the tune of Rs. 1667.41 Crore so far.

32
5. Seekho Aur Kamao

• To enhance employability by skill development of minorities

• It successfully placed at least 75% of trained minority youths into jobs since inception
last year.

6. Women Empowerment

• A Leadership Development Programme for Minority Women

• Trained about 37000 women across 12 States in its inaugural year (2012-13)
• Ambition to train further 40,000 women during 2013-14.

7. Equal Opportunity Commission

• The government has recently (February 2014) constituted Equal Opportunity

Commission as per the recommendation of Justice Sachar Committee.
• It will be (once the bill is cleared in Parliament) a statutory body to check discrimination
of minority communities in jobs and education and instances like denial of buying rights
or accommodation in housing societies.

8. Minority Cyber Gram

• For digital literacy of Minorities in collaboration with Digital Empowerment

Foundation in PPP mode.
• The Pilot Project covers village of Chandauli in Alwar (Rajasthan).

9. Khidmat
• A dedicated Toll Free Helpline no. 1800112001 known as “Khidmat” has been
launched to help the community with knowledge and information on various
schemes/programmes of the Ministry.

33
 10.Minority Today

• A quarterly tri-lingual (Hindi, English and Urdu) magazine to create awareness and
open dialogue with the target communities regarding their development. Launched in
January 2014.

11. Waqf (Amendment) Act 2013

• To streamline their resources and functioning

• National Waqf Development Corporation Limited (NAWADCO)
• To finance the development of Waqf properties for larger public welfare.
• Constituted in January 2014
• Waqf Properties (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Bill 2013
• This stand-alone legislation is solely meant to protect Waqf Properties by evicting
unauthorized occupants on Waqf properties.

Minority Affairs Ministry introduced 2 new schemes in March 2014 for minorities.

12. Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme

• Its dedicated to serve the health needs of students studying in schools financially
assisted by MAEF (Maulana Azad Education Foundation).

13. Nalanda Project

• It is a faculty development program for minorities’ higher educational institutions.

34
 V. FIELD WORK AND DATA ANALYSIS

Name – MD Rameez Khan Place – Allahabad

Occupation – Student at CNLU, 4th year

Question 1 – According to your knowledge, what is the conditions of Muslims in Bihar ?

Answer – Most of the muslims are not aware of what they are capable of and except for a few
of them all are living a life just for sake of it. The condition is definitely poor, be it social or
economic.

Question 2 – What can be done to uplift them ?

Answer – The first thing that needs to be done is to make them aware of the importance of
Education in life. Being a Muslim man, I can say that muslims lack in the field of education
and that is why they don’t live a proper life. The community should understand the importance
of education .

Question 3 – Do you support the people who go outside India (particularly in gulf countries)
in order to earn despite of the in humane conditions there ?

Answer – I don’t support that except in some cases where there is no choice but to go outside
the country.

Question 4 – Who are the people responsible for the conditions of Muslims in India and in
Bihar ?

Answer – Firstly muslims themselves, the entire community is responsible because they have
always neglected educational aspects. There are many families who don’t send their children
to schools to get formal education. Then second is the Government, many reports have
suggested that the conditions of muslims is even worse than SC/ST community. Nothing
substantial has been done so far in order to uplift them live a better life.

35
Question 5 – Do you think that the Government is doing enough to uplift these people ? Both
Central as well as State Government.

Answer – No, I don’t think so. There are no such policies in order to help them in significant
way. It’s all in talks and that’s it. Nothing substantial has been done so far.

Question 6 – What steps would you suggest for them ?

Answer - The first step is to make the entire community aware that we ourselves are
responsible for this terrible state of life. We have lacked in various fields because we don’t give
it a try at the very first place. We should emphasize more and more on education and learning
programmes. We should know our basic rights as citizens. We should make sure that every
muslim family sends its children to schools. Also the government should provide scholarships
and free education to the poor muslim families. This way the entire country would be benefitted
along with the muslims.

36
 Name – Ahmed Sabeel Place – New Delhi; But from Bettiah
Occupation – H.M. Student at Jamia

Question 1 – According to your knowledge, what is the conditions of Muslims in Bihar ?

Answer – Muslims in Bihar are better than Dalits of Bihar, many areas like Seemanchal are
muslim areas and the condition is average. They are neither vulnerable nor prosperous. Lack
of education is prevalent.

Question 2 – What can be done to uplift them ?

Answer – Educating them is the only way through which they can be uplifted and they should
be made aware about their rights and duties as citizens .

Question 3 – Do you support the people who go outside India (particularly in gulf countries)
in order to earn despite of the in humane conditions there ?

Answer – Yes, I support the cause of theirs going out but the conditions present there is
something that stops me but they have to earn in order to support the family back at home. So
I agree as long as they really need to go out in order to earn .

Question 4 – Who are the people responsible for the conditions of Muslims in India and in
Bihar ?

Answer – It is a half-half share of both muslims and the government for the conditions they are
facing, they should be regarded as citizens and not mere vote banks.

37
Question 5 – Do you think that the Government is doing enough to uplift these people ? Both
Central as well as State Government.

Answer – Not entirely but on a small basis especially the Union Government. The government
has decreased the funds for their scholarships like MOMA and APJ Abdul Kalam etc. and no
good minority universities like Jamia and AMU is established in Bihar which is a shame for
both the Governments.

Question 6 – What steps would you suggest for them ?

Answer – Only way is education and it should be inculcated in every individual and ways
should be made for people to achieve their educational work.

Mindset of the people should be changed and this would lead to an overall development of the
community.

38
 Name – Khurram Aziz Place – Purnia
Occupation – 1st year student at CNLU

Question 1 – According to your knowledge, what is the conditions of Muslims in Bihar ?

Answer – The condition is not fair in Bihar, being a major minority it lags in many fields i.e.
education, commerce, civil services. Proportionate to population is not up to the mark.

Question 2 – What can be done to uplift them ?

Answer- Educational awareness about modern technology and problems.

Question 3 - – Do you support the people who go outside India (particularly in gulf countries)
in order to earn despite of the in humane conditions there ?

Answer – Yes, at least he is engaging himself to earn for family and state.

Question 4 – Who are the people responsible for the conditions of Muslims in India and in
Bihar ?

Answer – Muslims first and then state as well.

Question 5 – Do you think that the Government is doing enough to uplift these people ? Both
Central as well as State Government.

Answer -No, the programs are not up to the mark to uplift them. At basic level the program is
different. Somehow the state government has better programs than the union.

Question 6 – What steps would you suggest for them ?

Answer – Controlling the population, Scientific studies in Madrasa should be included,

awareness programmes and government should create employment.

39
 Name – Pranav Raj Place – Ashiyana, Patna
Occupation – 1st year student at CNLU

Question 1 – According to your knowledge, what is the conditions of Muslims in Bihar ?

Answer – I have been staying in Patna since birth and in my locality, I have around 3 to 4
muslim friends and they have a better perspective of their families, according to me there is no
such problem for them in my area but the case for the society is unlike them.

Question 2 – What can be done to uplift them ?

Answer – I have not seen such bad treatment or condition of muslims all around but have surely
heard about it from some of the people and as per my observation it has always been some
religious myths behind it and conflict between religious which might have led to exploitation
of muslims.

Question 3 – Do you support the people who go outside India (particularly in gulf countries)
in order to earn despite of the in humane conditions there ?

Answer – We are all aware of the situation of India in the area of employment since
independence and even the current government has been incompetent to provide the same, so
to look after the family and children people migrate and work in those countries despite the
conditions present. So I am support for their migrations.

Question 4 – Who are the people responsible for the conditions of Muslims in India and in
Bihar ?

Answer – The politicians and so called Bhakts just to run through the elections the political
parties use the religion to secure their vote bank.

40
Question 5 – Do you think that the Government is doing enough to uplift these people ? Both
Central as well as State Government.

Answer – Maybe or may not be, there have been different policies, but as expected from
government employees, it rarely gets implemented. Corruption and different malpractices
might also be the reason.

Question 6 – What steps would you suggest for them ?

Answer – First of all the people of this country need to respect and understand the culture of
the society and also respect other religion. The use of religion for elections must be stopped
because it starts at that election time but the impact of that stays although and people keep on
getting exploited.

41
 VI. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

Dealing with the research topic, the researcher concludes that the conditions of muslims in
India is very poor and needs an overall development in the Human Resource Development for
making it par to the other communities. Muslims lack in Social and Economical aspects of life
and they are the first reason for their stagnation and then the government. Most of the muslims
either do pity menial jobs like making the punctures, selling meat, selling vegetables and
everything but education. The knowledge acquired by them is mostly from Madrasa’s which
provides only religious way of life and basic knowledge in other literatures along with Urdu
and Arabic and not on the scientific way of life and this makes then confined to a particular
area of life and never supports to uplift them. Most of them are unaware of their rights and are
neither in support of the education of their child as that child is seen as a source of money from
a very small age and is supposed to get married and have children who can later have his own
children. The present government in centre and all other pasts governments only talks about
the upliftment of muslims but the ground realities are zero, only the thing they do is Allot the
related portfolio to a muslim man or woman who himself or herself would also do nothing
despite seeing the conditions of people from his community. This has to be changed and people
have to take responsibility and they cannot skip their part just because the majority don’t
support that. The Nitish Government in Bihar has helped much to uplift these people by
introducing many of the good schemes for the youth and students of the community but that is
not helping a lot as the implementation of those projects and schemes is not beneficial for them.

So all these problems have to stop and people from the community should take more
responsibility for themselves and cannot always blame the Government as they themselves are
not ready to accept the new way of life and most of them are influenced by the local Qazi and
maulana’s who lead them to the religious way of life and not scientific way, the religious way
of life is a different thing but that should not be the reason for the stagnation of the development
of the people. The Prophet himself has said that people should acquire education from anyone
who is ready to offer you the education but that is distorted by the locals and it needs to change.

So, it can be concluded that yes, people should acquire and implement the religious way of life
but that should not be the sole hindrance in leading and implementing the scientific way of life
through education and other ways. Population should be controlled and more contraceptives
should be used.

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Some of the suggestions but by the researcher are;

The Muslim community exhibits deficits and deprivation in practically all dimensions of
development and can be uplifted by these ways suggested by the researcher to a large extent .

• Mechanisms to ensure equity and equality of opportunity to bring about inclusion

should be such that diversity is achieved and at the same time the perception of
discrimination is eliminated.
• Creation of a National Data Bank (NDB) where all relevant data for various Socio
Religious Communities are maintained has been recommended along with an
autonomous Assessment and Monitoring Authority to evaluate the extent of
development benefits which accrue to different Socio Religious Communities through
various programmes.
• An Equal Opportunity Commission should be constituted to look into the grievances of
the deprived groups. A carefully conceived nomination procedure should be worked
out to increase inclusiveness in governance.
• The idea of providing certain incentives to a diversity index should be explored.
• Incentives can be related to this index so as to ensure equal opportunities to all socio
religious communities in the fields of education, governance, private employment and
housing.
• State functionaries should be sensitive to the need to have diversity and the problems
associated with social exclusion.
• A process of evaluating the content of the school textbooks needs to be initiated and
institutionalized. The UGC should evolve a system where part of the allocation to
colleges and universities is linked to the diversity in the student population.
• To facilitate admissions to the most backward amongst all the socio religious
communities in the regular universities and autonomous colleges, alternate admission
criteria need to be evolved.
• Providing hostel facilities at reasonable costs for students from minorities must be taken
up on a priority basis.
• Teacher training should be compulsory ensuring in its curriculum the components
which introduce the importance of diversity and plurality.
• The teachers should be sensitized towards the needs and aspirations of Muslims and
other marginalized communities.

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 • The states should run Urdu medium schools. Work out mechanisms whereby Madrasas
can be linked with a higher secondary school board so that students wanting to shift to
a regular mainstream education can do so after having passed from a Madrasa.
• Recognition of the Madrasa’s degrees for eligibility in competitive examinations is
desirable.
• promoting and enhancing access to Muslims in Priority Sector Bank Advances.
• The community should be represented on interview panels and Boards. The
underprivileged should be helped to utilize new opportunities in its high growth phase
through skill development and education.
• Provide financial and other support to initiatives built around occupations where
Muslims are concentrated and have growth potential.
• Education on health and population should be given to them and proper contraceptives
should be distributed18.

18
The suggestions are based upon an article published in The Indian Express.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Agha Khan Foundation Report

• Indian Express
• The Wire
• www.ipleaders.com
• Sachar Committee Report
• Ranganathan Committee Report
• www.indianmuslimsstatics.com

• Swatch Bharat Report

• (ADRI) Report (2004)
• Swatch Bharat Report
• Bare Act of Indian Constitution, 1950
• Census 2011

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