Who is responsible for Muslim backwardness?

published on December 1, 2006

 

A lot of hue and cry is being made about the backwardness of Muslims in India, especially after the ‘discovery’ made by Justice Rajinder Sachar. Secularists of all hue are vociferous in demanding that Muslims in India should be treated specially in economic and educational field. They even demand reservation for Muslims in jobs and defence services, in violation of our Constitution.

Economic backwardness of Muslims is not limited to India alone. It has become a world phenomenon. A recent study in UK has revealed that Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in UK live in serious poverty, compared to Hindus, although all of them came to UK at the same time and from the same geographical and economic backgrounds.
While it is the duty of a welfare government to look in to the grievances of its citizens and improve the living standards of all sections, what is surprising is that no one bothers to find out the real reason for the backward-ness of Muslims, and are just beating around the bush.

Parsis, who constitute only 0.07% of India’s population, are not backward, nor have they demanded any special privilege.  In fact the community has produced some of the best industrialists, economists and lawyers, who have been an asset to the country.

Christians too, who constitute only about 2.5% of India’s population, are not backward. In fact, many of the best educational institutions in India are run by Christians, where students from all religions study. (Covert conversions activities at Christian schools is not the subject here).

But what about Muslims? Muslims leaders never bother about the economic progress of their community members. All they are interested in is to keep them in perpetual poverty and ignorance, so that they are always under their leash. Therefore, instead of establishing educational institutions, they open Madrasas. Who will employ a Madrasa-educated Muslim, who is unfit for a job in a commercial organisation? Further, instead of asking common Muslims to adopt family planning, they ask them to produce more children and increase their population. All this is done in the name of Islam.

After the boisterous protest over the death sentence handed out to Mohd Afzal, the key accused in the Parliament attack case, the secular brigade seeks to suggest that even arresting Muslims in criminal cases would amount to their alienation.

What is this alienation all about? Was there ever a need to talk about the alienation of Christians and Parsis? If Christians and Parsis can integrate with the national mainstream, while at the same time practising their own religion, why can’t the Muslim?

The fact is that the Muslims leaders do not want the Muslim population to come and join the national mainstream. They have a vested interest in keeping them alienated. Therefore, they want their members to maintain and propagate their separate identity at every walk of life.

The other day morning I was walking around the Oval Maidan in Churchgate (Mumbai). The vast ground was full of sportsmen in their respective attire. About 6-7 Muslims too were playing cricket. I know them to be Muslims because they were in their Pyjama-Kurtha, with skull cap. So even in the playground, they want to maintain their separate identity. Muslim girl students wearing burkha is increasing day by day. Definitely, their Moulvis prompt them to be so. Under such conditions, how do we expect them to integrate in the national mainstream?

Even Muslim children are taught to be fundamentalists. At their prime age, they are encouraged to ‘fast’ during the month of Ramzan. The Urdu paper “Inquilab” proudly publishes the photos of children in the age group of 5-10 who have undertaken Ramzan fast. Muslim parents glorify such act of fasting in the name of Islam. In the early stage itself, religious fundamentalism is ingrained by such fasting and madrasa education.

A recent report says that even Banks are hesitant to open branches in Muslims ghettos. The reason is simple. Islam prohibits paying or receiving of interest, and hence Muslims show little interest in banking.

Unfortunately, anything the Maulvis do in the name of Islam goes unchallenged, even if it is against the economic and social well being of common Muslims. Thus in Islam, instead of the Religion helping in the economic, social and educational well being of its followers, it is the other way round. For what is written in a book as long back as 1400 years ago, people are forced to sacrifice their progress.

For the backwardness of Muslim, our politicians are no less responsible. With an eye on Muslim vote-bank, they go on pampering them. Since 1947 till date, the total amount spent on Haj subsidy, an un-Islamic and non-secular act, is appx. Rs.10,000 crores. Had a part of this amount been spent on building schools and residential complexes for Muslims, they could have been elevated. Why was this not done?

Therefore for the backwardness of Muslims, only Mullahs, Maulvis and our politicians are squarely responsible – not the remaining 87% non-Muslims.

The Sachar Committee could have pointed these, and many other, reasons (such as article 370 which blocks investments in J&K, leading to little economic and commercial activity there) for the backwardness of the community. Instead, it is pampering fundamentalism and is recommending incentives for perpetuating the backwardness and Islamic fundamentalism.