Dear MEL Topic Readers,
'Invisible in our own country': Being Muslim in Modi's India
The bloody partition of British India took place in 1947 into two
independent nations, Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Now, of
India’s 1.4 billion population, nearly 80% are followers of Hinduism and around
14% are Muslims. As a result of the 2019 general election, of the 543 seats in India’s
House of the People, 293, or 54% are taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),
a rightwing political party with a focus on Hindu nationalism. The ruling party
advocates for policies that support Hindu interests and cultural values. It
also promotes Indian nationalism, emphasizing pride in the country’s history, and
culture, and strengthens national security. In addition, the relationship with Muslim-majority
Pakistan has long been marked by decades of conflict. What is life like for Muslims
in such a conservative, Hindu-dominated country? On one occasion, a nine-year-old
Muslim student was called “a Pakistani terrorist” by his classmates. Are 200
million-plus Muslims treated in the same ways as Hindus in India?
Read the article and learn about the situation of Muslims in India.
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