Indian democracy unfair to Muslims

[BATMAN]

'Indian democracy unfair to Muslims'
17 Aug 2008, 0804 hrs IST,TNN

New Delhi: Although Muslims are safer in this country than in other parts of the world because they have a stake and space in Indian democracy, Indian democracy is unfair to Muslims, says Shabana Azmi, actor and former MP.

In an interview to a private TV channel, Azmi said, "I think there is not enough understanding of the fact that in a democracy how you treat the security of the minority must be a very important part for the success of a democracy . You can't only make token gestures and actually let them be in the state that they are as the Rajinder Sachar Committee report shows. So what happened is token gestures are made but real issues are never addressed."

Shabana Azmi said Indian politics has been unfair to Muslims and despite secularism Muslims are discriminated against.

She said she couldn't buy a house in Mumbai because she was a Muslim. "I wanted to buy a flat in Bombay and it wasn't given to me because I was a Muslim and I read the same about Saif (Ali Khan). Now, I mean, if Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi cannot get a flat in Bombay because they are Muslims, then what are we talking about?"

Questioned about the Kashmir violence having a wider communal ramification elsewhere in the country at present , she said, "That's why I am so distressed over what is happening in Kashmir. For heaven's sake, it should be brought to a stop and it should have been brought to a stop right when they started that nonsense."

But, she agreed that it was the responsibility of the Muslim leadership to change the image of their community. "I don't think that the Muslim leadership has bothered to clear the air about what Islam actually is."

The Muslim community, she feels, is also allowing itself to listen to the fundamentalists , who actually are not their leaders at all.

I hope Pakistan will not be blamed for this issue!

 

[vish]

Subtle racism exists in my country, but I'll be lying to you if I said that it is not fading slowly... it is.

 

[Flintlock]

Oh Crap....where are all the muslims of Mumbai living then?

 

[ashfaque]

Where the hell she is living .... These people using Muslims for their vote bank....

 

[roadrunner]

Oh Crap....where are all the muslims of Mumbai living then?

It says she couldn't buy a flat in Mumbai. It's simply ghettoization that's going on, where the Muslims are being forced to buy in the poorer areas of India whilst the Hindus and others occupy the more influential areas.

 

[vish]

It says she couldn't buy a flat in Mumbai. It's simply ghettoization that's going on, where the Muslims are being forced to buy in the poorer areas of India whilst the Hindus and others occupy the more influential areas.

Gee... jumping the gun are we?

 

[shrivatsa]

It says she couldn't buy a flat in Mumbai. It's simply ghettoization that's going on, where the Muslims are being forced to buy in the poorer areas of India whilst the Hindus and others occupy the more influential areas.

so azmi must be living in dharavi isnt it

 

[roadrunner]

Gee... jumping the gun are we?

Why would that be?

 

[vish]

Why would that be?

It is not like all Muslims live in ghettos or in poor societies/localities.

Most slums in my city are mixed; same goes for appartments and localities.

Some areas are pre-dominantly Hindu and some are pre-dominantly Muslim; both are equally good/bad.

But what Shabana Azmi has said is right. I do believe that subtle racism exists in India.

 

[roadrunner]

It is not like all Muslims live in ghettos or in poor societies/localities.

Most slums in my city are mixed; same goes for appartments and localities.

Some areas are pre-dominantly Hindu and some are pre-dominantly Muslim; both are equally good/bad.

But what Shabana Azmi has said is right. I do believe that subtle racism exists in India.

Why then can she and others, not by flats in Mumbai? What would be the purpose, if not ghettoization?

This is like the "no Arabs" signs they hang out in Israel or the "no blacks, dogs, or Irish" signs they used to hang out in the UK.
No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

 

[vish]

Why then can she and others, not by flats in Mumbai? What would be the purpose, if not ghettoization?

This is like the "no Arabs" signs they hang out in Israel or the "no blacks, dogs, or Irish" signs they used to hang out in the UK.
No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

What she has said is that this phenomenon exists, and that this phenomenon is not concsious. I hope you get the difference; that is why I mentioned "subtle racism."

There is no concsious effort herein.

PS: My society contains many Muslim families.

 

[roadrunner]

What she has said is that this phenomenon exists, and that this phenomenon is not concsious. I hope you get the difference; that is why I mentioned "subtle racism."

There is no concsious effort herein.

PS: My society contains many Muslim families.

Where did she say it was a subconscious phenomenon? You don't subconsciously deny a flat to someone based on their religion. Most Indian Muslims look like Indian Hindus anyway. So what's subconscious about it?

 

[vish]

Where did she say it was a subconscious phenomenon? You don't subconsciously deny a flat to someone based on their religion. Most Indian Muslims look like Indian Hindus anyway. So what's subconscious about it?

Subtle racism: I do not hate you but I'd like it if you were at an arm's length. Same is the case with Hindus and Muslims in India.

The people who refused the houses on religious grounds did not "hate" Muslims but would like it if they are kept at an arm's length. What they do not realise is that if everybody starts behaving the same way (and they do), things get really cocked up.

The riots and all the extremes that you see are "rare" vis-a-vis this subtle racism.

 

[roadrunner]

Subtle racism: I do not hate you but I'd like it if you were at an arm's length. Same is the case with Hindus and Muslims in India.

The people who refused the houses on religious grounds did not "hate" Muslims but would like it if they are kept at an arm's length. What they do not realise is that if everybody starts behaving the same way (and they do), things get really cocked up.

The riots and all the extremes that you see are "rare" vis-a-vis this subtle racism.

In other words segregation or ghettoization.

 

[vish]

In other words segregation or ghettoization.

True, but in a very dilute form. Its a two-way street though.