Unfair, undemocratic and nonsecular privileges and concessions to Muslims are turning India into a de facto Islamic State, where Muslims, despite being the minority, enjoy elevated status and privileges, generally offered under typical Islamic governance.
Origin of Muslim appeasement in Indian politics
While individuals are empowered to cast their votes for a political party of their personal choice in democratic countries, Muslims in non-Muslim-dominated countries do not follow this golden rule. Instead, they cast their votes according to dictates of their religious and community leaders. Therefore, all Muslim votes go for a single party. When the quantum of Muslim votes becomes significant, political parties start wooing their votes by offering them unfair, and even illegal, concessions. In this way, the politics of Muslim appeasement gains momentum.
In Indian politics, Muslim appeasement started even before the birth of India as an independent nation state by the Indian National Congress (INC) when its leaders Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Nehru offered support to the so-called Khilafat Movement launched the Muslim Khan brothers. The Congress Party's next Muslim appeasement was its refusal to carry out the population exchange – sending the entire Muslim population to Pakistan and bringing back all the non-Muslim population of Pakistan to India -- which was the primary basis of the partition. When the issue of population exchange came, Gandhi staunchly opposed it, as Muslims across India showed reluctance to move to Pakistan. In return, Muslims have been staunch supporter of the Congress Party for many decades, as the Congress-led government continued offering concessions and privileges to Muslims.
Muslim appeasement by the Government of India
In the West, the so-called broad-minded leftists and multiculturists are major appeasers of Muslims for their block votes -- while those, who oppose illegitimate concessions to Muslims and often try to uncover the true face of Islam, are seen as racists. In Indian politics, Muslim-appeasers are identified as secularists and those, who oppose illegitimate appeasement of Muslims, are labeled as communalists. Muslim appeasement in India, thus, goes on under the dignified cover of secularism, which is led by the Congress and Leftist parties. India, the largest democracy in the world, constitutionally offers equal opportunity to all citizens, irrespective of religion, caste, linguistic, regional and other differences, but the so-called secular parties and politicians tramples this sacrosanct principles of equality for all by offering Muslims unlawful and undemocratic privileges.
With the help of Muslim votes, the so-called United Progressive Alliance (UPA) -- led by the Congress Party -- came to power for the second time in 2009. So, the Central Government has started implementing its Muslim-appeasing policies by introducing the soc-called minority development programs, which was promised as a trade-off for their block-votes during the election. The government, in contravention of the secular-democratic Constitution of India, is increasing religion-based representation of Muslim in education and government jobs.
For example, on December 18, 2009, the Central Government reserved 10% of government jobs for Muslims (The Statesman – Dec 19, 2009) and, to make it look fair, reserved another 5% for minority Christians. About 2 years back, the Central Government declared issuance of easy bank loans for Muslims (The Times of India – Jan 18, 2007).
In 2009 and 2010, the Central Government increased fund allotments for the minority (read Muslim) affairs by 74%. A report by the Indian Express, a leading Indian daily, on December 18, 2007, said, “Govt declared mega plan outlay for the Muslims -- a package of Rs 3,780 crore for 90 Muslim-dominated districts.” Another report appeared on November 9, 2007, in the Ananda Bazar Patrika, a Kolkata-based daily, said, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared additional funds for Muslims.
Muslim appeasement has also been introduced in educational institutions, where merit should be the sole criterion for admission of students. Else, the gross intellectual level of education would decline. There are five Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), India's most prestigious technological institutions, where admission is conducted on the basis of stiff admission tests. But on June 28, 2008, the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry issued an order to the IITs for reserving seats for Muslim students.
It is well known that the standard of education in Islamic schools, namely the so-called madrasas, is very low and not job-oriented. Students in these madrasas mainly learn the Koran, Hadiths and other Islamic subjects. On July 7, 2008, Lalu Prasad Yadav, the then Railway Minister, declared that Madrasa degree would now on be valid for railway jobs. Obviously such mindless job reservation would lead to appointment of inefficient people for responsible jobs. It is well known that Muslims -- thanks to their lack of interested in education and taking up madrasa education -- generally occupy low-grade jobs of unskilled laborers (The same applies to Muslim immigrants in Western countries, whom a Muslim author has, regrettably, described as modern-day coolies). And now the Central Government of India is thinking of allocating a colossal amount of fund to madrasas, supposedly, to improve the quality of education. First thing: madrasa is religious institution and a secular government cannot spend tax-payers money on such programs. Secondly, education in madrasa, which is primarily oriented to teaching religious texts and doctrines, can never produce socially conscious, educationally competent and professionally productive citizenry.
Preferential sanctions for Muslim Students in education sector
The government has introduced a new scholarship for minority religious students at Rs.10,000 per year, limited to two students per family, having an annual income of less than Rs 100,000.
A special scholarship has been launched, exclusively, for Muslim girls, who will receive a grant of Rs. 3000 at degree level, Rs. 4000 at post graduate level and Rs. 5000/ for professional courses. Muslim girls will also receive stipend while preparing for competitive exams.
To qualify for higher studies like MBBS, PG courses and Research, a new religion-based concession has been introduced for minority students, who would require to score only 50% marks -- even lower than 60% required by lower caste students. Furthermore, the minority religious students at degree, postgraduate, M. Phil., and Ph.D. levels will receive generous scholarship. This is an extremely iniquitous and prejudicial policy, grossly unfair to Hindu students.
There is further discrimination against Hindu students. Hindu students have to pay much higher interest, 12-14% per annum, for educational loans, but minority students get loans at 3% interest from the National Minority Development and Finance Corporation under the Union Ministry of Finance.
In commercial ventures for self-employment, a Hindu youth is entitled to get loans from commercial banks at 15-18% interest; and they have to produce 'margin money' of 15-40% for the project cost from their own pockets; the rest comes from the bank. But minority youths have to put in only 5% as 'margin money' from their pockets; the other 35% is provided by the National Minority Development and Finance Corporation at only 3% interest.
In a fair secular-democratic system, any government assistance and grants can only be disbursed solely based on economic status and merits. But poor Hindus are completely excluded from such government-sanctioned grants. So says an analyst:
The preferential treatment to minority religionists - Muslims and Christians - while ignoring the poor Hindu students with similar economic status violates Article 15(1) which clearly stipulates that "The state shall not discriminate any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them". The Govt. cannot and must not be allowed to enforce the constitution selectively for benefiting its prospective voters.
He adds:
Recognition of the Madrassa certificates on par with the CBSE and the SSLC by the Sonia-Singh regime and calling it 'inclusive development' is against national interest as it encourages a "two-society mindset": Madrassas fundamentally negate the secular philosophy and inflict a devastating body blow to the principles of Secularism. These radical Islamic institutions are globally recognized as the nucleus-initiating stage for furthering a skewed mindset into jihadi terrorism.
Conclusion
In India, the policy of Muslim appeasement is a two-pronged instrument --- one is operated by the Delhi-based Central Government, the other by local governments in respective states. This unlawful and undemocratic privileges are elevating Muslims into first-grade citizens in the name of minorities, while the majority Hindus are turned into second-grade citizens. These developments are turning India into a de facto Islamic State, where Muslims, despite being the minority, enjoy elevated status and privileges, generally offered under typical Islamic governance.
Recently, the UPA government has drafted a draconian new law, called the “Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2011” and if it passed, the Hindus will be turned into slaves of Muslims. We hope to discuss this in a separate article.