ProspectPresented byM. Burhanuddin QasmiDirectorMarkazul MaarifEducation & Research Centre MMERC!Patli"utra #a$ar Mas%id& 'shi(ara#e( )ink Road& *o$esh(ari (!Mumbai + ,--.-/ 0ndia!Email1 mana$er2marakzulmaarif.or$3eb site1 (((.markazulmaarif.or$ Conference on Children, Youth, and their Education in a Globalizing IndiaDecember 22-24, 2005Organized by: Centre for Postcolonial EducationN 1/70 Nagwa, Varanasi, ttar Prades!, "ndiaEducation of Muslims inIndiaProblems & ProspectsEducation of Muslims in IndiaM. Burhanuddin QasmiProblems & ProspectsImportance of Education in Ilam0n recent times the 4uestion of Muslims educational back(ardness has been anim"ortant element of "olitical and social rhetoric in 0ndia. 5lthou$h Muslims arenot alone in reflectin$ educational back(ardness yet recent static sho(s they areone of the most back(ard communities in the field of education and literacy inthe country. 6his fact is& no doubt& astonishin$ for those (ho kno( that the 7eryfirst declarationof theQuran8 90QR5 toread!.isabout 9education.5ndthePro"het of 0slam& Mohammad:53:!termededucationasbasicobli$ationfore7ery indi7idual8 male and female&/ the 7ery first time in the history of mankind& in;.- 5D!. u%arat in /--/.86he "oliticalmilieu %ust after the "artition (as such that made Muslims feelsodemoralized that they could not dare ask the 4uestion as to (hy the doors ofdefenceforces(erebarredtoMuslimsunder "olicydirectionsfrom#ehrus$o7ernment after inde"endence. 6he Muslim ci7il ser7ants similarly (ere not tobea""ointed on sensiti7e "ostsand eGtra cautionhadto beusedforissuin$"ass"orts to them.9 6he stren$th of Muslims in the "olice and state "aramilitaryforces (as deliberately reduced to the eGtent that in some :tates includin$ E.P.and Delhi their re"resentation is 7ery lo(. 6his made the 5mnesty 0nternationalcall the Pro7incial 5rmed Constabulary P5C! of E.P. a mainly o7ernment a$ency& hascom"iledand"ublishedthesocio8economicdataaccordin$toreli$ionthat itcollected durin$ the course of its nationalsur7eys of consum"tion eG"endituredurin$ the =-th and ==th rounds in .@@B8@, and .@@@8/---. 6he socio8economic6Education of Muslims in IndiaM. Burhanuddin QasmiProblems & Prospects"rofile that the #::' estimates "aint of the Muslim 0ndian is a de"ressin$ one.0n all ma%or socio8economic indicators& the members of 0ndiaIs bi$$est reli$iousminority are& on the a7era$e& (orse off than members of the ma%ority community.Dirst& theys"endlessonitems ofdaily consum"tion becausetheya""arentlyearnless. :econd(orkin$Muslimsaremoreincasual labour andseasonaloccu"ations. 6hird& amon$those(ithaccesstolandaMuslimhouseholdismostly culti7atin$ smaller "lots. Dourth& unem"loyment rates are hi$her amon$educatedMuslimsthanothers. 6hiso7erall "rofileistrueof bothmenand(omen& in rural and urban 0ndia and in all :tates.13 6he #::' does not "ro7ideinformationonshelter&health& nutritionandothersocio8economicindicators. 0fsuch information (as a7ailable the lar$er "icture (ould ha7e been in more blackand (hite terms. 'fficial data is& at least& enou$h to fi$ure out that in the "ost inde"endent 0ndiaMuslim community remained do(n(ards economically in com"arison to all otherma%ority or minority communities. 5nd (ith such findin$s in hand as (e ha7e no(throu$h#::'about the"rofileof secondreli$iousma%ority$rou"of 0ndia&official "olicy can 8 if the >o7ernment (ants to 8 easily identify the $rou"s most inneed of state inter7ention& su""ort and reser7ation. 0t is ty"ical of 0ndias "oliticalandsocial ethosthat thisfact of $rossunder re"resentationof asi$nificantreli$ious minority is not allo(ed to become an issue. 5ny such discussion (ouldbe rather 7ie(ed as 9communal (hich is taken to be anti8secular.*heforthandmost "ainful "roblemof Muslim0ndiansisthediscriminatoryattitudes of the ma%ority community to(ards them in all (alks of life. 0n this "a"erit isnot "ossible& nor isit necessary& to$i7eaneGhausti7eaccount of ho(Muslimsha7efaredunder la(in0nde"endent 0ndiaandho(intolerant anddiscriminatoryattitudesto(ardsthemha7ead7erselyaffectedtheir ri$htsase4ual citizens in the common domain and their collecti7e ri$ht to distinctreli$ious& cultural andlin$uistic identity. 3hat is bein$attem"tedhereis to"resent a sam"lin$ of state of thin$s to illustrate ho( institutional discriminationandeGtremeintolerancea$ainst Muslims ha7emadethem"eriodically feelinsecure& mar$inalized and educationally de"ri7ed. 0 (ould "refer to cut short this"rolon$ debate and "resent an abstract from the re"ort "re"ared by Professor04bal 5. 5nsari on 90ntolerance and discrimination a$ainst Muslims as a reli$iousminority 0n 0ndia (hich (as submitted by the 0ndian Muslim Dederation EQ! at a3orksho" at Enited #ations 3orld Conference 5$ainst Racism& RacialDiscriminationon/F5u$ust8F:e"tember /--.! inDurban& :outh5fricatoascertain thecauseof Muslims de"ri7ation of 4uality educationandsocialde7elo"ments. 7Education of Muslims in IndiaM. Burhanuddin QasmiProblems & Prospects9Dulfillin$the"romisesmadetominoritiesbythe90ndian#ational Con$ressdurin$ the freedom mo7ement the follo(in$ safe$uards (ere "ro7ided for them inthe Draft Constitution. .@,F8,@! a! #umber of seatsinthenational Parliament and:tate5ssembliestobereser7ed for minorities on the basis of their "o"ulation& thou$h elections to beheld under %oint electorate.b!:hareof minoritiesintheCabinet tobeensuredthrou$h"ro7isionof a:chedule.c! :"ecial 'fficers for Minorities in the Enion and :tates for monitorin$im"lementation of safe$uards.d! 6he claims of minorities in "ublic ser7ices to be $i7en due consideration. e!Minorityri$ht to"reser7etheir distinct lan$ua$e& scri"t andcultureandestablishin$ educational institutions of their choice $uaranteed. 0ndias Constituent 5ssembly ado"ted therecommendations of the5d7isoryCommittee on DundamentalRi$hts and Minorities in 5u$ust .@,F&14(hich (ere(ritten into the Draft Constitution 5rticles& /@/& /@,& /@; & /@@.15But under theshado( of "artition safe$uards for "olitical and economic ri$hts (ere alto$etherdro""ed and so (as the "ro7ision of s"ecial officers for monitorin$ ofim"lementationof safe$uardsinMay16&'ctober17.@,@. 6hou$hassurances(ere $i7en that the ma%ority (ould ensure that minorities $ot a fair deal in "ublic"artici"ation and re"resentation e7en (ithout Constitutionalsafe$uards.186hese"romises ha7e ho(e7er remained unfulfilled.196hou$h Muslims ha7e been"ersistently underre"resented in Parliament and :tate 5ssemblies& it has ne7erfi$ured an issue to be addressed by Committees constituted for electoral reformsincludin$ that constituted by the 9#ational Commission to Re7ie( the 3orkin$ ofthe Constitution. 6he Constitution of 0ndia does "ro7ide ri$ht to e4uality and non8discrimination forall citizens irres"ecti7e of social ori$in or reli$ious affiliation but there has beenno Constitutional or statutory mechanism to study and monitor the nature& eGtentand modalities of discrimination a$ainst any indi7idual or $rou" of citizensincludin$ minorities and for takin$ remedial measures.6he benefits of affirmati7e action of the :tate under 5rticles .=,! and .;,! arenot a7ailable to Muslims as a back(ard minority (hich is not ade4uatelyre"resented in "ublic ser7ices thou$h certain back(ard classes of Muslims areincluded in the common list of 'ther Back(ard Classes of rou"8B. 6here are %ust/ Muslims& one u""er di7ision clerk and the other lo(er di7ision clerk out of F/>rou"8C officersO out of F. em"loyees at the lo(est run$ of >rou"8D there are noMuslims. 6hus the total Muslim re"resentation (orks out to less than .? at thelo(er le7el.25:imilar is the state of most other national institutions in the field ofeducation& media& %udiciary& finance& industry and commerce.26

0t is instructi7e to note that the a"eG court in 0ndia makes it obli$atory to admit atleast =-?students fromcommunities other than their o(n in institutionsestablished by minorities under Constitutional "rotection of 5rticle B-& for reasonsof national inte$ration& aseducational institutionsaresu""osedtobemeltin$"otsforanationinthemakin$.273hat about all othereducational institutionL6here is no obli$ation for them to admit e7en .? of minority students for reasonsof national inte$ration.5mazin$ enou$h to note that on one hand >o7ernment of 0ndia seems 7ery keenon $rantin$ aids to Muslim run educational institutions& es"ecially Madrasas andMaktabs& in the name of 4uality and modern education. 3hile on the other hand&7ery recently 5llahabad