الهند: كتاب جديد يرصد تهميش المسلمين بالمجتمع الهندي

- خبر من مصادر إنجليزية.

شهد سوق الكتاب الهندي صدور كتاب "المسلمون في المدن الهندية: مسار التهميش"، والذي قام بتألفه وجمع مادته "كريستوف جافرلوت" و"لورنت جاير"؛ حيث رصد ظاهرة تهميش المسلمين وممارسة التمييز ضدهم، والتي أكد تقرير "لجنة ساشر" سابقًا أن المجتمع الإسلامي يتعرض اقتصاديًا واجتماعيًا للوقوف على الحافة من قبل السلطات والمجتمع.

ويقوم الكتاب بتغطية هذه الظاهرة في 11 مدينة هندية لرصد عناصر وعوامل التهميش والتمييز، وقد أشار النقاد إلى أن الكتاب يؤخذ عليه عدم بيان السبب وراء التهميش والتمييز ضد المسلمين بصورة ثابتة.

ويتميز الكتاب ببيان كذب الادعاء بأن المسلمين ضيّقوا الأفق ومحددو التفكير؛ حيث يدرك المسلمون أهمية التعليم المدني إضافة لقيامهم بدعم الحقوق المجتمعية. المصدر: شبكة الألوكة.

يرجى الإشارة إلى المصدر عند نقل الخبر– شبكة الألوكة.

الخبر من مصدره الأصلي:

Muslims In Indian Cities | Edited by Laurent Gayer and Christophe Jaffrelot

While I was accompanying my friends house-hunting in Mumbai some months back, they happened to mention to the broker that they had been looking at a place in Mahim that was priced reasonably. The broker agreed that the property they were currently looking at was expensive, but that was because “...Mahim is a Mohammedan (sic) area, but this is a nice area, with Hindu neighbours, very safe and clean.”

The marginalization of Muslims in a country that prides itself on its “unity in diversity” is painfully obvious. The Sachar committee report on the socio-economic status of Indian Muslims provides extensive evidence of a community being pushed to the fringes. Nowhere is this phenomenon brought out more clearly than in our cities, nearly all of which have areas that are predominantly “Muslim” in their demographic characteristics (and which are only frequented by the rest of the city for culinary or business reasons). This alone does not indicate any form of marginalization, but the fact that a majority of the Muslim populace of most cities is crowded into certain areas, and is notably absent from others, provides significant cause for concern.

Muslims in Indian Cities: Trajectories of Marginalisation intends to provide an empirical and theoretical study into the process of this spatial segregation and marginalization. The book covers 11 cities, from Mumbai and Ahmedabad in the west, Cuttack in the east to Calicut (Kozhikode) and Bangalore in the south (we can legitimately question why the North-East was excluded). Impressive in its scope and detail, this volume provides a valuable resource for those interested in the processes leading to marginalization and discrimination in urban spaces today.

But it must be said that this book is uneven in terms of quality. Most of the essays are purely ethnographic, which gives one a clear picture of the state of deprivation on the ground, but does not provide any firm answers as to why these processes are taking place. Some essays are excellent, with Qudsiya Contractor’s study of a slum in Mumbai, and Christophe Jaffrelot and Charlotte Thomas’ examination of a post-riot ghetto in Ahmedabad being the highlights.

Jaffrelot and Thomas, as well as other contributors, bust the myth of Muslims being an extremely insular and parochial community. The Muslims of Juhapura, a ghetto in Ahmedabad, and elsewhere, are well aware of the importance of non-religious education not just as a means for individual advancement, but also for securing community rights.

Well aware that “Muslims” are not a homogenous category, these studies investigate the cleavages in our cities along the fault lines of caste, class and sectarian differences. The causes of marginalization differ from city to city, but there are some common factors. Striking is the role played by communal riots in the making of Muslim ghettos. The lack of public transport and other facilities and the indifference of municipal authorities all contribute to the inhabitants of these localities being pushed to the fringes, both spatially and socio-economically.