Should educated Indian Muslims be blamed for not raising their voice against the communal schism being nurtured in a secular, democratic India? This is a question that has been posed by many in the Indian media, including Vir Sanghvi (“Waiting for the Hindu backlash,” Hindustan Times, Oct. 14).

The Indian media still entertain a subtle bias against Muslims. That Bollywood has confined the portrayal of Indian Muslims to bearded men in sherwanis, burqa-clad women, inebriated nawabs and dancing girls is just a symbolic indicator of this harsh reality.

Muslims continue to be treated as second class citizens. The tragedy is that the Indian media have still not opened its eyes to this bitter fact. Expecting only Indian Muslims to speak out is as good as creating a schism along religious lines. It is as bad as Indian politics creating and then using a Muslim vote bank. Usage of such labels in politics has weakened the secular fabric of India.

What is unfortunate is that despite the Muslims having repeatedly asserted their identity as Indians, they find their patriotism being questioned. Around a decade ago, while in the US, I reacted instantly as an Indian to the telecast of the Babri Masjid demolition while the American newspaper headlines shrieked: “Hindu terrorism.” I wrote for the American papers and gave an interview to the Wisconsin TV network. I argued that just because a section of the Hindu community had demolished the mosque and indulged in rioting, the entire Hindu populace could not be labeled as terrorists.

Now when the Indian media are targeting Muslims for not speaking out enough against crimes being committed in the name of Islam, should only Muslims protest? Isn’t it the responsibility of every Indian who feels committed to the secular principles enshrined in the Constitution to join in the tirade?

There is a striking parallel between the bias Muslims face in India and the way blacks suffer in the US. If here the religious label is sufficient for the police to round up poor Muslims, in the US racial bias is rampant. Names and photographs of arrested Muslims or blacks don’t take long to reach the newspapers. Yet when the alleged criminals are Hindus or whites, rudimentary “content analysis” indicates that their names are not always revealed.

The bias came out strongly in the case of the police firing at Muslims — killing three — protesting against Students Islamic Movement of India’s ban in Lucknow. When the Indian media turn a blind eye to such actions, it amounts to giving the green signal to the parties engaged in such acts. How can it be missed that as per the UN covenant on human rights, a person is innocent until he is proven to be guilty?

The ease with which Indian security forces in Kashmir gun down people and label them as militants is disturbing. Rarely have the Indian media questioned this stance of the Indian forces. Not surprisingly, the government has decided to adopt a “no mercy” posture. Why have the Indian media remained silent on this front too?

Or have the Indian media chosen to be a government mouthpiece? If this is the case, the point raised about the need for Indian Muslims to raise their voice loses its credibility. For then, if they raise their voice, the Indian media are least likely to pay them any attention.

The Indian media have limited their analysis of terrorism to Islam and the attitude of Muslims. The menacing face of terrorism has assumed too many dangerous dimensions within the Hindu community as well. Uttar Pradesh has been witness to caste terrorism when rival caste differences in certain marriages have led to the brutal murder of young couples. Police terrorism too cannot be ignored.

Despite the media indulging excessively in making noise about terrorism, they have seldom paid attention to blaming Hindus as terrorists, be they policemen or staunch casteists. Why?

Yet, the Muslim extremists’ call for jihad easily dominates their front page. The explanation is simple. The Indian media have paid minimal attention to the sidelining of Muslims. It remains worried about what the majority community will say, once their “representatives” are referred to as terrorists.

Fear of a “backlash” from the majority community has probably prompted the Indian media to only demand that the Muslims raise their voice.