PUNE, 30 May 2007 – Stating that the demands for seeking reservations by Muslims will weaken Indian democracy, Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Javed Alam said that with citizen politics as their medium of empowerment, Muslims can develop a strong democratic set up in the country.
"Muslims demand should not become a central demand as it would only strengthen chauvinistic forces which would weaken the Indian democracy, 'Alam said while delivering a lecture on "A long –term view of contemporary Muslim situation in India' with reference to Sachar Committee report, at a lecture series in Pune on Monday.
Alam said that the Sachar committee report has clearly shown that Indian Muslims are an oppressed community which is slowly crystallizing into a force demanding their fundamental rights against discrimination and also their rights to housing, education and other amenities.
Alam expressed apprehensions that there was a possibility that the traditional Muslim leadership will try to hijack the Sachar committee report to reunite Muslims under their banner.
The JNU scholar further stated that "now is right time for secular Muslim leaders, especially the young Turks, to seize the opportunity and take over reins of Muslims for the betterment of their plight. The time is also ripe for democratic forces to build bridges with oppressed communities including Dalits so that a democratic block of oppressed forces (can) emerge at the national fora."
Alam also said that a deep change had begun to crystallize among Muslims in recent times since the appearance of the Sachar committee report.
Explaining the political plight of the Indian Muslims, Alam pointed to these factors – Muslims have been exploited by successive Congress governments as vote banks, have been target of forces where one-sided communal killing has replaced communal riots and Muslim orthodoxy.
He advocated the federal government to take steps for the economic empowerment of Muslims. "Representations in government services is abysmal and the government should take pro-active steps and provide incentive to boost diversity in the services," he said.
Launching an attack on banks, Alam said several banks have designated Muslim concentration areas as red zone for granting loans, which is discriminatory and said that the federal government must take efforts to convert the red zones into credit friendly areas.
