The Communal Award of 1935 was the basis of religion based reservation in undivided India. Patel was opposed to it and Nehru was emphatic and said “This way lies not only folly but disaster”. Patel as Chairman of the advisory committee saw to it that communal reservation was abolished unanimously. Are the present day politicians wiser than the stalwarts of yesterdays? Muslims ruled India for over a Thousand years and held high positions during the British rule. Late Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto, the father of Benazir Bhutto, had thundered in the United Nations a few decades ago “we have ruled India for a Thousand years, will rule again for a Thousand years”. Ancestors of Hindus had no occasion to do injustice against the ancestors of Muslims. Even in free India, Muslims have not been discriminated against by Nehru Ji, Indira Ji or Rajiv Gandhi at any point of time. No one ever stopped Muslims from going to schools. They are not Dalits by any definition. They have the legacy of Nawabs. It is intriguing why, how and when did Muslims become backward. There is no basis for compensating the injustice.
Muslims never faced Manuvaadi System of Society and have never been trampled like Schedule Castes. Today, they have preferential treatment in jobs in all the countries of Middle East by virtue of their religion. The neo-rich Muslims transferring money from the Middle East are visible in Kerala, in parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, in parts of uttarakhand and elsewhere. Their rate of financial growth is much faster than the rest of India. For the sake of argument if reservation is granted to Muslims, it is the English knowing affluent Muslims who will get advantage, not the poor ones. Muslims need modern education not communal reservation. Dr. Kalbe Sadiq, the senior Vice-Chairman of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, while speaking on ‘Islam versus Muslims’ on November, 4, 2006 in Lucknow, said the only solution to Islam is modern education. His words that Muslims cannot progress without rational approach and use of intellect are prophetic.
Muslim community gave three presidents to the country, a Chief Justice to the Supreme Court and a Chief of the Armed Forces. Then what is the reason of their low representation in services? Apparently, they seek employment in science, technology and computers based on their knowledge of Arabic, Persian and Urdu. Educated Muslims are not available even in the exclusive areas like Urdu teachers and translators. Hindus take over a large chunk of these jobs.
Muslims, for whatever reason, opt out of higher education. Muslim graduates are only 1.3 % and 6.1% in rural and urban areas respectively compared to 5.3 % and 25.3 % Hindus. School drop out in Muslims after primary school is up to 90 %. The cause of their lagging behind is their preference to madarsa education over common school system. Hindus will become like that only if all of them give preference to Sanskrit Pathshalas over the common school system of India. It is the change of attitude not reservation that will solve the problem of imbalance if any.
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