Finding Hope and Building on it
Summary of USIPI’s first webinar of 2022: Inclusion Strategies for Muslims in India
Over the past few weeks, we’ve witnessed a new level of assault on the identity of Muslims in India. As protests spread worldwide and celebrities stood in solidarity demanding the reversal of the proposed “Hijab ban,” the uneasiness around what the future of Muslims and other minorities looks like is palpable.
In this context, coupled with the ongoing state-level elections in India, USIPI decided to host the first webinar of the year on “Inclusion Strategies for Muslims in India”. Three highly renowned human development economists based in India were invited to share their research and experiences on this topic. The panelists included:
Dr. Abusaleh Shariff, Chief Scholar at USIPI and President of the Center for Research and Debates in Development Policy
Prof. Abdul Shaban, Professor Chairperson of Centre for Public Policy, Habitat and Human Development, Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Dr. Amir Ullah Khan, Professor at MCRHRDI of the Government of Telangana and Director of the Centre for Development, Policy, and Practice
During the facilitated panel discussion, the audience first heard about the framework and root causes of exclusion – guided by evidence-based research. This contributed to a shared understanding of what exclusion looks and feels like for minority communities. The webinar ended with a robust discussion on imagining what practical inclusion strategies could entail – leaving many in the audience clinging to a shimmer of hope.
Read the high-level summary of the webinar below.
Exploring a framework to understand exclusion based on socio-, religious and gender lines
Dr. Abusaleh Shariff started the discussion by laying out a framework on what exclusion looks like in the day-to-day life of a minority in India.
He described that in any government, there are policies that are proposed and finalized through a process. However, rarely is the implementation process scrutinized nor are outcomes or impact of the policy measured.
This process is innately limiting, which prevents researchers from fully understanding inclusion and exclusionary practices through data analyses. But one approach which may help is to take any tangible starting point, e.g., Independence or India’s Economic Liberalization in 1991 to then study the context before and after that point in time.
Using this framework with Independence as the “point in time”, Dr. Shariff described how the exclusion of Muslims has increased in the political, social, education, employment, and business realms though in varying ways when comparing the local level to the formal or structural level. He shared that political exclusion at the formal level was at 100%, whereas employment and business exclusion at the structural level were at 80%. A consistent theme across all realms was that exclusion was much lower at the local level which means there may be a greater appetite for community and district-based interventions (more on this below).
Various processes and root causes of exclusion of minority groups
Systemic biases toward Muslims and other minorities have existed since Independence. As of recent, however, the biases have manifested primarily through the following five frames as noted by Prof Shaban:
Political exclusion e.g., denial of citizenship
Massive erosion of the rule of law e.g., custodial deaths, lynching
Deterioration of freedom, human rights, and equality of opportunity
Limitations around fundamental civil rights e.g., freedom to move, start businesses
Identity-based stigmatization e.g., prominent individuals are used to stigmatize the entire community
Furthermore, recent narratives have shifted where Muslims are “othered,” similar to the English. Muslims are now seen as outsiders whose “foreign practices” are incompatible with “Indian culture”.
Prof. Shaban also stated multiple reasons for this, including political leaders receiving personal benefit from scapegoating Muslims, e.g., obtaining a higher number of votes through hateful rhetoric.
Furthermore, exclusionary practices are heightened within the younger generation of the majority population. Prof. Shaban’s research shows that they have more misunderstandings about Muslims than the previous generations as urbanization and individualism grow and networks within existing social structures loosen.
“Process of urbanization is promoting exclusion – people are not dependent and connected like before in an agrarian society.”
- Prof. Abdul Shaban
Where do we go from here? Exploring practical strategies for inclusion
The speakers shared varying perspectives on what inclusion can practically look like for marginalized communities. One panelist also reminded us that the onus of responsibility shouldn’t necessarily be on the marginalized who are facing systemic exclusion.
“Every Muslim should study in government schools side-by-side with other groups.”
- Dr. Abusaleh Shariff
Building on Dr. Shariff’s point on the need for integration at the school level, Prof. Shaban shared that we must advocate and engage in common education to increase community solidarity. Education undertaken in our formative years is where trust and connection are built, and organizations must research models to understand further how this can serve as a base for harmony within the population.
Other ideas suggested by Prof. Shaban included:
The need for marginalized communities to join cultural programs.
Thoughtfully engaging in protests and solidarity efforts – with more strategy and less emotion.
Developing strong social media efforts that are strategic and for goodwill.
Encouraging social-good organizations like Muslim-run NGOs to serve all communities, regardless of whether the cause is for Muslims – similar to the Sikh tradition that serves humanity, not specific communities.
Dr. Amir Ullah Khan reiterated that because Muslims have fallen behind on most socio-economic indicators, the change must be led by the majority. He also recommended engaging in organized protests, especially by the Indian diaspora. The CAA, repeal of farm laws, and hijab ban protests were cited as previous successful examples of protests, which brought massive awareness to the issues and a broader understanding of exclusion. Dr. Khan also spoke to the importance of the Indian diaspora’s voice. Smaller numbers of people engaged in protests in the US hold greater weight and visibility than larger numbers engaged in India, according to what he has seen. Global collaborative efforts are a critical way forward.
One common thread between all three speakers was clear: our efforts must focus on the local level to create the most impact. The local level is where most potential and hope lies as the national and state levels become more decisive, fueling hateful rhetoric. Whether it’s through policy influence at the district or panchayat (block) level or by emerging as community, service-oriented champions, advocating for better and safer neighborhoods for all.
As Prof. Shaban rightfully said in closing, we are not hopeless and with courageous and strategic efforts at the local level, we can overcome this with the help of the majority population.
What are your thoughts on the debate around inclusion? Share your thoughts below!