The blood-laden birth-pangs of the Indian "nation-state" undoubtedly had a bearing on the contentious issue of group rights for cultural minorities. Indeed, the trajectory of the concept ‘minority rights’ evolved amidst multiple conceptualizations, political posturing and violent mobilizations and outbursts. Accommodating minority groups posed a predicament for the fledgling "nation-state" of post-colonial India. This book compares and contrasts Muslim and Sikh communities in pre- and post-Partition India. Mapping the evolving discourse on minority rights, the author looks at the overlaps between the Constitutional and the majoritarian discourse being articulated in the public sphere and poses questions about the guaranteeing of minority rights. The book suggests that through historical ruptures and breaks , communities oscillate between being minorities and nations. Combining archival material with ethnographic fieldwork, it studies the identity groups and their vexed relationship to the ideas of nation and nationalism. It captures meanings attributed to otherwise politically loaded concepts such as nation, nation-state and minority rights in the everyday world of Muslims and Sikhs and thus tries to make sense of the patterns of accommodation, adaptation and contestation in the life-world. Successfully confronting and illuminating the challenge of reconciling representation and equality both for groups and within groups, this exploration of South Asian nationalisms and communal relations will be of interest to academics in the field of South Asian Studies, in particular Sociology and Politics.

The Well Being Of People Is Unquestionably The Ultimate Object Of All Development Efforts Of A Country And The Basic Quest Of Human Endeavour Is Always To Seek A Better Quality Of Life. The Quality Of Life Of Citizens Of A Nation Can Be Effectively Improved Only By Raising The Standards Of Living Of The People On The Street And In Rural Areas. Social Empowerment In General Is Very Fundamental In Achieving This Goal. The Institution Of Democracy Provides A Strong Foundation For Harmonizing Social And Economic Objectives. Thus, Within The Broad Democratic Framework There Are Great Opportunities For Synergying And Economic Growth Programmes To Deliver Better Quality Of Life In The Shortest Possible Span Of Time. In India, The Plight Of Muslim Is Not Better Than That Of Belonging To Other Social Groups. Due To The Impact Of Modernization, Westernization, Globalization, Democracy, Socio-Economic Changes, Legal Enactment Pertaining To Muslim, Society Is Advancing Towards Gender Just And Equates Systems, Giving The Way To Empowerment And Advancement Of Muslim In India. The Concept Of Minority Rights Is Growing Momentum In India. The Constitutional And Legal Measures For The Protection Of Rights Of The Minorities Do Provide Protection To Minority Population Against The Exploitation And Violation Of Their Rights As Well As Equal Opportunities For Their Advancement And Development, However, The Plight Of Muslims In India Is Found To Be Grim Which Has Been Well Depicted In The Report Of High Power Committee Under The Chairmanship Of Justice Rajinder Sachar. Development As A Human Right Approach Is Imperative For Understanding The Development Of Minority Population And Also Realizing Their Rights. The Volume Highlights Some Of The Important Dimensions, Aspects And Issues Of Human Rights In The Context Of Muslim Population In India. The Volume Comprises Of 16 Papers Dealing With Different Themes And Dimensions Of Rights Of The Muslim Population. Some Of The Papers Also Focus On The Marginalization Of Muslim Population Due To Armed Conflict, Development Induced Displacement And Conflict Induced Displacement While A Few Papers Highlights The Development Perspective In The Context Of Muslim Population In India. It Is Expected That The Present Volume Will Be Useful In Understanding The Dynamics Of Human Rights Of Muslim Population And Evolving Strategies For The Protection Of Human Rights Of Muslim

This text discusses the enormity of problems faced by two numerically significant religious minority groups - Hindus in Bangladesh and Muslims in West Bengal, India.

Democratic Accommodations: The Minority Question in India analyses the complex story of the accommodation of claims, interests and rights of minorities in India. It aims at what India-being one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse nations of the world-can offer to other nations, particularly to the countries of Europe that are confronted with ethnocultural and ethno-religious assertion. The authors have endorsed the argument that all plural democracies-and all democracies can only be plural in the present historical conjuncture despite the attempts by regimes to make them majoritarian-must work out their own strategies of accommodation by evolving a policy matrix that is suited to the dynamics of their own societies. The book is organised along four rubrics-laws, institutions, policies and political discourse-to understand Indian democracy's distinct response to diversity. The rich and nuanced exploration of the Indian approach to the minority question presented in this book will advance the international debate on diversity and multiculturalism and help policymakers in pluralistic democracies to develop their own particular strategies to deal with minority claims.

While jihad has been the subject of countless studies in the wake of recent terrorist attacks, scholarship on the topic has so far paid little attention to South Asian Islam and, more specifically, its place in South Asian history. Seeking to fill some gaps in the historiography, Ilyse R. Morgenstein Fuerst examines the effects of the 1857 Rebellion (long taught in Britain as the 'Indian Mutiny') on debates about the issue of jihad during the British Raj. Morgenstein Fuerst shows that the Rebellion had lasting, pronounced effects on the understanding by their Indian subjects (whether Muslim, Hindu or Sikh) of imperial rule by distant outsiders. For India's Muslims their interpretation of the Rebellion as jihad shaped subsequent discourses, definitions and codifications of Islam in the region. Morgenstein Fuerst concludes by demonstrating how these perceptions of jihad, contextualised within the framework of the 19th century Rebellion, continue to influence contemporary rhetoric about Islam and Muslims in the Indian subcontinent.Drawing on extensive primary source analysis, this unique take on Islamic identities in South Asia will be invaluable to scholars working on British colonial history, India and the Raj, as well as to those studying Islam in the region and beyond.