India and Muslims

Submitted by Vijay (United States), Apr 11, 2005 at 17:53

I would like to clarify the assertions made on this board about the forcible removal of Muslims from India (to Pakistan). That assertion is historically not accurate. When the British left the Indian sub-continent there was a movement by the Islamic community for not wanting to live in a secular, multi-religious society. Especially because this would be the first time since Islam's violent introduction into India (around 11th century AD), that the country would have an ethnically native ruling class.

The Muslim people who left India to Pakistan (or Bangladesh (east Pakistan)), left voluntarily. It is very important realize that because India continues to have a substantial Muslim population. In fact according to most official sources (both Indian and Pakistan governments) only about 15% about the population relocated during that period. That number is further backed by the fact Muslims continue to constitute 12% of Indian's current population (CIA world fact book: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/). If they were "ethnically cleansed" as claimed here, then they wouldn't constiture such huge portion of the population. India is an extremely tolerant, religiously diverse, secular country. In some ways the minorities there have more rights then the US.

Another point of note is that Pakistan cannot claim the same treatment of its minority. The country is 99% Muslim now from only 75% in 1947. If any ethnic cleansing has taken place its in Pakistan (and Bangladesh). But that is well established fact that Muslims have no tolerance for any community but their own.

That's why Israel resistance is so important. If Israel falls to the Arab extremists, the confidence of the Islamic world would go the point of being aggressive against the rest of the world.

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