In an interview to The Wire, prolific author and journalist Ziya Us Salam has discussed the kind of discrimination Muslims in India are facing today.
“This is something we have not faced since 1947”, says Salam, recounting his personal experiences of being discriminated against. He asserts that the existing social fabric of the country is being torn apart by “religious extremists espousing the cause of Hindutva”.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statements during the raging protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens, he says Modi has displayed to the world the “blatant discrimination in his mind” against one particular community.
Describing the rise of young leaders from the Indian Muslim community as “heart-warming”, Salam says they are not ready to play to the tune of entrenched politicians, or willing to “reiterate usual platitudes”.
Salam observes that “what Jinnah had tried to do with Muslims is what Hindutva politicians are attempting to do with the majority community”.
When asked about the possibility of healing and reversing the polarisation in society, he says he remains hopeful.