Wherever one turns, seems it’s only Muslims who complain about democracy — even if they immigrate in droves to infidel, democratic nations. “Indian democracy unfair to Muslims: Shabana Azmi,” from the Times of India, August 17:
NEW DELHI: Although Muslims are safer in this country than in other parts of the world because they have a stake and space in Indian democracy, Indian democracy is unfair to Muslims, says Shabana Azmi, actor and former MP.
In an interview to a private TV channel, Azmi said, “I think there is not enough understanding of the fact that in a democracy how you treat the security of the minority must be a very important part for the success of a democracy. You can’t only make token gestures and actually let them be in the state that they are as the Rajinder Sachar Committee report shows. So what happened is token gestures are made but real issues are never addressed.”
And I suppose under some sort of Hindu dictatorship or authoritarian government, things would be better for Muslims than under the current democracy?
Shabana Azmi said Indian politics has been unfair to Muslims and despite Indian secularism Muslims are discriminated against.
She said she couldn’t buy a house in Mumbai because she was a Muslim. “I wanted to buy a flat in Bombay and it wasn’t given to me because I was a Muslim and I read the same about Saif (Ali Khan).[…]
That the latter Muslim’s name means “sword” probably didn’t help his apartment application.
But she agreed that it was the responsibility of the Muslim leadership to change the image of their community. “I don’t think that the Muslim leadership has bothered to clear the air about what Islam actually is.”