Meenakshi

Dear HP #62 . . . my standing statement on quality of life for Muslims being better in India than for Muslims in Pakistanis is based on quantitive parameters. The simplest one is - how equal are the playing fields on grounds of religion for breaking free of the shackles of poverty in India and Pakistan? On that:-

a) Muslim women in India surely have it better in India, there can be no argument about this simple truth. That is 50% of Muslims.

b) The definition of ``Muslim`` in India refers to a multi-cultural people with freedom to take part in an Islam which is open to fresh interpretations and thought. A large number of Muslims in Pakistan can not lay claim to this simple truth, shall we say another 30%, and thus lead their lives as second rate Pakistanis. In India, it really does not matter what sort of Muslim you are.

So. What am I saying?

I am saying, Sir, that it is equally simple (or difficult, take your pick) for a Muslim in India to break out of the rut of poverty, illiteracy or bondage as it is for any other Indian. Sure, we fail in many ways in India, but please believe me, I travel India by the back roads with as much observation power as I did Pakistan, and if there is one single parameter that applies, then religion is not what holds an individual back in India.

A lot of other things do hold people back in India, sure. Wealth, or lack thereof. Education. Access to communications. Caste, by no means restricted to Hindus. Peer pressure from within one`s own community and religion. Gender bias. But not religion.

I mean, who are the big employers, or the small businesses? Let us see?

In India:- Agriculture? Government? Public Sector? New generation technology industries? Entertainment? Media? Defence? Railways? Medicare? Road Transport? Small shopkeepers? Property speculators? Porters? Exporters? Whores and pimps? Milk co-operatives? Poultry farmers? Flower merchants? Large engineering industries?

Next. You know what, it is impossible for anybody in India who is trying to run a business or service or anything on compettiive terms to ignore 15% of the population, if you do not take, in proportion, the better persons from such a smaller group, then you end up taking idiots from the larger group, it is as simple as that, no?


In Pakistan:- you tell me. If I am a Muslim woman, if I am a non-acceptable kind of Muslim, if I am a minority, where are my options?

nice
i love the way u have opened up a window to the lives that are so common and mundane that we often dont value them enough
but i feel that it lacks `shock value`
wat were u trying to communicate ?
the riots bit didnt hit hard enough.