Muslims in India face social boycott

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appointed a high-level committee to study the economic, educational and social status of Indian Muslims.

The seven-member committee has found that most of the country’s public and private banks were declining loans to Muslims, and that the Muslims were facing social boycott at some places which makes it more difficult for them to sell and purchase residential properties.

“There is an implicit diktat that loans should not be given in specific areas dominated by Muslims because of the apparently high probability of default. Almost all major banks suffer from this syndrome and this discriminatory approach needs to be altered,” the committee, headed by former Delhi High Court chief justice Rajinder Sacchar, said in a press release published yesterday.

The committee, which toured the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led western state of Rajasthan for three days, stated that there was a sense of insecurity among Muslims across the state and that there was a deepening mistrust between the Muslim and Hindu communities.

It also reported that Muslim non-government organisations (NGOs) were not getting approvals to establish educational institutions and other welfare services, and that Muslims were socially boycotted in some areas, especially in the public spaces and market places.

“Muslims are often not able to buy property in non-Muslim areas. There are subtle ways of denying sale and purchase of property,” the committee said.

“In some areas of Jaipur, Muslims cannot buy property. Even if they are able to finalize a property deal, the property registration is denied and the banks do not provide housing loans,” it said.