The Social Structure Of Indian Muslims

Selected articles presented at a seminar on the social structure of Indian Muslims held at the Hamdard Convention Centre, New Delhi, 22-23 Oct. 1989, sponsored by the Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi, India.

Study of Kabirnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

The work is unique in the sense that it has not only delved into historical antecedents of the contemporary attitudes of the new generation of Indian Muslims, but has also brought out their adjustment mechanisms and reactions to the demands which are made upon them from a section of the majority. For the understanding of different aspects of behaviour of the minority vis-a-vis the majority, the author has liberally drawn upon the relevant literature of three branches of social sciences, viz., Psychology, Sociology and Political Science. The studies of minority-majority relations elsewhere are referred to for making the reader aware that to a very large extent minorities, wherever they are found, behave in the similar way. Reviews “... The perspective offered by the author in the present study augurs well for the cause of nation-building in the specific context of the persisting and ever elusive communal problem in India.†Prof. Iqbal Narain “The publication is so fascinating that I read more than half by the time I reached Lucknow†. Prof. H.S. Asthana “The first full length study of the mass psychology of the Muslim mind after Mujib’s The Indian Musilms .... Qamar Hasan has used the tools of academic research to study the Muslim factor in Indian Politics... read it because it is a same voice in the madness all around. Tapan Basu, Sunday “The book clearly brings out reactions indicative of fear of domination and urge to dominate ... the book has made a definite contribution in the understanding of inter-and intra-group relationships.†Pramod Kumar “The author must be complimented for his bold and frank revelations about the attitudes of Muslims and Hindus towards each other, their self appraisals and their assessment.†Dr. K. Ravichandra, Review Projector, Vol. VIII, Nos. 10–12 “The causes and cures of the serious problems bedevilling relations between the Muslim minority in India and the Hindu majority badly need studying within a socio-psychological framework. Qamar Hasan is on the right track for a social scientist to throw light on the problems of his people, but he needs to settle on just one frame of reference and typology and then test some bolder hypotheses.’’

Contributed essays.

This book is a collection of essays on various aspects of lived Islam and Muslim social reality in contemporary India. Moving away from the normative discourse that characterises much discussion and debate about Muslims, it seeks to highlight the complex interactions between religion and a host of economic, social and political factors that help shape Indian Muslim identities. It draws attention to the multiple expressions of Islam and Muslim identity and challenges the notion of a Muslim monolith. This it does by looking at the ways in which various Indian Muslim organisations, activists and intellectuals are seeking to respond to various challenges that Muslims in India are today faced with, such as growing demands for gender justice, the imperative to dialogue with people of other faiths and the need to respond to Hindutva, Islamist and Islamophobic discourses and politics.

This Book Studies Caste Herarchy And Social Enequality Among Indian Muslims In Some Detail. Dustjacket Slightly Frayed At The Edges.