State and Muslim Empowerment
Looking at 58 years of Independence, one can say without doubt that social and educational development of Muslims in different parts of the country has not been consistent. Syed Iqbal Hasnain writes on how to Empower Muslims, Monday October 10, 2005 Source : The Asian Age
In India, no community can transform constitutional and political rights into tools for empowerment, unless it has armed itself with educational advancement. Similarly, neither educational progress nor economic strength is possible without adequate representation in the political sphere. This circular model of social backwardness-advancement has been haunting Indian Muslims mostly since Independence.
Looking at 58 years of Independence, one can say without doubt that social and educational development of Muslims in different parts of the country has not been consistent. There is a spectacular "digital divide" between South and North Indian Muslims in terms of education, and thereby in political empowerment. While the South Indian Muslims, particularly of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra have shown impressive progress in education, their counterparts in Bihar, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana have lagged behind. There are several micro-level determinants for this difference.
