A Muslim man waves an Indian flag during a march to celebrate Indias Independence Day in Ahmedabad, India, August 15, 2016. REUTERS/Amit Dave – S1AETVOHNCAA
It struck me last night that while most of my Muslim friends know much about Indian Hindus and Hinduism, its sects, history, culture, even caste system, diets, and other details Hindu children learn from a young age, very few (I don’t know a single one) of my Hindu friends (or even ex-Hindu, like me) know anything about the Indian Muslim experience.
The Indian Muslims have a history that is specifically Indian. And it varies depending on which part of India you hail from. This Indian Muslim experience has its own set of vagaries in sects and costumes, diets and dialect, headgears and facial hair. And it is surely a very interesting story. There is a problem of caste and of profession. There are nuances about beliefs. There are independent problems of gender and race. And so on.
Here is an example: The other day, my daughter asked me why Bohra women wear multicoloured burqas (I was explaining to her why a Muslim woman we saw was wearing a black one when a Bohra passed by and she was confused). I had no idea. Indeed, I know nothing of the Bohras but what I actively find and read online from sources that have dubious credibility. Or perhaps, I can buy a book about that sect. But then, it will contain information only about them. And not about other areas of the Indian Muslim umma, so to speak.
Similarly, if you asked me quickly whether most Indian Muslims are Sunni or Shia, I would probably make a good guess (mostly Sunni, but many Shia), but if you ask me whether Kashmiris are Shias or if Malabaris are Sunnis, I would be stumped. Then, there are the various saints and Sufis. And then, the sects like Aga Khanis and Bohras. I don’t even know what the difference of beliefs these have and where they stand in the larger Muslim world. Do we have Ahmadiyyas in India? What about Baha’is? Are they the same? We have a Baha’i temple though. What about Akbar’s new religion Din-e-Ilahi? Does it still have adherents? What about caste in the Indian Muslim society (Note: I am specifically using ‘Indian Muslim society’ rather than Islam, because I have read about the religion, its origins, and some of its early history in-depth, and I do not need a lesson in theory)? Who are the Pasmandas? What about the evangelists, the Tablihi Jamaat? Are they like Christian evangelicals? What do Indian Muslims think of their religion and culture? What do they think of other Indian experiences? What is their view on nationalism? Or on science? Or on politics? Or education? Or feminism? Who are their heroes? Who are their villains? I am sure, there are a million different opinions and a billion different answers. There is surely no one specific model ‘Indian Muslim’ and these differ from region to region, caste to caste, language to language, sect to sect, gender to gender, and a thousand other factors like age, education, travel, professional and so on.
But I am interested in it all. I want to know. I want to understand the Indian Muslim experience and seek recommendations for books based on that.
Please go right ahead and recommend away! Ideally, in English. And impartial.
Later edit:
I have just ordered a stash of books. I will post the titles here once I receive them so others may consider them too. I will keep adding to this list as and when I get more recommendations. Hope this helps everyone.
1. Being the Other: The Muslim in India ~ Saeed Naqvi
2. The Muslim Question in Assam and Northeast India ~ Monoj Kumar Nath
3. Caste and social stratification among Muslims in India ~ Imtiaz Ahmad
4. Muslims in North India: Frozen in the Past ~ Syed Iqbal Hasnain
5. The Aligarh Movement ~ Tariq Hasan
6. Muslims In Indian Cities: Trajectories Of Marginalisation ~ Christophe Jaffrelot & Laurent Gayer
7. The Struggle for Pakistan – A Muslim Homeland and Global Politics ~ Ayesha Jalal
8. BORN A MUSLIM: Some Truths About Islam in India ~ Ghazala Wahab
9. THE INDIAN MUSLIMS: Ground Realities of the Largest Minority Community in India ~ Humra Quraishi
10. Indian Muslims ~ Mohammad Mujeeb
11. VISIBLE MUSLIM, INVISIBLE CITIZEN: Understanding Islam in Indian Democracy ~ Salman Khurshid
12. Mothering A Muslim ~ Nazia Erum
13. Siyasi Muslims: A Story of Political Islams in India ~ Hilal Ahmed
14. But You Don’t Look Like a Muslim ~ Rakhshanda Jalil
15. Shi’a Islam in Colonial India: Religion, Community and Sectarianism (Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society Book 18) ~ Justin Jones
16. Muslims Against Partition — Revisiting the legacy of Allah Bakhsh and other patriotic Muslims ~ Shamsul Islam
17. Creating a New Medina: State Power, Islam, and the Quest for Pakistan in Late Colonial North India ~ Venkat Dhulipala
18. Muslims against the Muslim League: Critiques of the Idea of Pakistan ~ Ali Usman Qasmi (Editor), Megan Eaton Robb (Editor)
19. Resisting Regimes: Myth, Memory, and the Shaping of a Muslim Identity ~ Shail Mayaram
20. Indian Muslims: Where Have They Gone Wrong ~ Rafiq Zakaria
21. The Future of Indian Muslim Women: Fatwa Versus Feminism ~ Juhi Gupta
22. The Indian Muslim Women: A Psychological Analysis ~ J.M. Khan
23. Muslim Women Speak: Of Dreams and Shackles ~ Ghazala Jamil
24. Indian Muslim Women’s Movement: For Gender Justice and Equal Citizenship ~ Zakia Soman and Dr. Noorjehan Safia Niaz
25. Unequal Citizens: A Study of Muslim Women in India ~ Zoya Hasan
Any other suggestions are welcome.
