[Reader-list] NO CAVILING AT GUJARAT'S HARD FACTS

[Britta Ohm]

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Am 28.05.2010 um 15:36 schrieb Rajendra Bhat Uppinangadi:

> Not bad for a german to visit the camps in gujarath, and feel for the
> "muslims" but as you landed at new delhi, did you notice the camps of
> displaced people of Kashmir exisiting there for over six decades,  
> madam, i
> wonder. Selective amnesia does no good for any activist.
> By the way to term muslims and other followers of faith as Minority is
> misnomer for the simple reason, the other individuals in "majority"  
> faith
> are so badly divided on caste, sub caste, clans and sub clans that  
> they are
> the real minorities compared to the gatherings of sunday mass or  
> friday
> prayers, which mobilise 90 percent of the followers of the minority  
> faiths.!
> wprse still, is the minority have hindu names with their faith  
> nomenclature
> assigned by the priests, like Mahesh maqbul batt, Naveen Ignatious  
> D'souza,
> so one can easily hide the faith that he is following.!
> That apart, all this minority and majority is the guise to grab  
> votes to
> ascend the throne of power, so cool it.NGOs have not much of  
> credibilty left
> as most of them are doing the business of procuring the grants and  
> funds and
> very few actually use it for any worthwhile good work for the  
> purpose it is
> given for. perceptions are managed to get more funds.
> regards,
> rajen
>
> On Thu, May 27, 2010 at 1:27 AM, Britta Ohm <ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de>  
> wrote:
>
>> I also have a few questions:
>>
>> a) Numbers being as stretchable to the creation of myths as any other
>> source, what about the displaced inhabitants of the 70 'semi-
>> permanent' camps scattered around Gujarat, not officially  
>> acknowledged
>> by the Gujarat government and maintained by NGOs (a few of which I
>> visited in 2007)? The Muslim inhabitants' voter IDs and ration cards
>> have to a large degree never been replaced, which means they would
>> never figure in any 'proper' survey. Does the physical displacement
>> and statistical/legal erasure of nearly 200 000 Muslims not  
>> constitute
>> a 'hard  fact'? Or is it precisely the necessary basis of 'hard  
>> facts'
>> creation?
>>
>> b) At what political and psychological price has this numerical
>> mystery been achieved? How many legal cases have been withdrawn under
>> what pressure? How many Muslims are imprisoned without seeing a
>> lawyer, or even knowing their case? What rights were sacrificed in
>> return for acceptance in employment? How many residential areas were
>> 'voluntarily' vacated (or not reclaimed) in order to not provoke
>> further exclusion? Which topics of learning and education have been
>> dropped so as to be admitted to higher education? What do the numbers
>> of primary schools close to a 'Muslim area' tell about kids'
>> discrimination? Any minority that knows it can't do anything to
>> profoundly change its situation will cooperate to the best of its
>> abilities - and after a while, helped by the outer circumstances that
>> play off 'cooperative' against 'non-cooperative' members - possibly
>> truly believe that it is doing really well and even start to  
>> discredit
>> 'non-cooperative' members of the same community. After all, it's  
>> their
>> fault if they do not progress and make their lives difficult, and  
>> they
>> better learn to adjust lest they soil the new good reputation of  
>> those
>> who cooperate willingly and see the advantages. The deal is
>> psychologically extremely straining but at the core dead simple:
>> inclusion for justice.
>>
>> The pogrom of Gujarat was not classified by the UN as an attempted
>> genocide because of the number of victims but because there was no
>> other way of doing categorical justice to the uncompromising will to
>> kill the Muslim minority. Everybody knew that it was, because of  
>> their
>> numbers, impossible to 'get them all'. Modi's 'success' thus lies not
>> in the pogrom itself but in having been able to employ it as a means
>> of ending the 'communal/minority problem' on another level. The
>> numbers of success and inclusion suggested here correspond with  
>> claims
>> and imaginations of fair and supportive minority politics. Nice. But
>> how should this be possible after a genocidal attack and the same
>> government in power? There are just things that do not go together,
>> whichever way you turn them, because they are humanly impossible, so
>> there have to be found other, more human explanations. And looked at
>> the 'hard facts' this way, it simply is more likely that they express
>> the 'actual' and realistically pursued outcome of the pogrom, namely
>> the renunciation or created sheer impossibility of democratically
>> claiming human and minority rights.
>>
>>
>> Am 26.05.2010 um 13:26 schrieb Pawan Durani:
>>
>>> Any idea of recent communal riot in Shahpur , Ahmedabad....I dont
>>> see anyone
>>> discussing that.
>>>
>>> pawan
>>>
>>> On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 4:43 PM, anupam chakravartty <c.anupam at gmail.com
>>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Bipin,
>>>>
>>>> I have a few questions for you: When was the Sachar committee
>>>> report filed?
>>>> Was there any such committee before Sachar to assess the condition
>>>> of one
>>>> particular community as mentioned in your post? Do you think a
>>>> comparative
>>>> analysis is required in ascertaining the conditions prevalent in  
>>>> the
>>>> community now and then?
>>>>
>>>> thanks anupam
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 3:30 PM, Bipin Trivedi <aliens at dataone.in>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> To an editorial published in the Indian Express on May 22 titled "
>>>>> <http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hard-facts-to-face/622193/>  
>>>>> Hard
>>>> facts
>>>>> to
>>>>> face" the Gujarat Government had sent a letter in response stating
>>>>> the
>>>>> factual position regarding the status of Muslim in Gujarat.
>>>>> <http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hard-facts/623677/0> A part of
>>>>> the
>>>>> letter
>>>>> was published in the Indian Express dated May 26, 2010. The  
>>>>> complete
>>>>> version
>>>>> of the letter that was sent to the Editor Indian Express is  
>>>>> enclosed
>>>>> herewith so that you will be conversant with the real hard facts.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Refer link:
>>>> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hard-facts-to-face/622193/0
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> No caviling at Gujarat's hard facts
>>>>>
>>>>> How do Muslims fare in Gujarat? They fare much better compared to
>>>>> other
>>>>> states. The objective study by the Prime Minister's high-level
>>>>> committee
>>>>> headed by Justice Rajendra Sachar, appointed by Prime Minister Dr
>>>> Manmohan
>>>>> Singh in 2006, indicates that Muslims in Gujarat perform and fare
>>>>> much
>>>>> better when compared with other states in several key indicators
>>>>> such as
>>>>> education, employment, income and access to critical
>>>>> infrastructure. The
>>>>> editorial in the Indian Express dated May 22, 2010 is mostly based
>>>>> on
>>>>> perceptions and anecdotal evidences rather than hard facts.
>>>>> However the
>>>>> facts below speak for themselves.
>>>>>
>>>>> In trying to make out a case for Muslim children being given a raw
>>>>> deal
>>>> in
>>>>> primary and upper primary school enrolment facts that has placed
>>>>> Muslims
>>>> in
>>>>> Gujarat on the top of literacy ladder have been totally ignored.
>>>> According
>>>>> to Sachar committee report the percentage of literacy of Muslims  
>>>>> in
>>>> Gujarat
>>>>> is 73.5 per cent, the highest in India. It is pertinent to note
>>>>> that this
>>>>> is
>>>>> much higher than that of national average of 59.1 per cent and
>>>>> also the
>>>>> percentage of literacy of Hindus in Gujarat which is 68.3 per
>>>>> cent. Even
>>>>> Muslim women in urban areas of Gujarat have average literacy  
>>>>> rate 5
>>>> points
>>>>> higher than the national average and rural Muslim women are far  
>>>>> much
>>>> better
>>>>> with their literacy rate of 57 per cent as compared to the  
>>>>> national
>>>> average
>>>>> of 43 per cent. If Muslim children are not provided education how
>>>>> can
>>>>> Muslims in Gujarat attain the highest literacy rate in the  
>>>>> country?
>>>>>
>>>>> During 2009-10 the enrolment of Muslim children has been 6.45 per
>>>>> cent
>>>> (as
>>>>> against 4.7 per cent reported). It should be kept mind that this
>>>> percentage
>>>>> excludes the enrolment in Madarsas and also some of the private
>>>>> schools
>>>>> which do not provide segregated data. The very fact that Muslims  
>>>>> in
>>>> Gujarat
>>>>> have the highest literacy rate in the country proves that they  
>>>>> have
>>>> access
>>>>> to education much better than in other states. If you look at  
>>>>> Muslim
>>>>> education attainment those who have passed the primary stage are
>>>>> 74.9 per
>>>>> cent way ahead of the national average 60.9 per cent. In the
>>>>> category of
>>>>> those who passed secondary education Gujarat at 45.3 is ahead of  
>>>>> the
>>>>> national average of 40.5 per cent. Even in the category of those
>>>>> who have
>>>>> passed higher secondary level Gujarat with 26.1 per cent is ahead
>>>>> of the
>>>>> national average of 23.9 per cent. In the average years of  
>>>>> secondary
>>>>> schooling provided between the age group of 7-16 once again
>>>>> Gujarat with
>>>>> 4.29 per cent is ahead of the nationa Your reference to Juhapura
>>>>> area of
>>>>> Ahmedabad lacking schools due to "gradual disentitlement and
>>>> ghettoisation
>>>>> of Gujarat's Muslims" is specious to the say the least as the
>>>>> facts prove
>>>>> otherwise. There are eight high schools out of which three are
>>>>> government-aided schools. In Juhapura and surrounding areas there
>>>>> are 13
>>>>> municipal primary schools funded by the state government and  
>>>>> also 15
>>>>> private
>>>>> schools. Far from being ghettoized there is ample opportunity for
>>>>> the
>>>>> Muslim
>>>>> children to enroll themselves.
>>>>>
>>>>> Secondly it has become a knee-jerk habit of secularists to pooh-
>>>>> pooh the
>>>>> good governance of the state of Gujarat. And as to your question
>>>>> if "his
>>>>> fabled governance genius translate into a better life for those  
>>>>> his
>>>>> politics
>>>>> rejects?" the answer is clearly in the Sachar report which has
>>>>> called the
>>>>> bluff of those who have tried to besmirch Gujarat.
>>>>>
>>>>> In the very social sectors which your editorial cites as the
>>>>> indicator of
>>>>> percolation of development to the minorities, Sachar Committee
>>>>> report
>>>>> reveals the performance of Gujarat is far better than many other
>>>>> states.
>>>>> The
>>>>> document also reveals Gujarat is far ahead in terms of providing
>>>> education
>>>>> facilities and health facilities. If we take the case availability
>>>>> of
>>>>> schools in villages where there is Muslim population Gujarat is
>>>>> far ahead
>>>>> of
>>>>> the national average. In the category of villages with  
>>>>> population of
>>>>> Muslims
>>>>> more than 2000 all the villages have education facility as against
>>>>> 98.7
>>>> per
>>>>> cent national average. In the category of 1000 to 2000 population,
>>>>> 99.9
>>>> per
>>>>> cent villages have education facilities as against the national
>>>>> average
>>>> of
>>>>> 95.4 per cent. In the category of less than 1000 population 98.6
>>>>> per cent
>>>>> of
>>>>> the villages have education facility as against the national
>>>>> average of
>>>>> 80.4
>>>>> per cent.
>>>>>
>>>>> When we consider the availability of medical facilities in  
>>>>> villages,
>>>> where
>>>>> Muslim population is more 2000, 89.9 per cent of the villages have
>>>> medical
>>>>> facilities as against the national average of 70.7 per cent. In  
>>>>> the
>>>>> category
>>>>> of 1000-2000 population, 66.67 per cent of villages have medical
>>>> facilities
>>>>> against the national average of 43.5 per cent. In the category of
>>>> villages
>>>>> less than 1000 population, 53 per cent of the villages have  
>>>>> medical
>>>>> facilities as against the national average of 20.2 per cent.
>>>>>
>>>>> Even in the case of other indicators such as road connectivity,
>>>>> availability
>>>>> of pucca approach road etc Gujarat is far ahead of national
>>>>> average and
>>>>> many
>>>>> other states. Even on per month per capita income of Muslims is
>>>>> more than
>>>>> the Hindus of Gujarat in rural areas. For Muslims it stands at Rs
>>>>> 668
>>>>> compared to Rs 644 for Hindus (SCs Rs 527 and OBCs Rs 594). This
>>>>> is much
>>>>> higher than many other states for example Andhra Pradesh (Rs 610);
>>>>> West
>>>>> Bengal (Rs 501); UP (Rs 509); Karnataka (Rs 532); MP (Rs 475) .
>>>>> The per
>>>>> capita income of Muslims in urban areas is also higher than the
>>>>> national
>>>>> average and many other states. (see Sachar report). The prosperity
>>>>> of
>>>>> Muslims in Gujarat when compared with other states is reflected in
>>>>> terms
>>>> of
>>>>> the bank account wise average deposit. For instance Gujarat it  
>>>>> is Rs
>>>> 32,932
>>>>> compared to West Bengal Rs 13, 824, Assam Rs 26,319 to cite a few
>>>> examples.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you take the employment of Muslims in critical departments of
>>>> government
>>>>> such as home department, state transport dept and even in public
>>>>> sectors
>>>>> the
>>>>> percentage of Muslims occupying high posts is higher in Gujarat  
>>>>> when
>>>>> compared with other States. Just to cite an example in Gujarat
>>>>> where the
>>>>> percentage of Muslims is 9.1 the proportion of Muslims in high
>>>>> posts is
>>>> 8.5
>>>>> per cent whereas in West Bengal where the Muslim population is
>>>>> 25.2 per
>>>>> cent
>>>>> the proportion of Muslims is merely 1.2 per cent.
>>>>>
>>>>> To discuss on each and every parameter to establish that Muslims
>>>>> fare far
>>>>> better in Gujarat is neither required nor possible to enumerate  
>>>>> in a
>>>>> letter.
>>>>> Your editorial mentions that Modi should be open to verification
>>>>> of his
>>>>> claims of inclusive development. The above mentioned facts clearly
>>>>> demonstrate that better governance in Gujarat has been translated
>>>>> into a
>>>>> better life for all the people in Gujarat, including the
>>>>> minorities. Your
>>>>> editorial recommends open verification of the claims. The high-
>>>>> powered
>>>>> committee appointed by the Prime Minister has to a great extent
>>>>> not only
>>>>> verified the claims but also clearly established that these claims
>>>>> are
>>>>> true.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _________________________________________
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>>>> _________________________________________
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>>
>> ---------------------------------------
>> Dr. Britta Ohm
>>
>> Institute of Social Anthropology
>> University of Bern
>> Laenggassstr. 49a
>> 3012 Bern
>> Switzerland
>> +41-(0)31-631 8995 (main office)
>> +41-(0)31-631 8997 (direct line)
>> britta.ohm at anthro.unibe.ch
>>
>>
>> Solmsstr. 36
>> 10961 Berlin
>> Germany
>> +49-(0)30-69507155
>> ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _________________________________________
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>> Critiques & Collaborations
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>
>
>
> -- 
> Rajen.
> _________________________________________
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---------------------------------------
Dr. Britta Ohm

Institute of Social Anthropology
University of Bern
Laenggassstr. 49a
3012 Bern
Switzerland
+41-(0)31-631 8995 (main office)
+41-(0)31-631 8997 (direct line)
britta.ohm at anthro.unibe.ch


Solmsstr. 36
10961 Berlin
Germany
+49-(0)30-69507155
ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de