Ziya Us Salam, journalist and author of a new, critically acclaimed book, captures the transformation of India in a country where the survival of Muslims hinges mainly on one thing—appeasing the whims of the majority and accepting their status as second-class citizens. ‘Being Muslim in Hindu India’ is Salam’s eighth book and probably his grimmest work. In this interview to us, he discusses the Indian Muslim identity under Hindutva, the upcoming general elections and what patriotism means to him.
New Delhi: Among the six books Ziya Us Salam, 53, has written on the subject of Islam and lives of Indian Muslims, Being Muslim in Hindu India is probably the grimmest.
There are specks of optimism in his narrative, which discusses genocidal calls against Muslims given from public fora, the witch hunt of the Tablighi Jamaat during a global pandemic and the passion of Shaheen Bagh protests, but these are drowned by the reality of India’s treatment of its largest minority, which the book attempts to document.
However, the focal point of Salam’s narrative is the truth of being Muslim in today’s India and the community’s battle against prejudice and persecution, without any sense of bitterness against the nation.
In his book, he captures the transformation of India in a country where the survival of Muslims hinges mainly on one thing—appeasing the whims of the majority and accepting their status as second-class citizens.
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