Minorities in India

Contents: 1. Indian Muslims: minorities in South India/Masood Ali Khan. 2. Socioeconomic status of minorities in India/Mohammed Irfan. 3. Demographic profile of minorities in southern states/Masood Ali Khan. 4. Minorities in Tamil Nadu: do they count beyond numbers?/M.A. Kalam. 5. Minorities, social coalition and state/public policy in Karnataka; a critique/Muzaffar Assadi. 6. Other backward communities and changing dimensions of public policy in Kerala/N. Vikraman Achary. 7. State policy towards minorities in the State of Andhra Pradesh/Abdul Rayees Khan. 8. State policy towards Muslim minorities with special reference to Kerala/P. Sukumaran Nair. 9. Reservation for Muslims/Masood Ali Khan. 10. Self financing colleges in Kerala: A shift in the social welfare policy/Sree Kumar P.T. 11. Higher education in Andhra Pradesh: policy and status/I. Ramabrahmam and B. Rama Hanmantha Rao. Index.

"The studies on Islam have acquired great importance nowadays. The Hindu of India generally believe that they are the original inhabitants of India. The Dravidians think that they are the original inhabitants of India and Aryans were invaders. Similarly Muslims in India are considered as outsiders and invaders by most of the non-Muslims. However Islamic history in India occupies a place of great importance in Indian history. Medieval history is generally believed to be Muslim history.

The Muslims of India founded great empires in Northern India and many important empires were established in South India also. A study of these empires apart from the general characteristics of Muslims of North and South India is thus a rich source of historiography.

During the British rule in India, both Muslims and Hindus had fought unitedly against the British. But the British very cleverly supported a section of the Indian Muslims to found Muslim League and India was partitioned into two countries, India and Pakistan on 15 August 1947. Most Muslims migrated to Pakistan and Millions of Hindus had to migrate to India from the territory which became Pakistan.

It is hoped that the book will be found to be of special interest, both to the general public as well as the academia." (jacket)