Even going by the officially admitted figures, every eighth Indian is a Muslim, in the global Muslim population Indian Muslims figure in the slot of the top three countries next to Indonesia and Bangladesh ...

The Muslim presence in India ... is not at all reflected in the State policies, practices and programmes or the official statistical data and numerical figures. In the Central, State and Local Self Governments, in statutory and autonomous bodies, in decision-making and law- enforcing agencies, in public and private undertakings, and in the educational and professional institutions of national, regional and local levels, the representation of the Muslims is - by all standards - far from being even remotely proportionate to their national, regional and local population. Notably, this is also true of the Muslim- dominated Jammu & Kashmir, Lakshadweep and of all those districts where the Muslim population is above the national average.

During these 51 years of Independence, State policies, policy-makers' decisions, legislative enactments, ptovernmental actions, and even judicial pronouncements,.

Through the Constitution ... "solemnly resolves" to vecure to all citizens "social, economic and political justice" and "equality, of status and opportunity". So far as the Muslims are concerned, this resolution unfortunately has not been fulfilled ...

The Muslims, have to seek due empowerment under the protective umbrella of the Constitution that stresses on secularism and equality of all religions. The Constitution is a product of a century-long national movement in which the Muslims had an equal part.

On the basis of the actual experience of these 50 years the Equality and Secularism Clauses of the Constitution have to be further strengthened and developed. Protection of the secular Constitution is, therefore, the first imperative for the Muslims for their ... empowerment ...

The State failed to adequately play its Constitutional role in respect to the educational and economic development of the second largest religious community. However, ... Muslims have also not played their cards well in this regard.

They have kept themselves busy with regard to their religious rights leaving not much time for planning and implementing proper strategies for educational and economic development ...

Fifty years of state apathy to the constitutional rights of the Muslims and their educational and socio-economic empowerment as per the Constitutional requirements, coupled with our own indifference to the ... Islamic ...guidelines in this respect, has led to stagnation of the community. A programme of empowerment of the Muslims through skillful social engineering should be planned and implemented ... (Source: The Al-Harmony, July-September, 1999)