Muslims constitute the single largest religious minority group in India. Their level of living (is) much lower in comparison of other communities. A majority of Muslims obtain their livelihood through petty business, small-scale enterprise and low-paid jobs. Most of them are concentrated in the peripheral and decaying areas of urban economic life.

In rural areas ... most of the Muslims are landless or poor peasants and in urban areas (they) live in the most deplorable conditions. The percentage of Muslims living below the poverty line is higher than the national average.

Studies:

Data compiled by the National Sample Survey Organisation in 1987-88, the first official attempt to study the socio-economic aspects of various religious groups, revealed that the incidence of urban poverty is higher among Muslims, compared to Hindus, by more than 17  per cent. The number of Muslims living below the poverty level was more than 35 million out of a total Muslim population of 76 million.

Some NGOs have conducted studies to measure the extent of Muslim backwardness. A recent study by Professor Ausaf Ahmad of Third World Academy, New Delhi, finds that Muslims received a mere five, or 1.25 per cent, of the total of 405 industrial licenses approved in 1989. In 1990, this proportion rose a little when six licenses were granted to Muslims out of the total of 386.

Of all telephone connections, 94.6 per cent belong to Sikhs and Hindus, 2.06 per cent to Christians and only 1.52 per cent to Muslims. The Muslims have a mere 4.05 per cent of the petrol dealership of Indian Oil Corporation, 2.3 per cent of its gas dealership and 6.2 per cent of kerosene dealership.

Another study by Mr. S. Navalakha of the Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi, reveals that Hindus, constituting 82.2 per cent of the total population, form 85.3 per cent of the elite; the Christians, comprising 2.6 per cent of the population, are 3.5 per cent; while Jains, constituting 0.5 per cent of the population, are 2.8 per cent. It is only in the case Muslims that the trend is reversed. The Muslims, who are 11.2 per cent of the population, constitute only 4.5 per cent of the elite.

Public Employment:

Muslim employment in government services has drastically gone down since independence. In 1981 there were 3,883 officers in the IAS cadre all over the country, out of whom only 116, or three per cent, were Muslims. Similarly, in the Indian Police Service, Muslims constitute 2.85 per cent, in the income tax department s per cent, in the railways 2.65 per cent, in banks 2.18 per cent, in central government offices 4.41 per cent and in state government offices, 6.01 per cent. There is a conspicuous absence or very low representation for Muslims at the high  executive level and in top management cadres. In no state of India, except Jammu and Kashmir, is the proportion of Muslim officers more than five to six percent; and in most states it ranges between one and three percent. (Hardly any) Muslim is on the boards of directors of the 16 commercial banks. Out of the total 467 members in the boards of directors of 20 nationalized banks, only four are Muslims.

At the class III and IV levels also, Muslim representation is poor. In the clerical cadre their representation ranges from a low two per cent in the banks to eight per cent in private enterprise. In the class IV category it ranges from two per cent in the banks to 7.9 per cent in private enterprise.

In the case of small-scale enterprises it has been estimated that only 14,000 or 2.3 per cent, of the total 600,000 industrial units, belong to Muslims. Even among  these only 2,000 qualify for the official definition of small scale industry.

Legislature:

Muslim representation in Parliament and the state assemblies is also going down constantly. There were 46 Muslims in the Lok Sabha in 1982, but this was down to 25 in the 1996 elections. The number of states without any Muslim representation has risen to 14. The state of economic degradation in which Muslims are living in India is a matter of deep concern.

The government cannot absolve itself of the blame. Most Muslims believe that their backwardness is essentially due to discrimination in the public as well as in the private sector. In a multi-religious society, where employment opportunities are scarce, there must exist effective deterrents to prevent such discrimination and prejudice.

... There is need for a combined and sustained effort (for uplift) both by the community and the government. Greater attention must be paid towards education ... This alone can solve the problem to a great extent.    (Courtesy: The AIM Journal, Washington D.C., November, 1996)