The wall of distrust between Hindus and Muslims must be demolished and open-ended dialogue started between the two communities. There is a communication gap between the two communities Muslims need to explain their position on issues concerning Muslim identity, loyalty and their personal laws so that mutual antagonism between the two communities comes to an end.

The dialogue has to take place essentially at the non-political level ... Both the Hindus and Muslims should understand that aggressive and ambitious leaders do not represent the masses.

The most common complaint against Muslims is that they are preoccupied with their separate identity and refuse to become a part of the mainstream. Muslims must make Hindus understand that they are an integral part of the Indian mainstream, as distinct from the Hindutva mainstream. Muslims represent various regional cultures with the unmistakable stamp of naive Indian influences.

However, Muslims cannot be expected to give up their religious beliefs as demanded by the RSS under the garb of "cultural assimilation".

A related myth propagated by communal forces against Muslims is that their loyalty lies with the Islamic world. Muslims have to dispel this notion by making it clear that their only link ... is with the holy (places) ..

Muslims have to stress that they consider Kashmir an integral part of India and will not be found wanting in defeating Pakistan's designs. Hindus need to be reminded that there have been three wars between India and Pakistan, and Muslims have always stood solidly (besides them).

Muslims should proudly assert their Indian identity. They need to reiterate that they do not harbour any protective feelings towards migrants from Bangladesh. They are not against their deportation to their own country, but would favour proper identification through a competent administrative machinery to ensure that poor Indian Muslims are not victimised.

There are widespread misconceptions among Hindus about the position of women in Muslim society. The position of Muslim women is no different from that of Hindu women. There is statistical evidence that Muslim society is relatively free from the evils of dowry and female infanticide. Even the rate of divorce among Muslims is lower than that among Hindus. Similarly, incidents of polygamy are higher among Hindus than among Muslims. The level of literacy among Muslim women is definitely much lower and there is a pressing need for reforms in this area.

But reforms take their own time. Nonetheless, there is a case for reforming Muslim personal law just as there is an equally strong case for reforming other personal laws. In the process, some uniform norms and standards may evolve. Large parts of the civil and criminal law are, in fact, common already. Only marriage and succession laws are at issue ...

The misconception that Muslims are trying to overtake the Hindu population by multiplying fast needs to be countered. Islam is not opposed to family planning, and a sizable section of the community practices it ...

According to experts, the Muslim population is expected to stabilise at around 15% of the total population. In socially and educationally advanced States like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Muslim population growth is less than that of the majority community in Bihar, Rajasthan and UP Any confrontation (between) Hindus and Muslims (will cripple) the nation ... They should seriously reassess the situation and do a little bit of introspection and self-criticism ..                                                                           (Source: The Hindustan Times, 19 February, 1998)