The great divide: Muslims split on Telangana state-8/1/11

The great divide: Muslims split on Telangana state

It is not just the rest of the country which is divided on the issue of a separate Telangana state. The Justice B N Srikrishna Committee found that while the Muslims in Hyderabad, represented by the powerful All India Majlis e Ittahadel Muslimeen (AIMIM), favoured a united Andhra Pradesh, their community members in other parts of Telangana supported the demand for a separate state.

While Muslims form 41 per cent of the population in Hyderabad, they account for just 8.4 per cent of the population in the rest of Telangana. However, Muslims in both the regions are unsure about their security in a separate state.

“Muslims in Telangana are looking at higher reservation quotas which are being promised. On the other hand, they worry about communal conflict in a smaller state. The uncertainties over new political configurations have a bearing on the psychology of the Muslims, especially in the context of their safety and security,” observes the Srikrishna report.

Ads by Google How to Convert to Islam How to convert and become a Muslim with Live Help by chatwww.IslamReligion.coGE Finance All types of loans available Apply Now!www.gemoney.in/htmlMarriott Hyderabad Hotels Visit the Official Marriott site Great Rates & Deals. Book Online!www.marriott.com/Hot

The AIMIM, led by Hyderabad MP Assaduddin Owaisi, told the Srikrishna Committee that a united Andhra Pradesh was in the overall interest of Muslims. His main contention was that Muslims would be safer in a united Andhra than in a separate Telangana. “We would rather prefer a united state than a separate Telangana. There are social, economical and security issues. If division is inevitable, then a Greater Telangana should be created which combines Telangana and Rayalaseema,” he says.

But Muslim groups in Telangana feel that they are neglected and have remained backward, but are likely to get more benefits in a separate state. “Muslims have been neglected by all the parties including the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). The Muslim Minority Front will fight for a separate state as well as for the rights of the Muslim community after the statehood is achieved,” says Telangana Muslims Minority Front’s Shahbaz Ali Khan.

The reasons for the conflicting stands are many, including cultural and social differences. Urdu-speaking Hyderabadi Muslims have maintained the Nawabi culture and traditions. On the other hand, Telangana’s Muslims speak a mixed dialect of Telugu, Urdu and Hindi, and even Marathi in the border areas of Nizamabad and Adilabad.

“Hyderabadi Muslims identify primarily with the city and not necessarily with the region of Telangana. Most of them reside in the old city and do not speak Telugu. Residents of Muslim mohallas were found to be the most disengaged from the Telangana issue,” says the Srikrishna report.

Politically, Hyderabad’s Muslims have aligned themselves with AIMIM for over half a century now. The AIMIM has won the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat since1984. Of the 15 Assembly constituencies in Hyderabad district, AIMIM holds seven. In Telangana, Muslims prefer the Congress but have occasionally voted for the TRS.

The economics of the regions are also different. Hyderabadi Muslims, who are into traditional services like cloth trade, transport, catering, hotels and restaurants, have close business links with coastal Andhra. They also provide a majority of the ancillary services like lighting, set decoration, audio equipment etc required by the Hyderabad-based Telugu film industry which is dominated by people from coastal Andhra.

“Being largely a business/ small trader/ artisan community with urban concentration, Muslims of Hyderabad look towards a larger market as being more beneficial to them than a divided state,” says the Srikrishna report.

On the other hand, a large number of Telangana Muslims migrate to Gulf countries, often working as labourers at construction sites. “Muslims of Telangana have stressed the need for a separate Telangana to access educational and employment opportunities since they feel they have remained backward in a united state. Expectation of an increase in reservation benefits from 4 to 12 per cent in the new state is one of the major reasons for their demand for separation. At present, they receive four per cent reservation benefits under the OBC(E) category,” says the report.

Muslim leaders feel the existing distribution of Muslim population in all three regions of the state prevents them from becoming vulnerable. However, in the event of a separate Telangana state, “they fear they could be exposed to communally sensitive Hyderabad and Hindu-biased rural population of the region,” says the Srikrishna report.

“The Muslim representations from Telangana, outside of Hyderabad, argue that there is no communal or cultural divide between the Hindus and Muslims in Telangana. According to them, Telangana will not be unsafe for minorities. During field visits, however, a more nuanced viewpoint came out with people being unsure of the benefits of a separate state and articulating some apprehensions about their security in a separate state,” it adds.

If division of state becomes inevitable, Muslims are looking at a Greater Telangana or Rayala-Telangana state which will ensure that their strength remains around 12.5 per cent.