Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

[Data]

@wondergurl

Muslims face a property crunch in Mumbai

** this was written last year. this is not about muslims from other nationalities not allowed to buy property for security reasons, this is about their own citizens openly facing bias because, wait a minute, they eat beef?! then stop caling yourself a DEMOCRACY!!**

New Delhi - - In the fast-paced financial hub of Mumbai, Muslims are finding it difficult to buy, rent or even sell their houses and are increasingly forced to live in ghettos.
Ghetto has come to be a word exclusively reserved for Muslims, who started facing exclusion after a Muslim underworld kingpin set off multiple bombs in Mumbai in 1993, triggering large-scale riots between Hindus and Muslims.
‘If you are looking for a house in Mumbai, never utter three words - Muslim, meat-eater, drinker,’ says Jami Ahmed. The radio station marketer, who lives in Mumbai with a Hindu friend, says he has been unable to take a house on rent because of his religion.
‘Many Muslims feel that this attitude stems from political hostility towards Pakistan. Whatever is Islamic, is from Pakistan, and whatever is from Pakistan is Islamic and thereby symbolic of Islamic fundamentalism, which is another form of terrorism,’ says Fatima Batool, a journalist still looking for a buyer for her house in Mumbai.
Even well-to-do Muslims find it tough to make headway when it comes to property.
Sophiya Chaudhary, a Muslim video jockey with music channel MTV and married to a Hindu, has been looking to buy a house for close to two years. ‘Everything goes well,’ she told newspaper Mumbai Mirror, ‘until the time I reveal my Muslim lineage.’
‘While it was a norm earlier in lower middleclass localities, the bias against Muslims is becoming common in more affluent areas too. Most Muslims live in ghettos,’ says Sandeep Sadh, CEO of the Mumbai Property Exchange.
Under laws governing the western Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, housing societies cannot discriminate unless the building is built by a charitable trust.
A Supreme Court judgement in 2005 that upheld the right of co- operative societies to restrict membership to their community has institutionalized insularity.
The trend to live as a clan already exists, as exclusive community enclaves for Parsis (Zoroastrian), Catholics, Hindu Brahmins, and other communities, dot the city.
In August this year television actor Amir Ali, alleging discrimination, moved a local court, saying he was denied a house because he is a Muslim.
PV Kamath, an eminent property lawyer, says there are at least 15 housing societies in Mumbai, in which 10.6 per cent of the population is Muslim, seeking to amend their bylaws after the court’s judgement.
‘If things continue this way we will make a Yugoslavia out of India,’ author and rights activist Asghar Ali Engineer told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
‘After the serial blasts in Mumbai by Muslim terrorists in 2006, Muslims have no option but to look at Muslim-dominated pockets,’ real estate consultant, Yogesh Ganjawalla, says.
‘We can’t take a risk. If anything happens, both the landlord and police look for property agents,’ real estate agent Narendra told newspaper The Telegraph.
Requirements of members of minority communities also have to be taken into account, says a developer on condition of anonymity.
‘I am put off by the sight of goats and green flags (a reference to the Pakistani flag) during Eid,’ Sunil Chabra, a Hindu businessman, told the Tehelka magazine.
‘So I found a place in a Jain (conservative Hindu community) housing society, where no animal flesh or eggs are allowed to be cooked, eaten, and, as far as possible, touched.’
But living in the society left him embittered. ‘It’s hypocritical,’ he says, ‘because I have seen members of my society eating meat and swilling alcohol at restaurants outside.’

Well, the correct phrase would be ‘stop calling yourself secular’ (India).

[samara_khan]

No force can stop muslims frm eating egg or animal flesh ...since Almighty Allah has made it halaal for his servnts !!!

[wondergurl]

Well, the correct phrase would be 'stop calling yourself secular' (India).

yes that too but depriving a minority of their basic civil rights is also pretty undemocratic.

[Punjabee_in_USA]

Re: Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

If you are done with the India bashing, here are some facts -
1. In Mumbai, even non Maharashtrian Hindus are discriminated against when it comes to buying/renting property.
2. Many apartment complexes want a certain kind of demographic living there, and the apartment boards (societies) have the right to chose who they want living there.

[wondergurl]

Re: Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

there is no bashing, don't feel defensive. all FACTS here.

[ehtasab]

@siddhantkumar

the problem is muslim have unity…
the problem is muslim have unity…

strange.. I will explain. Majority (okay for sack or argument say 50%) of Hindu are vegetarian).. when muslim buys house in society he will .. on top of that cooking beef and hurting hindu sentiment (now cow is not that holy for muslims, but hypothetically consider someone cooking pork in front of you during holy month etc, just so that you can understand sentiments related to an animal)

So fade up with this neighbour want to sell his flat/house, but on one will buy Now Muslim leaving near the flat will offer the seller that he will buy the house … for his distant relative.. and soon whole colony will be sold out … hum 5 hamare 25…

But I can’t believe someone whould have said No to Saif Ali Khan or Shabana Aazmi… NO Way.. either the seller is not willing to sell it to anyone and these people were forcing him to sell.. i can’t see any other reason if property is on market and someone refuse to bollywood personalty..

if some politician wants to buy my house, I will throw him out of colony..

You are in good in generalization :k:

Let me see if I can compete:

Is that close?

[ravage]

Re: Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

alrite guys, lets all take a few deep breaths here :). No need to make Muslim or Hindu stereotypes

[Punjabee_in_USA]

@wondergurl

there is no bashing, don't feel defensive. all FACTS here.

Facts ? Did you try to get a house in Mumbai ?? What you are talking about is hearsay - taken out of context.

I have rented apartments in Mumbai, and can factually say that this 'discrimination' exists but not just against Muslims.

[janab-e-ali]

Re: Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

I love how this thread has been completely derailed by tangential discussions of vegetarianism and Shabana Azmi.

The undeniable fact of the matter is that the realtors association in a major Indian city have demonstrated utterly disgusting levels of bigotry in essentially banning Muslims from moving into/doing business in that city. And far from denouncing such overt bigotry, most of the Indians who have posted here are practically tripping over each other to defend it.

[Punjabee_in_USA]

@janab-e-ali

I love how this thread has been completely derailed by tangential discussions of vegetarianism and Shabana Azmi.

The undeniable fact of the matter is that the realtors association in a major Indian city have demonstrated utterly disgusting levels of bigotry in essentially banning Muslims from moving into/doing business in that city. And far from denouncing such overt bigotry, most of the Indians who have posted here are practically tripping over each other to defend it.

Its obvious from your line of reasoning that you are not Indian. So how would you know what actually happens when people go to rent/buy houses in Mumbai ?

[janab-e-ali]

@Punjabee_in_USA

Its obvious from your line of reasoning that you are not Indian. So how would you know what actually happens when people go to rent/buy houses in Mumbai ?

You're right, I'm Kashmiri, not Indian.

Did you even bother reading the article I originally posted before hitting the reply button? Its about how the realtor's association in SURAT has openly declared that they will no longer sell or rent property anywhere in SURAT to Muslims. This has nothing to do with anecdotal evidence of anti-Muslim discrimination in the real estate market in Bombay...this is an overt declaration of bigotry reminiscent of Nazi antisemitism.

[wondergurl]

@Punjabee_in_USA

Facts ? Did you try to get a house in Mumbai ?? What you are talking about is hearsay - taken out of context.

dude, read the links posted in this thread, all from indian sources, not made-up or hearsay. i do not see any mention of the same treatment being given to other indians, if you have, do post a link please.

[Punjabee_in_USA]

Re: Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

^^ Dudette, I am not disputing the articles. Try to understand before you jump into the arguement. I am just saying that discrimination happens - but not just against Muslims. It happens against other groups (Non-marathis, Non-vegetarian Hindus etc.)

So stop trying to sensationalise this issue.

P.S. I do not have any links, but being a Punjabi trying to rent a house in Mumbai I have experienced it first hand.

[_Lahore_Ka_Cheetah]

the problem is muslim have unity...

strange.. I will explain. Majority (okay for sack or argument say 50%) of Hindu are vegetarian).. when muslim buys house in society he will .. on top of that cooking beef and hurting hindu sentiment (now cow is not that holy for muslims, but hypothetically consider someone cooking pork in front of you during holy month etc, just so that you can understand sentiments related to an animal)

Non-Muslims in my neighbourhood cook pork all year long, even in Ramadan, and it did not hurt the feelings of any Muslim living here. I also often cook beef in my house, and there are a couple of Hindoos living on my street (one in the exact opposite house), yet I never heard any complaint or dissatisfaction from them.** Your reasoning is flawed**. Just because I live next door, does not mean that I am going to be cooking food in your house (or in front of you, as you say). Either you are subconsciously discriminating against Muslims, or looking for a justification to discriminate.

Also, can you please post a referrence of the Hindu scriptures which forbid the consumption of beef?

@Punjabee_in_USA

^^ Dudette, I am not disputing the articles. Try to understand before you jump into the arguement. I am just saying that discrimination happens - but not just against Muslims. It happens against other groups (Non-marathis, Non-vegetarian Hindus etc.)

So stop trying to sensationalise this issue.

P.S. I do not have any links, but being a Punjabi trying to rent a house in Mumbai I have experienced it first hand.

Why would anyone just take your word of any account? If you do not have any links, then stop arguing. If other nations are also discriminated as much as Muslims (excluding daalits), then surely there must be many articles/links available on the web.

[desert_bird]

Re: Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

Surat , Ahmedabad, Kathiwaar, Naroda,Baroda i think districts of Gujrat , an extremely anti-muslim area notorious for anti-muslim riots history and CM Gujrat is the famous internationally recognized terrorist of the world which even cannot step into US as US denied his visa request due to to his key role in 2002 riots.Maharashtra too is affected with it. Not know much about Karnataka, Andhra Pardesh, Bihar, UP, Kerala where also large amount of muslims live

[Shamraz_Khan]

Re: Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

I think more upper cast Hindus push Muslims and other minorities & alginate them better the chances of India's disintegration over time. So, in my humble opinion, in bigger scheme of things its a good thing.

[janab-e-ali]

@Punjabee_in_USA

I am just saying that discrimination happens - but not just against Muslims. It happens against other groups (Non-marathis, Non-vegetarian Hindus etc.)

Tell me, where/when did the the real estate brokers in an entire city form an association and decide that they will not sell/rent any property in that city to members of any other community? Have the realtors of Poona or Bombay ever gathered and declared that they will no longer allow homes in the city to be sold to non-Marathis?

This kind of gross bigotry is astounding...even for a country like India.

[omairhr]

Re: Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

If there is discrimination, its bad for the country. Pakistanis need not worry about that. The minorities in India have always had to 'prove' their loyalty to India.

We in Pakistan have our own problems to worry about. Let the Indians resolve their own internal problems.

[narayan]

Re: Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

My cousin a Hindu was a tenant of a Muslim home owner in Mumbai. The majority of homes there were owned by Muslims. So its not right to say that muslims can't buy a home in Mumbai.

They can't afford to buy an apartment there is another issue.

[CM]

Re: Muslims No Longer Allowed to Buy/Rent Property in Indian City

Wow. Institutional Racism with the current government taking no action. What a democracy. We need one just like this!