Reproducing a letter to the editor (Dawn)
http://www.dawn.com/2007/09/18/letted.htm#8
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Observations about Muslims
I HAVE felt, reading letters in these columns there is always a concern how the Muslims in India go through. I am sure they have genuine concerns of what their aspirations are and what fears do they live in.
My profession as a paediatrician, catering, for over 10 years, to an area that has a sizable Muslim population, I have the honour to closely interact with them.
These are my observations:
a. They are simple folks, God-fearing, amenable to suggestions if it falls within the tenets of the Holy Book.
b. They have generalised opinions of what is going on in this world, based more on what is told to them than processing the information themselves. This would cover anything from Palestine to Iraq.
c. They would rarely enter into a discussion over Kashmir. If they do, they want it to be with India. Remove the fear of having an independent opinion from this, because they are my good friends.
d. It seems to be a society that moves in small interactive whirlpools. It seems to be churned like the synchronised wheels of a clock. The local mullah churns some part of the society and, on the other hand, the daily rigours of life churn the other wheels.
e. Getting an education is a priority, be it in government schools.
f. Economically, they seem to be getting better off, than say five years back.
g. They have a soft corner for Pakistan. It is not the way some Hindu organisations percieve. It is like a phantom pain. I know of an old gentleman who died of a heart attack, when India lost an ODI.
h. The number of children in a family is slowly getting to three, at least in the families I know.
i. Muslim women are getting more enlightened and free. They understand that the future of their children lies in good education.
j. The economic threads between Hindus and Muslims are strongly interwoven. Over a period of time I have seen that the jobs that are education-based are being taken by young Muslim boys. Many medical representatives, smartly dressed, confident are young Muslim boys.
DR VIMAL RAINA
New Delhi.
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key to growth and betterment of entire community…education, education and education.
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good one