Muslims are the largest minority group in India. Population-wise they are the second largest group of people after the Hindus and possibly the second or third biggest group of Muslims in the world. But they are widely scattered in that big country. Therefore, with the exception of a few small pockets, they are surrounded by the majority Hindu population.

The tyrannical Hindu majority who are particularly intolerant of the Muslims, who they see as past masters, and therefore deserving to be chastised. Millions of Muslims were killed in the riots around the time of India's independence in 1947, and thousands were killed in anti-Muslim riots which occur by the scores every year in India. Two thousand Muslim deaths were confirmed in the Gujarat riots during the rule of extremist Hindu party, BJP (Bharatiya Janta Party) four years ago. Despite hue and cry by Muslims all over India, the culprits were never caught and punished and a large number of Muslim families who were turned out of their homes, are still lying in camps.

For the last few years extremist Hindus have adopted a new technique to harass Muslims - bombs are planted in places frequented by Muslims, later the blame is put on supposed Muslim militant groups and Muslim youths are arrested on charges of terrorism.

The story has been repeated several times in the past many months. There was a bomb blast just outside a mosque in Malegaon in Mahrashtra state on Shab-e-Baraat last year in which several Muslims coming out of the mosque died with many more injured. After months of investigations, the Indian police only caught a Muslim doctor charging him of conspiracy; though most people had suspected Hindu extremists of planting the bomb and with lots of evidence.

Before that there was arson in the special train carrying Pakistanis returning from India and Indian Muslims coming to Pakistan. The fire took place near Delhi when the train was on way to Pakistan, 70 passengers, all Muslims, were burnt to death. The Indian police blamed supposed Islamic terrorist group and arrested a couple of Muslims for the blast. Then on May 18 last there was an explosion in the historic Makkah Masjid in the southern city of Hyderabad on Friday. Nine Muslims were killed in the blast. There was a protest from angry Muslims on which the Indian police shot down more than a dozen Muslims. Later the Indian police arrested two Muslims. Then recently there were two blasts, again in Hyderabad, in a popular resort killing 40 innocent people most of them Muslims. Once again the police blamed a Muslim militant organization and rounded up a number of Muslim youths without any concrete evidence.

The Indian police has no explanation why should any Muslim body extremist or otherwise, target Muslim mosques and kill innocent Muslims, or set fire to a train carrying only Muslim passengers. They never questioned any extremist Hindu organization, which is no mystery for the old watchers of Indian scene.

It is high time that the Muslim states raise the issue of this deliberate and calculated persecution of Indian Muslims at the hands of extremist Hindu parties who seem to have infiltrated into the Indian police to and security agencies to the extent of having taken full control of them.

The world Muslim community or the QIC should take up the matter with the government of India and demand the latter to provide the Muslim community security of life and honour.

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