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interview

'Quota Will Help Only Rich Muslims'

The man who actually authored the most comprehensive report on the status of Muslims in India...

Interviews Dr Abusaleh Sharif

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Sachar Report

Meet The Deputy, Sharif

The man behind the Sachar report has feisty views: no quota, higher credit

Saba Naqvi

A leading Indian economist and member secretary of the Sachar Committee, Dr Abusaleh Sharif is the man who actually authored the most comprehensive report on the status of Muslims in India. Excerpts from an interview:

What do you think is the most significant finding of the Sachar report?
We have tried to understand the "relative" position of Muslims. If you don't understand the word 'relative', then you will think something horrible is happening to Muslims. Relatively speaking, Dalits are the poorest community in India. But in the case of Muslims it was assumed that they were in a better situation as they had a grand past. There were Muslim princes and landed gentry, now you have film and cricket stars. When we saw the data since Independence we found that everybody's condition was improving. Even the conditions of Muslims. But not at the same rate. The rate of growth of Muslim human development parameters is the least.

There has been a comparison to Dalits...
In some places the rate of growth is worse than Dalits. The Dalit literacy rate is increasing much faster than the literacy rate of Muslims. The same condition applies to poverty. In urban areas in states like West Bengal and Bihar they are worse off than Dalits.

How does one correct this?
The drop-out rate is the highest among Muslims. You can stop this by providing schools in the neighbourhood. If there is a demand for Urdu-medium at the primary level, then the government must meet it. Not Urdu-medium high schools or colleges but primary schools. There has to be a system where you get children into normal schools, not madrassas.

There has been a demand from several quarters for reservation for Muslims...
Reservation for what? Reservation for whom? Reservation for Muslims will benefit only the rich. How do you empower the poor? The answer does not lie in giving them one IAS job or giving them one IIT admission. How do you make a lot of students continue school? How do you make a lot of girls complete matriculation? Learn skills in technology institutions? That should be the mission to push Muslims up. We are not talking of a small number getting jobs. We are talking of millions of students. Because, if they lose out now, they will lose out forever as this is the time India's economy is growing. The demand for qualified educated labour is going to be high. That is the key to Muslim empowerment.

So you have no faith in reservation...
This debate about reservation is nothing more than politics. Where are the jobs? Which government is creating jobs? How many jobs are you chasing? We have not got into politically volatile issues in the report. Our agenda is to understand the grand differences between the communities. According to my judgement, Muslims who are OBCs hardly get any benefit. The report has the numbers. Why they don't get any benefit is your job to find out.

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Also In This Story

Sachar Report

Meet The Deputy, Sharif

The man behind the Sachar report has feisty views: no quota, higher credit

Saba Naqvi

Filed In Topics: Sachar Committee Report on the Status of Muslims, Dr Abusaleh Sharif

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Dec 01, 2006 12:00 AM 21	TWO PAK CHRISTIANS AGE 65 AND 72 JAILED FOR TEN YEARS under blasphemy law says Paki Christian Post 1-12 under which a staement of a Muslim is sufficient evidence. God bless the Minorities stuck up in LAND OF PURE ! a k ghai mumbai, India
Dec 01, 2006 12:00 AM 20	I remember AQ Khan was here sometime to steal some N stuff from us. Were you helping him out or what were you espionaging here anyway...? Theo van Gogh Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dec 01, 2006 12:00 AM 19	Farewell Joseph saab... Thanks for proving once again Pakis lack logical thinking and can't withstand any cliché discussions. Theo van Gogh Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dec 01, 2006 12:00 AM 18	>> the muslims who participated in the iftar pary should have realised this. The Hindu hosts who invited the Muslims to the iftar party do not of course need to be mentioned because they are already branded as bad guys for being Samajwadis. The fact that the Muslim guests at the party were also Samajwadis makes no difference. The onus of "realization" has to be on the shoulders of the Muslims. Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Dec 01, 2006 12:00 AM 17	How does the incident conflict with the idea of broad minded Hindus? When we are talking about at least 800 million people, how does a statue desecration prove a damn thing? Joseph, your postings are useless, juvenile, and lacking a point. If the idea is to suggest "Ha-ha-ha, India is no better/possibly worse than Pakistan, you are not succeeding, and even if you did, so what? India is not going to hand over the "Moslem majority state of Kashmir" to Pakistan, and certainly not to a crass, crude, military dominated Pakistan. Oh, I see, India is crass and crude too, as the Ambedkar incident shows. Very visionary and elevating, Joseph! You twit. Varun Shekhar Toronto, CANADA
Nov 30, 2006 12:00 AM 16	The action-reaction principle was used to explain, if not justify, the Godhra incident. The idea being that the Kar Sevaks and whoever else was going to Ayodhya, brought the attack on themselves, merely for going to a place of contention! At least 3 persons in the Indian intelligentsia- Teesta Setalvad, Barkha Dutt and Siddarth Viswanathan- strongly hinted at this possibility. Many more in the general public would have as well. Varun Shekhar Toronto, CANADA
Nov 30, 2006 12:00 AM 15	Outlook had indeed not defended those terror attacks bluntly, but it did inculpate it's soft target the Hindus & Hindutva for all those crimes by the Islamo Fascists from across and in the borders. It propounded an implausible root-cause theory, which the ever self-mortifying and self-annihilating Hindus promptly swallowed deep into their throats after every attack especially after 7/11. Anyways the rightists are now in an in-escapable web of LOSE-LOSE scenario. Neither they can agress at the terrorists nor they can speak for Hindus' rights or interests, as both of which are perfectly part of communal politics in India's secularism and now an ingredient and main cast in this root-cause theory thanks to the intelligentsia in our Media. Theo van Gogh Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nov 30, 2006 12:00 AM 14	Nandu, >> Wild charges?. Even OUTLOOK published articles defending the terrorist acts as retaliation against hindu attrocities. Journalists may speculate on possible causes, but OUTLOOK never "defended" any terrorist acts. and the Congress never propounded any theories on it, nor would any speculative theories induce more Muslims to become terrorists. In any case, I must get some sleep. Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 29, 2006 12:00 AM 13	Nandu, >> congress has come up with this bizzare view that every terrorist act commited by muslims is a revenge against "hindu attrocities" commited against them. in simple terms the congress is justifying islamic terror. this is pushing the muslims further in the hands of extremists. These are wild charges. Congress does not propound Newton's Third Law, it was Modi who did that. Even if Congress gave such a stupid explanation for terrorism, to claim that such explanations would drive more Muslims to terrorism is just brainless fibbing. Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 29, 2006 12:00 AM 12	Nandu says, >> by voting congress you are fast turning in to an al quaeda suporter. ????? Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 29, 2006 12:00 AM 11	Nandu, Supporting a racist party such as the British BNP will have its consequences. You can't dance with the devil without paying him his due. Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 29, 2006 12:00 AM 10	Nandu, "Aziz, you must have heard about Al quaeda, you should read about it. the congress wants the muslims to become more fanatic, more isolated. they don't want muslims to be secular." I have read everything about it and I know about their horriblle ideology(no denial here) but you are in denial about BJP and it Nazi policies. L. K. Advani has only visited two countries ever frequently, one is Spain and second is Israel. Think hard why and you will get your answer. Aziz Pune, India
Nov 29, 2006 12:00 AM 9	qoutas do not solve any problem. it is just a political gimick. poiticians atleast in india dont want to solve problem, they want to create problems , so that they can cash on it later.quotas for muslims will not uplift the poor muslim community. the need of the hour is to educate the community, decrease the drop out rate from school and colleges, compulsory girl's education, and at the same time providing islamic religious education at school which should be made compulsory, to prevent the juvenile mind from being filled with hardline religious thinking, by preventing them from going to madarsas at the same time. immi delhi, India
Nov 28, 2006 12:00 AM 8	Nandu, >> BNP is the only party which will take care of muslims. So we need to be "taken care" of? Heaven help us! Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 28, 2006 12:00 AM 7	Nandu, You can find muslims in BJP also. BNP will take care of all the non-whites once they come to power. You may share the same idealogy but their discrimination is according to skin color. It is surprising that you have heard of Nazism. You should also read more about it. Aziz Pune, India
Nov 28, 2006 12:00 AM 6	Nandu, It is a fact that Indian muslims will not need any reservations under 3/4rth majority of BJP govt. I agree with you fully. During the election one before the last, Indian muslims voted for bjp in large numbers and now a lot of muslims in Gujarat would not need any reservations !! You vote for BNP in the next election and I will vote for BJP. Aziz Pune, India
Nov 28, 2006 12:00 AM 5	Chandan Mitra in the Pioneer : "Actually, the key to the rectification lies in the hands of the community, not vote-seeking politicians. But who will bell the cat? The obscurantist Indian Muslim ulema have a vested interest in keeping the community backward in order to preserve its leadership over ignorant followers" Very true! Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 27, 2006 12:00 AM 4	The Hindu was lamenting the other day about the tactics of BJP(and someone posted the edit here). In part, it lamented about how the BJP was silent when Ramadoss and others were demanding clemency for Nalini. Fair enough. But then the Hindu is virually silent on the death sentence for Santosh Singh. If BJP's position is hypocrisy what about the position of the Hindu? It is hypocrisy squared! Because the paper argued earlier that it is opposed to death penalty as such. That should mean that it must oppose the death for Santosh with the same vehemance it used for Afsal. And what is wrong in BJP demanding a resolution on Arunachal? We had a similar resolution for Kashmir in 93 or 94. Whats wrong in having a similar one for Arunachal? That would send a message that the country is united on the issue. But I know. To expect a commie paper to reflect India's interest is naive and absurd. Ganesan Nj, USA
Nov 27, 2006 12:00 AM 3	Give more to basic education. Build more cosmopolitan schools. Make sports compulsory in schools , so that they become physically more active. If below 18 , the things are not set in right order, then there will no solutions. One example is giving free TV sets ( as one by TN govt). They are not going to watch BBC Discovery channels , but are going to watch some pot boilers. The TN govt should have invested all that money for sponsoring sports in govt schools or tutoring the weak academic students at school. Once there is an solid foundation , then solutions will be in sight. gajanan Sydney, Australia
Nov 26, 2006 12:00 AM 2	the psuedo -secularists must be surprised to find that there are rich muslims ! psuedo-secularist Sydney, Australia
Nov 25, 2006 12:00 AM 1	Dr.Sharif's-interview has highlighted two points. One though Muslima are covered in OBC quota still they are not benifited.Two basic problem with Muslims is to bring the child to school and to see that they don't leave mid-way. WELL THESE DRAWBACKS ARE KNOWN TO SOME EXTENT BUT THE SACHAR REPORT IS NOT ABLE TO GIVE SOME SOLUTION. Whatever solutions we will hear now from our Politicans will be pure venomous trash.Doctor further rules out categorically reservations for Muslims saying only creamy layer will be benifited as in case of otheOBC quota. WHAT TO DO ? HOW TO PROCEED ? DR.SHARIF YOU HAVE DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM BUT YOU ARE UNABLE TO GIVE ANY SOLUTION ! a k ghai mumbai, India

Nov 25, 2006 12:00 AM 1	Dr.Sharif's-interview has highlighted two points. One though Muslima are covered in OBC quota still they are not benifited.Two basic problem with Muslims is to bring the child to school and to see that they don't leave mid-way. WELL THESE DRAWBACKS ARE KNOWN TO SOME EXTENT BUT THE SACHAR REPORT IS NOT ABLE TO GIVE SOME SOLUTION. Whatever solutions we will hear now from our Politicans will be pure venomous trash.Doctor further rules out categorically reservations for Muslims saying only creamy layer will be benifited as in case of otheOBC quota. WHAT TO DO ? HOW TO PROCEED ? DR.SHARIF YOU HAVE DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM BUT YOU ARE UNABLE TO GIVE ANY SOLUTION ! a k ghai mumbai, India
Nov 26, 2006 12:00 AM 2	the psuedo -secularists must be surprised to find that there are rich muslims ! psuedo-secularist Sydney, Australia
Nov 27, 2006 12:00 AM 3	Give more to basic education. Build more cosmopolitan schools. Make sports compulsory in schools , so that they become physically more active. If below 18 , the things are not set in right order, then there will no solutions. One example is giving free TV sets ( as one by TN govt). They are not going to watch BBC Discovery channels , but are going to watch some pot boilers. The TN govt should have invested all that money for sponsoring sports in govt schools or tutoring the weak academic students at school. Once there is an solid foundation , then solutions will be in sight. gajanan Sydney, Australia
Nov 27, 2006 12:00 AM 4	The Hindu was lamenting the other day about the tactics of BJP(and someone posted the edit here). In part, it lamented about how the BJP was silent when Ramadoss and others were demanding clemency for Nalini. Fair enough. But then the Hindu is virually silent on the death sentence for Santosh Singh. If BJP's position is hypocrisy what about the position of the Hindu? It is hypocrisy squared! Because the paper argued earlier that it is opposed to death penalty as such. That should mean that it must oppose the death for Santosh with the same vehemance it used for Afsal. And what is wrong in BJP demanding a resolution on Arunachal? We had a similar resolution for Kashmir in 93 or 94. Whats wrong in having a similar one for Arunachal? That would send a message that the country is united on the issue. But I know. To expect a commie paper to reflect India's interest is naive and absurd. Ganesan Nj, USA
Nov 28, 2006 12:00 AM 5	Chandan Mitra in the Pioneer : "Actually, the key to the rectification lies in the hands of the community, not vote-seeking politicians. But who will bell the cat? The obscurantist Indian Muslim ulema have a vested interest in keeping the community backward in order to preserve its leadership over ignorant followers" Very true! Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 28, 2006 12:00 AM 6	Nandu, It is a fact that Indian muslims will not need any reservations under 3/4rth majority of BJP govt. I agree with you fully. During the election one before the last, Indian muslims voted for bjp in large numbers and now a lot of muslims in Gujarat would not need any reservations !! You vote for BNP in the next election and I will vote for BJP. Aziz Pune, India
Nov 28, 2006 12:00 AM 7	Nandu, You can find muslims in BJP also. BNP will take care of all the non-whites once they come to power. You may share the same idealogy but their discrimination is according to skin color. It is surprising that you have heard of Nazism. You should also read more about it. Aziz Pune, India
Nov 28, 2006 12:00 AM 8	Nandu, >> BNP is the only party which will take care of muslims. So we need to be "taken care" of? Heaven help us! Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 29, 2006 12:00 AM 9	qoutas do not solve any problem. it is just a political gimick. poiticians atleast in india dont want to solve problem, they want to create problems , so that they can cash on it later.quotas for muslims will not uplift the poor muslim community. the need of the hour is to educate the community, decrease the drop out rate from school and colleges, compulsory girl's education, and at the same time providing islamic religious education at school which should be made compulsory, to prevent the juvenile mind from being filled with hardline religious thinking, by preventing them from going to madarsas at the same time. immi delhi, India
Nov 29, 2006 12:00 AM 10	Nandu, "Aziz, you must have heard about Al quaeda, you should read about it. the congress wants the muslims to become more fanatic, more isolated. they don't want muslims to be secular." I have read everything about it and I know about their horriblle ideology(no denial here) but you are in denial about BJP and it Nazi policies. L. K. Advani has only visited two countries ever frequently, one is Spain and second is Israel. Think hard why and you will get your answer. Aziz Pune, India
Nov 29, 2006 12:00 AM 11	Nandu, Supporting a racist party such as the British BNP will have its consequences. You can't dance with the devil without paying him his due. Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 29, 2006 12:00 AM 12	Nandu says, >> by voting congress you are fast turning in to an al quaeda suporter. ????? Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 29, 2006 12:00 AM 13	Nandu, >> congress has come up with this bizzare view that every terrorist act commited by muslims is a revenge against "hindu attrocities" commited against them. in simple terms the congress is justifying islamic terror. this is pushing the muslims further in the hands of extremists. These are wild charges. Congress does not propound Newton's Third Law, it was Modi who did that. Even if Congress gave such a stupid explanation for terrorism, to claim that such explanations would drive more Muslims to terrorism is just brainless fibbing. Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 30, 2006 12:00 AM 14	Nandu, >> Wild charges?. Even OUTLOOK published articles defending the terrorist acts as retaliation against hindu attrocities. Journalists may speculate on possible causes, but OUTLOOK never "defended" any terrorist acts. and the Congress never propounded any theories on it, nor would any speculative theories induce more Muslims to become terrorists. In any case, I must get some sleep. Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Nov 30, 2006 12:00 AM 15	Outlook had indeed not defended those terror attacks bluntly, but it did inculpate it's soft target the Hindus & Hindutva for all those crimes by the Islamo Fascists from across and in the borders. It propounded an implausible root-cause theory, which the ever self-mortifying and self-annihilating Hindus promptly swallowed deep into their throats after every attack especially after 7/11. Anyways the rightists are now in an in-escapable web of LOSE-LOSE scenario. Neither they can agress at the terrorists nor they can speak for Hindus' rights or interests, as both of which are perfectly part of communal politics in India's secularism and now an ingredient and main cast in this root-cause theory thanks to the intelligentsia in our Media. Theo van Gogh Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nov 30, 2006 12:00 AM 16	The action-reaction principle was used to explain, if not justify, the Godhra incident. The idea being that the Kar Sevaks and whoever else was going to Ayodhya, brought the attack on themselves, merely for going to a place of contention! At least 3 persons in the Indian intelligentsia- Teesta Setalvad, Barkha Dutt and Siddarth Viswanathan- strongly hinted at this possibility. Many more in the general public would have as well. Varun Shekhar Toronto, CANADA
Dec 01, 2006 12:00 AM 17	How does the incident conflict with the idea of broad minded Hindus? When we are talking about at least 800 million people, how does a statue desecration prove a damn thing? Joseph, your postings are useless, juvenile, and lacking a point. If the idea is to suggest "Ha-ha-ha, India is no better/possibly worse than Pakistan, you are not succeeding, and even if you did, so what? India is not going to hand over the "Moslem majority state of Kashmir" to Pakistan, and certainly not to a crass, crude, military dominated Pakistan. Oh, I see, India is crass and crude too, as the Ambedkar incident shows. Very visionary and elevating, Joseph! You twit. Varun Shekhar Toronto, CANADA
Dec 01, 2006 12:00 AM 18	>> the muslims who participated in the iftar pary should have realised this. The Hindu hosts who invited the Muslims to the iftar party do not of course need to be mentioned because they are already branded as bad guys for being Samajwadis. The fact that the Muslim guests at the party were also Samajwadis makes no difference. The onus of "realization" has to be on the shoulders of the Muslims. Ghulam Y Faruki New York, United States
Dec 01, 2006 12:00 AM 19	Farewell Joseph saab... Thanks for proving once again Pakis lack logical thinking and can't withstand any cliché discussions. Theo van Gogh Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dec 01, 2006 12:00 AM 20	I remember AQ Khan was here sometime to steal some N stuff from us. Were you helping him out or what were you espionaging here anyway...? Theo van Gogh Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dec 01, 2006 12:00 AM 21	TWO PAK CHRISTIANS AGE 65 AND 72 JAILED FOR TEN YEARS under blasphemy law says Paki Christian Post 1-12 under which a staement of a Muslim is sufficient evidence. God bless the Minorities stuck up in LAND OF PURE ! a k ghai mumbai, India

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