The contrary narratives on Muslims in new India

HILAL AHMED'S BOOK APPLIES CONCEPTS FROM POLITICAL SCIENCE, HISTORY, AND POLITICAL THEORY TO GIVE A MORE NUANCED VIEW OF MUSLIMS

- HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The discourse in contemporary India on the issue of the Muslim community seems to swing between two contrary positions. According to the Hindu nationalist narrative, Muslims are a monolithic religious category whose presence justifies the need for greater Hindu solidarity. On the other hand, there is the narrative offered by liberals, who claim to protect Muslims as a religious minority to defend Indian democracy.

A new book by scholar Hilal Ahmed, A Brief History of the Present: Muslims in New India, departs from these unidimensional notions of Muslim identity. It applies concepts from political science, history, and political theory to provide a much more nuanced view of India's Muslim community.

Ahmed spoke about his book at length on last week's episode of "Grand Tamasha", a weekly podcast on Indian politics and policy co-produced by HT and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.