Hindus no longer in majority: Cleric Sajjad Nomani sparks row on demographic claims
Maulana Sajjad Nomani, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), has sparked controversy claiming that Hindus are no longer a majority
Maulana Sajjad Nomani, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), has sparked controversy claiming that Hindus are no longer a majority in the country when various communities are considered separately. He said he had spent the last 30 years travelling across India and researching people's beliefs, religious identities, tribal identities, caste identities and faith traditions. Claiming that the conventional understanding of India's Hindu population is misleading, Nomani said, “I place my hand on Hajr-e-Aswad and the cover of the Kaaba and say that Hindus are a minority in India.
Under no circumstances can Hindus be considered a majority.” Read Full Story He argued that several communities commonly included within the Hindu population should not be counted as Hindus. According to Nomani, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists are not Hindus. He further claimed that Scheduled Castes, tribal communities, people of Tamil Nadu and Lingayats should also not be considered Hindus. Referring to tribal communities, Nomani said they were the original inhabitants of the country and should not be classified as Hindus.
He also asserted that some members of the Jat community are increasingly identifying themselves separately and saying they are “not Hindus”. Nomani also spoke about political divisions among Hindus and their impact on Muslim political thinking. He said, “We divided Hindus into secular and fascist categories, but both ended up hurting our cause.” Elaborating on the remark, he said Muslims had earlier relied on what he described as “secular Hindus”, but later found that those groups had handed over the country to what he termed “fascist Hindus”.
The remarks have drawn attention due to their assertions on religious identity, caste groups and demographic classifications in India. Ends
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