Bangladeshis widening communal divide in Assam: experts
By IANSThursday, March 25, 2010
NEW DELHI - In the otherwise communally harmonious Assam, there is a growing divide between communities because Indian Muslims are often clubbed with the migrants from Bangladesh and are eyed with suspicion by others, experts said at a seminar in the capital Thursday.
Former union tourism secretary M.P. Bezbaruah, who hails from Assam, said: “The tradition of communal harmony existed in Assam from ages, beyond Independence and the partition. However, with the influx of Bangladeshi migrants, many Assamese Muslims are eyed with suspicion by others on the aspect of security”.
“As a result, there is a feeling of marginalistaion among the Assamese Muslim community. To bridge the divide, it is important that the non-Muslims in the community clear the air and understand the difference between the two and move away from those who lay traps because of vested interests,” he added.
The seminar on “Assam and the role of Muslims in the Independence movement” was organised by the Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) and saw the participation of a large number of academics from colleges and universities in Assam.
One of the main highlights of the seminar was that there is not enough mention of the role of Muslims in this part of the country in the freedom struggle.
“The younger generation of Muslims and others need to know about the contributions made by Muslims in this part of the country like elsewhere in the country in the freedom struggle. There is not enough mention of this community’s contribution in history books,” Sanjib Bordoloi, a retired defence officer, said.
Assam has the largest Muslim population in the country — 30 percent of its population — after Jammu and Kashmir.
Shri Prakash of JMI added: “There are a lot of miconceptions about the northeast and Assam. The state is misrepresented. More literature on the state will help in this aspect”.
