Muslim Resistance in India

let’s trace it step by step from 1947 to now, because the silence or weakness of resistance among Indian Muslims didn’t happen overnight—it is the result of decades of calculated marginalization:

1. Partition Trauma (1947–1950s)

• During Partition, millions of Muslims migrated to Pakistan, while those who stayed behind in India faced suspicion of being “Pakistanis at heart.”

• Large-scale massacres and displacement left Muslims in India traumatized, fearful, and politically vulnerable.

• To survive, most communities chose silence and compromise rather than confrontation.

2. Political Bargaining & Nehruvian Secularism (1950s–1970s)

• Jawaharlal Nehru promised protection under a secular constitution.

• In return, Muslim leaders (like the Muslim League remnants, clerics, and intellectuals) aligned with the Congress Party for survival.

• This created a dependency—Muslims were treated as a vote bank, not as an empowered community.

• Social and economic progress was neglected, leaving them weak in education, jobs, and business.

3. Communal Riots Era (1960s–1990s)

• From Jabalpur (1961) to Meerut, Bhagalpur, Nellie, Bombay riots, Muslims faced recurring massacres.

• Each time, they realized the state machinery (police, administration, courts) failed to protect them.

• This cycle built a psychology of fear: resistance = bloodshed.

• Leaders kept telling the community to stay calm and compromise to avoid “worse” violence.

4. Babri Masjid & Rise of Hindutva (1980s–1990s)

• The demolition of Babri Masjid (1992) was a turning point.

• Muslims protested, but the violent backlash across the country left them devastated.

• Instead of mass mobilization, leaders advised silence to prevent more bloodshed.

• The rise of RSS–BJP politics made Muslims feel increasingly unsafe to resist.

5. Gujarat Pogrom & Ghettoization (2002)

• The Gujarat riots (2002) shocked the entire Muslim world.

• Systematic state-backed violence and impunity for perpetrators showed Muslims that organized resistance could mean annihilation.

• Many Muslims were forced into ghettos, further isolating them socially and politically.

6. The “Terror Narrative” (2000s–2010s)

• After global events like 9/11, Indian Muslims were increasingly painted as “terror suspects.”

• Fake encounters (Batla House, Ishrat Jahan), mass arrests, and years of imprisonment without trial weakened resistance.

• Any Muslim protest was now easily branded as “jihadi” or “anti-national.”

• This criminalization of dissent silenced even moderate voices.

7. Shaheen Bagh & Crackdown (2019–2020)

• The CAA-NRC protests were a rare, powerful moment of Muslim resistance led by women.

• But the state responded with:

  • Police brutality (Jamia, AMU).

  • Long detentions of activists.

  • Riots in Delhi (2020) where Muslims bore the brunt.

• The movement was crushed, leaving many Muslims scared to ever protest again.

8. Present Era (2020s–Now)

• Today, Muslims face bulldozer politics, lynchings, hijab bans, and economic boycotts.

• Leadership is fragmented—political leaders either fear for their lives or sell out for power.

• Global Muslim countries rarely speak against India because of trade, oil, and business interests.

• As a result, ordinary Muslims feel abandoned, trapped between survival and dignity.