MUMBAI MASALA JUL 16, 2008: GUJARATI MUSLIM COMMUNITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUMBAI 000339

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON PHUM KWMN IN
SUBJECT: MUMBAI MASALA JUL 16, 2008: GUJARATI MUSLIM COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT, FEMALE BIRTHS INCREASE IN GUJARAT, AMARNATH SHRINE
PROTESTS IN INDORE

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1. (U) Table of Contents:

- Gujarat Liberal Muslim Leader Says that State's Muslims are
Progressing Despite Neglect from State Government
- Gujarat reports an Increase in Female Births
- Amarnath Shrine Protests Turn Violent in Indore, Madhya Pradesh



Liberal Gujarat Muslim Leader Says that State's Muslims are
Progressing Despite Neglect from the State Government
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2. (U) Dr. J.S. Bandukwala, the Gujarat president of PUCL, and
an American-educated liberal Muslim leader, informed Congenoff
during his visit to Vadodara, Gujarat that despite neglect from
the state government of Gujarat, Muslims were on a positive
trajectory in terms of development. Dr. Badukwala noted that
though the press writes about Gujarati Muslims becoming more
religious, it neglects to mention that they have also become
more educated. He proudly pointed out that more Gujarati
Muslims girls were becoming educated; this trend had reached the
point where many Gujarati Muslim girls were having trouble
finding Gujrati Muslims as well-educated as they are to marry.


3. (U) Dr. Bandukwala also mentioned that Gujarati Muslim-run
businesses were benefiting from the overall development of the
state's infrastructure. But he also added that, as Guajarati
Muslims felt shut out from government jobs, more were turning to
the private sector for work or starting their own businesses.
He mentioned that Gujarati Muslims can be as entrepreneurial as
the rest of Guajarati society. As a result, he believes a great
unwritten story of post-2002 Gujarat was that Muslims are
beginning to pull themselves up, a phenomenon that he encouraged
and was proud to be part. He added, however, that if the
government took some interest, then development could be easier
and faster.


4. (U) He pointed out that the Juhapura township, a large
prosperous Muslim area near Ahmedabad, took years to obtain a
bank branch. He noted that after years of personal lobbying,
the Bank of India finally opened a branch there six months ago.
However, he informed Congenoff that a large local bank called
Dena Bank still refuses to branch there. Dr. Bandukwala stated
that these were the types of issues in which the Government of
Gujarat should be helping but was not.


Gujarat Reports an Increase of Female Births
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5. (U) Reportedly, the state of Gujarat has shown a small but
significant increase in the sex ratio at birth over the last
year. In 2007, there were 846 girls per 1,000 boys, but this
year the Civil Registration System, the body responsible for
registration of births and deaths, reported there were 882 girls
per 1,000 boys. According to press reports, the increases in
child sex ratio are even evident in remote areas of Gujarat.
The state government implemented a program to help prevent
discovery of the child's sex prior to birth to avoid female
feticide, which is a major problem in India (ref 2006 Delhi
930). Chief Minister Modi has made it a personal mission to
educate Gujaratis about dangers of female feticide, and the
reversal in the trend was cited by the state BJP in its December
2007 campaign platform as a major achievement. At the same
time, NGOs carried out awareness campaigns with local media to
help educate the population regarding the problems surrounding
female feticide. Officials from the NGO Population First told
Congenoffs that Gujaratis are responding to the government
programs and awareness campaign because of the impact in their
communities from child sex selection. Some communities have
even taken vows not to abort females if they do discover the sex
prior to delivery.


Amarnath Shrine Protests Turn Violent in Indore, Madhya Pradesh
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6. (U) On July 3, a nationwide protest called by the Hindu

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nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(VHP) turned violent in the city of Indore, the commercial
capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The
protesters were demonstrating against the decision by officials
in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to revoke an
order transferring land to Amarnath Shrine after bitter
opposition in Muslim-majority Kashmir; Amarnath is a popular
pilgrimage destination for Hindus from across India, and Indore
is close to a major Hindu pilgrimage spot called Ujjian. In
Indore, four people were killed by police gunfire, and three
policemen were suspended for indiscriminate firing (Note: When
quelling riots, police are required to aim to injure, not to
kill).


7. (U) In the political atmosphere surrounding the nationwide
protests about the Amarnath land decision, Hindu nationalist
agitators wanted Muslims to close down shops because an
undeclared general strike was in progress. In Muslim majority
areas, residents/shop-keepers resisted the pressure from
hardline Hindus groups, which led to altercations.


8. (U) Large parts of Indore were under curfew on July 4th,
5th. On July 6th, the curfew in the riot-hit areas was relaxed
for two hours to allow women only to come out of their houses to
buy essential items. The curfew ended on July 7 and the
situation returned to normal. Meanwhile, the state's largest
opposition party, the Congress Party, called for a judicial
inquiry into the riots. The party protested on the streets of
Bhopal, the state capital, and also during the ongoing monsoon
session of the state parliament, by encircling Speaker Ishwar
Das Rohani`s podium. The speaker was forced to adjourn the
House indefinitely (Note: The session was scheduled to end July
11th).
KEISER