The situation confronting the Muslim community after Independence and the partition of India has been the subject of much research. In this volume, A.G. Noorani collects important documents recording reactions of Muslims in this period and in the subsequent fifty years. The emphasis is largely on the responses of the minority community to the problems they faced and on intra-community debates that ensued in the aftermath of partition. Besides recording key political developments, documents on issues like Hindu revivalism and Muslim responses, the Babari Masjid question, the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Shah Bano case, Rajiv Gandhi’s discussions with Muslim leaders and the issue of personal laws, provide important insights into Muslim participation in post-independence polity and society. Documents in related themes, such as recent trends in Muslim politics, the development of Urdu since Independence, and the significant role of the Aligarh Muslim University in imparting secular education in India, complete this picture. Presented by the author as a complete and comprehensive documentary record of the problems and politics of the Muslims of India, this volume is essential reading for scholars and students of modern Indian history and politics, and will also interest policy-makers, journalists, and general readers.
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