Is there reason to worry?
The Census data on religion is been looked at only from the perspective of the population growth rate of the two largest communities: Hindu and Muslim. The rate among Muslims has consistently been above the Hindu one. Some Muslim communities view family planning as a form of infanticide, thereby concluding that Islam forbids it. So, should we be worried about the Muslim population growth rate?
"The population of Hindus in India, including Jammu and Kashmir, will increase from 830 million in 2001 to 1,270 million in 2101, while the Muslim population will increase from 140 million to 320 million in the same period,' estimates P N Mari Bhatt, professor at the Institute of Economic Growth, New Delhi. The adjusted growth rate of the Muslim population is falling, as is the case among Hindus. Then what is it that bothers the Bharatiya Janata Party and its affiliates like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh? One theory expects the Muslim population in urban centres to outgrow the Hindu populations, leading to urban local bodies getting dominated by Muslims. The Hindu nationalist parties would find it difficult to control these areas, and hence their worry.
While policymakers might be working on some strategies to combat the population growth rate of Muslim, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board president Rabe Hasan Nadvi feels that the modern methods of family planning are un-Islamic and should not be pursued. But the board's vice-president, Kalbe Sadiq, has publicly supported birth control measures, saying there is nothing un-Islamic about them.
Related Content
- Fearing NPAs, banks shun renewable energy companies; here are reasons why that is
- A snapshot of the world’s water quality: towards a global assessment
- On World Environment Day, CSE warns no one is safe from deadly ozone pollution-- including chief minister Arvind Kejriwal
- High water table in Delhi DDA colony worries HC
- Pollution kills fish in Ranchi Lake
- Foot-and-mouth disease toll jumps to 730