Muslims in India face dwindling representation in parliament
There were just 27 Muslim MPs in the 543-seat lower house in parliament – and none of them were among the BJP’s 310 lawmakers
By Shajil KumarApr 08, 2024
More than half the voters in the Indian city of Rampur are Muslim, but its member of parliament is from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's muscular Hindu-first agenda.
It is a situation repeated across Hindu-majority India, where many consider victory for Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in upcoming general elections a near certainty - and see Muslim candidates as a recipe for defeat at the ballot box.
While India's 220 million Muslims make up a little under a fifth of its 1.4 billion population, Muslim representatives in parliament have almost halved to less than five per cent since the 1970s.
"Everyone wants a connect with BJP," said Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi, who is confident of re-election as MP for Rampur in Uttar Pradesh state when the six-week-long elections begin on April 19.
Lodhi, a Hindu, replaced Rampur's Muslim MP in a 2022 by-election, jumping ship from the last lawmaker's party to become a BJP loyalist.
Muslim leaders worry at the lack of representation. There were just 27 Muslim MPs in the 543-seat lower house in parliament - and none of them were among the BJP's 310 lawmakers.
Ziya Us Salam, author of a book on Muslims in India, says members of the faith had for decades placed their trust in secular parties, a process that created an "acute absence of Muslim leadership".
Today, an overtly Muslim leader would be challenged as stoking sectarian divisions, yet few question when Modi champions constitutionally secular India as a "Hindu Rashtra", or Hindu state.
"Nobody talks of (Modi) being the leader of only Hindus," Salam said.
He also argues that successive gerrymandering policies since independence in 1947 have redrawn electoral boundaries to split areas with substantial Muslim populations.
'Not able to vote'
Rampur has elected Muslim MPs 15 out of 18 times since 1952.
But Kanwal Bharti, a 71-year-old activist and writer from the city, said the BJP's dominance means that it "doesn't seem possible anymore" for a Muslim candidate to win Rampur.
Rampur's last Muslim MP was veteran politician Mohammad Azam Khan - but he quit after more than 80 legal cases were brought against him, ranging from land grabbing to intimidating government officials.
His supporters said many of the accusations were years old and that charges had only been belatedly brought after the BJP won state elections in 2017.
Khan was jailed for three years in 2023 for hate speech against BJP rivals.
Past elections were marred by allegations that security forces blocked Muslims from voting.
A legal challenge that a 2022 parliamentary by-election vote was manipulated "by using every unconstitutional means" to stop voters from Muslim-dominated areas was dismissed on a technicality.
Some Muslim voters in Rampur worry about casting a ballot later this month.
"If the conditions during the last election are repeated, I will again not be able to vote," said 75-year-old Mohammad Salam Khan, reading a newspaper in his son's electrical repair shop.
'Intimidation' and 'elimination'
It is part of a wider shift, said Asaduddin Owaisi, one of two lawmakers in the last parliament from the All India Council for Unity of Muslims.
Owaisi believes even secular parties avoid selecting Muslim candidates because they fear they would not appeal to Hindu voters.
"They are afraid to even give a ticket to a Muslim candidate," Owaisi said, accusing the ruling party of stoking fear against Muslims.
"It is very difficult for the Muslim candidates from any political party to win".
The BJP denies "active discrimination" based on religion, pointing out that representation depends on candidates winning elections.
A handful of Muslim candidates the BJP fielded in the last two national elections all lost, with critics accusing the party of showing disinterest in their campaign.
"We have this aspiration, ideally, to have people from every community," BJP national spokesperson Mmhonlumo Kikon told AFP.
But Salam, the author, believes Muslims are being squeezed out of the democratic process.
"So, you don't give tickets to Muslims at one place, you redraw constituencies at another place... or you don't allow Muslims to vote," Salam said.
"It's not just intimidation," he added. "It's also elimination." (AFP)
Temperatures forecast to peak at 31°C in parts of southern England from 5–7 August
Cities including Bournemouth, Southampton, and Bath to see hottest conditions
London and Midlands expected to reach highs of 28–30°C
Cardiff and Swansea could see temperatures rise to 27°C
Met Office predicts potential for hot spells in southern and eastern regions into mid-August
Heatwave expected to hit early August
Southern and central parts of England are expected to experience a sharp rise in temperatures from 5 August, with forecasters predicting a brief but intense heatwave. According to WXCHARTS weather maps, temperatures could climb as high as 31°C in several areas.
The forecast comes after a cooler, unsettled end to July, with much of the UK experiencing overcast skies and lower-than-average temperatures.
Hottest conditions forecast in southern England
Cities such as Southampton, Bournemouth, Bath, and Bristol are likely to experience the highest temperatures, reaching up to 31°C. Nearby counties including Dorset, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire are also expected to see highs around 30°C.
London and parts of Surrey may approach similar levels, while regions across the East and West Midlands are forecast to see temperatures rise to around 28°C.
Elsewhere, Wales is also expected to warm up, with Cardiff and Swansea predicted to reach 27°C.
Met Office outlook for August: Hot spells possible
The Met Office’s long-range forecast, covering 9 to 23 August, indicates that while changeable weather may continue at times due to westerly winds, more settled and sunnier spells are expected, particularly in the south.
“These [settled spells] bring more prolonged dry and sunny weather, especially across the south of the country but potentially spreading to all areas at times,” the forecast reads. “Temperatures will likely be near or above average overall. There is a chance of some very warm or hot spells, especially in the south and east.”
This anticipated spell of heat marks a potential return to summer conditions after a notably wet and unsettled July in many parts of the UK.
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Shah said all three were Pakistani nationals and identified two of them as members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan .
INDIAN security forces have killed three Pakistani terrorists involved in an April attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir that triggered a military conflict between India and Pakistan, home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday.
The terrorists were killed in a military operation on Monday (28), more than three months after 26 people were shot dead in the resort town of Baisaran on April 22.
"I want to tell the parliament (that) those who attacked in Baisaran were three terrorists and all three have been killed," Shah said.
He said all three were Pakistani nationals and identified two of them as members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan.
"Indian security agencies have detailed evidence of their involvement in the attack," he told the lower house of parliament.
The army said the operation took place in the mountains of Dachigam, around 30 kilometres from Srinagar.
In April, gunmen emerged from forests near Pahalgam and opened fire on crowds of visitors with automatic weapons.
All those killed were residents of India except one man from Nepal. Survivors said the attackers separated men from women and children and ordered some of the men to recite the Muslim declaration of faith.
India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, which Islamabad denied, leading to a four-day conflict in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, and both countries claim the region in full.
Shah said a security meeting was held immediately after the April attack, where it was decided the attackers should not be "allowed to leave the country and return to Pakistan".
Investigators used eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence to confirm the rifles found on the terrorists were the same weapons used in the attack.
"It was confirmed that these three rifles were involved in killing of our innocent civilians," Shah said.
A group called The Resistance Front (TRF) initially claimed responsibility for the April attack but later withdrew its claim. Earlier this month, the United States described TRF as a "front and proxy" of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
(With inputs from agencies)
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During Trump’s first term, Khan opposed the US travel ban on people from certain Muslim countries, which led to a war of words. (Photo: Getty Images)
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump criticised London mayor Sadiq Khan again during a news conference in Scotland alongside British prime minister Keir Starmer, who described Khan as his "friend".
When asked by a reporter if he planned to visit London in September during his state visit, Trump said yes but added: "I'm not a fan of your mayor. I think he's done a terrible job."
"The mayor of London... a nasty person," he said.
Starmer responded: "He's a friend of mine, actually."
Trump repeated his criticism, saying: "I think he's done a terrible job. But I would certainly visit London."
Trump and Khan have had a history of public disputes. In January, on the eve of Trump’s return to the White House, Khan wrote an article warning of western "reactionary populists" as a "century-defining challenge" for progressives.
During Trump’s first term, Khan opposed the US travel ban on people from certain Muslim countries, which led to a war of words. Trump accused Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when elected in 2016, of doing a "very bad job on terrorism" and called him a "stone cold loser" and "very dumb".
In a podcast recorded before Trump’s re-election on November 5, 2024, Khan accused Trump of targeting him because of his ethnicity and religion, saying: "He's come for me because of, let's be frank, my ethnicity and my religion."
However, in an interview with AFP in December, Khan said the American people had "spoken loudly and clearly" and added, "we have got to respect the outcome of the presidential elections".
Later on Monday, a spokesperson for Khan said the mayor was "delighted that president Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world".
"He'd see how our diversity makes us stronger not weaker; richer, not poorer," the spokesperson added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Princess Sophia Duleep Singh selling copies of The Suffragette outside Hampton Court Palace, 1913.
A NEW interactive website exploring the history and contributions of South Asians in Britain has been launched to mark South Asian Heritage Month 2025, which runs until August 17.
The website, South Asian Britain: Connecting Histories, features more than 750 entries and 30 oral histories. It includes digitised archival documents, network diagrams and maps covering South Asian presence in Britain from the 1830s to the present.
The resource is part of the research project ‘Remaking Britain: South Asian Connections and Networks, 1830s to the Present’, led by the University of Bristol and Queen Mary University of London in partnership with the British Library, and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
It highlights notable figures such as Dadabhai Naoroji, Sophia Duleep Singh, Kamal Aton Chunchie and Freddie Mercury, alongside contemporary personalities like Rishi Sunak, Sadiq Khan, Meera Syal, Riz Ahmed, Nadiya Hussein and Malala Yousafzai. It also documents underrepresented communities including LGBTQIA+ individuals and those from working-class or caste-oppressed backgrounds.
Professor Sumita Mukherjee said: “We’re delighted to launch South Asian Britain: Connecting Histories for South Asian Heritage Month 2025. This project has been very much a team-effort, and we are grateful to all our collaborators, partners and participants who have helped us develop and shape this wonderful resource.”
Dr Rehana Ahmed said: “One of our key motivations has been to extend this research to all the four nations of the United Kingdom from the Outer Hebrides to Cornwall to Belfast to Huddersfield and we are delighted to share many unexpected stories and connections made by South Asians across the centuries.”
Dr Florian Stadtler added: “We hope this resource will be used by the widest possible audiences and that it will inspire multiple generations around the world of all heritages. The stories we showcase – of the challenges of migration, of activism and resistance, of cultural production and of family life – are universal.”
The launch event is being held at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff on 22 July, with more events planned in the autumn, including at the British Library on 19 September. The resource is available at southasianbritain.org.
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About 1,000 demonstrators and counter-protesters faced off in Epping, trading chants and insults across a police exclusion zone.
A WAVE of anti-migrant protests and counter-protests took place across the UK at the weekend, with the largest gathering outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, northeast of London.
The protests followed the charging of an Ethiopian migrant, who had been living at the hotel, with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl.
About 1,000 demonstrators and counter-protesters faced off in Epping, trading chants and insults across a police exclusion zone, The Times reported.
Essex police put in place a large security operation, with support from Merseyside Police — who dealt with last summer’s riots — as well as officers from the Metropolitan Police and several other forces. Barricades were erected to separate groups, and the wearing of masks was banned.
Members of Homeland, a far-right splinter group of Patriotic Alternative, were present at the protest. One demonstrator told The Times that the aim was to “stretch the police’s resources as much as possible” so the hotel would stop housing migrants. Protesters gathered outside the Bell Hotel, despite calls from the local council to close it. “They’re a threat. They don’t know who they are, who they’re allowing in these hotels, and basically they’re putting everybody at danger,” a protester identified only as Cathy told AFP.
The counter-protest was organised by Stand Up to Racism, whose members, numbering around 700, chanted “refugees are welcome here” and “Whose streets? Our streets.”
Essex police confirmed three arrests in Epping: a 52-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman, both from Loughton, and a 27-year-old woman counter-protester from Deptford. They said the protest ended “peacefully.” However, during previous demonstrations at the hotel, police had reported an escalation of violence.
Anti-migrant protests were also reported at hotels in Wolverhampton, east London, Norwich, Leeds, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Southampton and Nottinghamshire, according to The Times.
In Wolverhampton, nine men were arrested in the early hours of Sunday and two men were taken to hospital with serious injuries. On Friday evening, a man was charged with obstructing a police officer at a protest in Leeds.
The unrest comes amid concerns that Britain could face another summer of disorder. The issue of thousands of irregular migrants arriving in small boats across the Channel, combined with economic strains, has fuelled anger in parts of the country. Far-right activists have amplified tensions online.
Almost exactly a year ago, on 29 July 2024, three young girls were stabbed to death in Southport, sparking riots after false claims spread that the attacker — a UK-born teenager from a family that came from Rwanda after the 1994 genocide — was a migrant.
Nearly 24,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far in 2025, the highest number recorded at this point in a year.