Thread by @saaf_oxforduni

Panel 5: Caste Census and the 'Muslim Question' begins in 15 min.

Tune in for a discussion with @KhalidAAnsari4 @SrinivasGoli1 Faisal Devji and Ali Anwar, moderated by @shireenazam
sant.ox.ac.uk/events/two-day…

Watch the livestream of Panel 5 on our Facebook page here:facebook.com/southasianalte…

Our fifth panel has started. Featuring @mpalianwar @SrinivasGoli1 @KhalidAAnsari4 and Faisal Devji. Moderated by @shireenazam. #CountingCaste
#CasteCensus
facebook.com/southasianalte…

This session will talk of what will change for Muslims if we have a Caste Census in India. What are we missing about muslim backwardness, ghettoisation because of this invisibilisation of this data? @shireenazam @SrinivasGoli1 @KhalidAAnsari4 #CasteCensus #CountingCaste

https://twitter.com/roamingraghu/status/1490312132067479556?s=20&t=3rAYdVxyZd9MYUmVnECr5Q

@KhalidAAnsari4 Hinduism was categorised as a tolerant and non-egalitarian religion, while Islam was framed as intolerant but egalitarian religion. This is a conceptual violence of categorisation. #countingcaste #castecensus

https://twitter.com/roamingraghu/status/1490312691159814146?s=20&t=T9kS_QBO-KA6jmG6k8xTUw

https://twitter.com/roamingraghu/status/1490313082958139395?s=20&t=DHMWit4cThYO1zN5vo2Adw

https://twitter.com/roamingraghu/status/1490313576959119367?s=20&t=DHMWit4cThYO1zN5vo2Adw

@KhalidAAnsari4 "The major question in #castecensus is that of development, of redistributive programs. There is also the question is revision of categories, that of Dalit Muslims and ST Muslims." facebook.com/southasianalte…

https://twitter.com/roamingraghu/status/1490314970533355521?s=20&t=BkRfSuwID0wJ7RSB12l3gw

https://twitter.com/roamingraghu/status/1490315323886735364?s=20&t=bvcRvm-ZhYCgrc5TmFAjug

https://twitter.com/roamingraghu/status/1490315700942123009?s=20&t=bvcRvm-ZhYCgrc5TmFAjug

Next up, professor of demography @SrinivasGoli1 on his research on Backward and Dalit Muslims
facebook.com/southasianalte…

#CasteCensus is needed to understand (1) size and composition of different social groups (2) the relative standing of the caste in terms of development indicators. There is growing inequality *within* social groups as well - @SrinivasGoli1

"Most surveys do not go into the subcaste level information, to understand who is deprived within the deprived." - @SrinivasGoli1

#CasteCensus "Dalit Muslims who converted to Islam continue to be outside the fold of affirmative action benefits. They have identical occupations, are socio-economically backward and face untouchability."-
@SrinivasGoli1

#CasteCensus "These are 'Arzal' who are different from Ashraf (foreign descent) or upper class muslims. We have no robust empirical evidence on their size, SES status, social exclusion and discrimination"-
@SrinivasGoli1

#CasteCensus "Criticism we get is on the following lines: It can trigger more division and perpetuate caste within communities and weaken 'within unity' and affect their political bargaining power."-@SrinivasGoli1
facebook.com/southasianalte…

#CasteCensus "Talking about caste in itself is seen as provoking caste feelings and strengthening the caste system. I agree how this can be misused to weaken the demands of oppressed groups. But, how can we address caste heterogeneities otherwise?"-
@SrinivasGoli1

#CasteCensus "UPA govt wanted to do this big study across North India but it lost power in 2014 and could not proceed with it. Identifying caste in Muslims needs triangulation of 3 aspects - religion, social group and biradari."-@SrinivasGoli1

#CasteCensus "From our sample survey, we enumerated Muslims in UP and found them spread across General(24%), OBC (52%) and Dalit (24%) categories."- @SrinivasGoli1 #CountingCaste

facebook.com/southasianalte…

#CasteCensus "Even UC Muslims have reported and agreed to the occurrence of discrimination along housing and other lines along with untouchability meted out to OBC and Dalit Muslims."- @SrinivasGoli1

"More than 50% of OBC and Dalit Muslims reported instances of untouchability from Upper caste Hindu households." @SrinivasGoli1
epw.in/journal/2016/1…

#CasteCensus "Our data also shows that Dalit Muslims lose a lot of educational and economic benefits post conversion because they lose affirmative accommodations." @SrinivasGoli1 #CountingCaste

#CasteCensus "There is a growing divergence in access to opportunities and more more inequality across generations from older generation to younger generation. This is true for both 'within Hindu' and 'within Muslim' groups."- @SrinivasGoli1
facebook.com/southasianalte…

#CasteCensus "Caste Census should be done for all religions. It is more important for Muslims because there is a negation and disbelief among Muslims about caste. There is a practice of hiding it."- Ali Anwar @mpalianwar
facebook.com/southasianalte…

#CasteCensus "Among Muslims, the hegemony is even worse. Secular parties and social justice parties also strongly negate caste in Muslims."- Ali Anwar

#CasteCensus "For example, Tejashwi Yadav's letter to Bihar CM talks about need for Caste Census but only for Hindu BCs and MBCs in Bihar. Even INC, CPI,CPM, CPI(ML) parties afraid to talk about caste in Muslims because they are afraid of repercussions."- Ali Anwar

#CasteCensus "We raised this question in parliament full of social justice parties, but no one from any party supported us. Next year, this movement grew stronger and Gopinath Munde agreed that there should be a caste column"- Ali Anwar

#CasteCensus "Caste Census was done but it was so defective and done by NGO people, Anganwadi workers and daily wage workers. Its data is not shared at all, neither by UPA, neither by NDA."- Ali Anwar

#CasteCensus "UPA was afraid that reservation demands by OBC communities will go up. NDA is afraid today that their communal polarization agenda will get drowned out. We brought the slogan 'Dalit & Backward are united whether Hindu or Muslim'"- Ali Anwar

#CasteCensus "Even if the Centre doesn't want to, states should be allowed to do the census. But it doesn't have legal validity and will be demeaned to the status of a 'survey' and not a 'census'."- Ali Anwar