Eurasia Press & News
In a recent op-ed, MEMRI’s South Asia Studies Project Director Tufail Ahmad examined how the recent appointment of Syed Asif Ibrahim as the first Muslim chief of India’s Intelligence Bureau reflects the maturing of democracy in India and its beneficial impact on Indian Muslims. “India is the only country where Muslims have experienced democracy for more than half a century; the other two countries where Muslims have had some democratic experience are Indonesia and Turkey but their experiences have been limited to a few decades,” Ahmad wrote in the article, which was published by The New Indian Express, a major Indian daily.
Soon after the publication of the article, Tufail Ahmad was interviewed by The New York Times on the question of how democracy has impacted the collective life of Muslims in India. Asked whether the democratic experience of Indian Muslims during the past six decades could be a model for Egypt’s new rulers to follow, Ahmad told Thomas L. Friedman of The New York Times: “[D]emocracy matters… it is democracy in India that has, over six decades, gradually broken down primordial barriers – such as caste, tribe and religion – and in doing so opened the way for all different sectors of Indian society to rise through their own merits.” The interview was published by The New York Times on December 16, 2012, as part of an article titled “Egypt: The Next India or the Next Pakistan?” It was later translated into Arabic and published December 17, 2012 by the leading Egyptian daily Al-Gomhuria (“Democracy”).
Subsequently, The Economic Times, a major Indian financial daily, interviewed Tufail Ahmad on the significance of Syed Asif Ibrahim’s appointment as the first Muslim head of Intelligence Bureau (IB). Asked why it has taken time for India to appointment a Muslim to the sensitive post of IB chief, he stated:”The reason why it has taken time for Ibrahim to become the first Muslim chief of the Intelligence Bureau is because it has taken time for democracy to mature in India. As democracy flourishes, matures and takes deeper roots in Indian society, we are witnessing large sections of the Indian people becoming empowered in the process… Ibrahim’s appointment as IB chief marks a turning point in the development and prospering of Indian democracy. In the coming decades, we can be certain that more and more Muslims in India will rise to prominence by hard work and merit alone.”
In a recent op-ed, MEMRI’s South Asia Studies Project Director Tufail Ahmad examined how the recent appointment of Syed Asif Ibrahim as the first Muslim chief of India’s Intelligence Bureau reflects the maturing of democracy in India and its beneficial impact on Indian Muslims. “India is the only country where Muslims have experienced democracy for more than half a century; the other two countries where Muslims have had some democratic experience are Indonesia and Turkey but their experiences have been limited to a few decades,” Ahmad wrote in the article, which was published by The New Indian Express, a major Indian daily.Soon after the publication of the article, Tufail Ahmad was interviewed by The New York Times on the question of how democracy has impacted the collective life of Muslims in India. Asked whether the democratic experience of Indian Muslims during the past six decades could be a model for Egypt’s new rulers to follow, Ahmad told Thomas L. Friedman of The New York Times: “[D]emocracy matters… it is democracy in India that has, over six decades, gradually broken down primordial barriers – such as caste, tribe and religion – and in doing so opened the way for all different sectors of Indian society to rise through their own merits.” The interview was published by The New York Times on December 16, 2012, as part of an article titled “Egypt: The Next India or the Next Pakistan?” It was later translated into Arabic and published December 17, 2012 by the leading Egyptian daily Al-Gomhuria (“Democracy”).Subsequently, The Economic Times, a major Indian financial daily, interviewed Tufail Ahmad on the significance of Syed Asif Ibrahim’s appointment as the first Muslim head of Intelligence Bureau (IB). Asked why it has taken time for India to appointment a Muslim to the sensitive post of IB chief, he stated:”The reason why it has taken time for Ibrahim to become the first Muslim chief of the Intelligence Bureau is because it has taken time for democracy to mature in India. As democracy flourishes, matures and takes deeper roots in Indian society, we are witnessing large sections of the Indian people becoming empowered in the process… Ibrahim’s appointment as IB chief marks a turning point in the development and prospering of Indian democracy. In the coming decades, we can be certain that more and more Muslims in India will rise to prominence by hard work and merit alone.”
Source: MEMRI
