Understanding Marginalisation
Minorities
Q Why are safeguards needed for Minorities?
Ans Safeguards are needed
to protect minority communities against the possibility of
being culturally dominated by the majority. They also
protect them against any discrimination and disadvantage
that they may face.
Q2 Why are Muslims considered to be Marginalized?
Ans Muslims are considered to be a marginalised community
in India today because in comparison to other communities they have over the years been
deprived of the benefits of socio-economic development.
Q 3 What does Sachar Committee report tell about the Muslims and how is economic and social
marginalization experienced by Muslims has other dimensions as well?
Ans The report discusses in detail the marginalization of Muslim community.
It suggests that on a range of social, economic and educational indicators the situation of the
Muslim community is comparable to that of other marginalized communities like Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Q What has been granted by the Indian Constitution for the religious communities regarding
institution?
Answer:
The Indian Constitution grants the right to religious communities to set up their own schools and
college.
Q What is Ghettoisation of a Community?
Ans A ghetto is an area or locality that is populated largely by members of a
particular community. Fear or hostility may compel 4a community to group together as they feel
more secure living amongst their own
NCERT BACK EXERCISE
Q . . Write in your own words two or more sentences of what you understand by the word
‘marginalisation’ .
Answer:
Marginalization is the social process of being confined to a lower social standing. It involves
people being denied their fundamental rights that results in lowering their social and economical
status. It is a situation when a particular social group is forced to live on the fringes rather than
in the mainstream.
Q2. List two reasons why Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalised.
Answer:
Adivasis are being increasingly marginalised for the following two reasons:
(i) People consider Adivasis as exotic, primitive and backward communities that has led to their
marginalisation.
(ii) Changes in forest laws robbed the Adivasis of their natural territory and livelihood due to
which they turned into marginal and powerless communities.
3 Done
4 Re-read the section on Minorities and Marginalisation. What do you understand by the term
minority
Ans Minority refers to a community that is numerically small in relation to the rest of the
population in terms of race, religion, language or political persuasion.
QYou are participating in a debate where you have to provide reasons to support the following
statement: ‘Muslims are a marginalised community’. Using the data provided in this chapter, list
two reasons that you would give.
Answer:
Two reasons to support the statement that Muslims are a marginalised community are
The literacy rate of Muslim population in India is only 57% which is the lowest compared to 63%
among Hindus, 67% among Sikhs, 71% among Buddhists, 74% among Christians, and 86%
among Jains.
They lag behind the other communities even in access to the basic communities. For example,
according to the data, only 63.8% of Muslims could get access to electricity in comparison to
65.4% among Hindus, 69.3% among Christians and 91.3% among Sikhs.