hellraiser

Muslims are 14% of india's population and yet only 2% of indian army is muslim and most of the muslim soldiers are probably at the lower ranks of army. Infact the representation of muslims in all sectors in india is in low single-digit percentages

For more info, read this website

Muslims in the Indian army, only 2% ? Super Hindus around the globe

There’s something surreal about India’s debate on Muslim under-representation in the Indian army. If the defence minister says the army has done no head-count of its Muslims, how did the army give an exact Muslim figure of 29,093 last month? The figure is backed by a retired lieutenant-general who says the Muslims are 2 per cent.

Whatever the exact percentage, a huge Muslim under-representation in our army is a fact.

India’s military establishment hesitates to hire Muslims as soldiers because it suspects Muslim loyalty to India. This discrimination is a natural outcome of India and Pakistan’s bitter hostility over 60 years. In similar situations, the same thing happens all over the world. The Israeli army doesn’t trust its Arab soldiers in jobs related to defence security. The Buddhist Sinhalese army under-recruits its Hindu Tamils lest their sympathies lie with the Tamil Tigers. After 9/11, US army recruiters would probably screen a Muslim American volunteer more thoroughly than a Christian American. Thanks to our four wars with Pakistan, the same anti-Muslim animus works here in army recruitment.

Proof of it lies in an enormous mass of documentary and other evidence which expresses distrust of Muslims. Otherwise, why does India have separate regiments for the Sikhs, Jats, Dogras, Garhwalis, Kumaonis, Mahars, the Nagas, even the Gurkhas, but not a single Muslim regiment? This is tragic but it’s a truth which shouldn’t be suppressed. It should be acknowledged and dealt with.

Events have consequences. Muslim under-recruitment in the Indian army is a consequence of Partition. India and Pakistan’s hostility is seen in both countries in Hindu versus Muslim terms. So it’s natural for India’s Hindu army establishment to distrust a Muslim who wants to join as a soldier.

ravage

probably because the indian army is usually employed against Muslims, its understandable and laudable that Indian Muslims dont join up.

Maverick_27

Actually Indian Muslim don't know how to fight.

bingo!

happyheart

No
Indian Muslims are doing their best to survive in India
to please India and Indian so that they can live peacefully
They even willing to back Indian governments deviltry plans like occupying of Kashmir and
not taking any actions against the masterminds of gujrat massecure and racial hatred in India.
Indian Muslims give everything whilst in return they get back peanuts.

Though there are courageous Indian Muslims who are so much brainwashed that they are willing to believe everything Indian goverment or Indian media tells them.

zxcvb

Most muslims in India are dirt poor and are uneducated and there is no reservations for muslims in Indian army (however, there are rajput, jatt, sikh and dalit regiments).

For every job opening in Indian army or any government job.....thousands apply so competition is very high.

For example, there was 200 job openings for police constables (lowest paying police position) in Haryana and more than 12,000 applied.

mAd_ScIeNtIsT

India used to have many all Muslim units in the army, but that was when it was run by the British. Under Hindu rule, Muslims don't seem to be trusted by the government as much as they were under British rule.

Jalaluddin

Actually this is a favorite complaint of mine. For some reasonmost Muslims simply aren't interested.

I remember when I was in an infantry attachment camp I went to lunch with a buddy of mine to his uncle's house that happend to live in nearby town. Throughout the lunch we must have been asked a dozen times by by both uncle and auntie "why are two smart people like you wasting time in rifle practice instead of doing CA?"

I do know a few muslim fighter pilots but didn't realize the overall number in the army was this low.

the part about Sikh over-representation is absolutely true.

I think it is just a matter of priorities and interests, formed by history

shardmanny

pakistan mainly uses hindu spies in bharat army, but it'd be strange to have an indian battalion celebrate pakistans win in cricket

COLD_FIRE

I hope they don't listen to ur posts and brain storm for a new Muslim regiment. That would be so bad.

Jalaluddin

Actually this is something we in India have to bring more visibility to and solve. I'll summarize my readings on this subject for those interested.

* When the partition occurred, very senior leaders assumed that most if not all muslim officers will opt for Pakistan. Instead, several hundred chose to remain Indian

* Gen.Cariappa is said to be either behind or at least supportive of a secret memo guiding recruiters from recruiting muslims to the army; I should point out that there are denials of this, so take it for it is worth

* It is also very clearly evident that Nehru and numeours other leaders were truly concerned that the "representation of minorities" in the military was not improving. This could only be in reference to Muslims since Sikhs were and are very highly represented and in fact drive military strategy!

* When defence minister Iyengar question Gen.Cariappa about why Muslims were not recruited adequately, the latter answered there wasn't sufficient confidence of their intentions!

* In the 1965 war, a part of the Rajput Regiment was actually heavily Muslim dominated and in Poonch did very brave admirable job

Things started improving since then but again went back to a suspicious status when Pakistan started the cross border 'mujahideen' attacks
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While it does hurt to be suspected in ones own country, I can understand that feeling of Gen.Cariappa soon after partition. But it is unfortunate that when thing started getting better that cross border terrorism started the issue again. in this respect it is not just people of J&K but all over India that suffered.

Raj_ind

Reason is simple and understandable, its because of Muslim's faith. Arnt muslims supposed to side with Ummah rather than a kuffar government? Indian policymakers are fully aware of Islamic viewpoint on this sensitive matter. And I support this idea of not including many muslims in military services. This will endanger even 150 million muslims living in India.

However we have Shaheeds like Veer Abdul Hameed who showed examplary bravery in 1965 war and laid down his life for sake of Nation and Indians, both hindus and muslims included. But I m sure that by Islamic POV, he wont be regarded as a good muslim.