Citizenship and Religion
The choice of studying Muslim citizenship from the point of view of youth revivalist Muslims who are far from being representative of all Indian Muslims may be surprising; but it is precisely their apparent radical otherness, both constructed as such by the individuals concerned and perceived as such by the majority society (the Hindus), that is interesting. Young revivalist Muslims represent a group whose relationship to the nation is potentially even more questioned than that of their “ordinary” co-religionists. What effects can re-Islamization, which borrows its models in part from external referents, have on the relationship these young revivalist Muslims have to India? Are the differences with “ordinary” young Muslims and with other young Indians, regardless of religion, significant? In order to contextualize the discussion, I will begin by analyzing the tension between the constitutional rights that guarantee Muslims full citizenship and a social and political reality marked by increasing marginalization and stigmatization. I will then examine the effects of a self-construction by young revivalist Muslims as deliberately distinct in their relationship to others, especially Hindus. Finally, I will look at their relationship to politics, which in turn will shed light on their civic practices.