The Editor,

Newsweek

‘Israel’s Biggest Danger’ By Fareed Zakaria (Feb. 23) shows striking similarities between the perception s of danger from the Arab minorities to Israel and the Muslim minorities to India.  Muslim Indians have grown to over 151 m. (13.4%) from 38.85 m.(10.36%) in 1951 after India & Pakistan became two Nations and are estimated to  be over 20% of country’s population by 2020. Muslims enjoy all legal rights but not the obligations due to their “special minority status” and ‘Islamic” beliefs. They do not accept the common civil code applicable to other Indians. Citizenship requires them only to be loyal to the law but not to the values or ideologies (secularism) of the state.

Hindu nationalists warn that India’s Muslims constitute a demographic time bomb. For India, resolving issues of Muslim minorities is more crucial than dealing  with  Muslim terrorist groups and Pakistan. It will decide the future of India as a Secular State (Islam abhors secularism) and a democracy.