Muslims are not persecuted in India (the Indian subcontinent is not a country) as claimed by Trevor Phillips, former Chairman of Equality and Human Rights Commission. The list given below are that of successful Muslims who have made it big in India where Hindus are in huge majority. This is a testimony to India's unity in diversity and speaks volumes of its rich heritage, democracy and the nation being governed by its Constitution where every citizen is treated equally and gets equal opportunity to progress in life. The list is only a tip of the iceberg.
Zakir Husain, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and A P J Abdul Kalam had served as India’s President. This is no mean an achievement for an Indian Muslim. Abdul Kalam, in fact, played a leading role in developing India’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programme.
Muslims are among India’s most prominent cricketers – Tiger Pataudi, Mohammed Azharuddin, Syed Kirmani, Zaheer Khan, Md Shami, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Wasim Jaffer, Md Kaif, etc.
Muslims are an integral part of every facet of Bollywood, which is dominated by Khans (Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir, Saif Ali). Yesteryear star Dilip Kumar (Yousuf Khan) too is a Muslim. Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan Khan, Farhaan Akhtar are other popular and notable actors, among others.
During his time singer Mohammed Rafi (Indian Muslim) was the most sought-after playback singer. Naushad Ali (Indian Muslim) still remains one of the most respected musicians of Bollywood. A bhajan (mana tarapat hari darshan ko aaj…) – from the black and white film Baiju Baawra – written by Shakeel Badayuni (Indian Muslim), composed by Naushad Ali and rendered by Md Rafi still remains everyone’s favourite Krishna bhajan. Where else in the world will Muslims get such religious participation and accolades at the same time?
Chief Election Commissioner: Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi.
Chief Justice of India: Mohammad Hidayatullah was the 11th Chief Justice of India and the sixth Vice-President of India. He had also served as the Acting President of India. He is regarded as an eminent jurist, scholar, educationist, author and linguist.
Aziz Mushabber Ahmadi was the 26th Chief Justice of India, while Altamas Kabir was the 39th Chief Justice of India.
Justice M Fathima Beevi was the first female judge to be appointed to the Supreme Court of India (1989) and the first Muslim woman to be appointed to any higher judiciary. She is the first woman judge of a Supreme Court in India and Asia. On her retirement from the court she served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission and as Governor in Tamil Nadu.
Central Ministers: So many (over 91), including Mahommedali Currim Chagla, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Abdul Rahman Antulay, Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Salman Khurshid, etc.
Several Chief Ministers
Industrialist and philanthropist: Azim Premji, the founder of Wipro, a software giant. Yusuff Ali M A is an Indian businessman from Kerala. He is the Managing Director of Abu Dhabi-headquartered EMKE LuLu Group of companies that owns the Lulu Hypermarket chain in Middle East.
Music Directors: Oscar winner A R Rehman, Khayyam, etc.
Lyricists: Shakeel Badayuni, Javed Akhtar, Hasrat Jaipuri, Kaifi Azmi, etc.
Sir Mohammed Iqbal, a Muslim poet, wrote the lyrics of arguably the most patriotic song in India that celebrates “Hindustan” as the best nation in the world.
Bollywood Actresses: Meena Kumari, Nargis and Madhubala ruled the silver screen for decades. All were Muslims. Shabana Azmi is a legend. Katrina Kaif is one of the most sought-after actresses today.
Tennis star Sania Mirza is a huge sensation in India and Pakistan.
Table maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain and his father Allah Rakha have been legends during their lifetime.
Resul Pookutty is an Indian film sound designer, sound editor and mixer. He won an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire.
Eminent Journalists: M J Akbar, Saeed Naqvi, etc.
