Muslim Life in South Asia

Photo: Thomas Rötting

This series of lectures about Islam and the situation of Muslims in South Asia focuses on several aspects of muslim life in India and Pakistan. Though Muslims form just about 13,4 % of Indian population, Islam has a high impact on South Asian societies. This originates back in history: North Indian regions were reigned by Muslim dynasties over centuries. During that time the indigenous and foreign peoples have melt together to a nowadays Indo-Muslim culture. Yet, in recent past there have been important changes and the indian society has to handle many conflicts. The Indian national movement developped and the Indian subcontinent was divided into India and Pakistan/Bangladesh. While Muslims are still the majority in Kashmir and parts in the South, in other regions they live as a minority and often become a stereotyped enemy for Hindu nationalists. Consistently, the conflicts lead to acts of communal violence, as for example in 2002 in the federal state Gujarat.

All lectures will be held in German in the Institute of Indology and Central Asian studies, room S102, Schillerstraße 6, 04109 Leipzig