India's response to the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. It highlights India's solidarity with Israel and its concern for the safety of its citizens in Israel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted India's solidarity with Israel after the massacre of Israeli citizens by Hamas fighters.
India has faced terror attacks in the past and can empathize with the pain felt in Israel.
Prime Minister Modi spoke to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and condemned terrorism in all its forms.
India is concerned about the safety of its citizens in Israel and has chartered flights to bring them home.
The Ministry of External Affairs delivered the government's first formal statement, condemning the Hamas attacks and reminding Israel about the obligation to observe international humanitarian law.
The MEA reiterated India's long-standing and consistent position on the Palestine issue.
India has maintained a delicate balance between supporting Israel and the Palestinian cause since establishing diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992.
Bilateral relations between India and Israel have grown closer, with increased trade, technological assistance, military procurement, and counter-terrorism cooperation.
In 2017, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel, becoming the first Indian PM to do so. In the same year, India voted against the US and Israel's attempt to declare Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
India condemns terrorism but does not support indiscriminate reprisal bombings. It holds a consistent position on the Palestine issue.
Hamas cannot justify its attacks on Israel by claiming historical grievances. However, Israel's demand for Gaza residents to evacuate and its ongoing bombardment of the city pose a challenge for India in balancing its policy.
Under-representation of Muslim women in the Indian Parliament and the need for a quota for Muslim women within the existing reservation for women.
Asaduddin Owaisi, the president of AIMIM, highlighted the need for a quota for Muslim women within the 33% reservation for women in the Women's Reservation Bill.
Muslim representation in the Lok Sabha has been significantly low compared to their share in the general population.
According to the 2011 Census, the Muslim population accounted for a little over 14% of the total population.
The Muslim community should have at least 73 Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha based on proportional representation, but this number has never been reached.
The highest Muslim representation in the Lok Sabha was in 1980 when 49 candidates from various parties were elected.
The number of Muslim Members of Parliament (MPs) in India has been consistently low since the first general election.
In 2014, the number of Muslim MPs reached its lowest point with only 23 MPs, less than half of the figure in 1980.
In 2019, there was a slight improvement with the election of 25 Muslim MPs, but it was also the first time since Independence that the ruling party had no Muslim MP in either House of Parliament.
Some states, like Gujarat and Rajasthan, have not elected a Muslim MP for several decades.
The success of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has contributed to the decline of Muslim MPs, as the party has been selective in giving tickets to Muslim candidates.
Regional parties, including the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Biju Janata Dal, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, and Telugu Desam Party, also did not field any Muslim candidates in the 2019 elections.
The Aam Aadmi Party only had one Muslim candidate out of the 35 seats it contested.
The Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, and Trinamool Congress put up a total of 8, 38, 5, and 12 candidates respectively in the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar-Bengal belt.
Both the Samajwadi Party and the All India Trinamool Congress had a decline in the number of Muslim candidates compared to 2014.
The Muslim MP representation is decreasing, indicating a lac
k of political will.
There are cases of seat reservation for Scheduled Castes in areas where Muslims have a higher population.
The reservation system and seat demarcation make the Muslim vote redundant and decrease the chances of Muslim representation.
In Assam, Muslim-dominated seats have decreased from 29 to 22 due to a merger of seats and redrawing of the electoral map.
Lack of representation of Muslims in Indian politics is a concern and reflects negatively on the country's polity.
Muslim voices are being silenced, as seen in instances such as the Shah Bano case and the triple talaq Bill debate.
The ruling party and opposition leaders have failed to include Muslim voices in important discussions and debates.
BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri's communal slur-laden diatribe against Bahujan Samaj Party MP Kunwar Danish Ali highlights the difficulty for Muslims to be elected to the Lok Sabha and the opposition they face once elected.
The current system has made Muslim MPs almost invisible, and it is necessary to address this issue.
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