Read | We are with Thakur saheb, not BJP: Jewar MuslimsYou may be curious about why we wanted to visit Deoband. Here, at a gathering that included university professors and the Nayab Qazi (deputy judge of a Sharia court), along with other prominent members of the Muslim community, I repeated my question. According to the 2011 census, India’s Muslim population stands at 172.2 million, or 14.2% of the population. According to the same estimate, 19.26% of Uttar Pradesh’s population is Muslim and the community makes up 13.95% of Uttarakhand’s population. He said that people with a distinct dressing sense and language had anointed themselves representatives of the Muslim community.

Source: Hindustan Times February 12, 2017 19:18 UTC