Changing laws without changing hearts is like giving a painkiller to a cancer patient, says Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Secretary Dr Mohammad Raziul Islam Nadwi
NEW DELHI – Scholars, sociologists, and community leaders at a public programme organised by the Institute of Study and Research Delhi (ISRD) have stressed that legal measures alone were not sufficient to eradicate the caste system, calling instead for a deep change in social mindset.
Speaking at the event titled “The Historical, Cultural, and Contemporary Context of the Caste System in India: With Reference to the Dalit Community” here on Tuesday, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Secretary Dr Mohammad Raziul Islam Nadwi warned that caste discrimination persists despite laws and education. “Changing laws without changing hearts is like giving a painkiller to a cancer patient,” he remarked, arguing that economic progress has failed to erase caste-based prejudice.
Dr Nadwi underscored that caste discrimination among Indian Muslims is a social phenomenon, not a religious one. “In Islam, there is no concept of caste. Equality is a core value,” he said, citing the example of Hadrat Bilal (RA), a black former slave who was chosen to deliver the first call to prayer after the conquest of Makkah.
Earlier, JIH Delhi President Salimullah Khan said that mutual respect in society begins with understanding one another, lamenting that ignorance continues to fuel divisions.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr Pradeep Kumar Shinde of Jawaharlal Nehru University asserted that caste was not introduced by British colonialists, but the census under their rule reinforced it. “Caste became a fixed identity after the British began classifying people by caste in official records,” he said. He added that caste-based discrimination persists, citing the Hathras case and other recent incidents where Dalits faced systemic bias.
Dr Shinde also highlighted caste-linked violence against Dalits in public spaces and institutional discrimination within the judiciary and police. He noted the global dimensions of the issue, referencing anti-caste campaigns in UK and the US.
Prof Shashi Shekhar of Delhi University echoed that caste remains a “harsh reality” rooted in birth, arguing that even religious conversion does not erase caste identity. “In India, you can change your religion but not your caste,” he said, adding that caste divisions survive within castes themselves, including Brahmins.
ISRD Secretary Asif Iqbal said the lecture series aims to study and engage with Delhi’s diverse social fabric to foster meaningful change.
The event concluded with a call for a collective shift in societal attitudes, with speakers agreeing that while legal and economic reforms are necessary, they are not enough to dismantle a system deeply embedded in India’s cultural and psychological landscape.
