Sit in on almost any gathering of India’s middle class, and, sooner or later, the talk will turn in one direction: Muslim bashing.

Yes, someone will begin by saying how the Left is pandering to Muslims, and then someone else will chip in to say that Muslims are all terrorists, and someone will then say that all Muslims should be deported to Pakistan. The logic behind this? Pakistan was “created for the Muslims” – so they have no place here.

These are the very lot who cheered on the invasion of Iraq, for instance, because - as one of their heroes, the Hindu fascist Praveen Togadia said - Muslims would get killed.

There is absolutely no point arguing with these people. You’d have a better chance persuading a Rapture Righter of the reality of evolution.

So, what with institutional unwritten anti-Muslim apartheid in this fair land, backed up by the occasional pogrom, and I am not surprised to read that Muslims are being forced to pass as Hindus to survive.

No wonder Muslims are so alienated that they turn to terrorism.