Seventy years after India gained its Independence from British colonial rule and suffered the pain of Partition, the nation struggles to define its soul. India’s politics today is not about which party wins the majority in the legislature, but about defining the personality of this modern nation. It’s about who and what is India.

To define the narrative of this nation informed by its true history and not by any mythological constructions that deviate from what India is, Sanjay Khan—at his exacting, erudite best—discusses the present day issues being faced by the Muslims in the country as well as Islam’s glorious history in a multicultural country like India.

Well-researched and sensitively handled, Assalamualaikum Watan provides a unique perspective into the role that the Muslim community has played in the nation building of India through the passage of history and the potential it has in moulding India’s future further.