Like real estate agents the world over, Rahul Rewal asks his clients if they have children or pets, since both limit options. But there is another crucial but often unspoken question: Are they Muslim?<\/p>\n
\u201cI tailor the list of places that I show Muslims because many landlords, even in upper-class neighborhoods, will not rent to them,\u201d\u009d Mr. Rewal said. \u201cMost don\u2019t even bother hiding their bigotry.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Discrimination against Muslims in India is so rampant that many barely muster outrage when telling of the withdrawn apartment offers, rejected job applications and turned-down loans that are part of living in the country for them. As a group, Muslims have fallen badly behind Hindus in recent decades in education, employment and economic status, with persistent discrimination a key reason. Muslims are more likely to live in villages without schools or medical facilities and less likely to qualify for bank loans.<\/p>\n
Now, after a landslide electoral triumph Friday by the Bharatiya Janata Party of Hindu nationalists, some Muslims here said they were worried that their place in India could become even more tenuous.<\/p>\n