"In spite of several hundred years of Muslim presence in India and the close interaction between Hindus and Muslims, the majority of Hindus remain uncomfortable with their Islamic past. As a consequence, most of them seem to have considerable difficulty in integrating the huge contribution of Islam in their historical construction of India's national identity. This book looks at the reasons behind this discomfort and argues that the continuing resentment towards Muslims can be linked to a bias in the Indian nationalist tradition." "This well-researched account of an important but hitherto little understood basis of Hindu-Muslim tension will attract a wide readership among historians, sociologists and political scientists. It will also interest those concerned with the wider issues of ethnicity, religion, communal politics, and the state of India's polity today."--Jacket.