By Alexander Zinoviev
The second precondition for a successful mass conversion of Muslims to Hinduism is to ensure that enough talented Hindu preachers, men of exceptional charisma and sufficiently brave, take this difficult and important task. This mission can be carried out by people with great spiritual, even occult power, rather than by intellectuals. In India, there have always been all kinds of mystics, travelling philosophers, sadhus, gurus, yogis, fakirs?people with real supernatural power that the whole world admired from times immemorial. But where are they now, why are they asleep when their native country is in danger and needs them the most? For what is worth the spiritual superiority of India over the whole world, if it cannot be used for its defence? One thousand years ago, in order to resist the Muslim conquest, Christian Europe created a remarkable institution?the Order of the Crusaders, the monk-warriors that opposed the Arabs in the conquest of the Holy Lands in Palestine. Why do they not create in India an Order of Hermit-Warriors, of sadhu-preachers and warriors that would begin the fight against Islam? They would be a real invincible force. Their ancestors from the times of the Mughal Empire and the Bijnapur Sultanate demonstrated miraculous courage and resistance when Muslim rulers arrested and tortured them, burned them alive, broke their limbs and flogged them. The sadhus met these challenges with derision and contempt, without a trace of pain or fear in the eyes. They possessed such spiritual and occult power that the Muslim oppressors were helpless before them, and were stunned by their force. Maybe the time has come for these people to emerge out of their isolation in the Himalayan caves and to use their talents in the battle against Islam. To work for one'sown salvation, for one'sown moksha, is a worthy task, but a selfish one as well?because it is a thousand times worthier to fight for the salvation of one'sown country when it is in danger.
And so, for decades and centuries, thousands of preachers, missionaries and converters must concentrate in cities, towns and villages in India and Bangladesh, and try to convert as many Muslims as possible to Hinduism. That will be a struggle for every Indian village, for every family, for every single person. It will not be easy and, probably, there will be many casualties, but it will be worth the cause.
In most countries religious parties are supported by nearly 30-40 per cent of all the followers of this religion. In India 40 per cent of all Hindus would mean 30-35 per cent of the whole population, and this is about three times more than the 13 per cent Muslim electors in the country. With such a distribution, all political parties in India, including the Congress Party, would favour Hindu political slogans and would build an image of strong defenders of the Hindutva principles.
The success of this whole campaign must not rely on the government. The initiative, as well as the financing, must come from below, from the very society?because, if the Indian society itself does not feel the need of it, the campaign will fail in its very beginning.
There is a strong criticism towards the BJP, especially its leaders, that since the last election they began to openly court the Muslim minority in order to benefit politically. This criticism towards the BJP is more than justified but, on the other hand, the whole Indian nation is to be blamed for the new orientation of this party, because in the recent election Hindus failed to demonstrate a religious political vision. If there was a sufficiently numerous class in India, hard and systematically supporting the cause of Hindutva, politicians would not have to court the Muslim minority. In most countries religious parties are supported by nearly 30-40 per cent of all the followers of this religion. In India 40 per cent of all Hindus would mean 30-35 per cent of the whole population, and this is about three times more than the 13 per cent Muslim electors in the country. With such a distribution, all political parties in India, including the Congress Party, would favour Hindu political slogans and would build an image of strong defenders of the Hindutva principles.
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But unfortunately, most Hindus cannot make the difference between religion and politics, and have secularist views. Unlike most Muslim countries, where Muslim fundamentalist parties are usually winning the elections, in India the religious slogans are not very popular in campaigns. Secularism and the lack of political thinking are the main problems for modern India.
Secularism is the main cause for the biggest absurdity in modern Indian history?the birth-control programme. This enterprise is the strongest factor for the immense growth of the Islamic society in India in the last 50 years, and very soon, it must be, if not completely abolished, at least strongly reduced?otherwise Muslims will certainly become a majority on the subcontinent. If the birth-control programme is abolished, it will not cause famine, as this did not happen in Pakistan although, after Pakistani independence, its population has grown twice as fast as India?s, and the climate of this country is drier and less generous than in India. Moreover, the progress of science and technology greatly enhanced the potential for food production all over the world.
Third, for social and cultural reasons, the population growth in India, as in all other countries, will inevitably go down even without birth-control programmes. There is no need for this process to be additionally and artificially stimulated by the government.
The success of this whole campaign must not rely on the government. The initiative, as well as the financing, must come from below, from the very society?because, if the Indian society itself does not feel the need of it, the campaign will fail in its very beginning.
Of course, the abolition of birth control in India must be carried out very carefully and without being proclaimed too loudly. If that becomes an official policy, the media will run amuck about it; and if the real reasons behind this measure come to be known this can lead to dangerous reactions from Pakistan and Bangladesh, which will also terminate their modest birth-control programmes. That is why action must be undertaken very discretely and quietly. The easiest way is to reduce considerably the financing and subventions for this programme, to stop most of the school programmes, and to limit the propaganda for two-children families in the media. As a reason for these measures, it can be pointed out that population growth in India is no more so high as before and therefore the government has other, more important social priorities that require economies from the budget.
As for the Hindu middle class, it must adopt a fertile line of behaviour following the example of the Jews in Israel, i.e. to orient towards multi-child families. Since the demographic situation in India and Israel is pretty much alike, and the enemy of both the nations is the same.
(The writer is a Russian sociologist and works in Russian Academy of Sciences. He has been many times in India and is interested in Indian culture. He has written this article exclusively for Organiser. He can be contacted at [email protected])
