Bookmark One more book on history of Islam
Thursday, May 19, 2022
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Sports
  • Business
  • More
    • RSS in News
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Sports
  • Business
  • More
    • RSS in News
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • RSS in News
  • Subscribe
Home General

Bookmark One more book on history of Islam

Archive Manager by Archive Manager
Feb 22, 2009, 12:00 am IST
in General
Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement chairman Sohail Abro

Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement chairman Sohail Abro

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterTelegramEmail

There is no dearth of books on Muslims in India, and indeed, here is a wide range of scholarships available on the subject. To cite a few examples; we have The Destiny of Indian Muslims by S Abid Husain (1965), Muslim Politics in Modern India by Mushir U Haq (1970), The Muslim Dilemma in India by MRA Baig (1974), Indian Muslims Since Independence by Omar Khalidi (1996) and India'sMuslims Since Independence by Mushirul Hasan (2001). Scholarship on Islam and the Muslims of India is not lacking. For all that, SS Gill'sIslam and Muslims of India is a welcome addition to existing studies, if only because his approach calls for a lot of questioning.

He is typical of the liberal ?secularists? of the country who finds faults with ?aggressive Hindu communalism?, without making any serious effort as to why such ?communalism? became ?aggressive?. There are casual references to ?Hindu communalism? being a ?reaction to Muslim communalism? without making any serious effort again on how Hindus were treated in almost 800 years of continuous Muslim rule in India. Gill says that ?Muslims fear of Hindu majority? is quite legitimate. Is that a reflection of a sense of guilt of having treated Hindus as second class citizens in their own country for over eight centuries? He describes Hindu ?communalism? as ? a muted desire to set right historical wrongs?. Wouldn'tit have been more to the point to describe in precise terms what those ?historical wrongs? are, instead of leaving them to one'simagination?

Even the terrible cruelties perpetrated by the Moplahs of Malabar (1921-22) are dismissed casually as if no particular import. He could have read Annie Besant'sreport on the subject for some guidance. Gill'sexplanation for the mayhem created by the Moplahs is that they were ?mostly landless labour? with ?a long history of conflict with their Nair landlords?. That is ducking the issue and does not reflect much on Gill's objectivity. He describes the ?demolition? of the so-called Babri Masjid (December 1992) as ?one of the most shameful acts of violence in India?. Forget the construction of the Masjid over the remains of a demolished temple to Shri Ram?forgotten also is the demolition of other temples sacred to Hindus in their thousands. Weren'tthey also ?shameful acts?? Or are we to forget them?

Gill apparently does not understand hurts felt by Hindus. He does not bother ever to give us a gist of the long-drawn talks between concerned Hindus and Muslim organisations which had a stake in the Babri Masjid, and the role of ?secularists? in supporting Muslim intransigence. If only Muslim orthodox groups involved in the discussion had graciously conceded to Hindus their claim on the Babri site, the masjid could have been respectfully dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere. It would have been a win-win situation for both communities and the government besides. It was the secular Hindu who widened the Hindu-Muslim divide.

Gill frequently makes charges against Hindus and what he calls ?saffronisation? without providing any background as to why such a thing became inevitable. He is unhappy about the way Urdu has been marginalised. He probably does not know how Tipu Sultan imposed Persian on the Kannada-speaking people of Mysore and how a predominantly Telugu-speaking Hyderabad state had imposed Urdu on it by the Nizams. And when Urdu is taken over as an exclusive Muslim language, the consequences surely could have been foreseen. Again and again Gill blames the ?Sangh Parivar? for everything that has gone wrong in Hindu-Muslim relations. It would have been more to the point if Gill had studied the socio-cultural history of 800 years of Muslim rule in India to understand, if not to accept, the Hindu mindset. Gill'sexplanation to Muslim thinking is that ?in the context of Quranic precepts, Muslims are placed in an unenviable situation? and that ?according to strict orthodox prescription, they are enjoined either to wage jehad and convert the country to Islam, failing which they should migrate?. They refuse to migrate. Where can they go? Not to Pakistan where they are unwanted. Not to Bangladesh which is already overpopulated and is itself pushing its citizens into Indian territory.

Do Hindus have to meekly accept Quranic concepts and let jehadis take over India? Or permit large-scale conversion from Hinduism to Islam? If this is the role that Muslims are supposed to play in India why blame Hindu ?chauvinists? as Gill with such poor taste calls them? Gill wants to ?understand? Muslims. He shows little interest in understanding Hindus. Gill says that the message of ?holy war as a religious duty? has ?seeped much deeper into the Muslim consciousness, than the Quranic precepts of peace and amity?. Which should explain so many things like the creation of SIMI and the full support given by locals to Pakistani jehadists? terror campaign in Mumbai. Eclecticim and heterodoxy are integral to the Hindu ethos, but Gill states correctly that ?this sort of doctrinal repudiation of violence could not carry any credibility with Muslims? who ridiculed Mahatma Gandhi ?as a faddist and an insincere windbag?. Gill provides detailed information on the madrasas which have been multiplying in India, casting Muslim children ?in a mould designed several centuries ago?.

As Gill puts it, ?millions of Muslim children in India who attend madrasas are today growing up with hidebound, antiquarian attitudes which put them on the backfoot as far as competition in modern society is concerned?. Are Hindus to be blamed for that? Gill'sadvice is that ?instead of denigrating Islam and putting all Muslims on the defensive, non-Muslims must facilitate the task of modernists in Islam by paying this great religion the respect it merits?. Who says that Hindus have been denigrating Islam? It was always the other way around.

Gill says that several Islamic countries including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have launched projects to expunge hate lessons against other religions from school textbooks?. He is obviously unaware of a report submitted by the Sustainable Development Policy of Islamabad which condemned Pakistani textbooks for spouting venom against Hinduism. Gill (1927-2007), means well but he is far too often self-contradictory. Muslims in India are hardly a minority. Next to Indonesia, India has the second largest Muslim population in the world. The Muslims in India have to learn to live in peace with their Hindu compatriots and be sensitive to their hurt feelings also. Hindus may be in a majority but there never has been a ?Hindu rule? as in India. It is a rule of the people, for the people and never, as in Muslim countries rule of the Muslims, for the Muslims and by the Muslims.

(Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11, Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110 017)

ShareTweetSendShareSend
Previous News

Virat Sant Sammelan in Mumbai Religious leaders exhort society to fight terror unitedly Saints to take up national awareness campaign

Next News

Positive outlook is necessary for success?Bhaiyaji Joshi

Related News

Love Jihad row in CPM: Kerala HC dismisses habeas corpus, allows Christian woman to go with Muslim husband

Kerala High Court seeks state’s response On PIL challenging 50% reservation for Muslims in state-run Institute

Sri Lankan economic crisis brings opportunity for the Indian tea industry

Sri Lankan economic crisis brings opportunity for the Indian tea industry

Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds virtual talks with Cambodian counterpart, discusses bilateral cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds virtual talks with Cambodian counterpart, discusses bilateral cooperation

‘Yoga is India’s heritage’, says Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ahead of International Yoga Day

‘Yoga is India’s heritage’, says Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ahead of International Yoga Day

India moving towards becoming high-tech manufacturing economy: Piyush Goyal

Nearly 400 comprehensive GIS-based maps already prepared under PM GatiShakti National Master Plan: Piyush Goyal

Auto Draft

Independence will be established in true sense when we work keeping national interest paramount: Dr Sunil Ambekar

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

Love Jihad row in CPM: Kerala HC dismisses habeas corpus, allows Christian woman to go with Muslim husband

Kerala High Court seeks state’s response On PIL challenging 50% reservation for Muslims in state-run Institute

Sri Lankan economic crisis brings opportunity for the Indian tea industry

Sri Lankan economic crisis brings opportunity for the Indian tea industry

Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds virtual talks with Cambodian counterpart, discusses bilateral cooperation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds virtual talks with Cambodian counterpart, discusses bilateral cooperation

‘Yoga is India’s heritage’, says Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ahead of International Yoga Day

‘Yoga is India’s heritage’, says Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ahead of International Yoga Day

India moving towards becoming high-tech manufacturing economy: Piyush Goyal

Nearly 400 comprehensive GIS-based maps already prepared under PM GatiShakti National Master Plan: Piyush Goyal

Auto Draft

Independence will be established in true sense when we work keeping national interest paramount: Dr Sunil Ambekar

Gyanvapi issue will be discussed in VHP annual meeting in June: VHP President Alok Kumar

Gyanvapi issue will be discussed in VHP annual meeting in June: VHP President Alok Kumar

Energy Transition in India: An Analysis

Leverage technology to ensure accessible, affordable and quality education for all: Dharmendra Pradhan

MHA did not freeze bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity (MoC), SBI informed MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts

Act to unify three municipal corporations of Delhi into one entity will come into force from May 22

Failure to understand ‘actual’ Pak designs led to ineffective war against terror

Political distress in Pakistan, a boon for terrorists

  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • Special Report
  • Sci & Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Books
  • Interviews
  • Travel
  • Health
  • Obituary
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies