Muslim merchants have been living in India for years before the conquest of the Islamic empire. Even before the establishment of an Islamic dynasty in Delhi. Certainly, before the concept of constitutional governance and the concept of secularism took birth in Europe. The clarification of the above state is necessary because of the acts of some of the self-appointed Muslim rights activists and leaders.
Muslims have lived and thrived in this land even before the “protection” of the Constitution. There are accounts where of Muslims living peacefully under Vijayanagara Empire rule, Marathas and many other Hindu dynasties in their pursuit of the ideal Hindu Rashtra.
Relating the current Muslims in India with the historical invaders of the country has been a major blunder since the Independence. Somehow the Muslim’s legitimacy to stay in the country is related to the invaders and barbarians of the past is a major misconception still prevalent in our society. Any insult or comment is quickly equated with the general population by the various interest groups. The Muslims of today in India have to empathise as many of the predecessors of them forcefully converted by brutal means.
The recent saga about Aurangzeb is also been a continuation of the same. It is quite amusing and sad at the same time to see many experts and reputed scholars stretch their imaginations and logic in defending the tyrant. Any comment on the tyrant or his predecessors somehow ignites some twisted sense of justice, who leave no stone unturned in setting the record straight as per their belief.
First of all, many have problems considering the Mughals and the history of the Islamic conquest as colonization. The main point put forth is that they didn’t drain the wealth of India as later English colonizers did. That argument shows a very superficial understanding of history and economics. The Muslim conquerors, although didn’t drain the wealth directly, the wealth was concentrated with the small number of aristocrats. Many of them were not even from India but were brought from the Islamic regions of the world to help the ruler to rule. It is also a fact that a huge amount of wealth and resources was diverted to help many kingdoms in the Middle East.
The policies also indicate a similar trend. The policy of Jizya is a tax exclusively imposed on the people of other faiths just to peacefully continue practising their religion. This shows the mindset of the Islamic invaders towards other religions. Failing to pay the tax would obviously lead to forceful conversion or death. This is beautifully defended by many secular scholars in India that the rulers had no choice but to impose Jizya in order to improve the wealth of the kingdom. An in-depth analysis of history shows that the general tax, which never exceeded one-sixth of the income, skyrocketed during Islamic rule. This resulted in the complete elimination of the middle class and wealth gap at its peak. Has been recorded by many travellers, that the kingdom comprising of either poor commoners or rich aristocrats and clerics.
Many say as the birth of many of the later Islamic rulers was in India, they had their allegiance to India. This is purely a myth and a figment of imagination in the minds of scholars who had the agenda to whitewash history. There are many accounts of rulers escaping to Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia, taking refuge at the first sign of trouble to them. This is evident in the life of Humayun, a prominent Mughal ruler, sultan of Bengal and many others.
There are many Muslims who take pride in the fact that many monuments around Delhi are built by the invaders. The common Muslims have to stop taking pride based on these structures and thereby relating themselves to the tyrants. This has a vicious implication of taking on the burden of their atrocities. The destruction of beautiful structures of the Vijayanagara Empire, the destruction of Somnath mandir and other countless structures with historical and religious significance.
The unfair burden is imposed on the shoulders of common Muslims to defend and stand by these tyrants and their atrocities by the left-leaning intellectuals or political parties with vested interests. It has been a strategy of Congress and many Opposition parties, particularly AIMIM which thrives on the innocent minds of the Muslims for their vote bank politics. The celebration of Tipu Jayanti in Karnataka, where thousands of Iyers were massacred is an apt representation of this.
Sadly, this mindset is derived from the professed ideological father of the Congress Party, MK Gandhi. Dr. Ambedkar in his writings was critical of Gandhi in his thoughts and teachings and warned the future if it traversed in that path. Dr B. R. Ambedkar had warned against this form of secularism that was professed by the Congress.
The common Muslims should be made to look away from tyrants and bigots Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan for ideals. The history of India has countless heroes with great personalities and sacrifices to derive inspiration from. There must be no barrier for contemporary Muslims to look up to Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj or Krishnadevaraya as their ideal. Even if they need figures from their community there are many great personalities like APJ Abdul Kalam or Shishunala Shariffa or Sir Mirza Ismail who in their lifetime have done works which is remembered even today.
