islamic-jihad-legacy-of-forced-conversion-imperialism-slavery

Islamic JihadSavages at a very low level of civilization and no culture worth the name, from Arabia and WestAsia, began entering India from the early century onwards. Islamic invaders demolishedcountless Hindu temples, shattered uncountable sculpture and idols, plundered innumerablepalaces and forts of Hindu kings, killed vast numbers of Hindu men and carried off Hinduwomen. This story, the educated—and a lot of even the illiterate Indians—know very well.History books tell it in remarkable detail. But many Indians do not seem to recognize that thealien Muslim marauders destroyed the historical evolution of the earth’s most mentally advancedcivilization, the most richly imaginative culture, and the most vigorously creative society. 402Islam egalitarian or racist?Concerning social egalitarianism and equity, much credit has been attributed to Islam without making athorough study or understanding of the creed. The assertion of Hashmi and Reid regarding Islam’segalitarianism is noted already. Nehru says that Islam brought a ‘flavour of democracy and equality,’ whichappealed to the masses of Arabia and neighbouring nations. 403 Regarding Islam’s egalitarian nature, BernardLewis, a respected Islamic historian, argues: 404There is much truth in this assertion… the Islamic dispensation does indeed bring a message ofequality. Not only does Islam not endorse such systems of social differentiation (racism, castesystem etc.), it explicitly and resolutely rejects them. The actions and utterances of the Prophet,the honoured precedents of the early rulers of Islam as preserved by tradition, are overwhelminglyagainst privilege by decent, by birth, by status, by wealth, or even by piety and merit in Islam.Lewis adds that any deviation from these basic principles was non-Islamic, indeed, anti-Islamic innovation.He is, however, quick to assert the degraded status of slaves, unbelievers and women in Islam, sanctioned byits holy writ, remained unquestioned throughout the history of Islam. 405It is, however, uneducated to assert that Islam brought equality amongst all peoples, irrespective ofrace, color or nationality: Arabs or non-Arabs, Blacks or Whites. Islam in its divine writ of the Quran is aracist and Arab supremacist religion. Allah glorifies Arabs as the best of peoples, His chosen race, whom Hewill help in establishing their supremacy and domination over all peoples of the earth. This is somewhat likethe Israelites, who are G-d’s chosen people, but the expanse of their domination is to remain confined to Israelalone. The Arabs of Hejaz, asserts the Islamic God, are the best of nations (peoples, races) in the world: ‘Yeare the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believingin Allah…’ [Quran 3:110]. According to Muhammad’s early biographer Ibn Sa’d, the Prophet also claimedthe same in saying:‘God divided the earth in two halves and placed (me) in the better of the two, then He dividedthe half in three parts, and I was in the best of them, then He chose the Arabs from among thepeople, then He chose the Quraysh from among the Arabs, then He chose the children of ‘Abdal–Muttalib from among the Banu Hashim, then he chose me from among the children of ‘Abdal–Muttalib.’ 406In fact, Allah had wished Islam to be a religion solely for the Arabs, to whom no revelation had been sentbefore: ‘Or do they say, ‘He (Muhammad) has forged it?’ Nay, it is the Truth from thy Lord, that thou mayestadmonish a people (Arabs) to whom no warner has come before thee: in order that they may receiveguidance’ [Quran 32:3]. Allah chose Muhammad’s Quraysh tribe as the best race to lead the world under the402. Salim R, What the invaders really did, Hindustan Times; 28 December1997403. Nehru (1989), p. 145404. Lewis (2002), p. 91405. Ibid, p. 91–92406. Ibn Sa’d AAM (1972) Kitab al-Tabaqat, Trans. S. Moinul Haq, Kitab Bhavan, New Delhi, Vol. I., p. 2135