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

Islamic Jihadorthodox Hindu—Shivaji’s even-handed, tolerant and just policy toward his heterogeneous mix of citizens,that included Muslims, was unthinkable in his days of Muslim-ruled India.However, Shivaji engaged in raiding and plundering of the territory of his sworn Muslim enemies.Based in a part of India, in which ‘rice cultivation was impossible and wheat and barley grow in very smallquantities,’ Shivaji had little choice. He told the Surat governor of Aurangzeb in this regard that ‘YourEmperor has forced me to keep an army for the defence of my people and country. That army must be paid forby his subjects.’ 517 This justification will probably not stand for all of his raids. He was ambitious ofestablishing a native Hindu kingdom opposed to the persecuting, discriminatory foreign Muslim rulers; hisraids were definitely aimed at achieving this goal, too. Nonetheless, whatever defects he had in his actions, hewas no match for the plundering activities of his Muslim counterparts and the persecution, discrimination andhumiliation the latter meted out to their non-Muslim subjects.These examples, which come mainly from the writings of Muslim historians, clearly testify to thehumane, chivalrous, tolerant and free nature of the Indian society, conspicuously different from what theMuslim invaders and rulers had brought in their trail. Many Muslim historians and non-Muslim observers inthe late period of Muslim rule also affirmed this. In praise of Indians, Abul Fazl, the minister of EmperorAkbar, wrote: ‘‘The inhabitants of this land are religious, affectionate, hospitable, genial, and frank. They arefond of scientific pursuits, inclined to austerity of life, seekers after justice, contended, industrious, capable inaffairs, loyal, truthful and constant…’’ In the Vijaynagar kingdom, noted Duarte Barbosa, ‘‘every man maycome and go, and live according to his creed without suffering any annoyance, and without enquiringwhether he is a Christian, Jew, Moor (Muslim) or Heathen. Great equity and justice is observed by all.’’Mulla Badaoni, a relatively bigoted chronicler of Akbar’s court, failed to deny the freedom and tolerance thatexisted in Indian society as he wrote: ‘‘Hindustan is a nice place where everything is allowed, and no onecares for another (i.e., not interferes in others’ affairs) and people may go as they may.’’ 518Coming to such a land of humanity, freedom and tolerance, the Muslim invaders committed utmostslaughter and cruelty; they killed tens of millions and enslaved a greater number. They destroyed temples inthe thousands and looted and plundered India’s wealth in measures beyond imagination as recorded bycontemporary Muslim historians with gloating joy. Kanhadde Prabandha, an Indian chronicler, leaves aneyewitness account of the activities of Islamic invaders (1456) as thus: ‘‘The conquering army burnt villages,devastated the land, plundered people’s wealth, took Brahmins and children and women of all classescaptive, flogged with thongs of raw hide, carried a moving prison (of captives) with it, and converted theprisoners into obsequious Turks.’’ 519 Such barbarism Muslim invaders committed with the purpose ofcarrying out their religious duty. The orthodox Ulema as well as the Sufi divines often condemned theMuslim rulers for their failure to put a complete end to the filth of idolatry and unbelief in India. For example,Qazi Mughisuddin reminded Sultan Alauddin that ‘Hindus were deadliest foes of the true Prophet,’ who mustbe annihilated or subjected to worst degradation. 520The ruthless and relentless savagery and massacre of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains, committedby Muslim invaders and rulers in India, will surpass the massacre of South American heathens by the Spanishand Portuguese invaders. Of the estimated ninety million natives in the continental Latin America in 1492,only twelve million survived after a century. 521 The overwhelming majority of these deaths resulted fromEuropean and African diseases—namely the "childhood diseases" like measles, diphtheria and whoopingcough as well as smallpox, falciparum malaria and yellow fever—involuntarily brought by the colonists. Thenative people lacked acquired immunity to these foreign diseases, which caused huge numbers of death.517. Ibid, p. 2,290518. Lal (1994), p. 29519. Goel SR (1996) Story of Islamic Imperialism in India, South Asia Books, Columbia (MO), p. 41–42520. Lal (1999), p. 113521. Elst, p. 8163