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

Islamic Jihadrenewed, intensified violence became much more prominent, an example of which has been cited already. Inmassacre of the Hindus and Sikhs of Lahore in August 1947, the Baluch Regiment took a very prominentpart, while the District Magistrate of Jhang, Pir Mubarak Ali Shah, was seen firing from a rifle and leadingthe mob. 591On the Indian side of the Partition, authorities mostly tried to curtail the violence. On the disparity inresponses of authorities on the two sides of the border, notes Khosla, ‘while the Government of India and theEast Punjab Government mobilized all their resources to quell the disturbances, the West Punjab Governmentgave encouragement to the rowdy elements by many official and unofficial acts.’ 592 Nonetheless, some policeofficers, particularly in East Punjab (Ambala area for example)—undoubtedly instigated by what theirMuslim counterparts were committing on the Hindus and Sikhs on the other side of the border—showedindifference and connivance to the Sikh retaliation; some of them even participated in the murder and looting.Such incidents were, however, rather infrequent and a number of such culprit police officers were arrested.No such actions were taken against the culprit police and government officials in Pakistan.Ethnic cleansing of MuslimsAs noted already, on the India side of the Partition, ethic cleansing occurred mainly in East Punjab. The verylate Sikh retaliation against Muslims under utmost ongoing provocations cannot be judged properly withouttaking the historical context into account. Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, a contemporary of Mughalinvader Babur, witnessed latter’s mass slaughter of Hindus and destruction of their temples. Nanak, giving avivid account of Babur’s vandalism in Aimanabad in his Babur Vani, denounced the invader’s barbarism inno uncertain terms. He also described Muslim cruelties against the Hindus in the form of a complaint to God,as enshrined in the Granth Sahib, the Sikh Scripture:‘Having lifted Islam to the head, You have engulfed Hindustan in dread... Such cruelties havethey inflicted, and yet Your mercy remains unmoved... Should the strong attack the strong, theheart does not burn. But when the strong crush the helpless, surely the One who was to protectthem has to be called to account... O’ Lord, these dogs have destroyed this diamond-likeHindustan, (so great is their terror that) no one asks after those who have been killed and yet Youdo not pay heed....’ (Mahla 1:36).Islamic cruelties were later to fall upon the followers of Guru Nanak, too. Emperor Jahangir condemned SikhGuru Arjun Dev to torture-until-death on the accusation of supporting a revolt, led by Prince Khusrau, son ofJahangir. Later on, ordered by Aurangzeb, Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh was tortured in the cruelest mannerbefore being beheaded as he prayed, for complaining against forced conversion of the Kashmiri Hindus. In1705, Aurangzeb attacked Guru Gobind Singh (son of Guru Tegh Bahadur) and his followers, and besiegedthem in their fortress. Having given the promise of safe passage, Aurangzeb’s army treacherous fell uponGobind Singh’s followers when they came out, decimating them and their family, including Gobind Singh’s.Although the Guru survived on this occasion and was on the run, his death was eventually secured in 1707 byWazir Khan, Aurangzeb’s governor of Sirhind (in Punjab).In the context of these cruelties, in which the Sikh prophets were put to death by Muslim rulers oneafter another, the Sikh resentment against Muslims can hardly be underestimated. We must recall here theSikh assistance to the British during the Muslim-instigated Sepoy Mutiny. Then there were the MoplaRebellion and Muslims’ insistence on dividing India (to which Sikhs were opposed), followed by Muslimbrutalities starting in Calcutta affecting their Sikh coreligionists there, which spilled over the Sikhs in today’sPakistan and even in Amritsar in East Punjab. The Sikhs in East Punjab, it appears, had realized that it was591. Ibid, p. 122,179592. Ibid, p. 119183