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

Islamic Imperialism in IndiaSultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (1320–25) had applied a taxation policy that left the Hindu peasants tobare subsistence. His successor Muhammad Tughlaq (1325–51) increased the tribute by another 5–10 percent.This reduced the farmers to desperate poverty and they ‘threw off their allegiance and betook themselves inthe jungles,’ causing failure of cultivation and reduced grain production; a situation of general famines and‘thousands upon thousands of people perished of want (of food),’ records Barani. 623 When he sent a force toexterminate the rebels of the mountain of Kara-jal, the rebels cut off the passage of their retreat and the‘whole force was thus destroyed at one stroke, and out of all these chosen body of men, only ten horsemencould return to Delhi.’ 624 The country of Doab near Delhi, when reduced to ruin through "heavy taxation" andbrutal campaigns, desperate Hindus formed bands and took refuge in the jungles, leaving the country in ruins.The sultan hunted them down from their jungle hide-outs: ‘the whole of that country was plundered and laidwaste and the heads of the Hindus were brought in and hung upon the ramparts of the fort of Baran,’ recountsBarani. 625 According to British indigo merchant William Finch who came to India in 1611, Emperor Jahangir(d. 1628) used to go on hunting with thousands of his favorite soldiers every year, which lasted for months.He order to encircle a large tract of jungle or desert and ‘whatever is taken in this enclosure is called theKing’s sykar or game, whether man! Or beast and whatever let aught escape loses his life, unless pardonedby the king. All the beasts thus taken, if man’s meat, are sold, and the money given to the poor.’ 626 Obviously,a large number of these miserable jungle dwellers got killed in Jahangir hunting game. Still, another 200,000were caught in 1619–20 and he sent them to Iran for selling. 627Even in the reign of tolerant and kind-hearted Akbar, large numbers of Hindus had been living injungles. According to Akbar Nama, in the twenty-seventh year of his reign, he ordered his officers that ‘if theoccupants of the hill forts, trusting in the security of their fastness, should engage in freebooting,’ they shouldbe admonished, chastised and, if necessary, ‘their country was to be laid waste.’ 628This clearly shows that large numbers of non-Muslims—hundreds of thousands, probably millions—took shelter in jungles away from the normal social life. These jungle dwellers of all classes and creeds livedand waged revolts together and survived on whatever came their way: wild fruits, leaves, grains and animals.Together, they became the new untouchables: there was no going back to the society; they won’t be acceptedeither. One major reason for their rejection could have been their eating meats of wild animals in desperatehunger. Once consumed meat, there is no place for them back in the society, particularly in the upper castes.The lower caste, therefore, naturally swelled further under the Muslim rule.In sum, Muslims probably took away a chunk of Indian outcastes out of Hindu fold, and sociallykept them where they previously had been, but in a different community. At the same time, Muslim ruleworsened the institution by making it more rigid as well as by pushing a large number of Hindus down thesocial ladder.Islam created the practice of JauharJauhar was a custom amongst Hindu women of committing suicide by jumping into fire in order to avoidcapture for enslavement and sexual violation by the Muslim invaders and raiders. This practice was unknownin pre-Islamic India. Since Muslim armies started attacking the borders of India in 634; they, if successful,plundered the wealth and drove away women and children as slaves. The Islamic marauders had launched623 Ibid, p. 238624. Ibid, p. 241–42625. Ibid, p. 242626. Ibid, Vol. VI, p. 516627. Levi, p. 283–84628. Elliot & Downson, Vol. VI, p. 64190