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

Islamic JihadMahmud (d. 1030) did the spade-work for founding an Islamic Sultanate in Punjab, where theGhaznivid dynasty ruled until 1186. In 1033, his not-so-illustrious son, Sultan Masud I, launched ‘an attackon the fort of Sursuti in Kashmir. The entire garrison was put to the sword, except the women and children,who were carried away as slaves.’ 697 In 1037, Sultan Masud, having fallen ill, made a vow ‘to prosecute holywar against Hansi,’ if he recovered. Having recovered, he attacked and captured Hansi. According to AbulFazl Baihaki, ‘The Brahmans and other higher men were slain, and their women and children were carriedaway captives.’ 698The rather weak Ghaznivid Sultan Ibrahim attacked the districts of Punjab in 1079. Fierce battlelasted for weeks and both sides suffered great slaughter. At length, his army gained victory and capturedmuch wealth and 100,000 slaves, whom he drove away to Ghazni, record Tarikh-i-Alfi and Tabakat-IAkbari. 699By Ghaurivid invaders: Sultan Muhammad Ghauri, an Afghan, launched the third wave of Islamic invasionof India in the late twelfth century establishing Muslim rule in Delhi (1206). In the attack of Benaras in 1194,‘The slaughter of the Hindus was immense; none were spared except women and children and the carnage ofthe men went on until the earth was weary,’ records Ibn Asir. 700 The "women and children" were normallyspared for enslaving. His illustrious general Qutbuddin Aibak attacked Raja Bhim of Gujarat in 1195capturing 20,000 slaves; 701 in his attack of Kalinjar in 1202, records Hasan Nizami, ‘Fifty thousand men cameunder the collar of slavery, and the plain became black as pitch with Hindus.’ 702 In 1206, Muhammad Ghaurimarched to exterminate the recalcitrant Khokhar rebels who had established their sway in regions of Multan.The slaughter of the rebels was so thorough that none survived to light a fire. ‘Much spoils in slaves andweapons, beyond all enumerations, fell into the possession of the victors,’ adds Nizami. 703 In summarizing thefeat of slave-taking of Sultan Ghauri and Aibak, says Fakhr-i-Mudabbir, ‘even poor (Muslim) householdersbecame owner of numerous slaves.’ 704 According to Ferishtah, ‘three to four hundred thousand Khokharswere converted to Islam’ by Muhammad Ghauri. 705 These conversions came mostly through enslavement.Having become the first sultan of India in 1206, Aibak conquered Hansi, Meerut, Delhi, Ranthamborand Kol. During his reign (1206–10), Aibak undertook many expeditions capturing much of the areas fromDelhi to Gujarat, from Lakhnauti to Lahore. Every victory yielded slaves, but their number is not recorded.The fact that Aibak generally captured slaves in his wars can be gauged from Ibn Asir’s assertion that hemade ‘war against the provinces of Hind… He killed many, and returned with prisoners and booty.’ 706Simultaneously, Bakhtiyar Khilji unleashed extensive conquest, involving massacre andenslavement, in Bengal and Bihar in Eastern India. The number of slaves captured by Bakhtiyar is notrecorded either. About Bakhtiyar, Ibn Asir said, bold and enterprising, he made incursions into Munghir and697. History of Punjab: Ghanznivide Dynasty,http://www.punjabonline.com/servlet/library.history?Action=Page&Param=13698. Elliot & Dawson, Vol. II, p. 135,139–40699. Ibid, Vol. V, p. 559–60; Lal (1994), p. 23700. Elliot & Dawson, Vol. II, p. 251701. Ferishtah, Vol. I, p. 111702. Elliot & Dawson, Vol. II, p. 232; also Lal (1994), p. 42703 Elliot & Dawson, Vol. II, p. 234–35704. Lal (1994), p. 44705. Ibid, p. 43706. Elliot & Dawson, Vol. II, p. 251211