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

Islamic JihadThe paiks performed all kinds of sundry jobs, such as looking after the horses and elephants; they wereengaged in personal services of the higher-ranked cavalrymen. Muslim sultans and emperors in India kept ahuge army; and in the reign of Akbar, ‘A Mogul army in the field had on the average two or three servants foreach fighting man,’ notes Moreland. 814 Naturally, numerous slaves were engaged in the army in differentcapacities during later periods. When on a military campaign, the paiks cleared jungles and prepared roads forthe marching army. When halted or arrived at the destination, they set up camps and fixed tents—sometimeson lands, as much as 12,546 yards in circumference, records Amir Khasrau. 815In the battle-field, the paiks were stationed at the frontline on foot to absorb the initial assaults. Theycould not escape from the frontal onslaught, because, ‘horses were on their left and right… and behind(them), were the elephants so that not one of them can run away,’ writes Alqalqashindi in Subh-ul-Asha.Portuguese official Duarte Barbosa (1518) records in his eyewitness account, ‘‘(paiks) carry swords anddaggers, bows and arrows. They are right good archers and their bows are long like those of England… Theyare mostly Hindus.’’ Some Indian-origin slave soldiers (converted Muslims)—such as Malik Kafur, MalikNaik, Sarang Khan, Bahadur Nahar, Shaikha Khokhar, and Mallu Khans et al.—also rose to positions ofpower through their military valor and loyalty to the sultans. 816In general, Indian slaves in the army did all kinds of sundry jobs, including acting as servants tosoldiers, caretakers of the stable of horses and elephants, in clearing jungles and setting up tents and camps. Inbattle-fields, they stood in the frontline on foot with daggers and swords, bows and arrows and bore the bruntof enemy attacks.A similar trend existed in the employment of native soldiers elsewhere. When the Egyptian Copticconverts to Islam had to be drafted into the army after the initial resistance, ‘they were enrolled in the footsoldierbrigades, which meant that, in case of the army’s victory, they were entitled to receive only half thehorsemen’s share of the war spoils.’ 817 The European captives turned Muslims in Morocco, the most hatedones among the slaves, were employed in the army to do difficult battles against deadly rebels. They had tolead the first wave of attack against the enemy; and they had no way to escape but take the enemy assaults ontheir bodies. In the battle, if they tried to betray or give way, they were cut up in pieces. 818Employment in royal factories: Another major enterprise for employing slaves in large numbers wasthe royal karkhana (factory/workhouse), which existed throughout the Sultanate and Mughal periods in India.These workhouses used to produce and manufacture goods of every conceivable royal usage: articles of gold,silver, brass and other metals, textiles, perfumes, armors, weapons, leather goods and clothes, saddles forhorses and camels, and covers for elephants. 819 Thousands of slaves trained as artisans and craftsmen workedin running these factories, watched by senior Amirs or Khans. Firoz Shah Tughlaq had 12,000 slaves workingin his karkhanas. They produced articles of excellent quality for every need of the sultans and emperors, andtheir generals, soldiers and nobles—including weapons for warfare, and gifts for sending to overseas kingsand overlords. Commodore Steward and his entourage, visiting Sultan Moulay Ismail’s workhouses inMorocco, found them ‘‘full of men and boys at work… making saddles, stocks for guns, scabbards forcymiters [sic] and other things.’’ 820814. Moreland, p. 88815. Lal (1994), p. 89–93816. Ibid817. Tagher, p. 18818. Milton, p. 135–36819. Lal (1994), p. 96–99820. Milton, p. 186233