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

Islamic Jihadday by day from every quarter, and, adopting the faith, were exonerated from the jizyah, andwere favored with presents and honor. 210Therefore, regarding conversion to Islam and the growth of the Muslim population in lands conquered byMuslim invaders, the first wave of converts came through enslavement at the point of the sword. Thereafter,their offspring continued swelling the rank of Muslims. Invaders like Sultan Mahmud, after conquering a city,converted the population to Islam at the pain of death, which contributed substantially to the Muslimpopulace. In some cases, the inhabitants, under attacks by the brutal and invincible Muslim army, submittedwithout giving a fight fearing sheer death and destruction and involuntarily converted to Islam, addingthemselves to the Muslim population. The next prominent, likely the largest, contribution came from thecoercive compulsion of the infidel subjects to convert for relieving themselves from the humiliating jizyah,crushing kharaj and other discriminatory taxes.Conversion under brutal AurangzebMuslim rulers added many other kinds of illegitimate inducement and compulsion to convert the infidels toIslam. Ibn Askari writes in his Al-Tarikh that Emperor Aurangzeb offered privileges such as administrativeposts in the empire, freedom of the criminals from prison, settlements of disputes in favor, and honor ofimperial parade among other inducements for conversion. 211 As a result, many notorious criminals must havejoined the Islamic creed. This trend is quite active even today; hardened criminals are converting to Islam inprisons, especially in Western countries.The present demography of the Muslim population of Northern India was shaped largely during thereign of brutal Aurangzeb because of the large-scale conversion by force and other coercive compulsions. TheGazette of North West Provinces (NWP), which included modern-day state of Uttar Pradesh and Delhiterritories, states: ‘‘Most Muslim cultivators assign the date of their conversion to the reign of Aurangzeb andrepresent it as the result of sometimes persecution and sometimes as made to enable them to retain theirrights when unable to pay revenue.’’ (This trend must have had extended across the provinces duringAurangzeb). European courtier Niccolao Manucci, who lived in India during the reign of Aurangzeb, alsoaffirms this in saying, ‘‘Many Hindus unable to pay (taxes) turned Muhammadan to obtain relief from theinsults of the collectors’’; and Aurangzeb used to take delight in it. Thomas Roll, the president of the Englishfactory in Surat wrote that jizyah was exacted by Aurangzeb for the duel purpose of enriching the treasury andfor ‘‘forcing the poorer sections of the population to become Muslims.’’ 212On 15 December 1666, Aurangzeb decreed an order for expelling the Hindus from duties in theRoyal court and provinces, and to replace them by Muslims. 213 This further pressurized the Hindus to convertto Islam in order to save their livelihood. He pressurized Hindu zamindars (landlords) to become Muslim orlose their job or even face death. Devi Chand, the zamindar of Manoharpur, was dispossessed from hisposition and thrown into prison. Aurangzeb sent his Kotwal (executioner) instructing him that if Devi Chandbecomes Musalman, spare him; if he refused, kill him. Devi Chand agreed to embrace Islam, if he would berestored to zamindari. He became a Muslim, his life was spared and the zamindari restored. 214 Ratan Singh,210. Elliot & Dawson, Vol. III, p. 386211. Roy Choudhury ML (1951) The State and Religion in Mughal India, Indian Publicity Society, Calcutta, p. 227212. Sharma, p. 219213. Exhibit No. 34, Bikaner Museum Archives, Rajasthan, India; Available at: http://according-to-mughalrecords.blogspot.com/214. Exhibit No. 41, Bikaner Museum Archives.81