Many have questioned the spread of Islam in India “by sword”. Here is an article which gives an idea how Islam was spread in India.
Seeing God through another’s eyes
By Aijazz Ahmed
ISLAMABAD - The crux of the message that Pakistani religious leaders are giving to the hardline clerics and their followers is that the Jews and Christians are aiming to eliminate the Pakistani and Muslim world to turn their old dream of Zionism into reality.
“The Jewish lobby and George W Bush intend to eliminate Islam and Muslims as part of their campaign for the supremacy and dominance of their religion,” said Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief clerical supporter of the Taliban in Pakistan. “The American president and his companions want revenge for the defeat of Christian forces in the crusades of medieval ages,” he adds. It is a war of dominance and power, either in Iraq or in Afghanistan.
Fazlur Rehman was very clear and categorical in his message and tone, which parallels that of his colleagues in the six-party religious alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).
And, indeed, the situation between Islam and other religions is not ideal, comments Dr Mehmood Ghazi, former religious minister in the cabinet of President General Pervez Musharraf and an Islamic scholar. Islam is a religion of peace and love that advocates humanity and non-violence, he maintains. But injustice against Muslims and their strong reaction to the violations of rights spreads misunderstandings and mistrust among religions.
“In fact, no-one can be a Muslim unless he accepts other religions as religions of God, and believes that other prophets are right and just,” Ghazi says. Islam accepts Jesus as the prophet of God, but not the son he adds. “Our belief does not allow us to reject other prophets, but Islam does not allow polytheism,” he maintains. “Jesus Christ cannot be the son of God, as that would be polytheism in our religion - but he is a just prophet, and without this belief we may not be Muslim. But this a minor difference between our religions.”
Fazlur Rehman, on the other hand, does not buy this argument. “Polytheism is a major difference among us. God does not allow anyone to be shared with him, and Christians believe in Jesus as the son of God. Do you think that it is minor difference? This may change the whole chemistry of the issue,” he says.
A history of difference
In fact, the differences between Islam and other religions have deep links in history. In the context of the Indian subcontinent, the religious conflict crossed the limits of enmity due to the cruel and bestial attitude of violent Muslim rulers and so-called religious notables toward the local Hindu majority during the Indian monarchy for more than 800 years. History says that from the time of Qutabuddin Aibak, the first formal Muslim ruler in the 13th century, to that of Aurengzeb Alamgir in the early 18th century, all Muslim kings and monarchs killed Hindus to strengthen their rule.
But unfortunately, that was done in the name of Islam, on the advice of courtier mullahs. They propagated the belief that killing of Hindus pleased Allah and earned His blessing. In fact that tactic was in fashion in that time to scare subjects without any prejudice, but unfortunately local Hindus remained major targets, says Dr Mubarak Ali, a well-known Indian historian. “You can imagine the situation and hate against Islam from the acts of the influential mullahs and rulers of that time,” he says.
Shah Walli Ullah, the renowned Muslim scholar of 18th century India, called on Hindus “either to embrace Islam or sink in the Indian Ocean . Hindus are of [a] black creed; they will have to embrace Islam or [they] will have to die in Indian Ocean.”
Mughal emperors also provided harsh and rather insulting treatment to the founders of the Sikh religion for more than 100 years, despite the fact that both Muslims and Sikhs quarreled with each other over the issue of the funeral of Guru Nanak (founder of the Sikh religion). Both were claiming him for their religion to bury him according to their faith after his death. Mughal rulers until Aurengzeb forced Sikhs virtually to live a bestial life in the jungle for more than 100 years, and Sikhs retaliated against Muslims and Islam at the time of partition and migration in 1947. Hundreds of thousands of Muslim families lost their kin and belongings only because of the sins committed by Muslim rulers during the 18th and 19th century.
Since the medieval ages, Muslims were fighting in Europe: they conquered Spain, Italy and a bunch of states in central Europe at gunpoint. No direct evidence of communal genocide against the subjects at the hands of Muslim rulers or scholars is available in Pakistan, but plenty of stories tell us how the Muslim rulers and notables indulged in intrigues and conspiracies to fulfill the intricacies of governance. Despite being a Muslim, the rulers and monarchs opted to kill even their blood brothers to quell threats against their rule. Millions of subjects and siblings were made slaves. These inhuman attitudes and steps proved unwise for not only Muslim societies, but also for the good name of the religion of Islam, which earned a name as a religion that advocates and triggers violence and terrorism.
A tradition of monarchy
Yes, Muslim rulers committed cruelties against poor local subjects - but that was only the tradition of monarchy at that time, comments Qazi Javed, another historian. But the blame should properly be shared by influential Hindus, who were with the kings and who instigated and advised them to crush their Hindu subjects from the lower castes.
Not only the Muslim courtier mullahs, but Hindu priests were also with the kings, says Qazi Javed, so it would be unfair to blame Muslims or Islam for all those crimes. Islam has nothing to do with it. “I am a liberal and not a religious person, but I believe no religion can order such a type of crime,” he maintains. “These crimes were not of Muslims, but of Muslim rulers, and that is a big difference.”
Qazi Hussain Ahmed, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (the largest and most disciplined religious movement in the Islamic world), buys the argument of Qazi Javed. With a certain fury, he says, “What Muslim rulers were committing was also committed by the non-Muslim rulers. Does it mean that Christianity or any other religion was responsible for that? Certainly not. Still, Muslims are subjected to elimination and genocide. What is going on in Israel, Kashmir and other parts of the world? You forget the genocide and cleansing of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the hands of Serbs. [Israeli premier Ariel] Sharon is killing Palestinians, they even have torn down their houses. What is going on in Kashmir? Indian forces under a Hindu fanatical political party brutally kill and humiliate the Muslim majority even in today’s modern world. More than 90,000 Muslim Kashmiri have been killed by Indian forces. Hundreds of Muslim girls and women have been raped by Indian forces, and these are not mere claims - the Indian media have reported all these cases. What happened in Gujarat is no more a secret. Even the report of the Indian Human Rights Commission and other agencies suggests it was genocide of Muslims. Everything is being done in a very systematic way.”
Indeed, he says, it is yet another clash of civilizations rather than religions. “The West with connivance of the Jews wants to eliminate Muslims and Islam. The Koran also points out the intrigues and conspiracies of the Jews and advises Muslim to be careful of them. Either Hindus or Christians, they want a religious monopoly, and that is the reason for targeting Muslims.”
Fazlur Rehman differs with Ahmed on his suggestion that the present crisis is a clash of civilizations, but he feels that if the situation continues, it could be turned into one. Indeed, George W Bush and company have been trapped by the Jews: They want to eliminate Islam as they feel threatened by the sentiments of jihad that God bestowed to the Muslims. Islam is an everlasting and universal religion, and will be the ultimate religion before the Day of Judgment, he opined.
The treatment of the Islamic world by Americans is pathetic and cruel. From Palestine to Kashmir, and everywhere else on the globe, major movements and rebel groups whom the United States terms terrorists are Muslims, continues Rehman. But, in reality, they are running freedom movements. From Moro Muslim rebels in the Philippines to groups in Palestine, Chechnya or Kashmir, all are Muslims - and they are called terrorists. But instead they are fighting for their freedom and justice.
