Why no compromise on Hindu-Muslim conflits???? -- MALAYALEES

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Date Posted: 07:40:39 01/06/03 Mon
Author: Mathew
Subject: :~( Why no compromise on Hindu-Muslim conflits????

Part 1

Hindus and Muslims have co-existed now on Indian soil for more than 1000 years. Most of Indian muslims were offsprings of mixed Hindu and Muslim parentage or descentants of Hindu converts to one or another of Islam's heterodox sect. Why all the religius violence then? How truly basic is the antipathy between Islam and Hinduism? Was Pakistan envitable? Has Pakistan's birth resolved the problem? What used to be internal problem before 1947 transformed into a more deadly and bitter international struggle for power eversince. Now both countries have nuclear bombs to destroy each other. Let's analyse the how this conflits first started.

Muslim armies assulted Indian soil for thousand years, during which 500 of which muslim emperors has so powerful, persistant challenge been launched against India. In many ways, Islamic impact was great on India, than Aryan rule ever was.

The Arab conquest of Sind came from sea. Sind remained an isolated outpost of muslims outside South Asia for many years. In AD 997 Mahmud of Ghazni, "Sword of Islam" conquered India because Hindu icons offended his sensibilities as well as their gold and jewels aroused his greed.

That was followed by Ghors of Afghanistan. His bloody "jihads" against Hindus in India left an equally bitter legacy of communal hatred in the heart of many. These fierce muslim assaults upon "infedal" Indians confirmed Hindus in their view of muslim "foreigners" as polluting "untouchables" although far more predatory. This hatred gulf of mistrust turned into partition of Mother India.

After 1206 Muslim Sultans of Persio-Afgan-Turkish descent ruled India for three and a quarter centuries. Once Muslim rulers settled permantently on Indian soil, they encouraged doctrinal accommodation towards Hindu subjects. Like Christians and Jews, Hindus were permitted to retain their own faith at the price of paying a special head tax for "People of the Book". Then Muslims raised Hindus to a status above "infidal". There were only two choices for Hindus. Either to a second class citizen in their country after paying a tax or foced conversion or death.

Over the years, cultural accommodation and synthesis, linguistic, artistic, genetic, rubbed off many sharp edges between hindus and muslims. Before partition, one fourth of India's population were muslims. After centuries of residence in India, Islam acquired some of the features of Hindu "castism". Sheiks and Sayyids, Afghans and Muslims, of Persia or Turkish ancestry preferring mates from their own communities. Islamic iconoclastic fervour was also tempered by time. In the beginning muslims broke nose, arms or features of any statue they found in India.

When Akber ruled India from 1556 - 1605 some orthodox mullahs considered Akber as a traitor of Islam, raised battle cries of "jihad" against him. The Emperor's elephant crops stamped out such rebellions with ease. Several of Akber's advisors were hindus. The head of his imperial finance department had been a born Brahmin. His military commander was a Rajput.

His only dream was uniting Hindus and Muslims with a single polity. The fatal weaknes of later Mughal monarchs were not their spendthrift waste, but their narrow-minded islamic orthodoxy.

Are we learning any lesson from the history. We need Akber like leaders, who can only keep Mother India safe, not orthodoxis.

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