Daily Times

Arab traders brought Islam to the west coast of India and according to Khushwant Singh at that time Hindus gave their daughters in marriage to Arabs. The first one to enter sub-continent was when Muhammad Bin Qasim entered Sind in AD 712. In AD 1000 Mahmood Ghaznavi came upto Delhi and beyond in series of seventeen attacks and was the one who paved the way for Islam. He was followed by Muhammad Ghori who entered India in 1193 and setup his dynasty and he is considered the real founder of Islamic empire in sub-continent. Slaves of Ghori consolidated their gains and established dynasty of slave sultan and Qutubdin was the first ruler. Slave sultans were followed by the Khiljis dynasty and they conquered entire south India and were followed by Taghluks. Many Muslims religious saints came to India and spread Islam through peace and love. Majority of India Muslims are converts from Hinduism. Many Rajputs and Jats in Punjab and Bengal became Muslims. Taimur (Tamer lane) appeared in 1379 and after his invasion, India was divided into two parts, north under Muslims and south under Hindus. Mughals ruled India for 200 years as the foundation was laid by Babur and Akbar-e-Azam was the greatest mughal ruler as his dominion extended from Afghanistan to Bengal and Kashmir down to Daccan. Muslim rulers like Akbar promoted inter religion interaction and even the most demonized Aurangzeb’s top ministers/officials were Hindus. Nadir Shah of Iran appeared in India in 1739 followed by Abdalis, and then series of attack by Suris defeating Marathas. The Portuguese were first to acquire Goa in 1510. In 1600 the East India Company was granted trading rights and with the passage of time Britishers forced Dutch, Danes, French and Portuguese to leave India due to commercial and military superiority. The demand for a separate homeland for Muslims of sub-continent was justified because the way the Muslims were treated in sub-continent. Today in India Muslims are 14 percent of total population and third largest population after Indonesia and Pakistan. In today’s India the sense of marginalization has been steadily increased with the rise of fundamental Hindu ideologies and organizations in 80s.Hate crimes against minorities have spiked in India since Modi came to power in 2014. Hundred of Muslims men have been attacked and lynched by Hindu mobs on suspicion of slaughtering cow which is holy for Hindus. RSS and other organizations have started concerted campaigns against all religions minorities including Muslims. This include protest against so called “Love Jehad”, Muslim men allegedly converting Hindu women to Islam by trapping them in love affairs and “Ghar Wapsi” (home coming) which converts Muslims and Christians back to Hinduism. Another radical Hindu organization is Bajrang Dal founded in 1984 was part of a movement to destroy the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya built by emperor Babar in 1992. According to Paul Richard Brass, a professor of political science and international relations at university of Washington, call the Bajrang Dal “a some what pathetic but nevertheless dangerous version of the Nazi SA (storm detachment) or the Brown Shirts, the Nazi party’s first para military organization”. Double standard of Modi is evident from the facts that during election campaign he promised to confer “Bharat Ratan” on Savarkar, the founder of Hindu Mahasaba who was arrested for his involvement in the murder of Mahatama Ghandhi. On the other hand in a article he praised the philosophy of Ghandhi.Hundreds of Muslims have been killed by Hindu groups over the allegations that they slaughtered cows and had eaten beef. Beef is illegal across India because cows are sacred to Hindus. The BJP is turning a blind eye to the rising numbers of Hindu vigilant attacks on Muslims farmers, Livestock traders and farmers trespassing cows. The double standard of India can be seen from a CNN report which says India is the world’s top beef exporter according to the US department of agriculture and a country where cows are sacred is exporting a record amount of beef. Under Modi’s government India is world’s biggest beef exporter after Brazil. It has also been reported by media beef exporter across India gave substantial donations to BJP/RSS prior to elections. According to former Justice Markandey Katju of Indian Supreme Court “I eat beef and I do not consider cow as mother as it is an animal like horse and dog”. According Daily Hunt Justice Katju said “Cow is an animal like horse and dog those who worship cow are idiots”. The 2018 annual report an international religious freedom released by Pampeo said “Hindu groups had used violence, Intimidation and harassment” against Muslims and low caste Dalits in 2017. The UN Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet has warned that they are receiving increasing reports of harassment and targeting Muslims. He further said minorities mainly Muslims and Dalits are being targeted under Modi’s government. US state department recently said religious intolerance and violence has increased against minorities in India under the government of BJP. The US annual report on international religious freedom that said religious intolerance has increased in India and extremist narrative has facilitated ongoing campaign of violence, intimidation and harassment against non-Hindus and lower caste Hindu minorities. The most violent events took place in recent time during the Gujrat riots in 2002. The then chief minister Modi turned a blind eye to the violence and facilitated mobs to kill Muslims across the state. Modi was accused of complicity in anti Muslim violence that left thousand Muslims dead. The Gujrat massacre was pre-planned and it is said state government and police was part of planning with the consent of Modi. Though Modi denied any involvement but he was denied US visa over his alleged role in violence. Modi was chief minister of Gujrat from 2001 to 2014. Muslims men are forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram and Jai Hunuman” and Muslims can be attacked in their homes, on trains, on public road and at work. On 31 August this year India excluded nearly two million Muslims from citizenship list in the north eastern state of Assam which is waging a separatist movement for independence from India. Amit Shah, home minister had referred to Bangladeshi immigrants as “termites” and “infiltrators” during election campaigns. The influx of migrants into Assam from what East Pakistan and is today Bangladesh goes all the way back to 1947. He said more than once that “refugees from neighboring countries who are Hindus, Christian, Buddhist and Jain everyone but Muslims essentially do not need to worry”. He is determined that all non-Muslims refugees are able to get legal rights within Indian union. India is a so called largest democracy without any secular credentials contrary to its constitution which guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizen and also right to the religious freedom. On 9 November while Pakistan was welcoming thousands of Sikhs to their holiest place Kartarpur inside Pakistan, Indian Supreme Court awarded the control of Babri Masjid to the party who demolished it in 1992. The judgment was managed and the move was designed to sabotage Pakistan’s gesture of peace towards Sikh community. The 460 years old mosque named after Mughal emperor Babar was demolished in 1992 by Hindu mob which resulted into violence and killing of 3000 innocent Muslims. Muslims prayed at the mosque for generation until 1949 when Hindu radicals placed idols of Ram. According to Hindu belief Ram was born at the site where Babri Masjid existed. The Archaeological Survey of India’s 2003 claims that there is evidence of temple under the Babri Masjid does not enjoy consensus even among the group that conducted the dig. Two archaeologist Supriya Varma and Jaya Menon in a article to the Economic and Political weekly objected to various practices the Archaeological Survey of India was following during the dig which made it clear that there was already pre-conceived idea in the minds of Archeological Survey of India archaeologist. Unfortunately world leaders publically support religious freedom but never criticized the oppression of religious minorities in India. Nehru accepted that religion should be relegated to private sphere and should not interfere in an individual’s public life. The BJP and its partner organization (VHP, BD and RSS) have started concerted campaigns against minorities specially Muslims. Modi came to power with the agenda to finish the article 370 and to ensure the place of Babri Masjid is used for the construction Ram Mandir. The fascist and Nazi inspired BJP is a real threat to peace and stability in the region. With the present government of Modi, India will not become a secular country and society in likely future.

The most violent events took place in recent time during the Gujrat riots in 2002. The then chief minister Modi turned a blind eye to the violence and facilitated mobs to kill Muslims across the state

The writer is a retired brigadier and currently commissioner of the Afghan Refugees Organisation, Balochistan