Muslims living around us 'are not Mughals', got mostly converted to escape caste discrimination

By Himanshu Kumar* 

Columbus was a Christian, but the occupation of America by him and the massacre of the Native Americans are not called a Christian attack or killings by Christians. The British, Dutch, Portuguese, and French came to India, but we never said that Christians ruled India. However, when the Mughals came to India and ruled, we call it a Muslim invasion of Hindus and say that Muslims imposed slavery on Hindus. 

In fact, the Mughals in India gave patronage to the Bhakti movement. It was during their time that poets like Surdas, Tulsidas, Meera, Rahim, and Raidas thrived. Krishna's entire childhood stories developed during this period. Four hundred temples dedicated to Lord Rama were built during the Mughal period. The Ramcharitmanas was written during the Mughal era. 

Nevertheless, today's point of reflection is: Was it really Muslim rule? Are today's Muslims Mughals? The Muslims living around us in India are mostly people who converted from the so-called lower castes of India. A large number of people adopted Islam in search of equality, escaping caste-based exploitation, discrimination, and untouchability. 

In the 1857 rebellion, Muslims participated in large numbers and troubled the British. After 1857, a significant number of those hanged were Muslims. The British severely destroyed the Muslims. After that, many Muslim leaders assured the British that they wouldn't join Congress and would focus on education. The Muslim League was formed for this purpose, with the help of the British. 

By then, Congress had begun to radicalize and embrace socialist and egalitarian ideas. The landlords and upper-caste people began to feel that their interests would not be protected in Congress. Traditional ruling class Hindus formed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Hindu Mahasabha and distanced themselves from Congress, while Muslim landlords supported the Muslim League. It was decided that after independence, zamindari (landlordism) would not be abolished in Pakistan. 

Remember, the first law passed in India after independence was the Zamindari Abolition Act. But in Pakistan, zamindari has not been abolished to this day. An article by Madhu Limaye explains that Guru Golwalkar of the RSS strongly opposed the abolition of zamindari in India. 

At the ideological level, the Muslim League and the RSS are on the same plane. In fact, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League together formed governments in India, and Jan Sangh leader Syama Prasad Mukherjee served as a minister in a government supported by the Muslim League. Both were opposed to Congress. The RSS supported the British during the Quit India movement. The RSS even informed the British how they could crush the Quit India movement. 

There is evidence for all these things. I can testify because many people in my family were involved in the freedom struggle of that time, and my father himself participated in the Quit India movement. 

In Pakistan, zamindari has not been abolished to this day. In India, Guru Golwalkar of RSS strongly opposed zamindari abolition

The worrying thing is that over the past 100 years, the RSS has completely distorted our history. Hatred against Muslims has been spread, and lies have been propagated. As a result, today's young Hindus are filled with hatred and have become supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has now completely seized power. 

The BJP's hold on power is not like that of other parties. The BJP's control is total. The BJP now controls the Indian army, the Supreme Court, the Election Commission, universities, the police, industrialists, and the Reserve Bank. Earlier, all these institutions operated independently, and the government had to manage with their input. Today, all these institutions work at the behest of the government. 

The worrying thing is that the government is now run by just two people. The cabinet is now useless, and Parliament has become irrelevant. India is in great trouble. We have made enemies of the countries around us. China is intruding into our territory. Within the country, student leaders and intellectuals are being jailed. Industries are collapsing, unemployment is spreading, education is stagnant, and the economy is in disarray. 

It is during such times that governments begin to brutally suppress any voices of dissent. This is indeed a concerning time, but it should be seen as a challenge. We should not be afraid of being arrested or killed. We need to fiercely resist these forces and increase efforts to restore truth and justice.

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*Social activist working in Dantewada. Source: The author's Facebook timeline