Recently, India has witnessed many writers, actors, social reformers, and scientists returning their awards in protest to growing intolerance in India. But is intolerance really increasing in India? Stats show that the number of communal violence cases registered in 2015 is less than that of 2013 under Congress rule. But what is actually growing is Hindu Unity (the “soul” goal of RSS).
RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) is on a roll. The number of Shakas (the smallest units of RSS) has increased by 61% in the last 5 years. And in places like Mumbai, the number is more than doubled. RSS is the largest voluntary organization in the world.
Without an intellectual base (which our media and liberals fail to understand), a voluntary organization cannot succeed.
What is the intellectual base? How to stop this growing Hindu Integrity? To find out the answer, let’s go back to the Mughal rule in India.
Muslim rulers were always treated as outsiders in India. In fact, all Muslim rulers other than Akbar fancied Islamic Hindustan. Hundreds of temples were destroyed, thousands of Buddhism and Hinduism scholars and monks were beheaded. All sacred Hindu and Buddhist scriptures were burnt into ashes. Above all, the rules in the Mughal Kingdom were outrageous. The following were the rules during Aurangazeb’s reign:
- A non-Muslim had no political rights. In fact, he had no right to live until he agreed to Zimma, a contract with the government.
- All non-Muslims were called Zimmis, who had to pay Jazya, a tax that allowed non-Muslims to live in the Muslim kingdom.
- Zimmis also had to pay Kharaj, the special land tax from which Muslims were exempted.
- The tax was levied on Zimmis to upkeep the Mughal army.
- Hindus (Zimmis) business people were also levied with sales tax.
- Hindu widows were taken as sex slaves. Many women chose to jump into the pyre of their husband’s corpse rather than living as sex slaves for their entire life. (the Sati culture)
- In several cases, if a Muslim coughed loudly with a “Khaakh” sound before spitting, the Zimmi had to respectfully open his mouth and allow the Muslim to spit into it and swallow the spittle without showing a trace of discomfort or disgust on his face.
- If reluctant to embrace Islamism, Hindu war prisoners were killed, and some of who converted into Islam were made Hijras by breaking their testicles by crushing them between wooden pieces. And these Hijras were appointed as personal guards for one of the King’s Begums.
Hindus lived in such a society for more than a thousand years. And when a King like Chatrapathi Shivaji was ruling, the entire Hindu community across Hindustan (not just Marathas) celebrated and hoped he would bring them out of their misery.
Now, look at our present political scenario; only Hindu organizations like RSS, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, and BJP celebrate Shivaji Jayanthi. But if we look at history on humanitarian backgrounds, all Indians (including Muslims) should celebrate Shivaji Jayanthi in remembrance of a great King who fought against the notorious Aurangazeb. All secularists, writers, and so-called liberals project Mughal rule as a secular and liberal one. Some Historians and writers even claim that the temples were actually destroyed during the wars among Hindu Kings.
How does that make sense to Hindus when they can see Mosques on hundreds of temples? Kashi. Varanasi. Home to Hinduism multi-hued sects and paths and schools. Every form of worship that existed in India existed in Kashi. Now, nearly 50 lakh Hindus visit Kashi every year. Every Hindu can see the huge Gyanvapi Masjid standing on the original Kashi Vishwanath temple, with one side of the Masjid standing as proof for the Temple that once existed.
On one side, Hindus see this truth, and on the other side, Hindus see the prominent writers, seculars, liberals, media protesting for renaming Aurangazeb road as Abdul Kalam road.
Aurangzeb, a king who ruthlessly killed thousands of Hindus, is respected by the Muslim community and all sects other than Hindu organizations. Whereas Shivaji, who never harmed innocent souls in the name of religion, is not even acknowledged by Muslims and Seculars. Who is right? This answer is left to the reader’s intellect.
Until these thoughts exist in the Hindu community, we cannot stop the integration of Hindus. I don’t blame present Muslims for their ancestor’s mistakes, but they should accept that their ancestors were at fault. The government of India has rejected the hierarchical caste system of Hindu society. They should do the same to the implementation of Sharia law.
When Muslims in India follow the footsteps of Muslims near Somnath (Muslims near Somnath voluntarily agreed to demolish Masjid built on Somnath temple and rebuild the temple. Later a Masjid was built next to the temple) and when Hindus and Muslims in India acknowledge all great kings of this land such as Akbar and Shivaji, communal harmony can be attained.
Hindu extremism is an equal threat to Islamic extremism, but Hindu extremism is born as an act of countering or protecting from Islamic extremism and Christian Lutheranism. This is why Hindutva is profound where the Mughals have ruled or where Christian Missionaries are active in evangelizing innocent and poor Hindus. Islamic extremism is more than a thousand years old, and its exclusivity is the foundation of Hindu organizations.
We cannot achieve true harmony unless we reject the belief and the mindset that asserts religion’s superiority to the exclusion of everything else, a mindset that preaches conversion or death of those who held a different view. Integration and harmony are meaningful only when we teach our next generations that truth is one but is described differently by different people.
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat