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ARTICLE : Is Islamic goodwill for Hindus possible?



Title : Is Islamic goodwill for Hindus possible? (Agenda)
Author : David Frawley
Publication : The Organiser
Date : October 14, 1996

Hindus  today  are often asked to  express  goodwill  for 
Islam and help minority Muslims in India, who often  fell 
oppressed  under the Hindu majority rule. However  Hindus 
are also minorities in various Islamic countries.  There-
fore the complementary question must arise, is there  any 
Islamic  goodwill  for Hindus,  particularly  in  Islamic 
countries? To look at Hindu-Muslim relations only  within 
the  borders of India where Hindus are a majority can  be 
misleading.   The  entire  context  of  these   relations 
throughout the world and historically must be examined.

Hindus traditionally are tolerant people and have provid-
ed a refuge for many religious refugees, like the Parsis, 
the  Syrian  Christians and the Jews. India is  the  only 
country  that never oppressed the Jews. Even today  there 
are  a  number of Islamicsects like  the  Ahmadiyas,  the 
Bohras  and  the  Sufis, and  other  religious  movements 
originating from Islamic countries like the Bahais, which 
may  not  be  tolerated in  Islamic  countries  including 
Pakistan, and exist and flourish in India. In fact  there 
is a greater diversity of Islamic sects in India than  in 
any Islamic country today because of the religious toler-
ance  traditional to Hindu-majority India.  When  Muslims 
lived  under  Hindu rule in pre-Independence  India  they 
were  not obstructed frm practicing their religion,  sub-
ject to forced conversion, religious taxes, or  prevented 
from  building  mosques. The same is true of  Muslims  in 
India today. They are allowed to practice their  religion 
without interference from Hindus.

Muslims, on the other hand, do not have such a history of 
tolerance  starting with the first chaliphs of Islam  who 
set out organised armies to conquer the world and marched 
to the very borders of India. During the period of  Isla-
mic rule in India most Hindu temples in the country  were 
destroyed,  including many that were rebuilt during  that 
period. Hindus had to witness the ongoing destruction  of 
their  most holy places because of Muslim intolerance  of 
other religions. The number of temples destroyed runs  in 
thousands  and it is difficult to find even a haldful  of 
temples  in India that were not either destroyed  ro  de-
faced  by  the  Muslims. Hundreds of  thousands,  if  not 
millions,  of Hindus were killed in wars and genocide  or 
turned into slaves. this included many religious  leaders 
like  various Sikh and Hindu Gurus whom the Muslims  exe-
cuted.  Hindus  exdured  forced conversion  and  a  heavy 
religious tax to convert them.

Yet this oppression for Hindus has not ended. Even  after 
the  Partition  of India in favour of  the  Muslims,  the 
Hindus left over in Pakistan and Bangladesh have suffered 
terribly.  They  have  no real  political  or  economical 
influence and the law seldom protects them. This  problem 
of  Islamic  intolerance of Hindus goes  for  beyond  the 
borders  of  the Indian  subcontinent.  Strictly  Islamic 
countries,  like  Saudi Arabia, do not  allow  any  other 
religions  to exist within their border. No Hindu  temple 
can be built in such Islamic countries by the Hindus  who 
worl there. You will not find any Hindu temples in  Mecca 
or  other  Islamic holy cities. Hindus who have  gone  to 
work  in the Gulf countries are not allowed  to  practice 

their  religion  in public, or bring any of  their  Hindu 
holy books with them. Even in India today Muslims do  not 
tolerate and often attack the Hindu religious processions 
that may go through or near their neighbourhood. This  is 
a  holdover right from the Islamic period in Indian  when 
Hindus  were  prevented from  publicly  expressing  their 
religion in Muslim predominant communities.

Saudi  Arabia  insists  that India sends  only  a  Muslim 
ambassador  and the Government of India meekly  complies, 
not even raising protest! How would Islamic countries, in 
which Hindus are a minority, respond if the Government of 
India  insisted  that they sent only  Hindu  ambassadors? 
Certainly  it  would not be tolerated. Most  instance  of 
Muslim goodwill to Hindus occur in countries like Indone-
sia which were only recently and partially Islamized.  It 
is  not owing to Islam, which is intolerant in its  hear-
land, but owing to the prior Hindu culture of the people. 
The more Islamic these countries become this tolerance is 
likely to decrease.

Today with growing global communication and the awakening 
of oppressed groups throughout the world, Hindu criticism 
of Islam is increasing. Hindu intellectuals are question-
ing  Islam  not only historically but  also  spiritually, 
particularly  its  actions in India  relative  to  Indian 
religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The Hindu  influenced 
political parties routinely complain against  appeasement 
of the Muslim minority in India.

That Hindus may criticize other religions may be surpris-
ing to those who know the history of tolerance in  Hindu-
ism. It may cause them to think that Hindus are  becoming 
intolerant.  However,  the other side of the  issue  must 
also  be examined. That Hindus are becoming  critical  of 
Islam  may not be so surprising to those who know of  the 
ongoing oppression of Hindus by Muslims.

Hindus  today  are awakening to an understanding  of  the 
thousand years of oppression they underwent during nearly 
a  thousand years of foreign rule by the Muslims and  the 
Europeans.  Their  religion and  culture  was  constantly 
under  siege  throughout the period.  When  Hindus  today 
criticize  the British rule of India and its  efforts  to 
Christinize  India,  it is generally regarded  as  under-
standable.  However  when Hindus  criticize  the  Islamic 
period  which was similarly a foreign rule and  far  more 
brutal  than the British period, with a  more  determined 
attempt at conversion, it may be labelled as Hindu  into-
ferance of Islam (suggesting that there is Islamic toler-
ance of Hinduism, which has yet to be demonstrat). But if 
British  rule and Chritian intolerance of Hindus  can  be 
questioned, so can, similar action done by Muslims.

Just  as blacks and women are, making an issue  of  their 
historical  oppression, seeking an acknowledgment of  it, 
and trying to correct it, so are Hindus. This is perfect-
ly reasonable and modern, not fundamentalist and backward 
for  them to do so. There is probably no other  religious 
or  political group in the world that has been slower  to 
protest its historical mistreatment than have the Hindus. 
Hindus  are the least organised socially and  politically 
of  all religious groups. The fact is that Musli8ms  have 
routinely  treated Hindus badly and this trend  has  con-
tinued. Not merely as Hindus but as human beings,  Hindus 
have a right to draw the line.


Long  oppressed groups, like the Blacks in  America,  may 
react with anger or even violence when they awaken to the 
fact  of their oppression and seek some rectification  of 
historical  wrongs. Hindus today similarly  are  becoming 
more aggressive. Should this become exvessive it would be 
regrettable, but it is not without justification and does 
not mean their basic reaction is wrong. Hindus now are no 
longer  willing to meekly accept domination and abuse  by 
Muslims  in the name of communal harmoney. This  is  just 
another human community no longer of its human rights. It 
is  about time that Hindus have taken this stance and  it 
can  only help other oppressed groups gain their  legiti-
mate rights as well.

The  question  is how will Muslims react to  this  trend? 
Will  they recognize the legitimate anger of  the  Hindus 
against  them, take some resposibility for  the  problem, 
and seek to correct it? Or will they rect with  hostility 
and  refuse to acknowledge the history of  violence  that 
Muslims  have without doubt peroetrated  against  Hindus? 
Will  they take the opportunity to create oeace  or  will 
they inflame Hindus further by ignoring the mistakes done 
in  the  name of their religion?  Muslis  throughout  the 
world are quick to condemn any oppressionof Muslims which 
occurs in any part of the world. Should they be surprised 
or  feel that it is wrong if Hindus begin to  adopt  such 
attitudes and start challenging the oppression of  Hindus 
by Muslims?

In Hindu-Muslim dialogue since the time of Mahatma Gandhi 
has generally been a matter of Hindus trying to please ir 
accommodate  Muslims. This led to the Partition of  India 
in  favour  of the Muslims and the  allowance  of  Muslim 
personal law for Muslims in India (but not, we might add, 
Hindu personal law for Hindus in Pakistan). The  question 
is  seldom asked what are Muslims willing to  concede  to 
Hindus  in order to create peace with them?  Perhaps  be-
cause  Muslims are a minority in India it is not  consid-
ered  what  they should give but only  what  they  should 
receive.  However there must be reciprocity for there  to 
be  trust. And the Hindu-Muslim issue is not limityed  to 
India  but to all lands where these two faiths  meet.  If 
Muslims throughout the world are intolerance of Hinduism, 
how  can Indian Muslims expect Hindus in India not to  be 
suspricious of them?

Muslims  sometimes complain that they  are  discriminated 
against  in India, and that they are not  represented  in 
the  government.  They must also consider the  plight  of 
Hindus  in  Muslim countries. How  many  Hindu  political 
leaders  have  there been in Pakistan and  Bangladesh?  I 
believe  the  answer is zero, even though,  at  least  in 
Bangladesh  the percentage of minority Hindus is  on  par 
with that of Muslims in India. There have, however,  been 
Muslim President, Members of Parliament, chief  ministers 
of  State  and cabinet minister of  India  has  increased 
since  Partition while the Hindu population  of  Pakistan 
and Bangladesh has dramatically decreased.

Clearly  Muslims  in India are treated much  better  than 
Hindus  in Pakistan, Bangladesh and the  Gulf  countries. 
There are no Hindu prayers or songs allowed on  Pakistani 
prayers and songs which can be found on Indian telebision 
Pakistan  history books still vaunt Islamic leaders  like 
Mahmud of Ghazni and Aurangzeb, who destroyed temples and 

killed  Hindus on a grand scale, as great and pious  Mus-
lims and great Pakistanis.

The treatment of Muslims in India cannot be devorced from 
the treatment of Hindus in Islamic countries. if  Muslims 
in  India want to be treated better, they must  make  ef-
forts to get Hindus treated better in Islamic  countries, 
who are much more likely to listen to their protests than 
those of Hindus. Muslims cannot rightfully expect  better 
treatment from Hindus if they do not consider the  plight 
of Hindus as will. There must be a concern for  discrimi-
nation  against  all human beings,  regardless  of  their 
religion,  not looking out for Muslims and  ignoring  the 
plight of non-Muslims.

The further question arises, if Muslims want the goodwill 
of  Hindus  what are they willing to offer  in  order  to 
receive  it? Do Muslims think that they should  have  the 
goodwill  of  Hindus  without offering  anythink  to  the 
Hindus  in return? Can they really think that their  his-
tory  merits  the trust and affection  of  Hindus?  While 
Muslims may feel offended by Hindus, they should remember 
that  in their history they have done little to  consider 
the  feelings of Hindus or help them out. It is they  who 
have historically been aggressively attacking Hindus, not 
Hindus who have sent armies into their countries in order 
to convert them.

Hindus  do  have an historical right  to  critize  Islam, 
which continues to target them and malign their religion. 
Muslims  routinely  condemn Hindus  as  idol-worshippers, 
which is hardly an accurate, much less a sensitiverender-
ing  of Hinduism, which is a vast religion containig  all 
avenues of human spirituality from devotional worship  of 
images to yogic meditation.

Muslims  in  India recently had a  great  opportunity  to 
redress  the  wrongs of history by  giving  the  disputed 
Beburi structure back to the Hindus. It would have creat-
ed  much goodwill between the communities and  proved  to 
Hindus  that  Muslims  in  India,  unlike  most   Muslims 
throughout  the  world, were not anti-Hindu.  After  all, 
Muslims  had  not worshipped in the Baburi  monument  for 
over fifty years and it never was one of their main  holy 
sites.  What did they have to lose by giving it back?  It 
was  built on the main hill in the Hindu sacred  city  of 
Ayodhya  to humiliate the Hindus, not to peacefully  wor-
ship God. However out of their pride and intolerance  the 
Muslims  have  not taken advantage of  this  opportunity. 
They  are  unwilling to recognize the validity  of  Hindu 
complaints against them, which makes their own complaints 
against the Hindus lack any credibility.

Many  Muslims  and other have argued that  Hindu  temples 
were  not  destroyed out of religious  reasons  but  from 
political  motivation.  Therefore the blam for  this  de-
struction is not with the Islamic religion, which is  one 
of  peace,  but with political leaders who are  prone  to 
violence in order to hold power whatever their  religious 
background.  If this is the case Muslims should be  happy 
to  return such Hindu sacred sites as Kashi and  Mathura. 
Mosques  on these two sites of well known  Hindu  temples 
were built only three centuries ago by the tyrant Aurang-
zeb,  who  killed  his own brother,  imprisoned  his  own 
father,  and  murdered Sufis as well as  Hindu  and  Sikh 
leaders.  If Islam as a religion is not  responsible  for 

the destruction of these Hindu temples but the  arrogance 
of  such as Aurangzeb, Muslims should not cling  to  such 
monuments as sacred. Otherwise Muslims are in fact saying 
that  the  destruction of temples and  their  replacement 
with mosques has a religions sanction, which is to equate 
their religion with such tyrants.

Yet this condition is hardly hopless. there is much  that 
Muslims  can  do to gain the trust of Hindus, who  are  a 
peaceful and tolerant people. But this issue is mainly in 
the  hands of the Muslims. Hindus cannot make peace  with 
Muslims who are unwilling to give up their oppression  of 
Hindus or their targeting for conversion. Muslims  should 
be  willing to consider doing the following if  they  are 
sincere about peace with the Hindus.

(1)  Muslim leaders should make an official  apology  for 
the massive destruction of temples and killing of  Hindus 
that  was common under their rule in India and  by  their 
invading  armies. One can use the example of  the  Chris-
tians  apologizing to the American Indians or the  Blacks 
for similar discrimination and oppression.

(2)   Muslims  should give back to  the  Hindus  Ayodhya, 
Kashi  and Mathura mosques that were built by  Babur  and 
Aurangazeb on Ramjanmabhoomi, the Kashi Vishwanath  Shiva 
tenoke and Krishnajanmabhoomi, just as they didi not  try 
to  hold  on the Somnath after Partition of  India.  This 
could  be  a  peace offering for all  the  Hindu  temples 
destroyed by Muslims through history.

(3)   Muslims  should invite Hindu swamis  and  religious 
leaders  to  speak  at their mosques to  explain  to  the 
Muslims masses what Hinduism really teaches. In the  same 
way  Hindus  should invite Islamic leaders  to  speak  at 
their  temples. Muslim countries should allow  Hindus  to 
preach and build temples, particularly for Hindu  workers 
in  those  countries. They should also invite  Hindus  to 
talk and preach their religion in orther to dispel  Isla-
mic misunderstandings about Hinduism.

(4)  Muslims should be willing to accept Hindu names  for 
God  like  ishvara as good as Allah. Hindus  should  also 
accpet Allah as a name of God as many of them already do.

(5)  Muslims should be willing to accept the great teach-
ers  of India-based religions as divinely  inspired,  in-
cluding  those  of recent centuries like  Sikh  Gurus  or 
Ramakrishna, just as Hindus honour many Sufis and Islamic 
saints.

(6)   Indian Muslims should complain to Muslim  countries 
that  discriminate against Hindus. They should  criticize 
Pakistan  and  Bangladesh for the  destruction  of  Hindu 
temples that has gone on there in recent times.

Of course it is doubtful whether this will occur any-time 
soon,  even on one of these points. If this is the  case, 
Muslims  should ask themselves, if they are unwilling  to 
make  such gestures of goodwill to the Hindus why  should 
they expect Hindus to respect and honour them in  return? 
You cannot repeatedly trample on a person and his culture 
and then expect him to help you when you are in need.

Muslims,  who  claim  to follow the will  of  God,  think 
clearly on the history of Islam, and how members of  your 

religion  have  mistreated Hindus  and  denigrated  their 
religion. Think of how your religious leaders portray the 
Hindu religion even today. Would you be quick to  embrace 
a group who treated you in the same way?