About Me
- Mudassir Rizwan
- Patna, Bihar, India
- Born and brought up in Shillong, Meghalaya.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
How Islam Spread in India
Today, there are over 500 million Muslims throughout the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh), making it one of the largest population centers of Muslims in the world. Since Islam first entered India, it has contributed greatly to the area and its people. Today, numerous theories about how India came to be such a largely Muslim land exist. Politically, some (such as the Hindutva movement in India) try to make Islam seem foriegn to India, by insisting it only exists because of invasions by Arab and Persian Muslims. The truth, however, is far from that.
The Earliest Muslim Indians
Even before the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in the 600s, Arab traders were in contact with India. Merchants would regularly sail to the west coast of India to trade goods such as spices, gold, and African goods. Naturally, when the Arabs began to convert to Islam, they carried their new religion to the shores of India. The first mosque of India, the Cheraman Juma Masjid, was built in 629 (during the life of Prophet Muhammad) in Kerala, by the first Muslim from India, Cheraman Perumal Bhaskara Ravi Varma. Through continued trade between Arab Muslims and Indians, Islam continued to spread in coastal Indian cities and towns, both through immigration and conversion.
Cheraman Juma Masjid
Muhammad bin Qasim
The first great expansion of Islam into India came during the Umayyad Dynasty of caliphs, who were based in Damascus. In 711, the Umayyads appointed a young 17 year old man from Ta’if to extend Umayyad control into Sindh: Muhammad bin Qasim. Sindh is the land around the Indus River in the Northwestern part of the subcontinent, in present-day Pakistan. Muhammad bin Qasim led his army of 6,000 soldiers to the far eastern reaches of Persia, Makran.
He encountered little resistance as he made his way into India. When he reached the city of Nerun, on the banks of the Indus River, he was welcomed into the city by the Buddhist monks that controlled it. Most cities along the Indus thus voluntarily came under Muslim control, with no fighting. In some cases, oppressed Buddhist minorities reached out to the Muslim armies for protection against Hindu governors.
Despite the support and approval of much of the population, the Raja of Sindh, Dahir, opposed the Muslim expansion and mobilized his army against Muhammad bin Qasim. In 712, the two armies met, with a decisive victory for the Muslims. With the victory, all of Sindh came under Muslim control.
It is important to note, however, that the population of Sindh was not forced to convert to Islam at all. In fact, for almost everyone, there was no change in day-to-day life. Muhammad bin Qasim promised security and religious freedom to all Hindus and Buddhists under his control. For example, the Brahman caste continued their jobs as tax collectors and Buddhists monks continued to maintain their monastaries. Due to his religious tolerance and justice, many cities regularly greeted him and his armies with people dancing and music.
The Jama Masjid in Delhi, India
Patterns of Conversion
The successive waves of Muslim armies penetrating into India followed much the same pattern. Leaders such as Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad Tughluq expanded Muslim political domains without altering the religious or social fabric of Indian society.
Because pre-Islamic India was entirely based on a caste system in which society was broken into separate parts, conversion to Islam happened in a step-by-step process. Often, entire castes would convert to Islam at a time. This would happen for many different reasons. Often, however, the equality Islam provided was more attractive than the caste system’s organized racism. In the caste system, who you are born to determines your position in society. There was no opportunity for social mobility or to achieve greater than what your parents achieved. By converting to Islam, people had the opportunity to move up in society, and no longer were subservient to the Brahman caste.
Buddhism, which was once very popular in the subcontinent, slowly died out under Muslim rule. Traditionally, when people wanted to escape the caste system, they would move to the major population centers and convert to Buddhism. When Islam became an option, however, people began to convert to Islam instead of Buddhism, while still leaving the caste system. The myths of Islam violently destroying Buddhism in India are simply false. Buddhists were tolerated under Muslim rule and no evidence exists that shows forced conversions or violence against them.
Wandering teachers also had a major role in bringing Islam to the masses. Muslim scholars traveled throughout India, making it their goal to educate people about Islam. Many of them preached Sufi ideas, a more mystical approach to Islam that appealed to the people. These teachers had a major role in bringing Islam to the masses in the countryside, not just the upper classes around the Muslim rulers.
Did Islam Spread by Force?
While some claim that Islam’s huge population in India is a result of violence and forced conversion, the evidence does not back up this idea at all. Although Muslim leaders replaced Hindu kings in most areas, society was left as is. Stories of forced conversion are very few and often not credible enough to warrant academic discussion.
If Islam spread through violence and warfare, the Muslim community today in India would exist only in the areas closest to the rest of the Muslim world. Thus only the western part of the subcontinent would have any Muslim population at all. What we see instead is pockets of Islam throughout the subcontinent. For example, Bangladesh and its 150 million Muslims are in the far east, separated from other Muslim-majority areas by Hindu lands in India. Isolated communities of Muslims exist also exist in western Myanmar, central India, and eastern Sri Lanka. These communities of Muslims are proof of Islam spreading peacefully throughout India, regardless of whether or not a Muslim government existed there. If Islam spread by force as some claim, these communities of Muslims would not exist.
Conclusions
Islam is an integral part of India and its history. As the Indian subcontinent remains today a multi-ethnic and multi-religious place, it is important to understand the position Islam has in the region. The political claims that some making regarding Islam as if it is an invading religion and foriegn to the people of India need to be defied with the truth of Islam’s peaceful spread throughout India.
[Courtesy: http://lostislamichistory.com]
The Earliest Muslim Indians
Even before the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in the 600s, Arab traders were in contact with India. Merchants would regularly sail to the west coast of India to trade goods such as spices, gold, and African goods. Naturally, when the Arabs began to convert to Islam, they carried their new religion to the shores of India. The first mosque of India, the Cheraman Juma Masjid, was built in 629 (during the life of Prophet Muhammad) in Kerala, by the first Muslim from India, Cheraman Perumal Bhaskara Ravi Varma. Through continued trade between Arab Muslims and Indians, Islam continued to spread in coastal Indian cities and towns, both through immigration and conversion.
Cheraman Juma Masjid
Muhammad bin Qasim
The first great expansion of Islam into India came during the Umayyad Dynasty of caliphs, who were based in Damascus. In 711, the Umayyads appointed a young 17 year old man from Ta’if to extend Umayyad control into Sindh: Muhammad bin Qasim. Sindh is the land around the Indus River in the Northwestern part of the subcontinent, in present-day Pakistan. Muhammad bin Qasim led his army of 6,000 soldiers to the far eastern reaches of Persia, Makran.
He encountered little resistance as he made his way into India. When he reached the city of Nerun, on the banks of the Indus River, he was welcomed into the city by the Buddhist monks that controlled it. Most cities along the Indus thus voluntarily came under Muslim control, with no fighting. In some cases, oppressed Buddhist minorities reached out to the Muslim armies for protection against Hindu governors.
Despite the support and approval of much of the population, the Raja of Sindh, Dahir, opposed the Muslim expansion and mobilized his army against Muhammad bin Qasim. In 712, the two armies met, with a decisive victory for the Muslims. With the victory, all of Sindh came under Muslim control.
It is important to note, however, that the population of Sindh was not forced to convert to Islam at all. In fact, for almost everyone, there was no change in day-to-day life. Muhammad bin Qasim promised security and religious freedom to all Hindus and Buddhists under his control. For example, the Brahman caste continued their jobs as tax collectors and Buddhists monks continued to maintain their monastaries. Due to his religious tolerance and justice, many cities regularly greeted him and his armies with people dancing and music.
The Jama Masjid in Delhi, India
Patterns of Conversion
The successive waves of Muslim armies penetrating into India followed much the same pattern. Leaders such as Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad Tughluq expanded Muslim political domains without altering the religious or social fabric of Indian society.
Because pre-Islamic India was entirely based on a caste system in which society was broken into separate parts, conversion to Islam happened in a step-by-step process. Often, entire castes would convert to Islam at a time. This would happen for many different reasons. Often, however, the equality Islam provided was more attractive than the caste system’s organized racism. In the caste system, who you are born to determines your position in society. There was no opportunity for social mobility or to achieve greater than what your parents achieved. By converting to Islam, people had the opportunity to move up in society, and no longer were subservient to the Brahman caste.
Buddhism, which was once very popular in the subcontinent, slowly died out under Muslim rule. Traditionally, when people wanted to escape the caste system, they would move to the major population centers and convert to Buddhism. When Islam became an option, however, people began to convert to Islam instead of Buddhism, while still leaving the caste system. The myths of Islam violently destroying Buddhism in India are simply false. Buddhists were tolerated under Muslim rule and no evidence exists that shows forced conversions or violence against them.
Wandering teachers also had a major role in bringing Islam to the masses. Muslim scholars traveled throughout India, making it their goal to educate people about Islam. Many of them preached Sufi ideas, a more mystical approach to Islam that appealed to the people. These teachers had a major role in bringing Islam to the masses in the countryside, not just the upper classes around the Muslim rulers.
Did Islam Spread by Force?
While some claim that Islam’s huge population in India is a result of violence and forced conversion, the evidence does not back up this idea at all. Although Muslim leaders replaced Hindu kings in most areas, society was left as is. Stories of forced conversion are very few and often not credible enough to warrant academic discussion.
If Islam spread through violence and warfare, the Muslim community today in India would exist only in the areas closest to the rest of the Muslim world. Thus only the western part of the subcontinent would have any Muslim population at all. What we see instead is pockets of Islam throughout the subcontinent. For example, Bangladesh and its 150 million Muslims are in the far east, separated from other Muslim-majority areas by Hindu lands in India. Isolated communities of Muslims exist also exist in western Myanmar, central India, and eastern Sri Lanka. These communities of Muslims are proof of Islam spreading peacefully throughout India, regardless of whether or not a Muslim government existed there. If Islam spread by force as some claim, these communities of Muslims would not exist.
Conclusions
Islam is an integral part of India and its history. As the Indian subcontinent remains today a multi-ethnic and multi-religious place, it is important to understand the position Islam has in the region. The political claims that some making regarding Islam as if it is an invading religion and foriegn to the people of India need to be defied with the truth of Islam’s peaceful spread throughout India.
[Courtesy: http://lostislamichistory.com]
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Bihar CM urged to set up high-level probe team on terror arrests
By Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: Members of civil society have demanded Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to set up a high-level team to probe the arrests of Muslim youths from the state and the terror charges against them. If Kumar is really concerned about the arrests of innocents in terror cases, he should go beyond mere issuing statement, People’s Initiative, a civil group said while holding a daylong dharna (sit-in) on 24th June at Kargil Chowk near Gandhi Maidan in Patna.
“We demand CM of Bihar to set up a high-level team to probe all terror arrests from the state. The team should be asked to visit states where these youths are being held, dig into the truth of allegations against them and put the inquiry before the people of Bihar,” said the group in a statement.
On Qateel Siddiqui’s custodial murder, the civil group demanded the Chief Justice of India to set a high-level team to inquire into his death in the Pune jail.
The members of the civil society also demanded immediate check on the terror arrests being made violating the guidelines of the apex court and prosecute the guilty officers. Those people who are in jails without any charge sheet, must be released immediately.
Attacking the chief minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar, civil rights activists said his statement that Bihar government had no information about arrest is irresponsible and exposes his good governance claim. “Protection of life and dignity of Bihar residents is the constitutional responsibility of the state chief minister, and so he cannot get free by just issuing statement,” People’s Initiative said.
It is said about 17 youths mostly from Darbhanga and Madhubani have been arrested in terror cases since November 2011 and in almost all cases provisions of Constitution and SC guidelines have been violated.
It is wrong to attach religion to terrorism. Terrorists must be harshly punished but by implicating innocents in terror cases, terrorism cannot be defeated. It seems, there is conspiracy to malign Muslims in the name of terrorism, run by vested interests, it said.
The dharna was also attended by some families of the imprisoned Bihar youths and the family of Fasih Mahmood, Bihar engineer who is missing since 13th May 2012. He was picked from his home in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia allegedly on the request of Indian government but he has not yet been produced in any court. His family has filed habeas corpus in the supreme court. Qateel’s brother Shakil Siddqui was also at the dharna. Qateel was the first Bihar youth to be arrested in terror case. He was picked in November 2011 but was not yet charged. He was killed allegedly by two inmates in the high-security Pune’s Yerwada jail on 8th June 2012.
Talking to TCN on the sidelines of the dharna, eminent social activist and journalist Nayyar Fatmi said the campaign to implicate Muslims in terror cases is part of a larger conspiracy against the community which was raising voice more boldly in the recent time for his constitutional rights.
"Like Pakistan and America – which are run by their intelligence agencies – it seems India too is being run by its intelligence agency since last 2-3 years." He strongly condemned the killing of Qateel and mysterious disappearance of Fasih.
Fatmi, however, was happy that people of civil society and politicians and political parties have started to speak on the issue, they are also coming out to condemn the illegal arresting of Muslim youths.
He urged chief minister Nitish Kumar to break his silence over the issue. Sitting in the lap of communalists, he cannot give sermons on secularism.
Terror Arrests: Bihar civil group writes to Chief Justice of India
By Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: A civil rights group from Bihar has sought Chief Justice of India’s intervention for high-level probe into the murder of Mohammad Qateel Siddiqui in high-security Pune jail. Condemning the custodial murder, People’s Initiative, in its memorandum to CJI, has also highlighted the brazen violation by ATS teams of the Supreme Court guidelines about arrest.
L-R: Abdus Salam (father of Kafeel Akhtar), civil rights activist Nayyer Fatmi, civil activist Kanchan Bala, Amrah Jalal (mother of Fasih Mahmood), Shakeel Siddiqui (brother of Qateel Siddiqui) and civil activist and journalist from Darbhanga Shakeel Ahmad Salafi
“Qateel Siddiqui of Darbhanga was killed in judicial custody in Pune jail on 8th June 2012. The murder has made the role of jail administration and police suspicious. As the he was murdered in judicial custody, so we demand the Chief Justice of India to order a high-level inquiry into this murder,” the group demanded in the memorandum which was released to the media at a program at IMA Hall in Patna on Monday.
On the occasion, the group released a report of its fact-finding team which recently visited Darbhanga and adjoining areas from where over one dozen youths have been picked in terror cases since November 2011.
“In the name of counterterrorism, ATS has been violating the rules and guidelines of Supreme Court while arresting youths from Darbhanga and Madhubani, so we demand appropriate action in this regard,” the group said.
The civil activists demanded bail for the accused against whom police have not filed charge sheet even after the stipulated time and they are in jail for a long time.
The fact-finding team narrating their observation about the area said that due to arrests fear has enveloped the entire area of Darbhanga and Madhubani. ATS is not working as a law enforcement agency, rather it is working as a kidnapping gang. The team also revealed that some boys in Darbhanga are being threatened by Maharashtra ATS and Karnataka ATS. They are asked to come to Mumbai without telling anyone.
People’s Initiative had also invited family members of the arrested youths to tell their story to the media. Amrah Jalal, mother of Fasih Mahmood, Shakeel Siddiqui, brother of Qateel Siddiqui and Abdus Salam, father of Kafeel Akhtar told their story. They also talked to TCN.
The program was attended by eminent civil and human rights activists and community leaders. They included Kanchan Bala, Mahender, Nayyer Fatmi, Jitendra, Satnarayan Madan, Adv. Manilal, Arshad Ajmal, Nayyaruzzaman (state president of Jamaat Islami) and Anish Ankur.
The civil group announced to organize a dharna (sit-in) against the illegal arrests on 24th June at Kargil Chowk, Gandhi Maidan in Patna.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Bihar Govt. to celebrate birth anniversary of first CM Mohammad Younus: Nitish
But the JDU-BJP government of Nitish Kumar has not included Younus in the state government’s official list of chief ministers of Bihar since 1937. The list recently uploaded on the website of Bihar Assembly starts with the name of Shri Krishna Singh.
By Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: When on Sunday Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar was lamenting that people do not know about the first chief minister of Bihar Mohammad Younus, he perhaps had no idea that his own government has forgotten the man – deliberately or whatever. Barrister Mohammad Younus took oath as first chief minister (then called premier) of Bihar on 1st April 1937 after the first assembly polls in which his Muslim Independent Party had emerged second largest party. He led the minority government of his party for about four months till the Congress, the first largest party, decided to form the government. Younus resigned and Shri Krishna Singh of Congress became chief minister on 20th July 1937. But a list of chief ministers of Bihar (since 1937 till now) recently uploaded on the official website of Bihar Assembly has not included Mohammad Younus. The list starts with the name of Shri Krishna Singh.
L-R: Prof. Alimullah Hali, Nitish Kumar, Dr Imtiyaz Ahmed and Mohammad Kashif Yunus
Speaking at the program organized by Younus’s grandson Adv. Kashif Younus in Patna on the occasion of 60th death anniversary of Bihar’s first chief minister, Nitish Kumar said: “All people do not know that Mohammad Younus was the first chief minister (premier) of Bihar in 1937. He was made chief minister of an interim government as Congress declined to form the government citing some discretionary powers of the governor. Younus remained CM for first four months.”
At the conference, Nitish announced that from next year the state government will celebrate the birth anniversary of first chief minister of Bihar Mohammad Younus on 4th May. But the first thing Nitish should do now is to ask his officials as to how the name of Mohammad Younus was not included in the official list of chief ministers of Bihar since 1937.
Chief Ministers since 1937
[Source: http://vidhansabha.bih.nic.in/pdf/Chief_Ministers_since_1937.pdf]
In his speech Nitish heaped praise on Bihar’s first CM Mohammad Younus and counted his excellent work he did as CM just within four months. “He did great work for urban local bodies, Urdu language and income tax relief for waqf properties. He set up Bihar Young Men’s Institute. Most importantly, he vowed he won’t allow any communal violence during his government. And when a communal incident happened in Aurangabad, he immediately visited the place and himself controlled the situation. You can imagine the hard work as there was not much means of communication and transportation. Even telephone connections were not there.”
Addressing the gathering, Maulana Anisur Rahman Qasmi, Nazim, Imarat Shariah (Bihar, Jharkhand & Orissa), also counted the good work of Mohammad Younus. “Generally, not many good words are said about politics, but we have not heard any using bad words about Younus sahib,” said Maulana Qasmi. He also informed that Mohammad Younus had been part of Imarat Shariah.
Younus formed Independent Party in 1936 with the help of Maulana Abul Mohasin Sajjad (Founder of Imarat-e-Shariah) and became its Founder President. It is said Mohammad Ali Jinnah persuaded him to merge his party with Muslim League before 1937 election. But Younus rejected the offer and contested the polls in alliance with Congress. His Independent Party emerged second largest party after Congress in the House. He took oath as first Premier (now chief minister) of Bihar province on 1st April 1937. He remained on the post for about 4 months.
Audience
Mohammad Younus was born on 4th May 1884 at Panehara village in Masaurhi area of Patna. Younus was born in a family of lawyers and jurists. His father Maulvi Ali Hassan Mukhtar was advocate. His grandfather Maulvi Mohammad Azam retired as District Judge of Munger in Bihar. And now his grandson Kashif Younus is also practicing law in Supreme Court of India.
Mohammad Younus died on 13th May 1952 of heart attack in London. He was buried in London.
By Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: When on Sunday Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar was lamenting that people do not know about the first chief minister of Bihar Mohammad Younus, he perhaps had no idea that his own government has forgotten the man – deliberately or whatever. Barrister Mohammad Younus took oath as first chief minister (then called premier) of Bihar on 1st April 1937 after the first assembly polls in which his Muslim Independent Party had emerged second largest party. He led the minority government of his party for about four months till the Congress, the first largest party, decided to form the government. Younus resigned and Shri Krishna Singh of Congress became chief minister on 20th July 1937. But a list of chief ministers of Bihar (since 1937 till now) recently uploaded on the official website of Bihar Assembly has not included Mohammad Younus. The list starts with the name of Shri Krishna Singh.
L-R: Prof. Alimullah Hali, Nitish Kumar, Dr Imtiyaz Ahmed and Mohammad Kashif Yunus
Speaking at the program organized by Younus’s grandson Adv. Kashif Younus in Patna on the occasion of 60th death anniversary of Bihar’s first chief minister, Nitish Kumar said: “All people do not know that Mohammad Younus was the first chief minister (premier) of Bihar in 1937. He was made chief minister of an interim government as Congress declined to form the government citing some discretionary powers of the governor. Younus remained CM for first four months.”
At the conference, Nitish announced that from next year the state government will celebrate the birth anniversary of first chief minister of Bihar Mohammad Younus on 4th May. But the first thing Nitish should do now is to ask his officials as to how the name of Mohammad Younus was not included in the official list of chief ministers of Bihar since 1937.
Chief Ministers since 1937
[Source: http://vidhansabha.bih.nic.in/pdf/Chief_Ministers_since_1937.pdf]
In his speech Nitish heaped praise on Bihar’s first CM Mohammad Younus and counted his excellent work he did as CM just within four months. “He did great work for urban local bodies, Urdu language and income tax relief for waqf properties. He set up Bihar Young Men’s Institute. Most importantly, he vowed he won’t allow any communal violence during his government. And when a communal incident happened in Aurangabad, he immediately visited the place and himself controlled the situation. You can imagine the hard work as there was not much means of communication and transportation. Even telephone connections were not there.”
Addressing the gathering, Maulana Anisur Rahman Qasmi, Nazim, Imarat Shariah (Bihar, Jharkhand & Orissa), also counted the good work of Mohammad Younus. “Generally, not many good words are said about politics, but we have not heard any using bad words about Younus sahib,” said Maulana Qasmi. He also informed that Mohammad Younus had been part of Imarat Shariah.
Younus formed Independent Party in 1936 with the help of Maulana Abul Mohasin Sajjad (Founder of Imarat-e-Shariah) and became its Founder President. It is said Mohammad Ali Jinnah persuaded him to merge his party with Muslim League before 1937 election. But Younus rejected the offer and contested the polls in alliance with Congress. His Independent Party emerged second largest party after Congress in the House. He took oath as first Premier (now chief minister) of Bihar province on 1st April 1937. He remained on the post for about 4 months.
Audience
Mohammad Younus was born on 4th May 1884 at Panehara village in Masaurhi area of Patna. Younus was born in a family of lawyers and jurists. His father Maulvi Ali Hassan Mukhtar was advocate. His grandfather Maulvi Mohammad Azam retired as District Judge of Munger in Bihar. And now his grandson Kashif Younus is also practicing law in Supreme Court of India.
Mohammad Younus died on 13th May 1952 of heart attack in London. He was buried in London.
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