what religion was India ruled by?

The British rule was a blessing in disguise. The separate Muslim and Hindu identities, which are so obvious now, were nourished during the tumultuous and racist reign of the East India Company in the Indian Subcontinent which they called The Golden Sparrow. Muslim traitors also helped the East India Company to delve deep into Central South Asia. They had started from the extreme and entered through Bengal. The Nawab of Bengal Mir Jaffar is known for his treason. So much so that we use his name in Urdu as a metaphor for a traitor.

During the rule of the Mughal Emperors, there were different dynamics in each ruler's reign. Akbar was a perennialist while his successor Aurangzeb was an orthodox Muslim. So on and so forth. The strongest opposition to the Mughal rule came from the marahatta rebels. Sikhs also fought against Muslim rule but my grandmother tells me that the sikhs in her village used to live peacefully with them pre-partition. Yet misunderstanding during partition resulted in huge genocide committed by both Muslims and Sikhs.

Hindu Muslim conflicts always have been there. A Muslim is a But Shekan (destroyer of idols) while a Hindu builds and revers (Bhakti yoga) idols (not all Hindus can build them though, Shudras cannot for example). Hinduism is a system of diverse traditions. It strictly does not have a "political" entity like Islam. More or less the Brahmans were responsible for the political aspect of it. With some input from Kshatriyas. That is precisely why before the Muslim rule, India was controlled by different kings for centuries which go back to the Vedic period. Each king or "raja" had local areas. For example, Buddhism gained stronghold in ancient India because King Ashoka was a Buddhist. So before the Muslim rule in India, India was never united as it would later be during the initial Mughal rule.

The conflict between Hindus and Muslims aggravated due to the discrimination that Muslims encountered: both from the Hindu elites, who were always strong but further strengthened after the downfall of the Mughals, and the British rulers. But it was still at a local scale. Overall both Hindus and Muslims wanted to get rid of the Britishers as it is evident from the 1857 War of Independence. The polarity of Hindu vs Muslim strengthened later on and for the better. Even the leaders of Muslim League were struggling for United India against the British. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan is known for calling India a beautiful bride whose two eyes were Hindus and Muslims. He founded a modern college in Aligarh. In the late 1800s the anti-Hindu sentiment increased after witnessing events which Muslims felt were discriminatory. Ideologies such as Two Nation Theory etc were proposed. The founder of Pakistan, who was once struggling for a United India, became increasingly interested in a Muslim state. Such ideologies were further strengthened by the pro-Islamic poetry of Mohammad Iqbal, a remarkable Muslim philosopher and sufi of recent times. Connoisseurs of Urdu poetry must read his works. He also wrote Persian poetry. Rumi has been one of his inspirations.

Anyways, this is just history in brief. South Asian history is very interesting. I have been studying it till grade 12 from a Pro-Pakistani and a Muslim bias. At university level, I also got to read it from an Orientalist perspective. The fact remains that colonial Britishers have left a deep impact on the psyche of both Muslim and Hindus in South Asia. The Britishers hated the Jihadi movements that rose against them during their unjust rule and that is how the term Maulvi came to get negative connotations. Moreover, some have argued that the emergence of the fatalist Qadiyani sect was also supported by the British. The anti-Movli sentiments still prevail among the educated elite of Pakistan which is pathetic. I feel pity for them because they still have not completely attained freedom from British Masters.

Sorry for a disorganized post, I certainly am not in the mood to write eloquently here.

On that note, I'd suggest you to watch Mangal Panday characterized by Aamir Khan, a bollywood movie. It might not be completely accurate historically but it captures the general jist of the events leading to the War of Independence.

format_quote Originally Posted by Wa7abiScientist

The British rule was a blessing in disguise. The separate Muslim and Hindu identities, which are so obvious now, were nourished during the tumultuous and racist reign of the East India Company in the Indian Subcontinent which they called The Golden Sparrow. Muslim traitors also helped the East India Company to delve deep into Central South Asia. They had started from the extreme and entered through Bengal. The Nawab of Bengal Mir Jaffar is known for his treason. So much so that we use his name in Urdu as a metaphor for a traitor.

During the rule of the Mughal Emperors, there were different dynamics in each ruler's reign. Akbar was a perennialist while his successor Aurangzeb was an orthodox Muslim. So on and so forth. The strongest opposition to the Mughal rule came from the marahatta rebels. Sikhs also fought against Muslim rule but my grandmother tells me that the sikhs in her village used to live peacefully with them pre-partition. Yet misunderstanding during partition resulted in huge genocide committed by both Muslims and Sikhs.

Hindu Muslim conflicts always have been there. A Muslim is a But Shekan (destroyer of idols) while a Hindu builds and revers (Bhakti yoga) idols (not all Hindus can build them though, Shudras cannot for example). Hinduism is a system of diverse traditions. It strictly does not have a "political" entity like Islam. More or less the Brahmans were responsible for the political aspect of it. With some input from Kshatriyas. That is precisely why before the Muslim rule, India was controlled by different kings for centuries which go back to the Vedic period. Each king or "raja" had local areas. For example, Buddhism gained stronghold in ancient India because King Ashoka was a Buddhist. So before the Muslim rule in India, India was never united as it would later be during the initial Mughal rule.

The conflict between Hindus and Muslims aggravated due to the discrimination that Muslims encountered: both from the Hindu elites, who were always strong but further strengthened after the downfall of the Mughals, and the British rulers. But it was still at a local scale. Overall both Hindus and Muslims wanted to get rid of the Britishers as it is evident from the 1857 War of Independence. The polarity of Hindu vs Muslim strengthened later on and for the better. Even the leaders of Muslim League were struggling for United India against the British. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan is known for calling India a beautiful bride whose two eyes were Hindus and Muslims. He founded a modern college in Aligarh. In the late 1800s the anti-Hindu sentiment increased after witnessing events which Muslims felt were discriminatory. Ideologies such as Two Nation Theory etc were proposed. The founder of Pakistan, who was once struggling for a United India, became increasingly interested in a Muslim state. Such ideologies were further strengthened by the pro-Islamic poetry of Mohammad Iqbal, a remarkable Muslim philosopher and sufi of recent times. Connoisseurs of Urdu poetry must read his works. He also wrote Persian poetry. Rumi has been one of his inspirations.

Anyways, this is just history in brief. South Asian history is very interesting. I have been studying it till grade 12 from a Pro-Pakistani and a Muslim bias. At university level, I also got to read it from an Orientalist perspective. The fact remains that colonial Britishers have left a deep impact on the psyche of both Muslim and Hindus in South Asia. The Britishers hated the Jihadi movements that rose against them during their unjust rule and that is how the term Maulvi came to get negative connotations. Moreover, some have argued that the emergence of the fatalist Qadiyani sect was also supported by the British. The anti-Movli sentiments still prevail among the educated elite of Pakistan which is pathetic. I feel pity for them because they still have not completely attained freedom from British Masters.

Sorry for a disorganized post, I certainly am not in the mood to write eloquently here.

On that note, I'd suggest you to watch Mangal Panday characterized by Aamir Khan, a bollywood movie. It might not be completely accurate historically but it captures the general jist of the events leading to the War of Independence.

Brother, I really enjoyed reading your post. You might be interested in visitng a site run by my uncle:

www.TwoCircles.net

format_quote Originally Posted by Banu_Hashim

Brother, I really enjoyed reading your post. You might be interested in visitng a site run by my uncle:

www.TwoCircles.net

jazakAllah khairun.

I had a glance at the About Us section of the website.

I am a Muslim and profoundly conscious of the fact that I have inherited Islam's glorious tradition of the last fourteen hundred years. I am not prepared to lose even a small part of that legacy. The history and teachings of Islam, its arts and letters, its culture and civilization are part of my wealth and it is my duty to cherish and guard them. But, with all these feelings, I have another equally deep realization, born out of my life's experience which is strengthened and not hindered by the Islamic spirit. I am equally proud of the fact that I am an Indian, an essential part of the indivisible unity of the Indian nationhood, a vital factor in its total makeup, without which this noble edifice will remain incomplete.

--- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

With all due respect, I do no agree with the above quote. As Muslims, our nationhood is Islamic emirate, which is made up of Muslims from all cultural and genetic backgrounds.

I will search through the website in detail soon. Thank you for providing the link.

format_quote Originally Posted by Wa7abiScientist

jazakAllah khairun.

I had a glance at the About Us section of the website.

I am a Muslim and profoundly conscious of the fact that I have inherited Islam's glorious tradition of the last fourteen hundred years. I am not prepared to lose even a small part of that legacy. The history and teachings of Islam, its arts and letters, its culture and civilization are part of my wealth and it is my duty to cherish and guard them. But, with all these feelings, I have another equally deep realization, born out of my life's experience which is strengthened and not hindered by the Islamic spirit. I am equally proud of the fact that I am an Indian, an essential part of the indivisible unity of the Indian nationhood, a vital factor in its total makeup, without which this noble edifice will remain incomplete.

--- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

With all due respect, I do no agree with the above quote. As Muslims, our nationhood is Islamic emirate, which is made up of Muslims from all cultural and genetic backgrounds.

I will search through the website in detail soon. Thank you for providing the link.

That's perfectly alright, you don't have to agree with it and least of all tell me . To be honest with you, I do not agree with the quote entirely myself. But the focus of the website, that I thought you may have been interested in the situation and history of Muslims in the Indian Subcontinent.

Fee Amaanillah.