Please read, share or like so more read it thanks) Is the Indian version of European Secularism anti Hindu Lets look at Chief Minister Narender Modi and Emperor Akbar through Indian Secular eyes as a case study to find out how secularism in India works. For example In India, a small band of journalists, activists and politicians, all of who parade themselves as ‘Secularists’ continuously malign Narendra Modi as being a modern day Hitler ; but to these same individuals Emperor Akbar, the third Mughal emperor of medieval India, is one of the great icons of Indian secularism. If we look objectively at the matter, it can be seen that this is very much a confused position. Narendra Modi’s reputation among this Indian Secular Elite arises from the 2002 Gujarat riots. It was under his Chief Ministership that bloody sectarian riots occurred in which according to official counts, there were 1180 persons killed, of which 254 were Hindu and the rest Muslim. Narendra Modi is accused by his detractors of: 1.Ordering the state machinery to let Hindus riot for a few days before intervening. 2.Attempting to use his influence to allow Hindu perpetrators of violence to escape prosecution, or turn a blind eye when servants of his government were doing the same. 3.In the aftermath of the riots whipped up communal sentiments and fears amongst the Hindus for electoral gain. Narendra Modi denies the accusations, and Indeed he has been cleared by all investigations including the India Supreme Courts own investigation who under the direction of the Congress-led UPA ruling government set up a special team of investigators in 2009 to only give the all clear to Modi of all alleged charges in 2011. But India media and the ‘secular’ network in India and abroad continue to slander Narendra Modi as a criminal . Mughal emperor Akbar is often hailed as an icon of tolerance. But was he? If we honestly and objectively compare him to Narendra Modi what do we find? A very disturbing picture emerges which is unflattering to say the least. The atrocities carried out under the emperor were the direct result of his own orders. When comparing the crimes against humanity of Emperor Akbar against the unproven and baseless allegations against Mr Modi, one is struck by the sheer hypocrisy of how anybody parading the former as an icon of secularism can charge the latter with having been an affront to India’s long-held tradition of pluralism and mutual respect. In his early and middle career Emperor Akbar participated in violence which wholly religiously inspired. Hence the title of ‘ghazi’ which he earned for killing infidels. His atrocities were on a far greater and more direct scale than anything that happened when Narendra Modi was chief minister, and can reasonably be accused of. Just a few brief examples shall be cited here to demonstrate the extent of his killings, and also the fact that far into his rule he still did not treat Hindus equally. At the end of the siege of Chittor, Akbar ordered the massacre of 30,000 inhabitants of the felled fort on 24th February 1568, and after this Akbar had the heads of fallen Rajputs displayed upon towers erected throughout the region to show his authority. Abdul Qadir Badaoni who was then one of Akbar’s court chaplains or imams, states that he sought an interview with the emperor when the royal troops were marching against Rana Pratap in 1576, begging leave of absence for “the privilege of joining the campaign to soak his Islamic beard in Hindu infidel blood”. Akbar was so pleased at the expression of allegiance to his person and to the Islamic idea of Jihad that he bestowed a handful of gold coins on Badaoni as a token of his pleasure. Even when Akbar decided to forge matrimonial alliances with Rajput Kings, the same Rajputs were not allowed to dine and pray with him or take Muslim wives. There was no real equality. There was no real tolerance. It was all on suffrance and imperial personal whim, which could be withdrawn at any moment. No constitutional guarantees here, and certainly no democracy. Since 2002, Narendra Modi has many positive achievements to his name which have been recognised globally. That is why long before Britain made overtures to him and the USA rescinded its ban on his being allowed a visa, Israel and Latin American countries were beating a path to Gujarat in order to forge links with the man responsible for making his home state the most prosperous in India. Nobody can seriously question his record on economic growth and governance in his state. He has also tried within certain limits to get away from the “hardline” image. One may take a cynical view of Narendra Modi’s gradual change of image; but the irrefutable fact remains that he has achieved the fastest economic growth in India. This has been combined with governance that is not known for corruption and cronyism. He has also been involved with various campaigns to remove social ills such as Save the Girl Child.
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 14:05:46 +0000
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