The Muslim period of rule (8th century to 1857) has had no conflict, riots, or, violence, in its entire history. Pre-Mughal, as well as the entire tenure of the great Mughals, had a glorious and remarkable harmony among the Muslims and Non-Muslims of the whole empire in Sub-Continent (comprising the states of today’s SAARC) It was the British, who destroyed not only the great Mughal Empire, but also, badly damaged the historical harmony of the two- The Muslims and Non-Muslims.
A very important difference was that the Muslims may have come to the Subcontinent as foreigners, but they never went back. There may have been exceptions, just as there was the occasional Englishman who remained in India, but overwhelmingly, Muslims remained in the Subcontinent.
One reason may have been the giving of estates. The immigrants to India were granted estates, not as an incentive to settle, but as salary. All land was evaluated, and when someone was given a salary with a certain cash value, he was given an estate to which he had the right of collecting the revenue as salary. British officials were given cash salaries.
Because of this, the British people ‘s case was quite different from that of Muslims. At first, they came, not to live or to rule, but just for trade. They arranged and managed their trading companies, by which they played backdoor political dirty games to capture the locals and their ruling authorities. “The East India Company then became a ruler body. It ruled from 1767 to 1857 A.D. When the freedom fighters, Indians of all races, under the great command of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, were defeated by the company’s forces the whole Empire of the great Mughals went in to the hands of the Crown.
From 1767 to to 1947, during the whole British period, the British people never merged themselves or their culture. They always treated themselves all above from all Indians. There had been a few instances of Englishmen marrying Indian women, but even these ceased. After 1857 especially, the great fear of the British became another Mutiny. This may be why the products of mixed marriages were not absorbed into the colonizing class, but were treated as a separate class of Native, the Anglo-Indians. The Mughals married across the religious divide, and at least from the time of Akbar, every Mughal Emperor married one Rajput princess. Even the Emperor thus might be the result of a mixed marriage.
Whatever the reasons, the reality remains that religious conflicts and communal tensions began during the British period, and have continued after 1947. Now that the BJP has attempted to impose majoritarian rule, it seems that the truly secular period of rule was under Muslim rulers.
They considered themselves only as the rulers and to Indians as their colonial slaves. The British treated themselves as Lords, Vice Roys, rulers, representatives of the Crown and Christ of Britain. There was no interaction with any Indian human race, not at all.
There was no harmony, unity or integration with the English people by the Non-English people. The Cruel policy of “Divide And Rule” was implemented on all Non-British by the British.
Ultimately, they wished and knew very well that the day would come, soon or later, when they – The British quit India and Indians. And at last in the month of August in 1947 they ran out forever from the Subcontinent.
Muslim rule in India has left behind large numbers of Muslims, but there is no parallel in India, except perhaps Goa (but that is because of Portugal) and arguably some of the North-Eastern states.
One major difference was that Muslims never owed allegiance abroad. In short, the monarchs moved to Delhi. There was some allegiance offered to the Abbasi caliphs during their exile in Cairo, but from the time of Akbar, it became plain that the Mughal Emperor owed no allegiance to the Osmanli Caliph. It was only after the fall of Bahadur Shah Zafar, that Muslims began reciting the name of the Osmanli Caliph in the Friday sermons where previously that of the Mughal Emperor was recited.
Whatever the reasons, the reality remains that religious conflicts and communal tensions began during the British period, and have continued after 1947. Now that the BJP has attempted to impose majoritarian rule, it seems that the truly secular period of rule was under Muslim rulers.
