Brahmins helped Muslim invasion of India
Madhu Limaye Madhu Limaye, a chitpavan Brahmin and Lohinite socialist, has writ{en an article in the Hindu June 19,93) criticizing the upper castes only for Muslim invasion. He says:
Hindu revivalist K.M.Munshi had accused the Buddhists of cosmopolitanism and of aiding the Arab Muslin invaders. But this is al best a partisan account. The followers of Brahminical religion were equally eager to render service to the invader and alien ruler. The chroniclers of Muslim Arab invasion of Sind say that Muhammad bin Qasim arrived in Sind with 12,000 troops, But, by the time he laid down his charge he had been able to expand his armed forces and bring 50,000 men under his banner. “The Sindhis joined service under him in large numbers and fought their own coreligionists under his command.”
The Buddhists and the lower caste people who felt discriminated against in the dominant Hindu ethos of social exclusiveness, of course, readily offered their cooperation to Muhammad Qasim. But Brahmins also did the same thing, A historian writes that “Qasim displayed the utmost regard towards them, He conferred titles, favors, costly gifts and robes of honor on them. He confirmed all their previous privileges and added some more. He chose some of his ministers and advisers from among them. Even certain defence duties were assigned to them. The trust placed by him was justified, for his Brahmin advisers helped him in the extension of his conquests and in general assisted him in running the administration.”
The alien Arab Turkish and Western rule could not have been so firmly established and endured in India had its vast majority not been wholly apathetic and had a minority not actively cooperated with it: The Bengal Army rulers consisted chiefly of Brahmins and Thakurs and forces South of the Narmada: enrolled the backwards and
Harijans. The Sangh Parivar talks of character building. Courage and integrity are, I suppose, important ingredients of character. The Sangh Parivar’s members displayed no great courage during the Emergency. Many of them sent apology. letters. For me, who spent nearly 20 months amongst them in MP prisons those were the days of anguish. The Parivar, I humbly suggest, should tum it light inwards.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 6, 1993
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