‘Hindus in India Became Muslims,’ says Ghulam Nabi Azad, Setting Off a Disagreement

According to Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, the majority of Indian Muslims switched from Hinduism, and Kashmir Valley provides evidence of this as the majority of Kashmiri Pandits converted to Islam.

Azad said that using religion for political gain is inappropriate. Those who seek solace in religion in politics, he said, are weak.

“A BJP leader said that some Muslims had immigrated from abroad while others have not. Both inside and outside are empty. Islam only emerged over 1,500 years ago. Hinduism has a long history. According to the DPAP leader, 10 to 20 of them (Muslims) must have arrived from outside; some of them served in the Mughal army. He was speaking to a crowd in the Doda area.

“In India, every other Muslim converted from Hinduism. Kashmir is one illustration of this. Who lived in Kashmir 600 years ago were the Muslims? They were all Pandit Kashmiris. They became Muslims. All are born into this faith, according to the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.

According to Azad, Hindus are cremated after passing away. They are burned in various locations. The river is mixed with their ashes, and we drink the resulting water, he said. Who notices afterwards that their burned ashes are present in the water? The DPAP head said that people consume that water.

Similar to this, Azad remarked, the Muslims’ flesh and bones become a part of the country’s soil. “They merge with this land, too. Their bones and flesh are assimilated into the soil of Bharat Mata. Muslims and Hindus coexist in this country. What distinguishes them from one another, he continued.

Azad stated, “Whoever takes refuge in religion in politics is weak,” making fun of the practice of using religion to get votes. Politicians shouldn’t exploit religion as a vote bank. Hindu and Muslim names shouldn’t be used as criteria for voting.

REACTIONS TO THE STATEMENT MADE BY GHULAM NABI AZAD

in favor

Before “invaders” introduced other faiths, the populace practiced Hinduism, a senior BJP official named Kavinder Gupta remarked. Former deputy chief minister Gupta said, “The timeline given by Azad about the inception of Islam in India is true.”

According to Gupta, learning Kashmir’s history would also show that there weren’t any Muslims in Kashmir until around 600 years ago since everyone was a Hindu. They were converted to Islam by the “invaders,” and “those who refused were killed brutally,” he said.

Gupta, however, issued a warning against political parties utilizing the circumstance to further their own political objectives by dividing society. Because everyone belonged to the same civilization and had the same ancestors, he said that there was no justification for social separation on this issue.

Those Who Are

Some leaders were not pleased with Azad’s comments. Mehbooba Mufti, the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made fun of the former chief minister by remarking, “I don’t know how far back (in time) he went and what information he has about his forefathers. He should travel back far in the hopes of finding some apes there in the ancestors, in my opinion.

Neutral

Manoj Jha, the leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and a member of the Rajya Sabha, too voiced his viewpoint. He said that humanity should come before all other factors, including religion, country, boundaries, and civilisation.