Hindus have been historically persecuted during Islamic rule of the Indian subcontinent.

During Islamic rule of the Indian sub-continent

The Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent led to widespread carnage because Muslims regarded the Hindus as
infidels and therefore slaughtered and converted millions of Hindus. Will Durant argued in his 1935 book "The Story of
Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage" (page 459):

`The Mohammedan conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. The Islamic historians and scholars
have recorded with great glee and pride the slaughters of Hindus, forced conversions, abduction of Hindu women and
children to slave markets and the destruction of temples carried out by the warriors of Islam during 800 AD to 1700
AD. Millions of Hindus were converted to Islam by sword during this period.`

There is no official estimate of the total death toll of Hindus at the hands of Muslims.

As Braudel put it: "The levies it had to pay were so crushing that one catastrophic harvest was enough to unleash
famines and epidemics capable of killing a million people at a time. Appalling poverty was the constant counterpart of
the conquerors' opulence."

The backward castes of Hinduism suffered worst. Monarchs (belonging to backward castes) such as Khusrau Bhangi
Khan, Hemchandra and Garha-Katanga were knocked off their throne and executed. Backward caste saints like
[1]
Namadeva were arrested, while women like Kanhopata were forced to commit suicide. Ghisadis have an “Urdu”title
[2]
.

Prof. K.S. Lal, suggests a calculation in his book Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India which estimates that
between the years 1000 AD and 1500 AD the population of Hindus decreased by 80 million. Even those Hindus who
converted to Islam were not immune from persecution, which was illustrated by the Muslim Caste System in India as
[3]
established by Ziauddin al-Barani in the Fatawa-i Jahandari. , where they were regarded as "Ajlaf" caste and
[4]
subjected to severe discrimination by the "Ashraf" castes.

By Arabs

Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent began during the early 8th century, when the Umayyad governor of what
is now Iraq, Hajjaj responded to a casus belli provided by the kidnapping of Muslim women and treasures by pirates
off the coast of Debal,[5] by mobilizing an expedition of 6,000 cavalry under Muhammad bin-Qasim in 712 CE.
Records from the campaign recorded in the Chach Nama record temple demolitions, and mass executions of resisting
Sindhi forces and the enslavement of their dependents. This action was particularly extensive in Debal, of which
Qasim is reported to have been under orders to make an example of while freeing both the captured women and the
prisoners of a previous failed expedition. Bin Qasim then enlisted the support of the local Jat, Meds and Bhutto tribes
and began the process of subduing and conquering the countryside. The capture of towns was also usually
accomplished by means of a treaty with a party from among his "enemy", who were then extended special privileges
and material rewards.[6] However, his superior Hajjaj reportedly objected to his method by saying that it would make
[7]
him look weak and advocated a more hardline military strategy:

`It appears from your letter that all the rules made by you for the comfort and convenience of your men are strictly in
accordance with religious law. But the way of granting pardon prescribed by the law is different from the one adopted
by you, for you go on giving pardon to everybody, high or low, without any discretion between a friend and a foe. The
great God says in the Koran [47.4]: "0 True believers, when you encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads." The
above command of the Great God is a great command and must be respected and followed. You should not be so
fond of showing mercy, as to nullify the virtue of the act. Henceforth grant pardon to no one of the enemy and spare
none of them, or else all will consider you a weak-minded man.`
In a subsequent communication, Hajjaj reiterated that all able-bodied men were to be killed, and that their underage
sons and daughters were to be imprisoned and retained as hostages. Qasim obeyed, and on his arrival at the town of
Brahminabad massacred between 6,000 and 16,000 of the defending forces.[8] The historian, Upendra Thakur records
the persecution of Hindus and Buddhists:

`When Muhammad Kasim invaded Sind in 711 AD, Buddhism had no resistance to offer to their fire and steel. The
rosary could not be a match for the sword and the terms Love and Peace had no meaning to them. They carried fire
and sword wherever they went and obliterated all that came their way. Muhammad triumphantly marched into the
country, conquering Debal, Sehwan, Nerun, Brahmanadabad, Alor and Multan one after the other in quick succession,
and in less than a year and a half, the far-flung Hindu kingdom was crushed, the great civilization fell back and Sind
entered the darkest period of its history. There was a fearful outbreak of religious bigotry in several places and
temples were wantonly desecrated. At Debal, the Nairun and Aror temples were demolished and converted into
mosques.[Resistors] were put to death and women made captives. The Jizya was exacted with special care.[Hindus]
were required to feed Muslim travellers for three days and three nights.[9]`

Other historians and archaeologists such as J E Lohuizen-de Leeuw, take the following stance regarding events
preceding the sack of Debal:

In fact, we have clear evidence that the Arabs were very tolerant towards both Buddhists and Hindus during the rest
of the campaign and throughout the time they ruled Sind...Of course that does not mean that no monuments were
ever destroyed, for war always means a certain amount of damage to buildings but it does prove that there was no
wanton and systematic destruction of each and every religious center of the Buddhists and Hindus in Sind.[10]

Mahmud of Ghazni

Mahmud of Ghazni was an Afghan Sultan who invaded the Indian subcontinent during the early 11th century. His
campaigns across the gangetic plains are often cited for their iconoclastic plundering and destruction of Hindu
temples such as those at Mathura and he looked upon their destruction as an act of "jihad".[11]

Pradyumna Prasad Karan further describes Mahmud's invasion as one in which he put "thousands of Hindu's to the
sword" and made a pastime of "raising pyramids of the skulls of the infidels".[12][13] Holt et al. hold an opposing view,
[14]
that he was "no mere robber or bloody thirsty tyrant" . Mahmud shed no blood "except in the exegencies of war",
and was tolerant in dealings with his own Hindu subjects, some of whom rose to high posts in his administration, such
as his Hindu General Tilak [14]

Mahmud of Ghazni sacked the second Somnath Temple in 1026, and looted it of gems and precious stones and the
famous Shiva lingam of the temple was destroyed and it's fragments taken away to Ghazni where they were used as
[15]
stepping stones for a mosque.

Shahab-ul-Din, King of Gazni (1170-1206), put Prithwi Raj, King of Ajmer and Delhi, to death in cold blood. He
massacred thousands of the inhabitants of Ajmer who opposed him, reserving the remainder for slavery (The Kamiu-t
Tawarikh by Asir).

In the Taj-ul-Ma’asir by Hassn Nizam-i-Naishapuri, it is stated that when Qutb-ul- Din Aibak (1194-1210) conquered
Meerat, he demolished all the Hindu temples of the city and erected mosques on their sites. In the city of Aligarh, he
converted Hindu inhabitants to Islam by the sword and beheaded all those who adhered to their own religion. The
Persian historian Wassaf writes in his Tazjiyat-ul-Amsar wa Tajriyat ul Asar that when Alaul-Din Khilji (1295-1316)
captured the city of Kambayat at the head of the gulf ofCambay, he killed the adult male Hindu inhabitants for the
glory of Islam, set flowing rivers of blood, sent the women of the country with all their gold, silver, and jewels, to his
own home, and made about twentv thousand maidens his private slaves. Ala-ul-Din once asked his Qazi’ , what was
the Mohammadan law prescribed for the Hindus. The Qazi replied, “Hindus are like the mud; if silver is demanded
from them, they must with the greatest humility offer gold. If a Mohammadan desire to spit into a Hindu’ s mouth, the
Hindu should open it wide for the purpose. God created the Hindus to be slaves of the Mohammadans. The Prophet
hath ordained that, if the Hindus do not accept Islam, they should be imprisoned, tortured, finally put to death, and
their property confiscated.”Sayad Mohammad Latif writes in his history of the Punjab, “Great jealousy and hatred
existed those days between the Hindus and Mohammadans and the whole non-Muslim population subject to
persecution by the Mohammadan rulers.”

In the Delhi Sultanate

The first Muslim Empire of India, the Sultanate of Delhi, was established in 1210 CE by Turkic tribes that invaded the
subcontinent from Afghanistan. Many temples were looted and destroyed. Infamous cases include the destruction of
the Somnath.

Muhammad Ghori

Muhammad Ghori committed genocide against Hindus at Koi (modern Aligarh), Kalinjar and Varanasi, according to
Hasan Nizami's Taj-ul-Maasir, 20,000 Hindu prisoners were slaughtered and their heads offered to crows.[16]

Timur the Lame's Campaign against India

r bin Taraghay Barlas (1336 – February 1405), known in the West as Tamerlane, was a 14th century warlord
of Turco-Mongol descent,[17][18][19][20] conqueror of much of western and central Asia, and founder of the Timurid
Empire and Timurid dynasty (1370–1405) in Central Asia, which survived in some form until 1857. Perhaps, he is
more commonly known by his pejorative Persian name Timur-e Lang (Persian: ) which translates to Timur
the Lame, as he was lame after sustaining an injury to the leg in battle.

Informed about civil war in India, Timur began a trek starting in 1397 to invade the territory of the reigning Sultan
Nasir-u Din Mehmud of the Tughlaq Dynasty in the north Indian city of Delhi.

Timur crossed the Indus River at Attock on September 24. The capture of towns and villages was often followed by
the massacre of their inhabitants and the raping of their women, as well as pillaging to support his massive army.
Timur wrote many times in his memoirs of his specific disdain for the 'idolatrous' Hindus, although he also waged war
against Muslim Indians during his campaign.

Timur's invasion did not go unopposed and he did meet some resistance during his march to Delhi, most notably by
the Sarv Khap coalition in northern India, and the Governor of Meerut. Although impressed and momentarily stalled by
the valour of Ilyaas Awan, Timur was able to continue his relentless approach to Delhi, arriving in 1398 to combat the
armies of Sultan Mehmud, already weakened by an internal battle for ascension within the royal family.

The Sultan's army was easily defeated on December 17, 1398. Timur entered Delhi and the city was sacked,
destroyed, and left in ruins. Before the battle for Delhi, Timur executed more than 100,000 captives.

Timur himself recorded the invasions in his memoirs, collectively known as Tuzk-i-Timuri.[21] In them, he vividly
described the massacre at Delhi:

In a short space of time all the people in the [New Delhi] fort were put to the sword, and in the course of one hour the
heads of 10,000 infidels were cut off. The sword of Islam was washed in the blood of the infidels, and all the goods
and effects, the treasure and the grain which for many a long year had been stored in the fort became the spoil of my
soldiers. They set fire to the houses and reduced them to ashes, and they razed the buildings and the fort to the
ground....All these infidel Hindus were slain, their women and children, and their property and goods became the spoil
of the victors. I proclaimed throughout the camp that every man who had infidel prisoners should put them to death,
and whoever neglected to do so should himself be executed and his property given to the informer. When this order
became known to the ghazis of Islam, they drew their swords and put their prisoners to death.

One hundred thousand infidels, impious idolators, were on that day slain. Maulana Nasiruddin Umar, a counselor and
man of learning, who, in all his life, had never killed a sparrow, now, in execution of my order, slew with his sword
fifteen idolatrous Hindus, who were his captives....on the great day of battle these 100,000 prisoners could not be left
with the baggage, and that it would be entirely opposed to the rules of war to set these idolaters and enemies of Islam
at liberty...no other course remained but that of making them all food for the sword. [22]

[23]
According to Malfuzat-i-Timuri , Timur targeted Hindus. In his own words, "Excepting the quarter of the saiyids, the
'ulama and the other Musalmans [sic], the whole city was sacked". In his descriptions of the Loni massacre he wrote,
"..Next day I gave orders that the Musalman prisoners should be separated and saved."

During the ransacking of Delhi, almost all inhabitants not killed were captured and enslaved.

Timur left Delhi in approximately January 1399. In April he had returned to his own capital beyond the Oxus (Amu
Darya). Immense quantities of spoils were taken from India. According to Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, 90 captured
elephants were employed merely to carry precious stones looted from his conquest, so as to erect a mosque at
Samarkand — what historians today believe is the enormous Bibi-Khanym Mosque. Ironically, the mosque was
constructed too quickly and suffered greatly from disrepair within a few decades of its construction.

Qutb-ud-din Aibak

Historical records compiled by Muslim historian Maulana Hakim Saiyid Abdul Hai attest to the iconoclasm of Qutb-ud-
din Aybak. The first mosque built in Delhi, the "Quwwat al-Islam" was built after the demolission of the Hindu temple
built previously by Prithvi Raj and certain parts of the temple were left outside the mosque proper.[24] This pattern of
iconoclasm was common during his reign, although an argument goes that such iconoclasm was motivated more by
politics than by religion.[25]

Iltutmish

Another ruler of the sultanate, Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, conquered and subjugated the Hindu pilgrimage site Varanasi
in the 11th century and he continued the destruction of Hindu temples and idols that had begun during the first attack
in 1194.[26]

Firuz Shah Tughlaq

Firuz Shah Tughluq was the third ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. The "Tarikh-i-Firuz Shah" is a
historical record written during his reign that attests to the systematic persecution of Hindus under his rule.[27] In
particular, it records atrocities committed against Hindu Brahmin priests who refused to convert to Islam:

An order was accordingly given to the Brahman and was brought before Sultan. The true faith was declared to the
Brahman and the right course pointed out. but he refused to accept it. A pile was risen on which the Kaffir with his
hands and legs tied was thrown into and the wooden tablet on the top. The pile was lit at two places his head and his
feet. The fire first reached him in the feet and drew from him a cry and then fire completely enveloped him. Behold
Sultan for his strict adherence to law and rectitude.[27]

Under his rule, Hindus who were forced to pay the mandatory Jizya tax were recorded as infidels, their communities
monitored and, if they violated Imperial ordinances and built temples, they were destroyed. In particular, an incident in
the village of Gohana in Haryana was recorded in the "Insha-i-Mahry" (another historical record written by Amud Din
Abdullah bin Mahru) where Hindus had erected a deity and were arrested, brought to the palace and executed en-
masse.[27]

In 1230, the Hindu King of Orissa Anangabhima III consolidated his rule and proclaimed that an attack on Orissa
constituted an attack on the king's god. A sign of Anangabhima's determination to protect Hindu culture is the fact that
he named is new capital in Cuttack “Abhinava Varanasi.”His anxieties about further Muslim advances in Orissa
proved to be well founded.
In the Mughal empire

The Mughal Empire was marked by periods of tolerance of non-Muslims, such as Hindus, Christians and Sikhs, as
[28]
well as periods of violent oppression and persecution of those people. The reign of Aurangzeb was particularly
brutal. No aspect of Aurangzeb's reign is more cited - or more controversial - than the numerous desecrations and
even the destruction of Hindu temples.[28] Aurangzeb banned Diwali, placed a jizya (tax) on non-Muslims and
martyred the ninth Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur.[28]

During his reign, tens of thousands of temples were desecrated: their facades and interiors were defaced and their
murtis (divine images) looted.[28] In many cases, temples were destroyed entirely; in numerous instances mosques
were built on their foundations, sometimes using the same stones. Among the temples Aurangzeb destroyed were
two that are most sacred to Hindus, in Varanasi and Mathura.[29] In both cases, he had large mosques built on the
sites.[28]

The Kesava Deo temple in Mathura, marked the place that Hindus believe was the birth place of Shri Krishna.[29] In
1661 Aurangzeb ordered the demolition of the temple, and constructed the Katra Masjid mosque. Traces of the
ancient Hindu temple can be seen from the back of the mosque. Aurangzeb also destroyed what was the most
famous temple in Varanasi- the Vishwanath Temple.[29] The temple had changed its location over the years, but in
1585 Akbar had authorized its location at Gyan Vapi. Aurangzeb ordered its demolition in 1669 and constructed a
mosque on the site, whose minarets stand 71 metres above the Ganges. Traces of the old temple can be seen behind
the mosque. Centuries later, emotional debate about these wanton acts of cultural desecration continues. Aurangzeb
also destroyed the Somnath temple in 1706.[29]

According to Hindu claims the Mughals supposedly also destroyed the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, at the birthplace of
the Hindu deity Rama. On top of it, they built the Babri Masjid, which has since been a source of tension between the
Hindu and Muslim communities.

Writer Fernand Braudel wrote in A History of Civilizations (Penguin 1988/1963, p.232-236), Islamic rule in India as a
"colonial experiment" was "extremely violent", and "the Muslims could not rule the country except by systematic terror.
Cruelty was the norm -- burnings, summary executions, crucifixions or impalements, inventive tortures. Hindu temples
were destroyed to make way for mosques. On occasion there were forced conversions. If ever there were an uprising,
it was instantly and savagely repressed: houses were burned, the countryside was laid waste, men were slaughtered
and women were taken as slaves."

Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan

Hindu groups revile Tipu Sultan as a bigot who massacred Hindus[30]. He was known to carry out forced conversions
[31]
of Hindus and Christians. . According to Ramchandra Rao "Punganuri" Tipu converted 500 Hindus in Kodagu
[32]
(Coorg) . A Mogul general, known only by his initials, M.M.K.F.G., wrote an account of Tippoo Sultaun's life, which
was corrected by one of Tippoo's sons, wherein he asserts that the Sultan, in his wars against the Maharaja of
Travancore, had 10,000 Hindus and Christians killed and 7,000 transported back to Seringapatam, where they were
circumcised, made to eat beef and forced to convert to Mohammedanism. A more solid proof may be had from the
destruction meted out to numerous lesser temples, especially in the Sultan's southern domains, in the late 1780s. An
outstanding example of this may be seen in the ruins of the temple in the hill-fort of Dindigul which has none of the
presiding deities in the sancta sanctora, besides having other reliefs disfigured.

In Kashmir

The Hindu minority in Kashmir has also been historically persecuted by Muslim rulers.[33] While Hindus and Muslims
lived in harmony for certain periods of time, several Muslim rulers of Kashmir were intolerant of other religions. Sultãn
Sikandar Butshikan of Kashmir (AD 1389-1413) is often considered the worst of these. Historians have recorded
many of his atrocities. The Tarikh-i-Firishta records that Sikandar persecuted the Hindus and issued orders
proscribing the residency of any other than Muslims in Kashmir. He also ordered the breaking of all "golden and silver
images". The Tarikh-i-Firishta further states: "Many of the Brahmins, rather than abandon their religion or their country,
poisoned themselves; some emigrated from their native homes, while a few escaped the evil of banishment by
becoming Mahomedans. After the emigration of the Bramins, Sikundur ordered all the temples in Kashmeer to be
thrown down......Having broken all the images in Kashmeer, (Sikandar) acquired the title of ‘ " [34].
Destroyer of Idols’

During European rule of the Indian subcontinent

The Goa Inquisition, was established in 1560 by Portuguese missionaries. It was aimed primarily at Hindus and
wayward new converts and by the time it was suppressed in 1774, the inquisition had had thousands of Hindus
tortured and executed by burning. The British East India Company engaged in a covert and well-financed campaign of
evangelical conversions in the 19th century. While officially discouraging conversions, officers of the Company
routinely converted Sepoys to Christianity, often by force. This was one of the factors that led to the First Indian War
of Independence.[36]

In the Indian subcontinent

Hindus, like Muslims, Sikhs, and members of other religious groups, experienced severe dislocation and violence
during the massive population exchanges associated with the partition of India, as members of various communities
moved to what they hoped was the relative safety of an area where they would be a religious majority. Hindus were
among the between 200,000 and a million who died during the rioting and other violence associated with the
[37]
partition.

Jammu and Kashmir

Kashmiri militants have engaged in attacks on Hindu pilgrims in both Kashmir and neighboring Jammu. Kashmiri
militants have attacked Hindus in the region, as well as moderate Muslims suspected of siding with India. Kashmiri
Pandit Hindus, who have been residents of Kashmir for centuries, have been ethnically cleansed from Kashmir by
Islamic militants.[38][39] In particular, the Wandhama Massacre in 1998 was an incident in which 24 Kashmiri Hindus
were gunned down by Islamists disguised as Indian soldiers. Many Kashmiri Hindus have been killed and thousands
of children orphaned over the course of the conflict in Kashmir.

Kerala

The Moplah Riots in 1921 where Muslims in Kerala, influenced by the Khilafat movement rioted in rebellion against
British Raj and Hindu Jenmis, resulted in thousands of Hindu deaths and a number of forcible conversions. Parts of
Kerala such as Ernad and Walluvanad were declared as Khilafat kingdoms by groups of Muslim mobs and flags of the
Islamic Caliphate were flown[40]. Annie Besant stated in her book: "They Moplahs murdered and plundered abundantly,
and killed or drove away all Hindus who would not apostatise. Somewhere about a lakh (100,000) of people were
driven from their homes with nothing but their clothes they had on, stripped of everything...Malabar has taught us what
Islamic rule still means, and we do not want to see another specimen of the Khilafat Raj in India."[41]

Northeast India

In Northeastern India, especially in Nagaland, Hindus are not able to celebrate Durga Puja and other essential
festivals due to harassment and killing by Christian terrorist groups. In Tripura,[42] the NLFT has targeted Swamis and
temples for attacks. The Baptist Church of Tripura is alleged to have supplied NLFT with arms and financial support
[43]
and encouraged the murder of Hindus, particularly infants. A conventional tactic of the terrorists is to torch houses
belonging to Hindus while the residents are still inside. They have been known to raid Hindu sanctuaries and shoot all
the members.

Pakistan

There has been severe and often institutionalized persecution of Hindus by Muslims in Pakistan since its formation in
1947. The increasing Islamization has caused many Hindus to leave Hinduism and seek emancipation by converting
to other faiths such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Such Islamization includes the blasphemy laws, which make
it dangerous for religious minorities to express themselves freely and engage freely in religious and cultural
activities.[54] Minority members of the Pakistan National Assembly have alleged that Hindus were being hounded and
humiliated to force them to leave Pakistan.[55] In addition to the ethnic cleansing of Hindus following the Partition of
India in 1947, Hindus in Pakistan have been subjected to anti-blasphemy laws, hate propaganda, attacks, and forced
conversions. Hindus in what is now Pakistan have declined from 23% of the total population in 1947 to less than 2%
today. The HAF report condemns Pakistan for its systematic state-sponsored religious discrimination against Hindus
through "anti-blasphemy" laws. It documents numerous reports of Hindus being held as "bonded laborers" in slavery-
like conditions in rural Pakistan, something repeatedly ignored by the Pakistani government. Pakistan aggressively
portrays its struggle against India as a Hindu-Muslim conflict, making it clear that its own Hindu minority is fair game
for persecution.

1971 Bangladesh atrocities

During the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities there were widespread killings and acts of ethnic cleansing of civilians in
Bangladesh (then East Pakistan under Pakistani occupation), and widespread violations of human rights were carried
out by the Pakistan Army, which was supported by political and religious militias during the Bangladesh Liberation
War. In Bangladesh, the atrocities are identified as a genocide, which is disputed by Pakistan. Many of the victims
were Hindus, and the total death toll was in the millions[56][57].TIME magazine reported that "The Hindus, who account
for three-fourths of the refugees and a majority of the dead, have borne the brunt of the Muslim military's hatred."[58]

Forced Conversions

Forced and coerced conversions of religious minorities to Islam occurred at the hands of societal actors. Religious
minorities claimed that government actions to stem the problem were inadequate. Several human rights groups have
highlighted the increased phenomenon of Hindu girls, particularly in Karachi, being kidnapped from their families and
forced to convert to Islam.

[60]
Hindu women have also been known to be victims of kidnapping and forced conversion to Islam. Krishan Bheel, a
Hindu member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, came into the news recently for manhandling Qari Gul
Rehman.[61]

On October 18, 2005, Sanno Amra and Champa, a Hindu couple residing in the Punjab Colony, Karachi, Sindh
returned home to find that their three teenage daughters had disappeared. After inquiries to the local police, the
couple discovered that their daughters had been taken to a local madrassah, had been converted to Islam, and were
[59]
denied unsupervised contact with their parents .

Temple Destruction

Several Hindu temples have been destroyed in Pakistan. A notable incident was the destruction of the Ramna Kali
Mandir in former East Pakistan. The temple was bulldozed by the Pakistan Army on March 27, 1971.The
Dhakeshwari Temple was severely damaged during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and over half of the temple's
buildings were destroyed. In a major disrespect of the religion, the main worship hall was taken over by the Pakistan
Army and used as an ammunitions storage area. Several of the temple custodians were tortured and killed by the
Army though most, including the Head Priest, fled first to their ancestral villages and then to India and therefore
escaped death.

In 2006, the last Hindu temple in Lahore was destroyed to pave the way for construction of a multi-storied commercial
building. The temple was demolished after officials of the Evacuee Property Trust Board concealed facts from the
board chairman about the nature of the building. When reporters from Pakistan-based newspaper Dawn tried to cover
the incident, they were accosted by the henchmen of the property developer, who denied that a Hindu temple existed
at the site.[62]
Several political parties in Pakistan have objected to this move, such as the Pakistan People's party and the Pakistani
[63][64]
Muslim League-N. The move has also evoked strong condemnation in India from minority bodies and political
parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress Party, as well as Muslim advocacy political parties
such as the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat.[65] A firm of lawyers representing the Hindu minority has
approached the Lahore High Court seeking a directive to the builders to stop the construction of the commercial plaza
and reconstruct the temple at the site. The petitioners maintain that the demolition violates section 295 of the Pakistan
Penal Code prohibiting the demolition of places of worship.[66]

Bangladesh

The HAF report documents the long history of anti-Hindu atrocities in Bangladesh, a topic that many Indians and
Indian governments over the years have preferred not to acknowledge. Such atrocities, including targeted attacks
against temples, open theft of Hindu property, and rape of young Hindu women and enticements to convert to Islam,
have increased sharply in recent years after the Jamat-e-Islami joined the coalition government led by the Bangladesh
National Party.

Bangladesh has had a troublesome history of persecution of Hindus as well. A US-based human rights organisation,
Refugees International, has claimed that religious minorities, especially Hindus, still face discrimination in
Bangladesh.[45] The government of Bangladesh, a nationalist party openly calls for ‘ Talibanisation’of the state.[46][47][48]
However, the prospect of actually "Talibanizing" the state is regarded as a remote possibility, since Bangladeshi
Islamic society is generally more progressive than the extremist Taliban of Afghanistan. Political scholars conclude
that while the Islamization of Bangladesh is real, the country is not on the brink of being Talibanized.[46] In 1971 at the
time of the liberation of Bangladesh from East Pakistan, the Hindu population accounted for 15% of the total
[49]
population. Thirty years on, it is now estimated at just 10.5%. The ‘ Vested Property Act’previously named the
‘Enemy Property Act’has seen up to 40% of Hindu land snatched away forcibly. Since this government has come into
power, of all the rape crimes registered in Bangladesh, 98% have been registered by Hindu women. Hindu temples in
Bangladesh have also been vandalised.[50][51] The United States Congressional Caucus on India has condemned
[52]
these atrocities.

Bangladeshi feminist Taslima Nasrin's 1993 novel Lajja deals with the anti-Hindu riots and anti-secular sentiment in
Bangladesh in the wake of the destruction of the Babri Masjid in India. The book was banned in Bangladesh, and
helped draw international attention to the situation of the Bangladeshi Hindu minority.

In October 2006, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom published a report titled 'Policy
Focus on Bangladesh', which said that since its last election, 'Bangladesh has experienced growing violence by
religious extremists, intensifying concerns expressed by the countries religious minorities'. The report further stated
that Hindus are particularly vulnerable in a period of rising violence and extremism, whether motivated by religious,
political or criminal factors, or some combination. The report noted that Hindus had multiple disadvantages against
them in Bangladesh, such as perceptions of dual loyalty with respect to India and religious beliefs that are not
tolerated by the politically dominant Islamic Fundamentalists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Violence against
Hindus has taken place "in order to encourage them to flee in order to seize their property".The previous reports of the
Hindu American Foundation were acknowledged and confirmed by this non-partisan report.[53]

On November 2, 2006, USCIRF criticized Bangladesh for its continuing persecution of minority Hindus. It also urged
the Bush administration to get Dhaka to ensure protection of religious freedom and minority rights before
[53]
Bangladesh's next national elections in January 2007.

Afghanistan

During the Taliban regime, Sumptuary laws were passed in 2001 which forced Hindus to wear yellow badges in public
to identify themselves as such.This has been compared to Adolf Hitler's treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany during
[67][68]
World War II. Hindu women were forced to dress according to Islamic hijab, ostensibly a measure to "protect"
them from harassment. This was part of the Taliban's plan to segregate "un-Islamic" and "idolatrous" communities
from Islamic ones.[69] In addition, Hindus were forced to mark their places of residence identifying them as Hindu
homes.
[70]
The decree was condemned by the Indian and United States governments as a violation of religious freedom.
Widespread protests against the Taliban regime broke out in Bhopal,India. In the United States, chairman of the Anti-
Defamation League Abraham Foxman compared the decree to the practices of Nazi Germany, where Jews were
required to wear labels identifying them as such.[71] The comparison was also drawn by California Democrat and
holocaust survivor Tom Lantos, and New York Democrat and author of the bipartisan 'Sense of the Congress' non-
[72]
binding resolution against the anti-Hindu decree Eliot L Engel. In the United States, congressmen and several
[73]
lawmakers. wore yellow badges on the floor of the Senate during the debate as a demonstration of their solidarity
[74]
with the Hindu minority in Afghanistan .

Indian analyst Rahul Banerjee said that this was not the first time that Hindus have been singled out for state-
sponsored oppression in Afghanistan. Violence against Hindus has caused a rapid depletion in the Hindu population
[74]
over the years. Since the 1990s many Afghan Hindus have fled the country, seeking asylum in countries such as
[75]
Germany.

Malaysia

Approximately nine percent of the population of Malaysia are Tamil Indians, of whom nearly 90 percent are practicing
Hindus. Indian settlers came to Malaysia from Tamil Nadu in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Between April to
May 2006, several Hindu temples were demolished by city hall authorities in the country, accompanied by violence
[78]
against Hindus. On April 21, 2006, the Malaimel Sri Selva Kaliamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur was reduced to
rubble after the city hall sent in bulldozers.[79]

The president of the Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam in Selangor State has been helping to
organise efforts to stop the local authorities in the Muslim dominated city of Shah Alam from demolishing a 107-year-
old Hindu temple. The growing Islamization in Malaysia is a cause for concern to many Malaysians who follow
[80]
minority religions such as Hinduism. On May 11, 2006, armed city hall officers from Kuala Lumpur forcefully
demolished part of a 60-year-old suburban temple that serves more than 1,000 Hindus. The "Hindu Rights Action
Force", a coalition of several NGO's, have protested these demolitions by lodging complaints with the Malaysian
Prime Minister.[81] Many Hindu advocacy groups have protested what they allege is a systematic plan of temple
cleansing in Malaysia. The official reason given by the Malaysian government has been that the temples were built
"illegally". However, several of the temples are centuries old.[81] On average, a Hindu temple is demolished in
Malaysia once every three weeks.[82]

Another form of persecution is the requirement by the Malaysian government for the annual Thaipusam procession to
obtain a police permit under the Internal Security Act, which by the anti-discriminatory standards of most nations, is
flawed because it requires permits only for Hindu religious festivals. The Malaysian government has brutally attacked
Hindu protestors, at some times using tear gas and water cannons on these innocent individuals.[83]

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is an Islamic theocracy, and officially does not tolerate any other religion. Hindus are considered
polytheists by Islamic law, which is used as a justification for greater discrimination in calculating accidental death or
injury compensation. According to the country's "Hanbali" interpretation of Shari'a, Hindus receive 1/16 of the amount
a male Muslim receives.[84].

On March 24, Saudi authorities destroyed religious items found in a raid on a makeshift Hindu shrine found in an
[85]
apartment in Riyadh.

Fiji
Hindus in Fiji constitute approximately 38% of the population. During the late 1990s there were several riots against
Hindus by radical elements in Fiji. In the Spring of 2000, the democratically elected Fijian government led by Prime
Minister Mahendra Chaudhry was held hostage by a guerilla group, headed by George Speight. They were
demanding a segregated state exclusively for the native Fijians, thereby legally abolishing any rights the Hindu
[86]
inhabitants have now. The majority of Fijian land is reserved for the ethnically Fijian community . Since the
practitioners of Hindu faith are predominantly Indians, racist attacks by the extremist Fijian Nationalists too often
culminated into violence against the institutions of Hinduism. According to official reports, attacks on Hindu institutions
increased by 14% compared to 2004. Hindus and Hinduism, being labeled the “outside others,”especially in the
aftermath of the May 2000 coup, have been victimized by Fijian fundamentalist and nationalists who wish to create a
theocratic Christian state in Fiji. This intolerance of Hindus has found expression in anti-Hindu speeches and
destruction of temples, the two most common forms of immediate and direct violence against Hindus. Between 2001
and April 2005, one hundred cases of temple attacks have been registered with the police. The alarming increase of
temple destruction has spread fear and intimidation among the Hindu minorities and has hastened immigration to
neighboring Australia and New Zealand. organized religious institutions, such as the Methodist Church of Fiji, have
repeatedly called for the creation of a theocratic Christian State and have propagated anti-Hindu sentiment[87].

The Methodist church of Fiji repeatedly calls for the creation of a Christian State since a coup d'etat in 1987[88][89] and
has stated that those who are not Christian should be "tolerated as long as they obey Christian law".

The Methodist Church of Fiji specifically objects to the constitutional protection of minority religious communities such
as Hindus and Muslims. State favoritism of Christianity, and systematic attacks on temples, are some of the greatest
threats faced by Fijian Hindus. Despite the creation of a human rights commission, the plight of Hindus in Fiji
continues to be precarious[90].

Trinidad

During the initial decades of Indian indenture, Indian cultural forms were met with either contempt or indifference by
the Christian majority[91]. Hindus have made many contributions to Trinidad history and culture even though the state
historically regarded Hindus as second class citizens.Hindus in Trinidad struggled over the granting of adult franchise,
[91]
the Hindu marriage bill, the divorce bill, cremation ordinance, and others .After Trinidad's independence from
colonial rule, Hindus were marginalized by the African based People's National Movement. The opposing party, the
People's Democratic party, was portrayed as a "Hindu group", and Hindus were castigated as a "recalcitrant and
hostile minority"[91]. The displacement of PNM from power in 1985 would improve the situation.

Intensified protests over the course of the 1980s led to an improvement in the state's attitudes towards Hindus[91].The
divergence of some of the fundamental aspects of local Hindu culture, the segregation of the Hindu community from
Trinidad, and the disinclination to risk erasing the more fundamental aspects of what had been constructed as
"Trinidad Hinduism" in which the identity of the group had been rooted, would often generate dissension when certain
dimensions of Hindu culture came into contact with the State. While the incongruences continue to generate debate,
and often conflict, it is now tempered with growing awareness and consideration on the part of the state to the Hindu
[91] [92]
minority . Hindus have been also been subjected to persistent proselytization by Christian missionaries .
Specifically the evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. Such activities reflect racial tensions that at times arise
between the Christianized Afro-Trinidadian and Hindu Indo-Trinidadian communities[93].

Notes

1. ^ P. 88 The Rosary and the Lamp By Baburao Patel

2. ^ The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam’ s Dominions
3. ^ Caste in Muslim Society by Yoginder Sikand
4. ^ Aggarwal, Patrap (1978). Caste and Social Stratification Among Muslims in India. Manohar.
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6. ^ Wink, Andre, “Al-Hind, the Making of the Indo-Islamic World”, Brill Academic Publishers, Aug 1, 2002, ISBN
0-391-04173-8 pg. 204
7. ^ Trifkovic, Serge (September 11, 2002). The Sword of the Prophet: History, Theology, Impact on the World.
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8. ^ Trifkovic, Serge. “Islam’ s Other Victims: India”, FrontPageMagazine.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
9. ^ Sindhi Culture by U.T. Thakkur, Univ. of Bombay Publications, 1959
10. ^ J E Lohuizen-de Leeuw, South Asian Archaeology 1975, pg 152-153, Jan 1, 1979, Brill Academic
Publishers, ISBN 90-04-05996-2
11. ^ Saunders, Kenneth. A Pageant of India. H. Milford, Oxford University Press pg. 162.
12. ^ Karan, Pradyumna. The Non-Western World:Environment, Development and Human Rights. Routledge pg.
344.
13. ^ Barron, Milton (1967). Minorities in a Changing World. Knopf p54.
14. ^ a b P. M. ( Peter Malcolm) Holt, Bernard Lewis, The Cambridge History of Islam, Cambridge University Press,
Apr 21, 1977, ISBN 0-521-29137-2 pg 3-4.
15. ^ Kakar, Sudhir. The Colors of Violence: Cultural Identities, Religion, and Conflict. University of Chicago
Press P 50.
16. ^ Rashid, A. (1969). Society and Culture in Medieval India, 1206-1556 A.D. (Excerpt from Taj-ul-Maasir).
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17. ^ B.F. Manz, “T r Lang”, in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Online Edition, 2006
18. ^ The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, “Timur”, 6 th ed., Columbia University Press: “... Timur (timoor’ ) or
Tamerlane (t m’ url n), c.1336–1405, Mongol conqueror, b. Kesh, near Samarkand. ...”, (LINK)
19. ^ “Timur”, in Encyclopaedia Britannica: “... [Timur] was a member of the Turkic Barlas clan of Mongols...”
20. ^ “Baber”, in Encyclopaedia Britannica: “... Baber first tried to recover Samarkand, the former capital of the
empire founded by his Mongol ancestor Timur Lenk ...”
21. ^ Volume III: To the Year A.D. 1398, Chapter: XVIII. Malfúzát-i Tímúrí, or Túzak-i Tímúrí: The Autobiography
of Tímúr. Page: 389 (please press next and read all pages in the online copy) (1. Online copy, 2. Online copy)
from: Elliot, Sir H. M., Edited by Dowson, John. The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The
Muhammadan Period; published by London Trubner Company 1867–1877. (Online Copy: The History of India,
as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period; by Sir H. M. Elliot; Edited by John Dowson; London
Trubner Company 1867–1877 - This online Copy has been posted by: The Packard Humanities Institute;
Persian Texts in Translation; Also find other historical books: Author List and Title List)
22. ^ Taimur Lane. Turk-i-Taimuri.
23. ^ Volume III: To the Year A.D. 1398, Chapter: XVIII. Malfúzát-i Tímúrí, or Túzak-i Tímúrí: The Autobiography
of Tímúr. Page: 389 (please press next and read all pages in the online copy) (1. Online copy, 2. Online copy)
from: Elliot, Sir H. M., Edited by Dowson, John. The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The
Muhammadan Period; published by London Trubner Company 1867–1877. (Online Copy: The History of India,
as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period; by Sir H. M. Elliot; Edited by John Dowson; London
Trubner Company 1867–1877 - This online Copy has been posted by: The Packard Humanities Institute;
Persian Texts in Translation; Also find other historical books: Author List and Title List)
24. ^ Maulana Hakim Saiyid Abdul Hai “Hindustan Islami Ahad Mein”(Hindustan under Islamic rule), Eng Trans
by Maulana Abdul Hasan Nadwi
25. ^ Index_1200-1299,Columbia.edu
26. ^ Elliot, Henry Miers (1953). The History of India: as told by its own historians; the Muhammadan period
(Excerpt from Jamiu’ l-Hikayat). University of Michigan.
27. ^ a b c Banerjee, Jamini (1967). History of Firuz Shah Tughluq. Munshiram Manoharlal.
28. ^ a b c d e The South Asian Aurangzeb profile
a b cd
29. ^ Rajiv Varma Destruction of Hindu Temples by Aurangzeb
30. ^ Brittlebank Tipu Sultan pp1-3; Phillip B. Wagoner “Tipu Sultan’ s Search for Legitimacy: Islam and Kingship
in a Hindu Domain by Kate Brittlebank (Review)”The Journal of Asian Studies Vol. 58, No. 2 (May, 1999) pp.
541-543
31. ^ Brittlebank Tipu Sultan’ s Search For legitimacy p107
32. ^ Mohibbul Hasan The History of Tipu Sultan (Delhi) 1971 pp362-3
33. ^ Firishta, Muhammad Qãsim Hindû Shãh; John Briggs (translator) (1829- 1981 Reprint). Tãrîkh-i-Firishta
(History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India).
34. ^ Firishta, Muhammad Qãsim Hindû Shãh; John Briggs (translator) (1829- 1981 Reprint). Tãrîkh-i-Firishta
(History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India).
35. ^ KASHMIR SENTINEL August 16-September 15, 2000-Terrorists massacre Amarnath yatris
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37. ^ Death toll in the partition
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41. ^ Besant, Annie. The Future Of Indian Politics: A Contribution To The Understanding Of Present-Day
Problems P252 (in English). Kessinger Publishing, LLC. ISBN 1428626050.
42. ^ Tripura Society’ s Website, Independent, and Authentic Information & Views About Tripura
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44. ^ Gunment Slaughter 38 on Bus in India in Bloodiest Attack of Sikh Campaign. July 7, 1987. Page A03. The
Philadelphia Inquirer.
45. ^ “Discrimination against Bangladeshi Hindus: Refugees International”, Rediff.com, August 09, 2003 13:19
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7619-3401-4
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28.
49. ^ [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3452.htm U.S Department of State: 2006 Census Bureau of South and
Central Asian Affairs
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2005
58. ^ Pakistan: The Ravaging of Golden Bengal,Time Magazine
59. ^ a b US Department of State International Religious Freedom Report 2006
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62. ^ Another temple is no more,Dawn
63. ^ Hindu temple in Lahore demolished,Rediff.com
64. ^ Only Hindu Temple in Lahore demolished,Times of India
65. ^ India protests demolition of Hindu temple in Pak,Times of India
66. ^ Order for temple’ s reconstruction sought,Gulf News
67. ^ US Lawmakers Condemn Taliban Treatment Of Hindus,T.C. Malhotra
68. ^ [http://www.rediff.com/us/2001/jun/14us1.htm US lawmakers say: We are Hindus Aziz Haniffa]
69. ^ Taliban to mark Afghan Hindus,CNN
70. ^ India deplores Taleban decree against Hindus
71. ^ Taliban: Hindus Must Wear Identity Labels,People’ s Daily
72. ^ US lawmakers say: We are Hindus,Rediff.com
73. ^ US lawmakers say: We are Hindus,Rediff.com
74. ^ a b US Lawmakers Condemn Taliban Treatment Of Hindus,CNSnews.com
75. ^ Immigrant Hinduism in Germany: Tamils from Sri Lanka and Their Temples,pluralism.org
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77. ^ “U.S. Embassy urges Kazakh authorities to end harassment of Hare Krishna”, International Herald Tribune.
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81. ^ a b Hindu group protests ‘temple cleansing’in Malaysia,Financial Express
82. ^ Malaysia ethnic Indians in uphill fight on religion Reuters India - November 8, 2007
83. ^ Malaysian police fire water cannons on demonstrators USA Today - November 24, 2007
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85. ^ Marshall, Paul. Saudi Arabia’ s Religious Police Crack Down. Freedom House
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• Memoir of the Emperor Timur (Malfuzat-i Timuri) Timur’ s memoirs on his invasion of India; describes in
detail the massacre of Hindus, forced conversions to Islam and the plunder of the wealth of Hindustan
(India). Compiled in the book: “The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan
Period”, by Sir H. M. Elliot, Edited by John Dowson; London, Trubner Company; 1867–1877