Negationism in India: Concealing the Record of Islam
Negationism in India: Concealing the Record of Islam is a book by Koenraad Elst published in 1992. The book attempts to demonstrate that there exists a 'prohibition' of criticism of Islam in India and a denial of its 'historic crimes against humanity' that amounts to censorship, comparing it to Holocaust denial.
Negationism in general[edit]
In the first part of the book, Elst also discusses Negationism and Holocaust denial in Europe and Russia. He writes that Holocaust deniers in Europe often keep all evidence out of view or deny the existence of such evidence. Elst also remarks that Negationism of the Holocaust is not accepted in the West, and negationists are often prosecuted in some countries.
Koenraad Elst compares the negationists in India with the negationists in Europe:
"The number of victims of this persecution surpasses that of the Nazi crimes. ... The Islamic reports on the massacres of Hindus, destruction of Hindu temples, the abduction of Hindu women and forced conversions, invariably express great glee and pride. ... In my study of the Ayodhya controversy, I noticed that the frequent attempts to conceal or deny inconvenient evidence were an integral part of a larger effort to rewrite India's history and to whitewash Islam. It struck me that this effort to deny the unpleasant facts of Islam's destructive role in Indian history is similar to the attempts by some European writers to deny the Nazi holocaust. European negationists applaud Hitler's reign and deny its horrors. Indian negationists eulogize Islamic rule and deny its millionfold murders and the catastrophe it wrought in Indian cultural, political and religious life."
Negationism in India[edit]
Elst claims that historians of the Aligarh school (e.g. Irfan Habib) or Indian Marxists (e.g. Romila Thapar) have resorted to history-rewriting: "Therefore, in 1982 the National Council of Educational Research and Training issued a directive for the rewriting of schoolbooks. Among other things, it stipulated that: "Characterization of the medieval period as a time of conflict between Hindus and Muslims is forbidden." Under Marxist pressure, negationism has become India's official policy."
Elst also writes about some Western authors like T.G. Percival Spear, co-author (with Romila Thapar)
Elst also writes about the banning of books. The book Understanding Islam through Hadis by Ram Swarup was banned in India, and the book The Calcutta Quran Petition by Sita Ram Goel was challenged on these grounds.
Elst dedicated the book to Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the United Nations, for his success as a Copt from the mostly-Muslim Egypt.
Criticism[edit]
The book was criticized by Amber Habib. [1] Elst wrote a response to this critique in the tenth chapter of his book Ayodhya: The Case Against the Temple [2].
See also[edit]
- Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent
- History of India
- Anti-Hindu
- Persecution of Hindus
- Conversion of non-Muslim places of worship into mosques
- The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period (Book)
- Hindu Temples: What Happened to Them (Book)
- Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947 (Book)
References[edit]
- Negationism and the Muslim Conquests
- Elst on Habib Critique by Amber Habib
- Mohammed Habib's History Rewriting Elst's response to Amber Habib
Further reading[edit]
- 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)
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