11-09-2003, 02:03 PM
The original article has already been posted in Indian perceptions of history. see my response in that thread on Nov.2
[url="http://india-forum.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=49&st=0#entry1564"]http://india-forum.com/forums/index.php?ac...&st=0#entry1564[/url]
Let there be no misunderstanding. The end that we, the vast majority of the Hindus seek is the harmonious coexistence of the Muslim and the Hindu in a multi ethnic multi religious environment in the Indian subcontinent. Where we differ with the secularists is that we do not believe such an end can be achieved by constantly appeasing the Muslim with sops and giving in to every demand that he/she makes and by rewriting history. The general modus operandi has become, whine loud enough about Hindu fundamentalists, and eventually everybody will believe you and your demands will be granted like the abomination that resulted in the overturning of the Shah bano case. But the truth can never be suppressed for long. All one has to do is to read the original works of Farishta, Utbi, Barani, AlBiruni to come away convinced like Will Durant in his history of civilization, that a major catastrophic holocaust took place in medieval islamic India for a sustained period of several centuries, that almost extinguished the Indic civilization.
It is sad that a courageous soul like Cowasjee has succumbed to the prevailing myths. I conclude my comments(nov.2) with the following sentence;
[url="http://india-forum.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=49&st=0#entry1564"]http://india-forum.com/forums/index.php?ac...&st=0#entry1564[/url]
Let there be no misunderstanding. The end that we, the vast majority of the Hindus seek is the harmonious coexistence of the Muslim and the Hindu in a multi ethnic multi religious environment in the Indian subcontinent. Where we differ with the secularists is that we do not believe such an end can be achieved by constantly appeasing the Muslim with sops and giving in to every demand that he/she makes and by rewriting history. The general modus operandi has become, whine loud enough about Hindu fundamentalists, and eventually everybody will believe you and your demands will be granted like the abomination that resulted in the overturning of the Shah bano case. But the truth can never be suppressed for long. All one has to do is to read the original works of Farishta, Utbi, Barani, AlBiruni to come away convinced like Will Durant in his history of civilization, that a major catastrophic holocaust took place in medieval islamic India for a sustained period of several centuries, that almost extinguished the Indic civilization.
It is sad that a courageous soul like Cowasjee has succumbed to the prevailing myths. I conclude my comments(nov.2) with the following sentence;
Quote:I am disappointed that Cowasjee, an upholder of truth for the most part, has forgotten the main reason why he is in Karachi in the first place and not in the land of his forefathers. It is not an accident of history that the Parsees are disappearing from the pages of History and they will soon become a distant memory. Read the passage in Naipauls Beyond Belief where a group of Parsee tourists at the tomb of Darius in Iran wept uncontrollably at the fate that had befallen their community.