Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.bangladesh,soc.culture.pakistan
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 09:09:03 -0400 
From: "Arun K. Gupta" <ag3l+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: III: Conflict: Causes: Babri Masjid




First: a statement of the historical facts as I understand it:
The site of Babri Masjid probably did hold a temple (archaelogical
digs.) That Ayodhya is Ram's Ayodhya and that the temple was
Rama's temple is something for which there is no hard evidence.
(while local tradition says so, local tradition also says that
Ayodhya was abandoned for centuries and reestablished in the time
of the Gupta empire; today's supposed location of sacred sites
does not match with geographies from old text etc.). That Babur
destroyed the temple cannot be proved (pages from diary lost, no
other contemporary accounts. There is also the allegation
that the archaelogical digs showed that the site was
occupied (by Muslims ?) in between the period of the temple
and the construction of the mosque; and that this is
conveniently ignored even though its in the very same papers
that describe the digs.)

There is evidence that Hindus have considered the site sacred
for a long time, and at Akbar's time had won the right to offer
prayers at a platform in the mosque compound. The mosque also
does have stones that could have come only from a Hindu temple
(the carvings still extant on them.)

That, very briefly, is the historical evidence as I understand it.
***

The question of feeling national humiliation is an interesting one.
K.M. Munshi, whom the V.H.P. considered as one of their leading lights,
was Governor of U.P., but I don't think he ever moved on the Babri
Masjid issue. That he did feel `national humiliation' is evident from
his great satisfaction at restoring Somnath (the temple sacked by
Mahmud of Ghazni) immediately after independence.

It leads me to wonder whether each successive generation is going to
feel that `national humiliation' has to be assuaged in a new
way. Restoration of Somnath did not require stepping on anyone's
toes as the Babri Masjid does.

***

That Muslims have extra-territorial loyalties that preclude them
from being good citizens of India in the perception of Hindus, is
another matter of dispute.

I do not know how `fundamentalist' Maulana Maudoodi, for example,
would be considered in India, but his Islamic state is a territorial
unit, with the state not responsible or obligated in any
way to Muslims living outside its borders. Of course, the
Islamic state refers to a majority Muslim area; perhaps
the duties of Muslims in a minority are different. But
considering the not-publicized parts of history, where
Muslim soldiers have fought for Hindu rulers, I would tend
to think that the extra-territorial loyalty thing is canard.
Muslims who have relatives in Pakistan will certainly have
some affection for that country, much in the same way all
Indians have concern for their emigrants.

I do think that a perception of a raw deal on the part of
Muslims will make them increasingly dissatisfied with the
Indian dispensation in the same manner as other groups.

***
The one place where Islamic extraterritorial loyalty seems
to operate is in Kashmir. Its the one place where it might
be said that being Muslim and being Indian are on a collision
course. But perhaps that is due to the unique history of
Kashmir, rather than because of an ideology that affects all
Indian Muslims.

Of course, on the other hand, Pakistan was created under the
idea that being Muslim and being Indian were incompatible.
One might argue that this ideology still holds sway in
sections of Indian Muslims. (In this sense, India and
Pakistan are on a perpetual collision course.) I think
the demonstration that being Bengali and being Pakistani
were incompatible puts paid to that, as well as to any
notion of an overwhelming extra-territorial loyalty (that
could not hold the country together.)

Finally, in the relatively peaceful south, where Muslims
haven't faced govt. hindrance and in fact, have even received
active help, they've compiled a record of achievement. I
think similar provision in the north will greatly assuage all
the problems, real and imaginary.

-arun gupta
ag3L@andrew.cmu.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.pakistan