Contributed by Mohammed Wasama Khalid , LIPR Ambassador Of Peace
India’s Muslim heritage is facing a silent genocide, the systematic destruction, neglect, and marginalization of Muslim culture and heritage in India. This issue has gained significant attention in recent years, particularly with the rise of Hindu nationalism in India.
The silent genocide of India’s Muslim legacy is a multifaceted issue that includes the destruction, neglect, and marginalization of Muslim culture and heritage in India. This problem stems from issues such as Hindu nationalism, political conflicts, and India’s historical prejudice against Muslim governance. The erasure of India’s Muslim roots endangers the country’s cultural variety and pluralism promotion.
Muslims contributed significantly to Indian culture and history, notably in the fields of art and architecture. The Mughals, in particular, left an outstanding legacy of monuments and structures, such as the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and the Jama Masjid. Muslim reign in India produced an important cultural heritage that has had a long-lasting influence on Indian civilization. Muslims introduced new ideas, practices, and technology to India, adding to the country’s cultural diversity.
The Ayodhya dispute is one of the most divisive and sensitive issues in Indian history. The contested area in Ayodhya is where the Babri Masjid, a mosque constructed by Mughal Emperor Babur in the 16th century, is located. Hindu organizations allege that the mosque was erected over Lord Ram’s birthplace, one of the most venerated Hindu deities and that it was created by demolishing a temple that was on the location. Muslim groups, on the other hand, claim that the mosque was erected on the undeveloped ground and that there is no proof that a temple was razed to make way for the mosque.
The conflict over the Ayodhya site dates back to the colonial era when British officials attempted to interfere and determine ownership of the site. Hindu activists put Lord Ram statues inside the mosque in 1949, sparking a legal struggle over ownership of the property. The disagreement gained traction in the 1980s when Hindu nationalist organizations launched a push to erect a temple at the mosque’s location.
The demolition of the Babri Mosque had a significant impact on India’s Muslim community. It was interpreted as a sign of Muslims’ marginalization and the degradation of their rights as Indian citizens. The mosque’s demolition also underlined Hindu nationalism’s rising dominance in India and its impact on the country’s secular fabric.
The Supreme Court of India declared in November 2019 in favor of the construction of a Ram temple on the site of the Babri Mosque. The court decided that the mosque was built on the ruins of an ancient temple and that Hindus had a legal title to the site. The building of the Ram temple on the site of the Babri Mosque was viewed as a success for Hindu nationalists and a setback for India’s Muslim population. Concerns have also been made regarding the erasing of the Muslim legacy in India and the marginalization of Muslims in Indian culture as a result of the temple’s construction.
Aside from the Babri Masjid, there have been several instances of Muslim cultural buildings being destroyed in India. The 15th-century Haji Ali Dargah in Bombay, for example, was largely destroyed in 2002 to make space for a road-widening project. Similarly, the Uttar Pradesh government razed the medieval-era Imam Bara in Lucknow in 2019 to make room for a commercial building. Recently a historic Shahi Masjid was demolished in the Handia area of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. According to the Prayagraj Public Works department, the mosque was demolished to widen the G T road.
Besides being destroyed, several Muslim heritage monuments in India have been neglected. The Taj Mahal, for example, one of India’s most recognizable structures and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been neglected for years by the Indian government. The monument and its environs have deteriorated as a result of neglect.
Apart from the destruction and neglect of Muslim cultural sites in India, there has been a practice of renaming such places to obscure their Muslim history. This practice has become more common under the current Hindu nationalist regime. In 2018, the city of Allahabad, which has a substantial Muslim past and was named after the grandson of Mughal Emperor Akbar, was renamed Prayagraj. Similarly, in 2018, the city of Faizabad, named for the poet Faizabad, was renamed Ayodhya. The rationale for these name changes has been Hindu nationalism and the need to recover India’s “genuine” Hindu identity.
Hindu nationalism has played a significant role in India’s erasing of Muslim heritage. The movement promotes Hindu culture while marginalizing other religious groups, notably Muslims. As a result, major Muslim cultural monuments, like the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, have been destroyed or renamed, and Muslim culture in India has been marginalized.
The erasure of Muslim roots in India has also been influenced by political tensions between India and Pakistan. The two nations have been at odds for a long time over the disputed province of Kashmir, which has resulted in many wars and ongoing tensions. As a result, Muslims in India are commonly identified with Pakistan and viewed as a danger to Indian security and unity.
In India, historical prejudice against Muslim governance has also led to the erasure of the Muslim legacy. The time of Muslim rule in India is frequently represented as one of tyranny and oppression, while the contributions of Muslim rulers and scholars to Indian culture and history are either overlooked or minimized.
It is not merely a symbolic gesture; it has real-world implications for the preservation of these monuments and acknowledgment of their historical value. The erasure of Muslim ancestry in India is a multifaceted problem with several contributing aspects.
This approach is influenced by Hindu nationalism, political tensions with Pakistan, historical prejudice against Muslim rule, and marginalization of Muslim contributions in education. The erasure of Muslim legacy has serious consequences for India’s vulnerable Muslim populations, including the relocation and alienation of Muslim youth. Recognizing the importance of conserving India’s rich cultural legacy and taking efforts to promote inclusive education and safeguard Muslim heritage places is critical.
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