Negationism in India - Concealing the Record of Islam
Encyclopedia
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 and a denial of its 'historic crimes against humanity' that amounts to censorship, comparing it to 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:
) 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
.
. Elst wrote a response to this critique in the tenth chapter of his book Ayodhya: The Case Against the Temple http://koenraadelst.voiceofdharma.com/books/acat/ch10.htm.
Koenraad Elst
Koenraad Elst is a Belgian writer and orientalist .He was an editor of the New Right Flemish nationalist journal Teksten, Kommentaren en Studies from 1992 to 1995, focusing on criticism of Islam, various other conservative and Flemish separatist publications such as Nucleus, t Pallieterke,...
published in 1992.
The book attempts to demonstrate that there exists a 'prohibition' of criticism of Islam and a denial of its 'historic crimes against humanity' that amounts to censorship, comparing it to Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
.
Negationism in general
In the first part of the book, Elst also discusses Negationism and Holocaust denialHolocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
in Europe and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. 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
Elst claims that historians of the Aligarh school (e.g. Irfan HabibIrfan Habib
Irfan Habib is an Indian Marxist historian, a former Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research and a Padma Bhushan awardee. He is a Professor Emeritus at Aligarh Muslim University. He has served in the Indian History Congress for many years. Irfan Habib and R.S...
) or Indian Marxists (e.g. Romila Thapar
Romila Thapar
Romila Thapar is an Indian historian whose principal area of study is ancient India.-Work:After graduating from Panjab University, Thapar earned her doctorate under A. L. Basham at the School of Oriental and African Studies, the University of London in 1958...
) 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
Percival Spear
Thomas George Percival Spear was an English historian who spent much of his life living and teaching in India. An accomplished historian of modern Indian social history, he taught at both Cambridge University and St. Stephen's College with great distinction.In 1943 he became deputy secretary to...
, co-author (with Romila Thapar)
Elst also writes about the banning of books. The book Understanding Islam through Hadis by Ram Swarup
Ram Swarup
Ram Swarup , , born Ram Swarup Agarwal, was an independent Hindu thinker and prolific author. His works took a critical stance against Christianity, Islam and Communism. His work has influenced other Indian writers.- Life :He graduated in Economics at Delhi University in 1941...
was banned in India, and the book The Calcutta Quran Petition by Sita Ram Goel
Sita Ram Goel
Sita Ram Goel , writer and publisher in late twentieth century. He had Marxist leanings during the 1940s, but later became an outspoken anti-communist that also spoke negatively about Islam and Christianity...
was challenged on these grounds.
Elst dedicated the book to Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to December 1996...
, Secretary-General of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, for his success as a Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
from the mostly-Muslim Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Criticism
The book was criticized by Amber Habib (http://web.archive.org/web/20091027120159/http://geocities.com/a_habib/Dada/elst.html), the son of the historian Irfan HabibIrfan Habib
Irfan Habib is an Indian Marxist historian, a former Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research and a Padma Bhushan awardee. He is a Professor Emeritus at Aligarh Muslim University. He has served in the Indian History Congress for many years. Irfan Habib and R.S...
. Elst wrote a response to this critique in the tenth chapter of his book Ayodhya: The Case Against the Temple http://koenraadelst.voiceofdharma.com/books/acat/ch10.htm.
See also
- Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinentMuslim conquest in the Indian subcontinentMuslim conquest in South Asia mainly took place from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though earlier Muslim conquests made limited inroads into the region, beginning during the period of the ascendancy of the Rajput Kingdoms in North India, from the 7th century onwards.However, the Himalayan...
- History of IndiaHistory of IndiaThe history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from...
- Anti-HinduAnti-HinduAnti-Hindu prejudice is a negative perception or religious intolerance against the practice and practitioners of Hinduism. Anti-Hindu sentiments have been expressed by Muslims in Pakistan, Bangladesh, leading to significant persecution of Hindus in those regions, such as the 1971 Bangladesh...
- Persecution of HindusPersecution of HindusPersecution of Hindus refers to the religious persecution inflicted upon Hindus. Hindus have been historically persecuted during Islamic rule of the Indian subcontinent and during the Goa Inquisition...
- Conversion of non-Muslim places of worship into mosquesConversion of non-Muslim places of worship into mosquesConversion of non-Muslim places of worship into mosques began during the life of Muhammad and continued during subsequent Islamic conquests and under the Muslim rule...
- 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 1947Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947 is a book by Sikh author Gurbachan Singh Talib. It was first published in 1950 by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and has been reprinted several times....
(Book)
Further reading
- 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)