SRINAGAR: Former Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad sparked a major controversy on Thursday when he stated, “All Indian Muslims were Hindus first, who converted to Islam later.”
While addressing a gathering of workers, the former Congress leader remarked, “Islam arrived in our Hindustan only a few years back, but Hinduism has ancient roots. Perhaps 10-20 people arrived from outside as part of the Mughal army, and the rest converted from Hindus.”
“In Kashmir, all Muslims were converted from Kashmiri Pandits. Every individual is originally born into the Hindu Dharma,” Azad added.
Pertinent to mention, The presence of Muslims in Kashmir has been recorded less than 140 years after the demise of the prophet of Islam. Instead of Arab chroniclers, this information has been recorded by none other than Kalhana, Kashmir’s celebrated poet, who started writing about Kashmir’s kings and queens in 1148 CE. It took him almost two years to complete his Rajatarangini, the book that Kashmir showcases as the oldest written history of the region.
The conversion of individuals to Islam was not a uniform process, and it occurred over centuries due to a variety of reasons, including spiritual beliefs, social interactions, and political dynamics.
