This is in continuation of my previous post.
Islam had spread from Spain to Indonesia in the past. Why ? It was because of its great message of equality, it was a great leveller.
It is wrong to say that all people who became Muslims were forcibly converted at the point of the sword. Only 5% or so may have become Muslims in that manner. 95% people became Muslims voluntarily, because they got social emancipation.
For instance, in India the caste system at one stage was so rigid and inhuman that many dalits and other oppressed and downtrodden communities voluntarily became Muslims, because in Islam they were treated as human beings, whereas in Hinduism they were treated like dogs or worse.
In the stories of the great Bengali writer Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyaya we see how inhuman the caste system had become in Bengal, and that is why 60% Bengalis became Muslims voluntarily. In his novel Palli Samaj ( also known as Gramin Samaj ) we see how Muslims had much more brotherhood and mutual help as compared to Hindus. In Manusmriti we see how terribly lower castes were treated.in Hindu society. So the early Muslim invaders were often treated as liberators rather than as oppressors by the local people.
But what is the position today ? Many Muslims ( not all ) approve of the barbaric custom of Muslim women wearing the hijab or burqa, and also approve of the custom of oral talaq allowed to Muslim men.These barbarians have perverted Islam from being a great liberating force, to an enslaving force.
Some of them say that Muslim women should have the choice of wearing the hijab or not. This is like saying that Hindu women should have the right to commit sati or not. The truth is that many Muslim women have to wear the hijab or burqa because of social and customary pressure, and these pressures can be as powerful, if not more, than physical force. So this is a specious argument.
Everyone who knows my credentials and background is aware that I have always raised my voice against oppression and atrocities on Muslims, Christians, dalits and others. So to accuse me of being anti Muslim is stupid and false. Some of my best friends are Muslims. But I will speak out against backward, oppressive and feudal practices and customs, whether among Hindus, Muslims, or any community fearlessly. I have often condemned backward customs among Hindus e.g. the caste system ( see my blog on the caste system on justicekatju.blogspot.in ).
I have blocked those who supported or approved of burqa in their comments on my previous post. I have also blocked those who said that Muslim women should be given a choice whether to wear burqa or not, because, as I have said above, this is really a specious argument.
So those who differ from me in this respect will not be tolerated on my facebook page. You can go to some other page where you will be more comfortable. And yes, I am dictatorial in this respect. I believe that too much democracy, in the sense of giving freedom to feudal minded idiots to air their views, is also bad..
