Unnecessary And Uncalled-For Provocation

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 6 October 2023 “The lesson (from history) is that Hindus should fight. Even today, Hinduism is under attack everywhere in the world, whether it is Pakistan or Afghanistan, whether it is conversions by Christian missionaries, which is a really big problem in India now, especially in the South and even in Punjab, or whether it is the westernisation of India, which is happening through cable TV”. Gautier told PTI in an interview This is today's (October 5) news. At the moment, Hindus are already on a rampage. Will not Gautier's unnecessary instigation aggravate the matter and further lionise Hindus? Agreed, Hindus were not so aggressive in the past as Muslims and Christians were right from the beginning. But, when this Frenchman is an observer of what's happening in India at the moment, provoking the aggressors is totally uncalled for. Readers might be aware that this French gentleman is based in India for the past several decades, Gautier has served as the South-Asia correspondent of Journal de Genève, a Geneva-based newspaper, and Le Figaro of France. He has established the Foundation for Advancement of Cultural Ties (FACT) which organises various exhibitions and the Pune Museum on the Maratha King Shivaji. Indians must never forget that a westerner's (precisely, a white man's) narrative is often prejudiced and loaded. Gautier's promotion of Shivaji is a political move as the Maratha king has been projected as the saviour of Hindus and an 'enemy' of the Mughals and Muslims. This is a recent political interpretation of a king who was unprejudiced. Gautier is adding fuel to fire and egging Hindus on to challenge Muslims. He's goading Hindus to atone for what they (Hindus) couldn't do when Muslims and Christians invaded and ruled. This is a dangerous gameplan. Sane Hindus should be able to see through his nefarious and sinister designs. Gautier's credentials as a historian are dubious. He's considered to be an amateur 'historian' and a biased scribe. The man has an ulterior motive and a hidden agenda. Such people must never be trusted. In this regard, educated Indians must remember that Eliot and Dawson's (two white men) book 'The History of India as Told by its Own Historians' contributed to creating all false narratives and a fertile ground for lies and bad-blood. This book is full of questionable 'revelations.' Both the Englishmen were uncharitable towards the Muslim rule. Eaton states that Elliot saw the British rule as much superior in contrast to the Muslim rule and "was anything but sympathetic" to the Muhammadan period of Indian history. Shouldn't we learn from history? George Santayana rightly observed, " Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. " We're witnessing that. ------ A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/unnecessary-uncalled-provocation/d/130832 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism