RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND CONVERSION

The different religions of India have their own distinct history of how they reached this land. Islam reached India toward the end of the seventh century AD, that is, in the same period that is regarded among the three golden periods of Islam. This first group of Muslim Arabs came from Iraq by sea-route and settled in Kerala, a coastal state of India. Due to the above-mentioned Indian spirit, this group was hailed with respect. The Indians conferred on them the title of Mappila, which means a highly respectable person. Jawaharlal Nehru, in The Discovery of India, observes that when the Arabs came to India, they brought with them a brilliant culture. Due to this reason, Islam found a very favourable atmosphere in India. Tara Chand, an eminent scholar of Ancient History and Culture has documented the advent and influence of Islam in India. His major contribution to Indo-Islamic culture and philosophy is the work Influence of Islam on Indian Culture. The book, first published in 1922, has become a classic on this subject for researchers and historians. The Indian Constitution, which came into effect in January 1950, gives Muslims equal rights of citizenship and there is no discrimination on the basis of religion. The President of India holds the highest office in the country. He is the head of the state and the first citizen of India. In the history of independent India, four Muslims have, to this date, held the office of the president. These were: Dr Zakir Hussain (1967-1969), Mohammad Hidayatullah (July-August 1969), Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1974-1977) and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam (2002-2007). If there are some problems faced by the Muslim community in India, they are due to the law of nature. Differences are a part of the law of nature. Thus, it is but natural that there are problems in every society, including a Muslim society. It is impossible to have a country totally problem-free, and certainly India is not an exception. (The above article is an abridged version of the paper of Dr. Farida Khanam, presented at South Asian Institute of Advanced Christian Studies-Bengaluru). o Tolerance is an integral part of India’s tradition and shapes its national identity. India has a long history of tolerance, and is a multi-religious society.