India: A Laboratory of Inter-religious Experiment

Author: Siraj, Maqbool Ahmed

Source: Religion and the Arts, Volume 12, Numbers 1-3, 2008 , pp. 319-328(10)

Publisher: BRILL

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Abstract:

This piece provides an account of the fertile exchanges that took place among Arab-Muslim and Hindu populations, as well as Jews, Parsis, and Christians, since the early decades of the first millennium CE and during the medieval period of Muslim rule in India. Tracing the remarkable story of inter-religious experiments in this vital area of the globe, and the intense socio-political, intellectual, and cultural intercourse between Hindus and Muslims that pervaded all sectors of existence, the author makes a strong case against zealous historical interpretations that portray Islam and Hinduism as warring factions and ideologies. Of particular interest in this rich cross-fertilization process is the creative leadership of figures like Mughal Emperor Akbar, Sultan Nasir Shah, Shikism's Guru Nanak, and poets such as Kabir Das.

Keywords: EMPEROR AKBAR; HINDU; INDIA; INTERCULTURAL; KABIR DAS; MUSLIM; SPIRITUAL LABORATORY

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156852908X271097

Affiliations: 1: BBC World Service, Bangalore, India

Publication date: 2008-03-01