To this day, there is a Bhajan (worship song) sung by many Punjabis that contains the following couplet:
Naange naange pair Akbar Aayo
Mata ko sone ki chhatri Chadhaayo
The reference is to Emperor Akbar who undertook the pilgrimage to Mata Vaishnodevi's shrine barefoot and offered a golden umbrella.
Remember that Akbar was a Mughal Emperor. He walked barefoot to a Hindu shrine and made an offering. Internalize this.
Now, read Pre-Mughal history and clearly understand the following: Even Hindu kings were busy fighting with each other and invading kingdoms. This land has seen the Gupta Dynasty, the Maurya Dynasty - how do dynasties form but with large scale wars and invasions? There were also religious angles to Hindu kings fighting with each other: Shaivite kings (worshippers of Shiva) often went to war with Vaishnavite kings (worshippers of Vishnu) - and yes, the deity in the temple of the vanquished was replaced with the deity of the victor. How is this any different from Muslim kings coming to fight with Hindu kings? It's exactly the same thing!
The plain truth is this: Earth has seen a lust for power and conquest for thousands of years - and it has never given anyone anything. The intelligent way forward is for all of this to simply stop and people live together peacefully with each in a spirit of equality and freedom of religion. That is the only intelligent way forward.
2024 general elections are around the corner. Stay alert! Very alert! Do not let politicians create nuisance and trouble between different religious faiths! No politician ever suffered for a day in religious violence - its always the common man, you and me, who suffers. Always.
Insist on politicians talking about Education, Healthcare, Job Creation and Law & Order. Make them commit to well thought out plans to make progress in these sectors. Else, don't give them your vote. That's it.
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