RIFLE RANGE BOY

Jalal Uddin al-Afghani (1839-97) Imagine you are living in the late 19th century, and you have been brought up in an Orthodox Islamic environment. How would you, through an ultra-Islamic lens, look at the world around you? You have read and been told that within the century after its introduction, the influence of Islam was seen in all four corners of the world. India was run over by a series of opulent dynasties upon dynasties of flamboyant Islamic rulers. In the 18th century, India was the wealthiest nation in the world. Islamic traders had introduced the religion to the shores where they traded. After defeating the Crusaders, the Islamic rulers steadfastly asserted Allah's law on Earth. At its pinnacle, the Ottoman Empire controlled most of southeastern Europe to the gates of Vienna, the Balkans, Ukraine, parts of the Middle East and North Africa.  Al-Afghani saw the time that passed as the most glorious days of Islam. Right in front of his eyes, he saw the reign of leaders who ...

Breaking India - Western Interventions in Dravidian and Dalit Faultlines (2011) Authors: Rajiv Malhotra and Aravindan Neelakandan When Europeans reached the shores of India for the first time, they were mesmerised. It was the era of romanticism. The Europeans just could not have enough of India's exotic mysticism, wealth and knowledge. We all know what happened afterwards. To become the masters to the hosts who welcomed them into their abode, they had to dig deep their bag of trick to break India up. They invented the now well-known 'divide and rule' strategy. Unfortunately, even 300 years later, these breaking India forces are still at it to create divisions amongst its people to push forward their self-serving agendas. In the 1870s, as the British advanced deep into the periphery, they encountered resistance from the tribal people who were just protecting their land. The invaders quickly created a narrative about heartless local robbers who strangled their vi...