Narendrāditya Nalwa’s Reviews > Indian Muslims - Who are They [Paperback] [Jan 01, > Status Update

The picture of proselytization in Bengal is not very clear and the problem is still open to study.

Mahmud Beghara's (1458-1511) exertions in the field of proselytization were equally impressive. In 1469 he led an army into Sorath against the Mandalik of Girnar. To the Raja's protests that he had paid the tribute regularly, Mahmud replied that he had come 'neither for tribute nor for plunder, but to establish the true faith in Sorath.'

Manrique writes that the peasants 'are carried off' to various markets and fairs (to be sold), with their poor unhappy wives behind them carrying their small children all crying and lamenting. According to Qazvini, Shahjahan's orders in this regard were that captives were not to be sold to Hindus as slaves, and under Muslim customers they could only become Musalman.

Whosoever be the writer of the Tarikh-i-Salim Shahi, he cannot delude us because, as will be seen later, Muslims were not one-sixth of the Hindu population even as late as the year 1800.  By 1600 Muslim numbers may not have risen beyond 15 million.  In that year the total population of India has been estimated at 140 millions.  Muslims would have formed about one-ninth to one-tenth of India's total population.

ch4 done.

done ch2