In SEARCH of HISTORY Dr. Mubarak Ali Dost Publications Islamabad - Lahore - Karachi Dost Publications Plot 110, Street 15, 1-9/2, Islamabad, Pakistan Tel: 051-4102784-85 E-mail: [email protected] In Search of History Dr. Mubarak Ali First Published 2009 No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without written consent of the publisher or the author. Printed in Pakistan by WordMate Islamabad Rs: 250.00 ISBN: 978-969-496-351-8 CONTENTS Preface v War and peace in historical perspective 1 Cultural intervention and social change 13 The role of great men 30 Scholarship should move on 34 In the name of Pakistan study 38 Conspiring against Taj Mahal 44 Robbing Iraq of its history 48 Owning and disowning our past 52 Why do we call Alexander 'Great'? 56 Language of power 60 It's time to liberate history 64 Will Baghdad rise again? 68 Yes, he did massacre and plunder Indians 71 How cow became politicized 76 Religious debates 79 Akbar's Ibadat Khana 82 Tolerance 86 Begging in history 89 Charity and society 92 The concept of 'Hell' 96 History of 'Paradise" 99 Silk and culture 103 The role of emotions 106 The culture of flowers 110 From Pappa to potato 113 Tobacco and the Mughal court 117 Inscriptions on tombstones 120 Imperialism devours its own children 123 Changing face of imperialism 127 Violence in a historical perspective 131 Demolition of temples 136 Index 141 iv PREFACE It is the task of socialsciences to point out political,social and cultural problems and find out their solution. Although natural science and technology are getting more and more importance in developing societies, however, social sciences cannot be ignored and set aside as irrelevant to modern time. It is wrong approach to draw boundaries between natural and social sciences. On the contrary, both help each other in creating understanding about nature and human society• both integrate philosophically on higher level. History as one of the important branches of social sciences plays an integral role in creating social and political awareness among people. With the passage of time, it has broadened its scope and now deals nearly every aspect of human life. Therefore, study of history becomes important to understand changing scenario of the world. These essays which are published in different newspapers make attempt to clarify some historical confusion which is prevailing in our society.I hope it would create some interest in the discipline of history which is deckling in our SOCiety. Mubarak Ali September, 2009 Lahore v WAR AND PEACE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Introduction: War and Tradition In victory and defeat war is a drama which most historians, poets, and writers like to narrate with passion and vigour. It is such a powerful and moving topic that when they describe scenes of battlefields, killing and bloodshed, dialogues between victors and vanquished, they make epics out of such descriptions which sensationalize and thrill the coming generations when they read them. In case of victory or defeat, both sides eulogize their warriors and transform them into heroes, who sacrifice their lives defending honour and dignity of their country. In Greek history the 'Fallen Heroes of Thermopulae' who fought against the Iranians in defending the pass and were finally killed one by one, are immortalized in the history of Greece. Thucydides devoted his entire historical narrative to the Peloponnesian war fought between Athenians and Spartans. The drama of war becomes more moving and absorbing in the form of poetry as it embodies emotions and sentiments. For example, in the Mahabharata, when Arjuna asks Krishna how he could fight against his own kith and kin who were in front of him: "How Krishna, shall I fight Bhimsa and Orona with arrow on the battlefield? They are both objects of reverence, 0 destroyer of foes. It is better to live on alms in this world without slaying these noble elders, because even after killing them we shall enjoy only blood stained clothes in the form of wealth and sense of enjoyment." Krishna encourages him by arguing that: "The soul is never born nor dies; it exists on coming into being. For 1 it is unborn, eternal, everlasting and primeval; even though body is slain, the soul is not." It convinced Arjuna and he fought and won the battle that resulted in the creation of the great epic of the Mahnbharta. There are thinkers and historians who regard war as an essential force to keep a nation active and alive. Their argument is that war is natural. It is in the psyche of human being and therefore it cannot be avoided. In the words of Heraclitus: "war is the father of all things" Another writer, Lasaulx, believes that war is divine in character and we find its presence in nature. That is why, he believes, the Indians worship Shiva, the god of destruction. He further writes that a warrior is filled with the joy of destruction: "wars clear the air like a thunderstorm, steel the nerves and restore the heroic virtues upon which states were originally founded, in place of indolence, double-dealing and cowardice". According to Burckhardt, a Swiss historian, long duration of peace "leads to enervation; it permits the rise of mass of precarious, fear• ridden, distressful lives that would not have survived without it and that nevertheless claim for "rights" ... and degrade the nation. War restores real ability to honor. As for these wretched lives, war may at least reduce them to silence." When in any society war is respected and regarded as holy and sacred, in such a society warriors and soldiers are honoured and rewarded for their deeds and achievements. Poets compose elegies to pay tributes to their courage and bravery; artists paint them in glowing colours and sculptors carve their statues in order to immortalize their heroic acts. In such an environment those who oppose war are dubbed as cowards and traitors. To die fighting in battlefield becomes an act of honour and pride. Those who flee to save their life are ridiculed and lose their socialstatus. History is replete with such incidents. In India, the Rajputs have a tradition which is highly praised by historians. In the event of their defeat, the soldiers performed the ritual of[ohar by killing their womenfolk and children and, after donning 2 saffron dress, they fought till the last warrior. During the siege of Chittor (1567) when Akbar witnessed this, he was very much impressed by the bravery of the Rajputs. When a Rajput Raja, Jaswant Singh fled from a battle against Aurangzeb to Mewar (1658), the queen closed the gates of her fort and did not allow him to enter. There is another example of Abul Fazl, Akbar's closest friend. When he was coming back from the Deccan, he was informed that under the order of [ahangir the Raja of Bundhela was waiting to kill him. He was advised to change the route. He refused because he regarded it as an act of cowardice. He followed the same route, fought against his enemy and died in the battlefield. It is evident that when a society develops such traditions in which warriors and conquerors assume high status, peace• loving people find title space to live a honourable life. Bravery becomes a virtue while peace cowardice and sin. In such a society, scholars and people of knowledge lose all respect and became subservient to warrior classes. Conquerors are heroes nearly in every society. In the words of a writer, if a person kills a man, he is a murderer, if he kills thousands, he is a conqueror. Based on this criterion, Alexander and Cyrus and other murderers became 1/ the Great". There is another story wherein a pirate told Alexander that they were both bandits; the only difference was of the size of killing and looting. Therefore, a conqueror having more power has capacity to loot and plunder more. According to Burckhardt when conquerors, after devastating cities and massacring people, return to their homeland along with war booty, they are cheered and welcomed by their people and honoured as the chosen people of God. Machiavelli, the man of the Renaissance, believed that war was essential for rulers. He advised them that they keep their people in war hysteria as it was the only way to divert their attention from their problems and prevent them from joining against them. He argued that a nation always needs an enemy. Its presence keeps people united and loyal to their rulers. What Machiavellisaid in the 15th century is true even 3 today as far as Pakistan is concerned. We are in a war situation after the creation of our country. We are demanded all the time to sacrifice our fundamental rights, our resources, our honour and dignity to defend our country. There is a question: can a poor, sick, and illiterate nation defend its country? Or a time is coming when nothing would be left to defend. How Wars are justified? Thucydides, a Greek historian, writing on wars of his time, pointed out that the main motive of war was to loot and plunder and not occupation of other's territory. In the later period, when nations developed agriculture and trade and accumulated wealth and resources, victors not only occupied territories but forcibly acquired wealth of vanquished nation that was called 'war booty'. Greed and thirst of more power led to the foundation of great empires such as the Roman, the Arab, the Carolingian, the Mughuls and the Ottoman. From 15th to 18th centuries, the European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Britain, and France assumed the role of great imperial powers by conquering and occupying Asian, African countries and the newly discovered world.