Hindu Kush

Hindu Kush, At the Origins of Hindutva", explores the long and painful history of persecution suffered by Hindus under Muslim rule: the most massive and prolonged genocide in human history.

For centuries, Hindus have been victims of massacres, forced conversions and other forms of jihad, something often ignored by history books and largely unrecognized, even by Hindus themselves.

The author exposes how systematic attacks against Hindus led to the deaths of 440 million people, as well as political violence that affected nearly 97.7 million people.

The silence of international human rights organizations is deafening. Every day, acts of violence are perpetrated against Hindus, kidnappings, rapes and forced conversions in indifference.

The essay discusses forced conversions to Islam. Nationally, approximately 56 women and girls are forcibly converted to Islam every day, with an unofficial figure rising to nearly 100 per day.

William Kergroach offers an exhaustive historical analysis, dating back to the first Muslim incursions in the 7th century, through Mughal rule and the invasions of the Ghaznavids, Ghorids and Mamluks, to the European colonial era. It details the campaigns of forced conversions, massacres and systematic destruction of temples and educational centers, such as the University of Nalanda, destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193.

Hindutva is a legitimate reaction to centuries of persecution and genocides, seeking to protect and affirm Hindu ethnic, religious and cultural identity. Hindutva advocates the predominance of Hinduism in Indian national identity, emphasizing that India was built on a Hindu nation.

Hindutva is essential to preserve the teachings of Hinduism, the values of tolerance and love, vital for the contemporary world. To fully understand Hindutva, one must know the historical suffering of Hindus in the face of Muslim and European persecution.

This essay is an important contribution to the literature on the history of persecution and provides essential context for the persistence of Hindutva in modern India.