It would look divided. Many intermarriages between various rulers. I guess eating cows would be allowed... So... more cows in India to consume. More contact with the the Middle East with regards to trade as well as South East Asia. I'd see India as a place for Islamic Missionaries to be sent out to South East Asia and China as well as Australia if discovered. The most influental region in the Indian Ocean and more influenced by Persian culture and language. Odds are more Turkic tribes would be open to settle in Northern India as well as Pasthuns.
What Would an Islamic Indian Subcontinent Look Like?
- Thread starter Srihari14
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It would look divided. Many intermarriages between various rulers. I guess eating cows would be allowed... So... more cows in India to consume. More contact with the the Middle East with regards to trade as well as South East Asia. I'd see India as a place for Islamic Missionaries to be sent out to South East Asia and China as well as Australia if discovered. The most influental region in the Indian Ocean and more influenced by Persian culture and language. Odds are more Turkic tribes would be open to settle in Northern India as well as Pasthuns.
Srihari14
Banned
Internally - Less conflicts, Higher GDP, better living standards, women's equality
Externally - better image for Muslims worldwide, politically stronger south Asia, border disputes
There are too many variables. You are radically rewriting well over a millennium of Indian history, so this cannot be predicted. I voted "no" because an Islamic India, by itself, does not improve the subcontinent.
Srihari14
Banned
The biggest problem in South asia has more or less based on religious based conflicts, which eats up a good chunk of our budget and lives, I wanted to see whether a religiously united south be any better
You can’t fix any of that by magically transforming the prevailing religion of the subcontinent at some unspecified point and through some unspecified means and still expect to find 2018 to be more or less the same.
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Srihari14
Banned
You See I wanted to know the effects like in This thread about Europe -
What Would an Islamic Europe Look Like?
The question you posed in the poll is extremely problematic. Would a more thoroughly islamized Indian subcontinent be "better" is entirely subjective and depending on how you read it, it seems to be implying either that religious diversity is bad or that Islam itself is bad for the region. Now I doubt that was your intention by posing the question, but it's important to be mindful of how the language of your question can frame the debate.
Srihari14
Banned
I am Implying extreme Religious Diversity between two completely different religions is somewhat problematic, Which is why Pakistan and Bangaldesh were Created, and yes I am talking about islamised India, Not arabised India
Why is religious diversity problematic? There are numerous examples of religiously diverse cultures which existed in history without open religious conflict. Pre-Islamic Persia, the Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire, and modern North America are just a few examples. You're operating under the assumption that different religious groups cohabitating a region inevitably leads to conflict, when you don't provide any clear evidence that that is the case. Conflict and warfare in India predates Islam by thousands of years, so there's no reason to believe that religious unity would precipitate any golden age of peace when that wasn't the case before the hypothetical Islamic conquest
Srihari14
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I am not implying that Islam leads to conflict, what I am saying that conflict between two alien religion becomes a higher propability due high illustrate pupation, and keep in mind it takes for most of Indian history, Hindus were the clear majority, even under the mughals , thus conflicts were much rarer
And yet for most of Indian history, there was significant conflict. So what would introducing the unifying factor of Islam do? The ottomans were constantly at war with Persia for much of their history despite sharing a religion. Also, “completely alien” is a bit of an exaggeration since many Indian people speak the same language, and religion isn’t even the largest barrier between groups in many cases. Furthermore, religion is not the only factor dividing the populations of India. Even Europe, which was almost 100% catholic between 1000 and 1500 CE had numerous large-scale wars.
Srihari14
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Hinduism and Islam are alien to each other
And it's not like Hinduism doesn't have caste system of various sects
There is still a divide between Hindus and Muslims, as there is still ghettoization of Muslims and Hindus (caste wise)
“Alien” is pretty subjective. You could argue that Confuscianism and Buddhism are alien to each other yet they both exist in large numbers in China without serving as catalysts for conflict. Furthermore, some of the developments you give examples of are more recent. How far back is the islamicizaion you propose supposed to have taken place? Furthermore what is unique about Islam that makes it more likely to precipitate peace in the Indian subcontinent? What about Buddhism or Jainism or Sikhism? (all of which also exist in large numbers in India btw)
Srihari14
Banned
Islam, in comparison is much more organized in terms of nation building as it has a clear set of rules, laws and regulations, Hinduism is much more of an umbrella term
Buddhism and Jainism were already in decline by the time Islam reached India
Sikhism is Interesting as it was the result of Hindu Islamic interactions, perhaps we could see an earlier version if Sikhism
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You literally just wrote that you wanted to know if it would be better for the subcontinent.
Saying Partition was caused by religious diversity is a bit like saying the Revolution was caused by Britain settling the eastern American seaboard. You’re not really addressing the relevant variables.
But why would this lend itself to peace in any way? There have been wars between Islamic states and factions in recent history, even those of the same sect. The Libyan Civil War, both Gulf Wars, the civil conflict with the Kurds in Iraq, the civil wars in Indonesia, and the Afghan-Pakistani border insurgencies are al examples of conflict between Islamic groups. And those are just off the top of my head, I'm sure a quick google search could find hundreds more examples, and that's not even including the immeasurable Sunni-Shia conflicts from recent and earlier history. You haven't given any examples or reasoning as to why "Islam is much more organized in terms of nation building". If anything, the lack of a centralized Islamic clergy (like exists in religions like Catholicism), makes it harder for an Islamic state to establish religious legitimacy for their various states. I guess what I'm saying is that in my view, the underlying assumption of your question is dubious at best and highly prejudiced at worst
Srihari14
Banned
I am not saying Islam will better for the region, I am asking whether a religiously homogenous subcontinent be better or not