Victorious Armies Are Often Marauding
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
25 March
2023
This
pertains to the article, " Why Did The Britisher Rape The Women Of Chimur,
Nagpur In Maharashtra"
First of
all, we need to disabuse ourselves of the misconception that the Brits were
'civilised' people. Bracketing the words ' white English ' shows that the
Indians or the colonised people still look up to them ( Brits). This underlines
our enslaved mentality. Had they been civilised, they'd never have colonised
any nation in the first place.
Contrary to
the general tenor that English race is superior or more cultured is an
inveterate racial myth. Brits are also humans and human spirit is everywhere
the same. Britisher, like the Muslim invaders, came to India to plunder,
pillage and pilfer. Moreover, victorious armies are often marauding.
What did
Pakistani Punjabi Muslim soldiers did in the erstwhile East Pakistan, now
Bangladesh? Muslim soldiers were raping Bengali Muslim women in East Pakistan. Generally 'cultured' Japanese soldiers were
raping during the second World War.
British
Military historian Sir Carroli Barnett wrote in his book, ' A Soldier's
Diary ' that soldiers often find it morally justifiable to rape the
marginalised and vanquished women. This has been a reprehensible soldierly
tradition right from the beginning and it was mentioned by the Roman historians
Catallus and Pliny Junior in their papyrus dispatches. Coming back to the
atrocities of the Brits and their soldiers, Issur rebels in South, Dora in
Central India and during the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, a handful of British
soldiers were raping and molesting hapless Indian women. When it comes to basic
instincts and debased mentality, all humans are the same.
So, it's
time to see things from a broader perspective and stop generalising events,
people and circumstances. Don't we aptly say in Urdu, Ek Hi Khameer Se Bane Hain Saare? (
All are made of the same stuff).
------
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/victorious-armies-marauding/d/129404