Nirad Chaudhuri on Ayodhya

“Muslims do not have the slightest right to complain about the desecration of one mosque in Ayodhya. From 1000 AD every temple from Kathiawar to Bihar, from the Himalayas to the Vindhyas has been sacked and ruined. Not one temple was left standing all over northern India. They escaped destruction only where Muslim power did not gain access to them for reasons such as dense forests. Otherwise, it was a continuous spell of vandalism. No nation with any self-respect will forgive this. What happened in Ayodhya would not have happened had the Muslims acknowledged this historical argument even once.” — Nirad Chaudhuri

Hindu Muslim "intermarriage"

Predatory behavior of Muslim males has been in the news recently. Predictably, there has been a vociferous reaction from both the left and Muslim society. The latest example is the essay by actor Saif Ali Khan. In a meandering essay he frames the issue as one of "intermarriage". He describes his family as one where "all religions are practised". Other prominent Muslims like Shahrukh Khan have made similar statements.

 

I don't wish to question their sincerity. I also do not want to reduce the issue of predatory Muslim male behavior to movie star marriages. Instead, I want to examine one aspect of Hindu Muslim "intermarriage" in India: Names.

 

Names are a very important part of our self image. The names we choose for ourselves and our children tell us a lot about who we are, who we aspire to be, who we revere. The names we do not choose also tell us a lot about our attitude to life. For example, an Indian who does not adopt an American first name is revealing his intention to resist America's strong pull towards assimilation. Indians who choose names common to both cultures (e.g. Maya which is both a Sanskrit and Hebrew name) reveal their desire to straddle the two cultures. An Indian who names his American born child "Venkatasubramaniam" is making a very strong statement about how he views his place in Amerrican society.

 

So lets examine names chosen by Indian Muslims. I start with movie stars (no particular reason).

 

First off, one notices that ubiquity of the surname Khan among Indian Muslim movie actors. Whats going on here? It helps to understand that the name Khan is a title in Persio-Mongol nobility. It happens to be the lowest rank but still an indication of nobility.  The Mughals bestowed this title for services rendered, thereby raising commoners to nobility. These titles are not hereditary, but rather have to be bestowed by the ruler on each new generation. It goes without saying that it was a serious offence to claim a title without approval by the ruler. Even though the titles are not hereditary, some people like Saif Ali Khan have a loose claim on the title because of their noble ancestry (his ancestors were awarded a state by the British in 1804 for their services in the Anglo-Maratha wars).

 

Others like Aamir, Shah Rukh, Salman simply choose to use Khan as a family name. This would be similar to using Duke, Earl or Marquis as a family name. As far as I can tell none of their ancestors were ennobled by anyone. So this seems like a straightforward case of "aspirational self-ennoblement".

 

The key point is the choice of the title: one indicating nobility in the Moghul empire, which has ceased to exist since 1857 (and de facto ceased to exist from the 1750s). This clearly shows an emotional attachment and yearning for the glories of Muslim rule in India.

 

Now lets look at the names chosen for the offspring of these so called "intermarriages".

 

  • Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore: Sharmila converted to Islam (renamed herself Begum Ayesha Sultana). They named their children: Saif Ali, Saba Ali and Soba Ali.
  • Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh: Amrita converted to Islam. They named their children: Sara Ali and Ibrahim Ali
  • Aamir Khan and Reena Dutta: Children's names: Junaid and Ira, both Quranic names.
  • Shahrukh Khan and Gauri Chibber: Children's names Suhana, Aryan and Abram. While Suhana and Abram are clearly Quranic names, Aryan is a Indo-European name (Sankrit and Persian) meaning noble one. Aryan is not a Quranic name, but is  used by Muslims in the Persian influenced parts of the Islamic world.
  • Salim Khan and Sushila Charak: Children's names: Salman, Arbaaz, Sohail and Alvira. Of these Alvira seems to be a neologism but the rest are clearly Quranic.

 

 

Notice a pattern? My short response to Saif Ali Khan: Actions speak louder than words. I will take your words seriously when you name your next child Rama or Krishna or Shiva.