Opinion: History Isn't Written By the Victors, It's Rewritten.

By: Hasan Belgaumi, a HISTOYOUTH writer

I have an issue with the phrase ‘history is written by the victors’. Because history isn’t that simple, and the realities of this world’s history are far more complex than a metaphorical absolute. However, what often happens is that history is ‘rewritten’ by the victors, or the dominant ruling group of that period. The idea of revisionist history isn’t new, nor is there a concept of a statue of limitation. History dating back centuries can still be manipulated, as long as there is some incentive today for that history to be revised.

And right now, there is one in India.

The Mughals, Turkic-Mongloid Muslims, ruled Northern India from the early 16th century to the mid-19th century. After generations of leaders, Mughal Emperors were more Indian than Central Asian, having married into Hindu families, such as the Rajputs. Mughal leaders were known for their religious tolerance, notably Akbar the Great. While the Mughals represented Muslim rule over a Hindu majority, Akbar invited members of all religions to his courts. He appointed his Hindu in-laws to positions of power and abolished the jizya, a tax placed on non-Muslims.

Portrait of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor of India.

But then again, history isn’t black and white. Subsequent leaders didn’t all share Akbar’s mindset, and like any empire, the Mughals had their issues. However, during their reign, India’s wealth swelled to an unprecedented level, with the region controlling a quarter of the world’s GDP by the 1700s. They create extensive trade networks and remarkable architecture, leaving a profound mark on South Asian culture, notably among Muslim communities.

But that's not the story being told today.

Currently, India is under the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party, a Hindu-nationalist group that labels Muslim Indians as the ultimate other. History is being revised to fit the narrative of Muslims as foreign invaders and fake Indians. Muslim city and landmark names are being replaced with Hindu ones, such as renaming "Allahbad" to "Prayagraj". Textbooks are being altered to fit the Hindu-nationalist narrative. India and Islam’s long history is being erased and rewritten as a story of colonialism and oppression, when in reality, Islam and the Mughals assimilated into Indian culture and enriched its history to a certain extent.

History wasn’t written by the victors. It's been revised and rewritten by them. History is redesigned to fit the agenda of the time. And when it comes to Muslim history in India, the contributions of Islam are being twisted and warped to conform with the current wave of Hindu nationalism.

Works Cited

Brittanica. “Mughal Dynasty.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2023, https://www.britannica.com/summary/Decline-of-the-Mughal-Dynasty. Accessed 6 June 2023.

Jaffrelot, Christophe. “BJP Has Been Effective in Transmitting Its Version of Indian History to Next Generation of Learners.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 16 Nov. 2019, https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/11/16/bjp-has-been-effective-in-transmitting-its-version-of-indian-history-to-next-generation-of-learners-pub-80373. Accessed 6 June 2023.

Mansoor, Sanya. “India’s School Textbooks Are the Latest Battleground for Hindu Nationalism.” Time, 7 Apr. 2023, https://time.com/6269349/india-textbook-changes-controversy-hindu-nationalism/. Accessed 6 June 2023.