The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 76
[ i6 J don some of its own peculiarities, and adopt some of the ways and customs of the majority, as it was the case with the ancient invaders of India. They accepted some of the deities of the Hindus, and the Hindus in turn bowed down before some of theirs. Similarly these invaders of ancient India themselves adopted a most destructive feature of the Hindu social system, viz. , they entered the fold of one or other of the four castes. The Muslims, however, cannot do so, so long as Islam lives among them, and the Hind�s know full weil that so long as Islam flourishes in India, there is no chance of the l\llus lims becoming a prey to the inf l uence of Hindu civilisa tion and culture. And hence the •::a1npaign either to oust the Musljm population from India 0r to convert them to Hinduism. (iv) The fourth reason that tends to make the majority inimical to the minority is the presence in it of such potentialities as go to make it a progressive com munity, threatening the position of the majority and mak ing it afraid lest the minority should some day be convert ed into the majority. It, therefore, takes to repressive measures in order to bring about the annihilation of the minority. Such a condition also does exist in India. Islam being a powerful missionary religion, it has been maki�g spiritual conquests even during the days of its decline. The last few censuses bear testimony to the fact that Islam has been gaining in numbers not only by birth but also by conversion. It can, therefore, be easily realised that the Hindus cannot suffer this state of affairs to continue unchecked. In the event of the Hindu com munity coming to power, it will do its best to achieve by force what it could not do by religious propaganda ,. and no doubt, hundr. eds of measures could be devised, as would appear ostensibly just but would really aim at stopping conversion to Islam. Hence arises the necessity