1/n
Recently @javedakhtarjadu tweeted that Indians call Shah Jahan a foreigner, despite his being a 5th generation Indian with Rajput blood. He compared him to Obama becoming US president, despite having a Kenyan father. Let’s explore how history contradicts this ridiculous claim
2/n
One wonders what an "intellectual" like Akhtar was smoking to make such an idiotic comparison. Firstly, Obama was a democratically elected president chosen by the majority, while Shah Jahan was a generational despotic tyrant continuing his ancestral legacy of barbarism
3/n
Shah Jahan never considered himself a 5th generation Indian, he regarded himself as the 10th generation in the Turko-Mongol dynasty of Taimur which invaded India. This is clear from his official royal seal which proudly traces his Mughal lineage all the way back to Taimur.
4/n
The design of Mughal royal seals & their purpose is described by Abu’l Fazal, Akbar’s chronicler in “Ain-I-Akbari”. Smaller versions of the seals were referred to by their Turkic Chagtai name as “Uzuk” & personal seals contained distinct Islamic references to “Allahu Akbar”
5/n
Mughal dynasty's royal seal was designed as a central circle with the king’s name, surrounded by names of ancestors up to Taimur to deliberately remind Indians of their conquest over Indians. They were used in all official documents such as Firmaans & international treaties.
6/n
The seals are read starting with the emperor's name in the middle circle, then to outer circles with names of preceding kings & continuing clockwise to Taimur at the top of the seal. From Akbar to Bahadur Shah - every Mughal proudly traced lineage back to Taimur in this seal
7/n
Clearly, neither Shah Jahan nor any Mughal king considered themselves Indian, even after 20 generations. Shah Jahan’s matrilineal ancestry was indeed Hindu, but he never expressed any pride in it. He was taken away from his Rajput mother Jagat Gosain just 6 days after birth
8/n
He was taken away from Jagat Gosain because his horoscope indicated he would be a great Muslim king. He was raised by his grandmother, Akabar’s wife Ruqaiya Begum, Babur’s direct descendant, to ensure a fully Islamic environment & prevent undue influence from his Hindu mother
9/n
Gosain was tormented at the hands of Jahangir's muslim wife, Nur Jahan. In the end, she poisoned herself on 18th April, 1619. This shows Shah Jahan’s mother was abused by Mughal royalty due to her Hindu origin, even though her beauty & accomplishments out surpassed others.
10/n
Shah Jahan grew up a devout Muslim whose favorite books were biographies of his foreign ancestors Taimur & Babur’s & their barbaric conquest of India. The accounts described millions of Hindus being butchered. Taimur himself killed more than 1 Lakh Hindus in one single day.
11/n
Shah Jahan's court was built like a mosque to face Mecca to show loyalty to Islam over India. He tried to reinstate the discriminatory Jizya, but afraid of rebellion, modified the order to impose massive pilgrimage tax on Hindus to obstruct & block their religious activities
12/n
In 1633 CE, he ordered the destruction of incomplete temples & banned construction or repair of new temples. He banned the marriages of 4000 Hindus in Jammu who married Muslim women. The women had to leave & reconvert & men paid huge fines or forcibly converted to Islam.
13/n
Despite 75% of his genes originating from Hindus, Shah Jahan despised Hinduism - the indigenous culture of India. His contempt for Hindu ancestry was evident when he refused to marry Hindu women & ensured all of his official wives were Muslims with foreign roots.
14/n
In contrast, Obama always considered himself American first. He adopted Christianity, despite Muslim ancestry. He created policies to empower Americans of all religions & oppose Islamic terrorism. He spoke for freedom of speech even if it was critical of religions like Islam
15/n
Akthar’s tweet is at best delusional or at worst a deliberate motivated agenda to distort the history of Mughal contempt towards India. The Mughals never wanted to belong to India & instead celebrated their foreign ancestry as a symbol of Islam’s dominance over Hindu India.
16/n
References:
"Ain i Akbari", Volume 1 by Abū al-Faz̤l ibn Mubārak
Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1873 - India
The Genealogical Seal of the Mughal Emperors of India
Annabel Teh Gallop
The Jahangirnama, Memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India - Wheeler M. Thackston
17/n
The Princes of the Mughal Empire, 1504–1719
By Munis D. Faruqui
Religious Policy of Emperor Shahjahan (1627-1658AD)
Awais Akhtar & M. Najam ud Din Farani
Taimur's Memoirs, Bostom, pg. 648
Associated Press - Obama's religion
Obama's UN Speech, 9/25, 2012 -Politico.com
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