In all fairness to the victims at large, one may have to spare a thought for the Hindus of Gujarat, once called the Gurjaradesa. Gurjaradesa was attacked several times by Islamic invaders, which included the repeated desecration/destruction of the holy temple of Somnath. The Islamic conquest of Gujarat began in 1298 and continued for 460 years, ending with the Maratha victory of 1758.

Bandukwala finds contemporary Gujarat “totally divided along religious lines”. This observation could be true or false, but the simple method of deductive logic suggests something more. Would he accept that despite a sustained and merciless attack on every aspect of Hindu life, culture, honour and dignity, including forced conversion on a massive scale, the medieval society of Gujarat had never been divided along religious lines?

Bandukwala should provide evidence to show whether any Muslim religious leader, military commander, invader, intellectual, had ever bothered to apologise to Gujarat’s Hindus and acknowledged the unspeakable atrocities inflicted on them over the centuries.

Lastly, the spirit of tolerance and accommodation in medieval Arabia that he mentions is not convincing, since the pagans and their shrines are not to be found there any more. At the same time, contemporary Gujarat may still have the same generosity for the persecuted as it had once bestowed in abundance while providing a safe haven to the fleeing Zoroastrians from Persia.

The writer is attached to the Department of History, Delhi University and is a former member of the ICSSR