"Forcible conversion was the other alternative to death for a non-Muslim. The ultimatum was given to the population of a village either to embrace Islam or to face death. Most Hindus and Sikhs preferred death to the shameful surrender of faith, and died, sometimes fighting and at other times with great tortures, at the hands of the sadist religious zealots of the Muslim League. Such women as could not be abducted or dishonoured, generally escaped this shame by immolating themselves. Thoha Khalsa village, of which an account will follow, is a classic example of such sacrifice of life on the part of 93 Sikh women of that place. This, the best known incident of its kind, however, is not the only one. In scores of places, both during the March attacks and the post-partition attacks on Hindus and Sikhs, women immolated themselves to escape dishonour at the hands of the maddened and ferocious lusting Muslim mobs. Those who were forcibly converted were, if they were Sikhs, shaved off and circumcised; the Hindus too were circumcized, even the grown-ups. The women converts were generally given in marriage, if they were unmarried or widows, to Muslims, the Nikah ceremony being performed by some local Maulvi. A large number of such shaven Sikh converts to Islam arrived as refugees in March, 1947 in Amritsar, Patiala and other places, from Rawalpindi and the Frontier Province."
React to this quote
More by Gurbachan Singh Talib
See allResonant Thoughts
"While acknowledging our mutual affection by publicly assuming the relationship of husband and wife, yet in justice to ourselves and a great principle, we deem it a duty to declare that this act on our…"
Explore Further
Related Quotes
"I think religion is utter nonsense, and I claim the right to criticise, ridicule and insult it as much as I…"
— Pat Condell"Nothing is unthinkable, nothing impossible to the balanced person, provided it comes out of the needs of li…"
— Lewis Mumford"Souljah was not born to make white people feel comfortable. I am African first! I am black first! I want wh…"
— Sister Souljah"Old men must die, or the world would grow mouldy, would only breed the past again."
— Alfred"I don’t think I’m destined to die today. I must be being saved for day after tomorrow."
— Lois McMaster Bujold"It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf."
— Walter Lippmann