Indian Muslims: Who Are They c7.26

c7.26

In these circumstances, the spate of conversions to Islam slackened. Some stray efforts at conversion no doubt continued to be made even during the eighteenth century, but without much success. For instance when in 1716 Banda Bahadur with his 740 followers was given by Farrukh Siyar the choice between Islam and death, they all died to a man rather than become Musalman.⁷⁷ Similarly, according to T.W. Arnold, Tipu Sultan issued an order to the people of Malabar to become Musalmans, and early in 1789 (he) prepared to enforce his proclamation with an army of more than twenty thousand men Thousands of Hindus were accordingly circumcised and made to eat beef; but this monarch himself perished, early in 1799 Most of the Brahmans and Nayars who had been forcibly converted subsequently disowned their new religion.⁷⁸ However, Tipu Sultan declared that his conversion campaign had been very successful and that on a single occasion, within twentyfour hours he caused swelling in the ranks of the faithful by 50,000. All along his invasion route in Kerala, over 500 Hindu temples were desecrated by his armies in Cannanore, Calicut and Mallapuram districts. Some of the ruins are still extent. However, from all the evidence available, it appears that Muslim population did not register rise in the eighteenth century through proselytization. On the contrary, there was perhaps a recession even in its natural growth due to disturbed political conditions in which Muslim numbers seem to have suffered a shrinkage.