The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c12.s3.18

c12.s3.18

Such *tablighis* are still busy in their mission in Mewat and other regions. Along with this, fresh conversions to Islam are also going on from Ladakh to Gujarat and from Kerala to Assam, creating tensions in society. A report in the *Times of India* datelined New Delhi 14 August 1989 says: When Pakistan *zindabad* slogans were raised first time on the streets of Leh recently, it came as a shock to the Buddhist people of Ladakh. Said Mr. P. Stobdan, a scholar from Ladakh now working in Delhi: For centuries, the Ladakhi Buddhists and Muslims lived together in harmony. Even intermarriages were common among them. What had destroyed the secular tradition of Ladakh was the systematic attempt at conversion of Buddhists to Islam. But above all was the fear of the proselytizing drive which threatened to eliminate the 84 per cent Buddhists as a religious group. Within the framework of this new consciousness, according to Mr. Stobden, the Ladakhis considered themselves to be patriotic citizens of India, the land of the Buddha. However, because of the policy of appeasement of the Centre towards the Kashmiris and the consequent neglect of Ladakhis, a sense of disillusionment was growing among people of the region.