The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c6.s1.4

c6.s1.4

Thirdly, even those who wrote independently suffered from racial pride and prejudice. While they write little about the life of the common people, their economic problems and social behaviour, they do not tire of portraying their rulers as champions of Islam and destroyers of disbelief Their words of hate have left a trail of bitter memories which it is difficult to erase. As an example, the language of some contemporary chroniclers may be quoted as samples. Nawasa Shah was a scion of the Hindu Shahiya dynasty and was converted to Islam by Mahmud of Ghazni. Such conversions were common. But return to ones original religion was considered apostasy punishable with death. Al Utbi, the author of *Tarikh-i-Yamini*, writes how Sultan Mahmud punished Nawasa Shah: