Dr BR Ambedkar's views on Islam: Read what the 'Liberals' would never want you to know

14 October 2021 marks the 65th anniversary of the day when the chief architect of India’s Constitution Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar undertook one of the biggest decisions of his life-giving up Hinduism and embracing Buddhism. It is a travesty of history then that BR Ambedkar, whose mortifying critiques of the caste system is routinely cited by ‘liberals’ to scorn and deride Hinduism, but whose trenchant criticism of Islam, and more specifically the history of Muslims in India, have received little critical scrutiny and has been swept under the carpet. In other words, Islam can never allow a true Muslim to adopt India as his motherland and regard a Hindu as his kith and kin.” ‘For a Musalman, loyalty to faith trumps his loyalty to the country’: BR Ambedkar on the question of Muslim allegiance to India On the question of Muslim loyalty to his country vis-a-vis his loyalty to Islam, Ambedkar wrote: “Among the tenets, one that calls for notice is the tenet of Islam which says that in a country which is not under Muslim rule, wherever there is a conflict between Muslim law and the law of the land, the former must prevail over the latter, and a Muslim will be justified in obeying the Muslim law and defying the law of the land…The only allegiance a Musalman, whether civilian or soldier, whether living under a Muslim or under a non-Muslim administration, is commanded by the Koran to acknowledge is his allegiance to God, to His Prophet and to those in authority from among the Musalmans…” Ambedkar opined that the teaching of the Holy Quran rendered the existence of a stable government almost impossible. ‘To Muslims of India, a Hindu is a Kaffir and therefore, undeserving of respect and equal treatment’: BR Ambedkar The Muslim Canon Law made it incumbent upon Muslim rulers to convert Dar-ul-Harb into Dar-ul-Islam. Technically, it is the duty of the Muslim ruler, who is capable of doing so, to transform Dar-ul-Harb into Dar-ul-Islam.” And just as there are instances of the Muslims in India resorting to Hijrat, there are instances showing that they have not hesitated to proclaim Jihad,” Christophe Jaffrelot quoted Dr BR Ambedkar as saying in his book ‘Dr Ambedkar and Untouchability: Analysing and Fighting Caste‘.