The Arabs and India

Al Gomhuria, P.11 (13-3-2006)

By: Maari Younis

It is strange that the US has realized India's status before us (Arabs) and signed a nuclear partnership agreement with the Indians, although we (the Arabs) had links with India dating back to hundreds years well before the emergence of the US. The Indo-Arab relations date back to the pre-Islamic era, when the Arabs were impressed by the Indian swords and many of them used to name their sons and daughters as "Mohand". After the Islamic conquer of Sindh territory and Hyderabad, the Indians enriched the Islamic culture through the invaluable contributions of several Indian prominent poets, men of letter and scholars. The Arabs used to look upon India at that time as one of the best nations. The famous Arab scholars Al Gahez and Al Asfahani said that India was famous for math, astronomy and medicine. Al-Bairuni, a famous Arab historian, said that the Indians are proud of themselves and their nation, and they scorn their enemies. On the other hand, the contemporary Arabs are preoccupied with those insulting them and occupying their territories. They forgot India or may be they still think of it as the country, where people ride elephants. India today is competing Europe and the US in terms of economic growth. Over the past few years, the India managed to achieve an amazing industrial and scientific breakthrough. It seems that Al Asfahani was very smart, when he said that the Indians know the secrets of medicine and can find treatment for incurable diseases. If you are looking for the best surgeons, you can find them in Bangalore. If you are interested in IT, you should not go to   the Silicon Valley in California, but you can find all you want in India. India tops the world countries in the field of pharmaceuticals. One of India's outstanding achievements is its nuclear status, which is now recognized by    the US, the UK, France, Russia and China, Also, India managed to achieve self-sufficiency in terms of food grains for its 1150,000,000 population. In spite of poverty and the presence of different sects, India has joined the ranks of major powers. We should learn from this Indian experience, but it seems that we do not learn anything. We do not even learn from our glorious past and the present experiences. We have been unfair with India, when we tried to Islamize the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. Also, several Arab countries were wrong, when they favoured Pakistan over India. At the same time, the Arab diplomacy committed another mistake, when India's request to join the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) was rejected, in spite of the fact that the number of Indian Muslims exceeds 140 million persons. Moreover, India was ruled by three Muslim Presidents since its independence: Zakir Hussein (a street in Nasr City is named after his name), Fakhruldin Ali Ahmed and the present President Abdul Kalam. The Arabs are required to correct the mistakes they committed and deepen their relations with India before it becomes too late. Some observers are of the view that India, after Putin's last visit (?), would play, with American support, an influential role in the Arab Gulf region across the Indian Ocean. However, we know that the Indians would not allow anybody, regardless of his status in the world, to use them as tools to achieve certain objectives.

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