Rangila Rasul

Rangila Rasul or Rangeela Rasool (meaning 'Promiscuous Prophet') was a book published during a period of confrontation between Arya Samaj and Muslims in Punjab during the 1920s.[1] The controversial book concerned the marriages and sex life of Muhammad.

It was written by an Arya Samaji named Pandit M. A. Chamupati or Krishan Prashaad Prataab in 1927, whose name however was never revealed by the publisher, Rajpal in Lahore.It was supposedly a retaliatory action from Hindu community against a pamphlet published by a Muslim depicting the Hindu goddess Sita as a prostitute. On the basis of Muslim complaints, Rajpal was arrested but acquitted in April 1929 after 5 years of trial because there was no law against insult to religion. After several unsuccessful attempts to kill Rajpal, he was stabbed to death by a young man named Ilm-ud-din on April 6, 1929.[2] Ilm-ud-din was sentenced to death and the sentenced was carried out on 31 October 1929.

Rangila Rasul had a surface appearance of a lyrical and laudatory work on Muhammad and his teachings, for example it began with a poem which went "The bird serves the flowers in the garden; I'll serve my Rangila Rasul," and called Muhammad "a widely experienced" person who was best symbolized by his many wives, in contrast with the lifelong celibacy of Hindu saints.

Originally written in Urdu, it has been translated into Hindi. It remains banned in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Response

The allegations of Rangila Rasul were addressed by the Muslim Qazi Maulana Sanaullah Amritsari in his book Muqaddas Rasool ('The Holy Prophet').

Legislative Response

In 1927, under pressure from Muslim community, Colonial British Government enacted Hate Speech Law Section 295(A).[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Book on Trial: Fundamentalism and Censorship in India By Girja Kumar
  2. ↑ Self and Sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since 1850 By Ayesha Jalal
  3. ↑ "Insult to religion".


External links