Raja Dahir, the Arab Conquest, and the Roots of Religious Intolerance in Sindh
Abstract
The Sindh History has been a decisive discourse in the South Asian historical events. As the Arab advent played pivotal role to emerge a new shape of the Sindh in the chronological annals. Chachnama and other Islamic chronicle written in 12th century and covering the history of Arab conquest of Sindh of 712 C.E; articulated the stories of Raja Dahir’s fall based on divinely sanctioned victory of Muslims over defeated Hindus, and embedded the ideological framework of Muslims legitimate status over the Hindus as defeated and subordinated communities. With time these narratives of religious supremacy were reinterpreted through Arabic, Persian, and Urdu under colonial effect, and Pakistani orientalist touched the biased historiography, to reinforce a discourse of religious legitimacy tied to conquest of Sindh. This article contends that this legacy continues to shape patterns of religious extremism in contemporary Sindh, where minority communities particularly Hindus and Christians face forced conversions, blasphemy allegations, and systematic discrimination. This study highlights how the manipulation of history enables the perpetuation of religious intolerance, by combining that historiographical analysis combined with contemporary case studies. It concludes that critical re-examination of early Islamic historiography is essential to dismantle ideological justifications for extremism and to foster inclusive narratives that protect minority rights in Pakistan.
Keywords: Raja Dahir, Chach Nama, Religious Extremism, Forced Conversions, Blasphemy Laws
