Rangila Rasul

Rangila Rasul or Rangeela Rasool (Hindi: रंगीला रसूल) (meaning Colorful 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 of Muhammad.

Rangila Rasul
AuthorPandit M. A. Chamupati or Krishan Prashaad Prataab
Original titleRangeela Rasool
CountryIndia
LanguageUrdu, Hindi
PublisherMahashe Rajpal
Publication date
1927
Media typePrint
Pages58

Content

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, Mahashe Rajpal[2] of Lahore. It was a retaliatory action from the Hindu community against a pamphlet published by a Muslim depicting the Hindu goddess Sita as a prostitute.[3] On the basis of Muslim complaints, Rajpal was arrested but acquitted in April 1929 after a five-year trial because there was no law against insult to religion.

Muslims, however, continued to try to take his life. After several unsuccessful assassination attempts on him, he was stabbed to death by a young carpenter named Ilm-ud-din on 6 April 1929.[4] Ilm-ud-din was sentenced to death and the sentence was carried out on 31 October 1929.[5][6]

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).

In 1927, under pressure from the Muslim community, the administration of the British Raj enacted Hate Speech Law Section 295(A),[7] a part of the Criminal Law Amendment Act XXV. This made it a criminal offence to insult the founders or leaders of any religious community.[2]

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See also

References
  1. The Book on Trial: Fundamentalism and Censorship in India By Girja Kumar
  2. Nair, Neeti (May 2009). "Bhagat Singh as 'Satyagrahi': The Limits to Non-violence in Late Colonial India". Modern Asian Studies. Cambridge University Press. 43 (3): 649–681. JSTOR 20488099.
  3. Ambedkar, Babasaheb, "Thoughts on Pakistan", pg. 165
  4. Self and Sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since 1850 By Ayesha Jalal
  5. Ramzi, Shanaz (30 March 2014). "Where history meets modern comforts". dawn.com.
  6. "Until we start denouncing Ilm-ud-din's legacy Mumtaz Qadris will keep sprouting up in Pakistan". nation.com.pk.
  7. "Insult to religion - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com.
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