Sri Aurobindo on the Islam Problem

Sri Aurobindo on the Islam Problem
Let us see what Sri Aurobindo had to say on the Hindu–Muslim problem.
In the course of a conversation, a disciple observed: “There is also the question of
Hindu–Muslim unity which the non-violence school is trying to solve on the basis of
their theory”.
Sri Aurobindo replied: “You can live amicably with a religion whose principle is
toleration. But how is it possible to live with a religion whose principle is ‘I will not
tolerate?’ How are you going to have unity with these people? Certainly Hindu-Muslim
unity cannot be arrived at on the basis that Muslims will go on converting Hindus while
Hindus shall not convert Mohammedans. You can’t build unity on such basis. Perhaps
the only way of making the Mohammedans harmless is to make them lose their faith in
their religion”.1
Later he said:
“The attempt to placate the Mohammedans was a false diplomacy. Instead of trying to
achieve Hindu-Muslim unity directly, if the Hindus had devoted themselves to national
work, the Mohammedans would have gradually come of themselves…. This attempt to
patch up a unity has given too much importance to the Muslims and it has been the root
of all these troubles”.2
Again in 1923 Sri Aurobindo remarked:
“I am sorry they are making a fetish of this Hindu-Muslim unity. The best solution
would be to allow the Hindus to organize themselves and the Hindu-Muslim unity
would take care of itself, it would automatically solve the problem. Otherwise we are
lulled into a false sense of satisfaction that we have solved a difficult problem when in
fact we have only shelved it”.3
In 1926, Sri Aurobindo remarked:
“Look at Indian politicians: all ideas, ideas-they are busy with ideas. Take the Hindu-
Muslim problem: I don’t know why our politicians accepted Gandhi’s Khilafat agitation.
With the mentality of the ordinary Mahomedan it was bound to produce the reaction it
has produced: you fed the force, it gathered power and began to make demands which
the Hindu mentality had to rise up and reject. That does not require Supermind to find
out, it requires common sense. Then, the Mahomedan reality and the Hindu reality
began to break heads at Calcutta. (This refers to the riots in Calcutta the previous
month). The leaders are busy trying to square the realities with their mental ideas
instead of facing them straight”.4