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| A major charge against Aurangzeb was that he imposed a hated Jizya tax on Hindus. Wiki image |
The Delhi Government's decision to name Aurangzeb road after A P J Kalam has been widely welcomed as in the Hindu mind, the last major Mughal emperor was a fanatic, who targeted them.
Aurangzeb reportedly demolished temples, converted Hindus, promoted Islam, was blood thirsty, clamped down on arts and music.
A major charge against Aurangzeb was that he imposed a hated Jizya tax on Hindus - to institutionalise discrimination against non-Muslims.
An article in Spiritual World gives a different perspective on that controversy.
Aurangzeb abolished 65 taxes on general population that led to an annual loss of fifty million rupees to his exchequer. That put him under pressure to find newer ways to mobilise revenue, and Jizya was one of them.
But why target only Hindus? Because he was already extracting certain levies from Muslims, which Hindus were not paying.
All Muslims had to pay Islamic taxes such Zakat (2.5% of savings), Ushr (10% of agriculture products) and charity charges such as Sadaqah, Fitrah, and Khums, from which Hindus were exempted.
Aurangzeb was possibly striking a balance by imposing Jizya.