Salar Masud Ghazi: Questioning the Glorification of an Invader and the Myth of a Fake Shrine

Islamists in India have a tendency to exalt historical figures who reflect their own religious zealotry, elevating figures like Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan—who are notorious for their animosity towards Hindus—to heroic status. A recent incident in Nagpur, Maharashtra, highlighted their obsession with Aurangzeb and their willingness to resort to violence against Hindus who oppose the veneration of such figures. Now, the focus has shifted to Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, where Islamists are targeting Hindus who waved saffron flags after climbing the ‘Dargah’ of Syed Salar Masud Ghazi (Ghazi Miyan), the nephew of Mahmud Ghaznavi, who famously destroyed the Somnath Temple in 1026 AD.

OpIndia

On Ram Navami (6th April), activists from the Maharaja Suheldev Samman Suraksha Manch (MSSSM), led by Manendra Pratap Singh, reportedly climbed the Dargah of Syed Salar Masud Ghazi in Prayagraj’s Baharia area and waved saffron flags. While Salar Masud’s original dargah is in Bahraich, various shrines dedicated to him exist across Uttar Pradesh, including in Bhadohi, Muzaffarnagar, and Prayagraj.

Videos showing Hindu activists waving saffron flags atop the dargah have gone viral online. In one such video, three individuals are seen carrying saffron flags to the dome, while others below shout slogans like "Jai Shri Ram." The police arrived at the scene after being alerted, but the activists had already left. The Prayagraj Police have stated that an investigation is ongoing.

In an official statement, MSSSM claimed that the dargah in Prayagraj is illegal and called for the cancellation of the weekly fair held there. Manendra Pratap Singh, former Karni Sena leader, demanded the demolition of the shrine, asserting that there should be no place for memorials of foreign Islamic invaders. Similar fairs are held at other Salar Masud shrines. Earlier this year, Sambhal Police had denied permission for the Neja fair, which commemorates the Islamic tyrant.

The activists from Suheldev Samman Suraksha Manch have submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP) outlining their demands.

Islamists Outraged as Hindus Reject the Sanctity of Dargah Dedicated to Hindu-Persecuting Muslim Ruler

The recent incident of Hindu activists climbing onto Syed Salar Masud Ghazi’s dargah has predictably ignited controversy, with Islamists and their “liberal” supporters doing what they are known for—demonizing Hindus and obscuring the Islamist animosity toward them.

In this context, Mohammad Zubair from Alt News, who gained infamy for encouraging Islamist hostility toward ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and misrepresenting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans as ‘Nasir Sahab Zindabad,’ shared videos of Hindu activists atop Salar Masud’s shrine. In a post on X, Zubair expressed disappointment that the authorities would not take action against the Hindu activists involved.

Abhinav Pandey, Associate Editor at The Lallantop, also posted a picture related to the incident on X and wrote, “What religion do these people want to establish? Photo- Prayagraj under Bahria police station… sorry, our city was not like this.”

Similarly, Zakir Ali Tyagi, known for spreading misinformation to promote a narrative of Muslim victimhood, also expressed regret that Hindus are increasingly unwilling to acknowledge structures or symbols associated with Islamic invaders.

“The mob involved in the Ram Navami procession in Allahabad’s Bahria police station area not only raised slogans to provoke the Muslims, but also climbed the Dargah of Salar Masood Ghazi and waved saffron flags while raising slogans of Jai Shri Ram. The name of the goon leading the flag-waving group is Mahendra Pratap, who is a BJP worker. Recently, the UP CM was saying in an interview that Muslims should learn discipline from Hindus. Sorry CM sahab, Muslims do not need such discipline at all. Rather, you need to learn from the discipline of Muslims and hand over the videos of the religious programs of Muslims to your people to show how they celebrate their festivals peacefully without harassing or provoking anyone!” Tyagi posted.

Wasim Akram Tyagi, another individual like Zakir Ali Tyagi, also shared the viral picture of Hindu activists standing atop the mentioned dargah with saffron flags and remarked, “Learn discipline from these Hindus who consider creating a ruckus in the places of worship of others under the protection of the government as their religion?”

Meanwhile, Rana Ayyub took it a step further, asserting that Salar Masud’s ‘dargah’ is actually a mosque.

It is important to clarify that the structure Hindu activists were seen climbing in viral videos, while carrying saffron flags, is not a mosque but a shrine dedicated to Salar Masud Ghazi—who is not buried there, and the structure is not his grave or mazar.

Curiously, none of the Islamist voices outraged by Hindus climbing Salar Masud’s shrine bothered to provide any details about this Islamic figure, leaving the public with the false impression that Hindu ‘hardliners’ are randomly attacking or desecrating Muslim places of worship during Hindu festivals to humiliate Muslims.

Given that the Islamo-leftist coalition is intent on demonizing Hindus and once again attempting to gloss over the Hinduphobic legacy of Syed Salar Masud Ghazi, it is crucial to understand more about this figure—the nephew of Mahmud of Ghazni—and his anti-Hindu actions.

Ghazi Syed Salar Masud: His Legacy of Conflict, Religious Conversions, and Temple Destruction

Ghazi Syed Salar Masud, the nephew of the ruthless invader Mahmud of Ghaznavi, was an Islamic zealot and notorious plunderer who deserves condemnation, not praise or reverence. Islamists revere Ghazi Salar Masud as a "martyr" who allegedly died fighting "kafirs," but the truth is that Masud, under the guidance of his uncle Mahmud, took pleasure in massacring Hindus. During his 11th-century campaign, he carried out mass conversions, executions, and widespread destruction of Hindu temples and shrines, including the revered Suraj Kund at Bahraich, as he attempted to conquer vast parts of India until Raja Suheldev put an end to his advances.

Salar Masud met his demise at the hands of Maharaja Suheldev during the fierce Battle of Bahraich in 1034 CE. This battle took place near Chittaura Lake, close to present-day Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. In 1026 CE, Masud had accompanied his uncle during the infamous destruction of the Somnath Temple. Following Mahmud’s death, Masud invaded India in 1031 CE, leading an army of 100,000. He had adopted his uncle’s fanaticism and brutality.

Masud’s first military engagement was with Raja Mahipal Tomar of Delhi, whom he defeated. He then advanced towards upper Doab, where Raja Hari Dutt of Meerut surrendered and converted to Islam. Salar Masud continued his relentless campaign, wreaking havoc with massacres, plundering, and the destruction of Hindu shrines, eventually capturing Multan, Delhi, and Meerut.

After numerous victories, some kings from places like Meerut, Badayun, and Kannauj chose to join forces with him instead of resisting his vast army. His next target was Ayodhya, a holy city for Hindus, but his path was blocked by Bahraich, ruled by Raja Suheldev.

When Suheldev learned of Masud's intentions, he prepared a counteroffensive, rallying kings from nearby regions to form a large defense force. Despite an initial defeat, Suheldev’s determination led his warriors to regroup and continue the fight with unwavering resolve, vowing to eliminate Masud’s forces. After several days of intense combat in 1034, Suheldev's forces finally overpowered Masud, killing the invader and effectively halting the Islamic expansion in India for almost a century. It is believed that none of Masud’s 150,000 Jihadis survived, marking the end of his destructive campaign.

Islamists Persist in Honoring and Defending Historical Figures Noted for Anti-Hindu Actions

Islamists and their supporters, often posing as 'secularists,' have long celebrated Muslim historical figures known for persecuting Hindus, destroying their temples, and converting them to Islam. The more fanatical these figures were, the more they are revered by present-day Islamists in the subcontinent. In March this year, Islamist mobs went on a rampage in Nagpur, Maharashtra, when Hindu activists gathered to protest the grave of the 17th-century Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, known for his hatred of Hindus.

OpIndia extensively covered how the Islamo-leftist alliance blamed Hindus and the film Chhaava for inciting the violence, pushing a misleading narrative that Hindus and the film—which depicted the atrocities inflicted upon Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj by Aurangzeb—were to blame for offending Islamists and somehow causing them to resort to violence. Similarly, in the case of Salar Masud's dargah, a similar pattern is emerging, where Islamic fanaticism is downplayed, and Hindus are blamed for not accepting the glorification of those who brutalized their ancestors, destroyed their temples, and sought to eliminate Hinduism.

Just as the intellectual wing of the Islamo-leftist ecosystem has historically attempted to whitewash the fanaticism of Muslim tyrants like Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan through distorted portrayals in history textbooks, it wouldn’t be surprising if they try to construct a narrative portraying Syed Salar Masud as a secular figure who was forced to persecute Hindus for a greater cause. Interestingly, Salar Masud’s anti-Hindu legacy has already been sanitized, transforming the image of the long-dead Hindu-hater and plunderer into that of a righteous and truthful ‘Sufi saint.’ His original dargah in Bahraich hosts an annual Urs, attracting visitors from Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh communities who offer prayers and seek blessings, unaware of his bloody history and his brutal treatment of Hindus.

The hypocrisy of Islamists and their liberal enablers remains relentless. They quickly criticize Hindu assertions against honoring Islamic fanatics, yet they remain silent on the destruction of Hindu temples and the whitewashing of the legacies of Islamists who persecuted Hindus, instead turning them into stories of ‘cultural exchanges.’ While no one justifies taking the law into their own hands, the Hindu activists in Prayagraj were not attacking a random mosque—they were rejecting the glorification of Syed Salar Masud, an Islamic fanatic who persecuted Hindus in his lifetime. They refused to accept the sanctity of the dargah of someone who took pleasure in destroying Hindu temples. Whether it's Aurangzeb, Tipu Sultan, or Syed Salar Masud, the ecosystem wants Hindus to remain unaware of the brutality and fanaticism of those celebrated by present-day Islamists, who harbor just as much hatred for Hindus and seek to replicate the deeds of the tyrants they revere.

(This Article was originally published by OpIndia)