Words can't describe the horrific and inhuman acts taking place in the name of religion by Islamic State, also known as ISIS. The brutal beheadings, the tortured deaths, the horrific treatment of children and raping women is a copy of what the Mughals did to the Sikhs during the 15th Century.
Babur the first Mughal Emperor, was a descendent of Genghis Khan and Timur. Born in present-day Uzbekistan he became the ruler of Kabul in Afghanistan. From there, he invaded the kingdom of the Afghans in northern India during 1526 and established a period that was ruled for three centuries.
During the Mughal rule of India from 1556 to 1707, the emerging religion had strained relation with the ruling Mughals. Mughals martyred prominent Sikh Gurus (teachers) for challenging some Mughal emperors' persecution of Sikhs and Hindus.
The Mughal Empire wanted the whole of India to be converted to Islam. Watching thousands of conversions and the fear for their own life, Hindu religious leaders came and asked for help from Sikh Gurus and their followers. The Gurus came forward to protect the freedom of religion and Mughals started the brutal war against Sikhs in the similar manner as the IS in Iraq and Syria is doing today.
Beheadings
The horrific video of the American journalist, James Foley shocked the world for how gruesome and graphic it was. Something similar happened to the Ninth Guru of the Sikhs. Guru Teg Bahadur who took a stand for the right of freedom of worship against the then Emperor Aurangzeb, was beheaded at Chandni Chowk, Delhi in 1675.
Burnt Alive
The Jordanian pilot, Muadh al- Kasasbeh's death made the world cry at how chilling and brutal it was. Back in the 16th century someone was also burnt alive. Bhai Sati Das accompanied Guru Teg Bahadur to Dehli to confront Aurangzeb for forceful conversions. When the Mughals were unable to sway Bhai Sati Das's resolve, he was wrapped up in cotton wool and set on fire.
Mass Torture and Persecution
Every human condemns mass murders and persecution of innocent people. During the Mughal Empire, Zakariya Khan, governor of Lahore (now part of Pakistan) had taken part in the Mughal Empire's operations against the Sikh leader Banda Singh Bahadur.
After the capture of Banda Singh and his companions in December 1715, he escorted the prisoners to Delhi, collecting Sikhs that he could find in villages along the way. After reaching the Mughal capital, the caravan contained seven hundred bullock carts full of detached heads and over seven hundred prisoners.
Women and Children
According to a UN watchdog, children in the hands of ISIS terrorists are being traded as sex slaves, buried alive, crucified, beheaded and forced to execute other kids. A report released by Amnesty International details the horrors sustained by Yazidi women and girls, as young as 10, held captive by ISIS. These women are tortured, raped and sold into sexual slavery under ISIS control.
During 1748 and 1753 The Sikh women held as prisoners in Mir Mannu's Jail in Lahore suffered the pain of having their children murdered and made into garlands around their necks.
The motives might be different but the torture is the same and the victims are the same, the innocent people like Alan Henning and many others.