Hindus have experienced both historical and ongoing religious persecution and systematic violence, in the form of forced conversions, documented massacres, genocides, demolition and desecration of temples, as well as the destruction of educational centres. Definition of persecution Divya Sharma, a sociologist and law scholar, establishes that religious persecution is the "systematic mistreatment of people (individual or group) due to their religious beliefs". Persecution is any systematic mistreatment where the victims experience "suffering, harassment, fear, pain, imprisonment, internment". In cases of religious groups, persecution denies or limits religious freedoms. This includes state supported acts such as destroying or defacing religious icons and buildings, or targeting properties shared by a religious community during peace or war. Mohamed S.M. Eltayeb, writing on "the definition and understanding of internal persecution among Muslims" in the present time, states that "In its common usage, the term 'religious persecution' is used to describe a particularly serious situation of discrimination where a campaign or program is initiated to harass, intimidate, and punish a group because of its religious or moral beliefs." Specifically, "religious persecution constitutes a situation of gross violations of the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief where there is a consistent pattern of gross violations of the right to freedom of religion that includes violations of the right to life, personal integrity or personal liberty." The distinction with religious intolerance is that the latter in most cases is in the sentiment of the population, which may be tolerated or encouraged by the state, while religious persecution and discrimination "signify active state policy and action". Denial of civil rights on the basis of religion without denying the freedom of religion is most often described as religious discrimination, rather than religious persecution. Medieval-era Muslim rulers General effect Parts of India have been subject to Muslim rule from the period of Muhammad ibn Qasim till the fall of the Mughal Empire. While there is a tendency to view the Muslim conquests and Muslim empires as a prolonged period of violence against Hindu culture, in between the periods of wars and conquests, there were harmonious Hindu-Muslim relations in most Indian communities, and the Indian population grew during the medieaval Muslim times. No populations were expelled based on their religion by either the Muslim or Hindu kings, nor were attempts made to annihilate a specific religion. According to Romila Thapar, with the onset of Muslim rule all Indians, higher