Emperor Akbar of India:
The Mughal Emperor Akbar of India was a just ruler known for his goodness and wisdom to all people of India. Akbar become the emperor at the young age of 13 and throughout his reign he followed his central principle of SulheKuhl(peace to all) (Szczepanski, 2014). The Mughal empire rules parts of India and Pakistan where most people practiced the Hindu faith. The video above shows a movie trailer(Jodhaa Akbar) of the marriage between the Muslim leader, Akbar, to the first of his 36 wives, a Hindu princess, Jodhaa Bai (Szczepanski, 2014). The marriage was conducted to unify Hindus and Muslims throughout India. One of the many accomplishments of Emperor Akbar was the removal of yearly taxes, known as jizya, onto “non-Muslims”(Szczepanski, 2014). From this courageous act, he lost money but gained respect and favours from Hindus throughout India. Akbar believed that no religion is superior over another and everyone should have the right to practice their own faith. In 1582, Akbar sent Philip II of Spain a letter stating that he should have tolerance about different religions and not murder people for following a different faith (Szczepanski, 2014). This showed Emperor Akbar’s true personality and ability to accept others of differing religions and backgrounds. It was also known that Akbar enjoyed talked to other people who practiced various religions to learn about philosophy and teachings he would never know of if only restricted to his religion (Szczepanski, 2014). The video above highlights the importance of acceptance between two unlikely monarchs. The legend is that these Akber and Jodhaa ended up falling in love with each other which was very uncommon in arranged marriages especially between people of differing religions.