Document 1
.. In the Moghul [Mughal] empire the core contradiction had always been Hindus versus
Muslims. Akbar the Great had worked out a sort of accommodation, but his great-grandson
Aurangzeb reversed all his policies, enforcing orthodox Islam rigidly, restoring discrimination against
Hindus, squashing smaller religious groups such as the Sikhs, and generally replacing tolerance with
repression. And yet, say what you will about the man's narrow-minded zealotry [fanaticism],
Aurangzeb was a titanic talent, so he not only held his empire together but extended it. The whole
time, however, he was sowing the discord [division] and tension that would erupt to ruin the empire as
soon as a less capable ruler took charge....

Based on this excerpt, identify the point of view concerning the Mughal Empire