From communalism to the partition - class-XI

The Muslim League was founded in 1906 at Dhaka to safeguard the rights of Indian Muslims. It was a political group that led the movement calling for a separate Muslim nation to be created at the time of the partition of British India in 1947 because it feared that an independent India would be dominated by Hindus.

Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College was founded in 1875. The college started as a primary school on Queen Victoria's birthday, 24 May 1875 known as Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental Collegiate School. It was established as Madrasatul Uloom Musalmanan-e-Hind in 1875 and after two years it became Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College. The Anglo–Indian statesman Sir Syed Ahmad Khan founded the predecessor of AMU, the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, in 1875 having already established two schools. The movement of Muslim awakening associated with Syed Ahmad Khan and M.A.O. College came to be known as Aligarh Movement.

The two nation theory was given by Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Two nation theory is the basis of creation of Pakistan. It states that Muslims and Hindus are two separate nations from every definition, therefore Muslims should have a separate homeland in the Muslims majority areas of India , where they can spend their lives according to the glorious teachings of Islam.

From the year 1940, the Muslim League started demanding a separate nation for the Muslims. It was based on the two-nation theory. The Muslim League demanded that the areas in which the Muslims are in a majority as in the North-Western and Eastern Zones of India should be grouped to constitute an Independent State.

After the First War of Independence in 1857, the British became apprehensive of the safety and stability of their empire in India. They saw the unity between the Hindus and Muslims as a threat to them. Thus, to check the growth of a united national feeling in India and to encourage communal and separatist tendencies in Indian politics they decided to follow the policy of 'Divide and Rule'.

After the 1870s, the British government changed its attitude and followed the policy of appeasing the Muslims in order to undermine the Nation Movement. They sowed the seeds of dissension between the two communities and encouraged separatist and communal tendencies.