Tag: the growth of communalism

Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan was a great educationist and social reformer. He regarded Hindus and Muslims to be one Quam. He founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh which had both Hindu and Muslim patrons.

The Seditious Meetings Act and other repressive measures taken by the British government during this period caused widespread resentment, which helped align the political interests of the Muslim League and the Congress.

The British established their supremacy in India after dethroning the Mughal rulers who were the followers of Islam. Therefore, the Muslims became bitter enemies of the British. They participated in the Wahabi Movement, Which aimed to end British Domination in India.

In 1913, the League had amended its constitution to include, a system of self-government under the aegis of the British Crown as the ideal of the Muslim League. Therefore, it agreed with the Congress to have a political goal for India.

The upper class Muslims comprising zamindars and aristocrats, during the first 70 years of the 19th century were anti-British. They were conservative and hostile to modern education because of this the number of Muslims educated in the western system of education remained small.

Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal two provinces apparently on administrative grounds. However, the real purpose of the Partition of Bengal was to create a wedge between the Hindus and the Muslims; The British won the support of the Muslims on the ground that the new province would have a Muslim-majority province, Muslim of East Bengal, led by Nawab Salimullah of Dacca, welcomed the Partition.

Some British and communal historians divided Indian history into Hindu and the Muslim periods. The rule of Turks, Afghans and Mughals was called the Muslim rule, where the rulers were said to be the followers of Islam and their subjects, the followers of other religions.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a lawyer, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until Pakistan's creation on 14 August 1947, and then as Pakistan's first Governor-General until his death.

Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk led Aligarh Movement after the death of Sir Sayyid in 1898. The Aligarh Movement worked to instill into the minds of the Muslims spirits of loyalty towards the British government and worked deliberately to keep the Muslims away from the mainstream of Indian political life.