Koonj 3467 19693 5 w2bps

Pakistan Studies
Pre-partition times (2)
Lecture 4
Koonj Altaf
Subcontinent’s society during British rule
• Clash of language and culture
• Alien rule on locals without their voice and
involvement
• Decrease in high level job opportunities
• Policy of appeasement for influential classes
• Ruler and ruled, client and server relationship
• Dominance of Western system over traditional
system, through which emerged a strong
middle class whose people later propagated
sense of nationalism
Muslims under British
• Were mostly blamed for 1857 rebellion due to
which they were barred from good services and
jobs
• They were reluctant to adopt British ways
especially in education due to which they
lagged behind in all walks of life in society
• They were going through their own isolated
reforming and revolting period based on the
idea of religion only
• Differences with Hindus kept increasing
overtime
Political activation during British rule
• During the British Raj, different segments
which lived in subcontinent became part of
political activation specifically based on
religious and cultural lines
• As per course, specific focus will be kept on
the political activation of Muslim reformers
and leaders
• The Muslim political movement, during British
time, evolved time by time as per situations
and understandings which led way to freedom
• Political activation of Muslims can be defined
in following chronology:
• Pre-1857 attempts
• Aligarh Movement (1875)
• Muslim delegation (1906)
• All India Muslim League (1906)
• Muslim, Hindu, British interactions (1906-1940)
• Lahore Resolution (1940)
• Muslim, Hindu, British interactions (1940-1947)
• Road to independence (1947)
Pre-1857 attempts
• Certain attempts were made to restore the true
spirit of Islam even since the times of the
Mughals
• The name of Mujaddid Alaf Sani during the
time of Akbar is well known for preservation of
Islamic values in political and social circles
• After British started to conquer subcontinent
bit by bit, Muslim scholars became active to
preserve Islamic ways and resist the emerging
non-Muslim powers
• Names such as Shah Waliullah (and also his
sons afterwards) who wrote extensively to
spread knowledge and meanwhile called upon
Muslim king(s) to fight off Marathas, Sayyed
Ahmed Shaheed who collected an army and
kept fighting in different areas with non-
Muslims, Haji Shariatullah who initiated a
reforming movement in his particular area to
spread Islamic values and others are well
known
• But they were limited to individual/group
social reforming only, with little political effect
War of Independence
• The population in subcontinent was already not ready to
accept British growing influence
• All local soldiers serving under the British were quite
often offended by the regulations which majorly hurt
their religious sentiments
• Social and economical discontent was also present which
became cause of restiveness
• The bullet case
• The sepoys started to advance on British army in different
areas and came under Bahadur Shah Zafar to end British
advancements
• The rebellion was won by British who later punished the
responsible ones for the mutiny, especially Muslims
• Despite all such efforts by different segments and
trained soldiers, the war of independence went
against the locals of the subcontinent due to
following reasons:
• No central command
• No coordinated strategy
• Un-visionary leaders
• Less sense of warfare
• Disunity among classes and kingdoms
• Support to British by some important locals
• As a result, subcontinent became part of the British
Crown
• After 1857, Muslims’ spirit was crushed and
they were highly demoralized and isolated by
British
• Islamic ways and institutions were challenged
by British due to which Muslims felt insulted
• Muslim scholars came forward to educate
Muslims about Islam’s values, Muslims’
history, particularly, to develop their identity
• Dar-ul-ulum Deoband, Anjuman himayat-e-
Islam and other such institutions were formed
to teach Muslims, especially in non-English

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Pakistan Studies

Pre-partition times (2)

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