Sir Syed Ahmad Khan - Increasing Political Awareness

Reasons for this Work

• Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was determined to improve the status of the Muslim community. By writing his journal, ‘The Loyal Muhammadans of India’, and booklet, The Causes of the Indian Revolt, he had shown a desire to re-establish good relationships with the British, as he hoped this would lead to greater opportunities for Muslims. This earned him a reputation of being too moderate and too British. However, in fact, he realised that the British were too powerful to overthrow and that Muslims would gain more by cooperating with them.
• Sir Syed also believed that Muslims should have good relations with Hindus, as they had a common long-term aim, i.e. to restore the authority of the local people in their own country. However, he soon realised that the Hindus were not so keen on working with Muslims and this led him to the conclusion that the two groups could not work together. In time, he came to believe that Hindus and Muslims were different enough to be considered as two separate groups within the subcontinent.

Achievements

• Hindi-Urdu Controversy:

In 1867, Hindus demanded Hindi be the official language instead of Urdu. Sir Syed and Muslims were shocked at an attack on Urdu as it had a special meaning to them. Even Hindu members of his Scientific Society wanted their journal to be published in Hindi. It led to a growing belief that Hindus were working against the interests of Muslims and led to his Two-Nation Theory.

• Indian National Congress:

In 1885, the Indian National Congress was formed. The British saw this body as a means by which they could hear the views of the educated elite in Indian society. The Congress said that it would represent the views of all the communities within India, regardless of their religion. However, it soon became apparent that the Congress was a Hindu-dominated body which was working to establish Hindu supremacy over the Muslims.

• Political Representation:

Congress called for the introduction of a democratic system of political representation similar to that practised in Britain. This sounded fair but, since there were four times as many Hindus as Muslims, they would win every election. Democracy would leave the Muslims with no representation at all. He realized that separate electorate was the possible solution to this.

• Competitive Examinations:

Congress suggested that appointments in the government service should be by competitive examination. Since Muslims were not receiving education of a standard similar to that received by Hindus, this would greatly disadvantage them. Sir Syed commented that only when equal education opportunities were provided could such an idea work.

• United Patriotic Alliance:

Sir Syed’s belief that Congress was working in the interests of Hindus, and in a way, which was harmful to the Muslim community, led him to refuse to attend its meetings. Instead, he organised an alternative body, called the United Patriotic Alliance. In 1893, this became the Muhammadan Defence Alliance.

By this time, rivalry between the Hindu and Muslim communities was increasing and there were several examples of Hindus showing disrespect for the Muslim religion. In Bombay, some Hindu extremists began playing loud music outside mosques. It seemed that, in some areas, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Muslims and Hindus to live in peaceful co-existence.