Gulshan Zubair Under the Supervision of Dr. Parwez Nazir
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ROLE OF MUHAMMADAN EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE IN THE EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL UPLIFTMENT OF INDIAN MUSLIMS ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS Submitted for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In History by Gulshan Zubair Under the Supervision of Dr. Parwez Nazir Center of Advanced Study Department of History ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH (INDIA) 2015 ABSTARACT Since the beginning of the 19th century the East India Company had acquired some provinces and had laid down a well planned system of education which was unacceptable to the Muslims. For its being modern and progressive Dr. W.W. Hunter in his book ‘Indian Musalmans’ accepted that the newly introduced system of education opposed the conditions and patterns prevalent in the Muslim Community. It did not suit to the general Muslim masses and there was a hatred among its members. The Muslims did not cooperate with the British and kept them aloof from the Western Education. Muslim community also felt that the education of the Christian which was taught in the Government school would convert them to Christianity. This was also a period of transition from medievalism to modernism in the history of the Indian Muslims. Sir Syed was quick to realize the Muslims degeneration and initiated a movement for the intellectual and cultural regeneration of the Muslim society. The Aligarh Movement marked a beginning of the new era, the era of renaissance. It was not merely an educational movement but an all pervading movement covering the entire extent of social and cultural life. The All India Muslim Educational conference (AIMEC) is a mile stone in the journey of Aligarh Movement and the Indian Muslims towards their educational and cultural development. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan pursued this journey relentlessly in spite of various obstacles and left a healthy line of action for his fellow travellers and likeminded people to reach the goal. He said that “Education does not merely mean academic education, you have to build the character of our future generation which means highest sense of honour, integrity, selfless service to the nation and a sense of responsibility.” The present work is an attempt to search the new fact related to the educational and cultural upliftment of the Indian Muslim through the AIMEC. Its founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, who previously done a number of works to change the thinking of the narrow minded Muslim Community. The year 1858 is regarded as a turning point in Sir Syed analytical faculty, for it saw the publication of what was probably the first effective political pamphlet written in an Indian language, the Asbab-e- Baghawat-e- Hind (“Causes of the Indian Revolt”) in which he considered that the root cause of all troubles to the legislative council of India, and insisted that people should have a voice in the deliberative bodies of the country. He was a 1 subordinate judge at Moradabad. It was compiled in Urdu in 1858 and was translated into English fifteen years later by Sir Auckland Colvin and Lt. Col. Graham. The pamphlet in fact marks the beginning of the dauntlessness of the Syed Ahmad which he demonstrated to his critics and opponents later in his life and of his instance of all he believed in, weather social, religious or political. The most important aspect of his movement was to educate the Muslim Community. Before getting transferred to Aligarh he established a primary school at Moradabad in 1858. Its subjects of study were Urdu, English and Persian. In 1862 he got transferred to Ghazipur and there he established a Victoria School to promote education among his people. At Aligarh his work gained further momentum. He took the cue from where he could get, and as early as 1866 he published an article in the Aligarh Institute Gazette both in English and in Urdu, under the title “How Britain obtained her Liberty” in which he extolled the feeling of liberty in man. He convinced the idea of establishing a College for imparting Modern Education to the Muslims. For this purpose he formed the “M.A.O. Fund Committee” in 1870 for the purpose of collecting required money. He started his work with the establishment of a school ‘Madarstul Uloom Muslamanane’ in Aligarh which was inaugurated on 24th May 1875, on the occasion of birthday of Queen Victoria. The school was affiliated to the Calcutta University for the matriculation examination and the college continued to be affiliated to the Calcutta University until 1877 when it got to be affiliated to the newly founded Allahabad University. The M.A.O. College, Aligarh, which in 1920 became the Aligarh Muslim University, is much more than a mere institution of higher learning. It is a revolutionary movement started by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. This institution which originated a small school in 1875 is a glowing and inspiring account of dedication, sacrifice selfless service and love for the community and the country, left behind by Sir Syed and his illustrious comrade and followers which through the resolutions and continuous efforts of the AIMEC became a University with the Act of 1920. Sir Syed however, began to feel that without sound education Indians would not be able to take part in the affairs of the country, and while he rejoiced at the inclusion of a certain number of Indians who were nominated to the Indian legislative council under the act of 1861. He was candid that any further extension of political right “cannot come to pass unless we strive to educate ourselves thoroughly.” this education he wished to impart to his people in a number of ways and his efforts were began by the institution of the Scientific Society on January 1863 when he was at 2 Ghazipur. On his transfer to Aligarh in 1864 he removes the paraphernalia belonging to the society to that city, which was destined to the focal point of the Aligarh Movement. The Scientific Society originally called the Translation Society, and its main function was the translation of the slandered works and modern arts and science. In 1886 Sir Syed Ahmad Khan founded the All India Muslim educational congress to popularise the education particularly western education among the Indian Muslims. But in 1890 the Word “Congress” was replaced by “Conference”. Infact he was totally against the Muslim entry into politics. His only aim was to educate the Muslims. To Sir Syed the question of English education was essential to strengthen the mental faculties, get government jobs and improve the social political and economic condition of the people. By quoting Jawahar Lal Nehru, “Syed’s decision to concentrate on western education for Muslim was undoubtedly a right one, without that they could not have played any effective part in the building up of the Indian Nationalism” No doubt Sir Syed in his whole life worked for the betterment of Muslim community but the other communities of India and the Nation as a whole got a lot of inspiration from him. But after 1898 his work of the movement was carried on by his friends and pupil like Mohsin-ul-Mulk, Nawab Viqar-ul-Mulk, Sir Ziauddin Ahmad, Sahibzada Aftab Ahmad Khan and Sir Agha Khan. They continued the movement including the new moves to found a Muslim University at Aligarh. Through the MEC Sir Syed wants to construct a group of eminent leaders. After his death it was succeeded by his close associate Mohsin-ul-Mulk. There were Some valuable proposals made during the Secratryship of Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk such as Proposal for a Muslim University, promotion of Women’s education and establishment of Girls school at Aligarh, promotion of moral education for youths, establishment of Muslim Hostels at public and private institutions and it is almost clear that the 1906, Dhaka session of AIMEC was the birth place of ‘AIML. During the life time of Sir Syed Ahmad the Aligarh Movement was confined to the upper and middle class Muslim society. Mohsin-ul-Mulk widened its activity and Viqar-ul-Mulk made it a mass movement creating Aligarh a centre of Muslim intelligentsia. He died in 1917, and the AMU was incorporated by an act of the Indian Legislative Council which received the assistance of the governor general on 14th September 1920. He was succeeded by Nawab Sadr Yar Jang (1917-1947). After the establishment of Aligarh Muslim University, the AIMEC could not work with the same pace for the 3 establishment of Aligarh Muslim University. At the same time division of Aligarh Movement leaders and establishment of new University Jamia Millia Islamia took some of resources of AIMEC. It was the AIMEC which had played a key role in the establishment of AMU and had always supported AMU for its progress. AIMEC stopped playing its role in independent India. But all the educational and cultural contribution made by the Conference, now were the most long lasting and memorable, the founding of the Aligarh Muslim University and the Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu. Modern historians considered the Conference a dead organization after 1920’s, but this is not right consideration of them because it was struggling for the protection of Urdu language and culture. Between 1949-1992 three eminent persons occupied the chair of the secretary of the conference. They are Al-Haj Obaidur Rahman Khan Sherwani, Kuwar Ammar Ahmad Khan Shaheb and Professor A.H. Haqqi. Among them the first name occupied this post for the longest period. Even to the extent of the pre- partition days. Chair of the secretary of the Conference continued to fulfil the task it had assigned to itself, though not to extent of the pre-partition days.