The Muslim League

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan had started a reform movement among the Muslims called the ............... Movement.

1. Sufi
2. Aligarh
3. Jaipur
4. Wahabi

Answer

Aligarh

What were Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan's initial views on 'Hindu-Muslim' unity?

1. He regarded them to be different entities.
2. He regarded them to be one Quam (nation).
3. He believed that their interests were different.
4. He regarded them to be two separate Quams (nations)

Answer

He regarded them to be one Quam (nation).

The First President of the Muslim League was ............... .

1. Shaukat Ali
2. Aga Khan
3. Sir Sayyid Ahmad
4. Nawab Salimullah

Answer

Nawab Salimullah

A deputation to the Viceroy Lord Minto with a view to secure more political rights for Muslims was led by .............. .

1. Aga Khan
2. Nawab Salimullah
3. Archibald
4. Shaukat Ali.

Answer

Aga Khan

Which of the following was NOT an objective of the Muslim League when it was formed?

1. To promote support for British government
2. To protect and advance political rights of Indian Muslims
3. To promote hostility between Indian Muslims and other communities
4. To represent the needs of Muslims in India to the British in mild and moderate language.

Answer

To promote hostility between Indian Muslims and other communities

Which of the following is NOT true about the role of the Muslim League in the beginning?

1. It stood apart from the National Movement
2. It worked against the Congress
3. It focussed its action on the problems faced by the upper class
4. Its political activities were directed against the British.

Answer

Its political activities were directed against the British.

Which of the following factors made leaders in the Muslims League realise that rapproachement with the Congress was desirable?

1. Britain's hostility to Turkey
2. Provision of separate electorate in the Morley-Minto Reforms
3. Two-nation Theory of Jinnah
4. Drain Theory of Dadabhai Naoroji.

Answer

Britain's hostility to Turkey

Which two leaders were instrumental in the passage of the Lucknow Pact?

1. Abul Kalam Azad and Shaukat Ali
2. Lala Lajpat Rai and Anne Besant
3. Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant
4. Nawab Salimullah and Archibald.

Answer

Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant

The Muslim League changed its objectives from 'support for the British Government' to ............... leading to the Lucknow Pact.

1. 'a system of self-government under Turkey.'
2. 'a system of self-government like Britain.'
3. 'a system of self-government under the aegis of the British Crown.'
4. 'a system of self-government together with the Congress.'

Answer

'a system of self-government under the aegis of the British Crown.'

Which of the following was a drawback of the Lucknow Pact?

1. Acknowledgement of separate political interests of Hindus and Muslims
2. Necessity to introduce reforms
3. Separation of the executive from the judiciary.
4. Promotion of support to the British.

Answer

Acknowledgement of separate political interests of Hindus and Muslims

From the given list identify the statements which reflect the significance of the Lucknow Pact?

(i) It brought about unity between the two factions in the Congress.

(ii) It was confined only to the educated and rich Hindus and Muslims. It did not involve the masses.

(iii) It seemed to have laid stress on the separate interests of the Hindus and the Muslims and their separate political existence.

(iv) It provided for a 'Communal Veto' in legislation.

1. (i), (ii) and (iii)
2. (i) only
3. All of the above
4. None of the above

Answer

(i) only

(A) In 1871 Lord Mayo’s government adopted a resolution which made Urdu the medium of instruction for Muslims in primary and secondary schools.

(B) It was as an attempt to create rift between the Hindus and the Muslims.

1. (B) contradicts (A)
2. (B) is the reason for (A)
3. (A) is true but (B) is false
4. (A) and (B) are independent of each other.

Answer

(B) is the reason for (A)

Explanation — British gave preferential treatment to certain groups over others, creating jealousy and resentment. This was a part of divide and rule policy that was used to weaken the national movement.

(A) The British and communal historians ignored the notion of a composite culture in India.

(B) They failed to recognise that the diversity in India was region-wise and caste-wise and not religion-wise.

1. (B) contradicts (A)
2. (B) is the reason for (A)
3. (A) is true but (B) is false
4. (A) and (B) are independent of each other.

Answer

(B) is the reason for (A)

Explanation — The British and the communal historians ignored the notion of a composite culture in India and tried to create a rift between the two communities. They failed to interpret that the diversity was primarily class-wise and region-wise and not religion-wise.

(A) The British wanted to prevent Muslims from participating in any political movement.

(B) The British opposed the formation of the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental (M.A.O) Defence Association in 1893.

1. (B) contradicts (A)
2. (B) is the reason for (A)
3. (A) is true but (B) is false
4. (A) and (B) are independent of each other.

Answer

(A) is true but (B) is false

Explanation — The British encouraged the formation of the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental (M.A.O) Defence Association in 1893.

(A) The success of the Muslim Deputation to the Viceroy Lord Minto motivated the Muslims to start a separate political organisation.

(B) The political activities of the Muslim League were directed not so much against the British as against the Congress.

1. (B) contradicts (A)
2. (B) is the reason for (A)
3. (A) is true but (B) is false
4. (A) and (B) are independent of each other.

Answer

(B) is the reason for (A)

Explanation — The political activities of the Muslim League were indeed directed not so much against the British as against the Congress. This was because the Muslim League and its leaders felt that the Congress was not adequately representing the interests of the Muslim community.

(A) The Lucknow Pact brought about unity between the Hindus and the Muslims.

(B) The Lucknow Pact laid stress on the separate political existence for the Hindus and the Muslims.

1. (B) contradicts (A)
2. (B) is the reason for (A)
3. (A) is true but (B) is false
4. (A) and (B) are independent of each other.

Answer

(B) contradicts (A)

Explanation — Lucknow pact was seen as a beacon of hope for Hindu-Muslim unity at that time. However, separate electorate also established communalism as an unavoidable part of Indian politics.

Why did the British treat the Muslims harshly immediately after the uprising of 1857? Why did the British attitude towards the Muslims change in the later part of the 19th century?

Answer

The British established their supremacy in India after dethroning the Mughal rulers. Therefore, the Muslims became bitter enemies of the British. They participated in the Wahabi Movement and also took part in the uprising of 1857. This made the British view them with suspicion. The British government consciously discriminated against the Muslims, holding them responsible for the uprising of 1857.

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

How did the Hindi-Urdu controversy become an important factor in the formation of the Muslim League?

Answer

In the United Provinces, Urdu was the court language and all the petitions to the offices and courts were submitted in Urdu. Some sections of the society protested against this practice. On April 8, 1900, the Government instructed that all petitions were to be submitted in Hindi, in Devanagari script, and the court summons and official announcements to be issued in Hindi as well as in Urdu. The Muslims resented this. The controversy continued for months and relations between the communities became worse.

How did the relative economic backwardness of the Muslims foster communal feelings in India?

Answer

The communal and separatist trend of thinking grew among the Muslims to some extent because of their relative backwardness in education, trade and industry.

1. The upper class Muslims were conservative and hostile to modern education. Because of this, the number of Muslims educated in western system of education remained small.
2. The British government in India had consciously discriminated against the Muslims after 1858, holding them responsible for the uprising of 1857. They were discriminated in the recruitment to civil and military services.
3. The Muslim community was not much involved in the growth of any organised industry. Here too they lagged behind.
4. Some members of the Muslim community did not keep up with the modern trends in social and cultural spheres. Many Hindus, on the other hand, adopted the Western system of education. Since modern education was essential for entry into government service, the Muslims had the disadvantage in this respect.

In these circumstances, it was quite easy for the British officials to incite the Muslims against the Hindus.

What promises were made by Lord Minto to the Muslim deputation led by Agha Khan in 1906? Why did the British imperialists encourage the formation of the Muslim League?

Answer

The Viceroy, Lord Minto received the deputation led by Agha Khan and expressed his sympathy with their aspirations. He assured them that their political rights and interests as a community would be safeguarded.

The British welcomed the formation of the Muslim League. They supported the League to provide an opposition to the Congress. They won initially the support of the Muslims by asserting that the Muslim interests were different from those of the Hindus. Thus, the policies of the Muslim League to some extent weakened nationalist sentiments.

What is meant by Separate (Communal) Electorates?

Answer

Separate electorates means the system of election to legislatures which divides voters on the basis of religion, caste or occupation. The Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 provided separate electorates for Muslim whereby seats were reserved for the Muslims from where Muslims could vote for the Muslim candidates.

What was the Lucknow Pact?

Answer

The joint scheme of political reforms agreed to by both the Congress and the Muslim League in 1916 is known as the Lucknow Pact.

The growth of communalism in India was encouraged by the British authorities as well as certain trends in Indian society. In the light of this observation, explain:

(a) The Divide and Rule Policy of the British.

(b) The writings and speeches of the Assertive Nationalists.

(c) The erroneous interpretation of Indian History.

Answer

(a) The British saw the unity between the Hindus and the 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'. They did so in the following manner:

1. In 1871, Lord Mayo's government adopted a resolution which made Urdu the medium of instruction for Muslims in primary and secondary schools and increased government aid to educational institutions run by the Muslims.
2. They tried to create hatred among the Hindus and the Muslims by portraying Muslim rulers as plunderers, and Hindu rulers as cruel kings to their Muslim subjects.
3. They tried to justify the Partition of Bengal by convincing the Muslims that Bengal was being partitioned to create a new Muslim majority province where the Hindus would not be able to subvert their interests.
4. They tried to utilise the caste structure to turn the non-brahmins and the lower castes against high castes.
5. They treated Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs as separate communities and accepted their communal leaders as authentic representatives of all their co-religionists.

They tried to spread communal hatred through the Press, posters, literature and public platform.

(b) The assertive nationalists played an important role in the national movement. But some of their actions marked a step back in respect of the growth of national unity.

1. The speeches and actions of some of the assertive nationalists annoyed some sections of Indians.
2. For example, the propagation of Shivaji and Ganapati festivals by Tilak, Aurobindo Ghosh's concept of India as mother and nationalism as religion and the initiation of the Anti-Partition agitation with dips in the Ganga did not appeal to some of the Muslims.

(c) The manner in which Indian history was interpreted in those days contributed to the growth of communal thinking among the Hindus and the Muslims.

1. Some British and communal historians divided Indian history into the 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. In the so-called Hindu period, Muslim rulers were dubbed as foreign invaders who had settled in India. They portrayed Rana Pratap and Shivaji as national heroes and Akbar and Aurangzeb as foreigners and infused communal feelings.
2. The British and communal historians ignored the notion of a composite culture in India and tried to create a rift between the two communities. They failed to interpret that the diversity was primarily class-wise and region-wise and not religion-wise.
3. Some communal historians highlighted the myth that Indian society and culture had reached great heights during the ancient period but was declining during the medieval period which was dominated by Mughal rulers. They did not give much importance to the contribution of the medieval period to the development of Indian economy, religion, art, literature, culture and society.
4. The communal bias was propagated through poetry, drama, novels, short stories, newspapers, etc.

With reference to the Lucknow Pact, answer the following questions:

(a) Mention any three factors that led to the signing of the Lucknow Pact in 1916.

(b) Mention any three clauses of the Pact.

(c) Why was the signing of the Lucknow Pact an important event towards the growth of unity in India?

Answer

(a) Three factors that led to the signing of the Lucknow Pact in 1916 were-

1. National Events — There were important national events that changed the attitude of the Muslim League.
   1. Firstly, the Partition of Bengal was cancelled.
   2. Secondly, nationalist Muslims like Abul Kalam Azad and the All Brothers - Maulana Mohammad Ali and Shaukat Ali — made use of this opportunity to spread nationalist ideas among the Muslims for mobilising public opinion in favour of self-government.
   3. Thirdly, Tilak was released from jail in 1914, after six years.
   4. Finally, under the 'Seditious Meetings Act,' some prominent Muslim leaders were arrested. This brought the Muslim League and the Congress closer.
2. Changes in the Objectives of the Muslim League — In the beginning the League had support for the British Government as one of its objectives.
   1. 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.
   2. The unity of interests and objectives opened the doors for renewed cooperation between the Congress and the Muslim League.
   3. Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak too played a significant role in bringing the two organisations together.
3. A Compromise Between the Two Factions of the Congress — Annie Besant tried to reunite the two wings of the Congress — the Early Nationalists and the Assertive Nationalists. Tilak rejoined the Congress in 1916 and played a major role in resolving differences between the Congress and the League.

(b) Three clauses of the Lucknow Pact are as follows-

1. Abolition of the India Council — The India Council of the Secretary of State, operating from England, should be abolished. The Secretary of State for India was to be assisted by two Under-Secretaries, of whom one should be an Indian.
2. Minorities in Elected Bodies — The minorities should have adequate separate representation in elected bodies.
3. Limitation of the Imperial Legislature — Defence, foreign affairs and political relations of India, i.e., declaration of war, or signing of peace treaties, were excluded from the control of the Imperial Legislature.

(c) The signing of the Lucknow Pact was an important event towards the growth of unity in India because of the following reasons-

1. Hindu-Muslim Unity — The joint scheme symbolised Hindu-Muslim unity. Both the communities agreed to compromise in some areas for the common good. The Congress compromised on its secular character by accepting the scheme of separate electorates for Muslims. The Muslim League accepted the principles of election and the majority rule. As a result of this pact, the Hindus and the Muslims worked together from 1916 to 1922.
2. Unity Within the Congress — The Lucknow Session and the signing of the Lucknow Pact brought about unity between the Assertive Nationalists and the Early Nationalists. After the Surat Session of 1907, both wings of the Congress were moving in different directions. They came together in 1916 and as a result, the Congress was strengthened.

Identify the person in the picture and answer the following questions:

(a) What were his views regarding Hindu-Muslim unity?

(b) What role did he play in the formation of the Muslim League?

(c) State the impact of the Muslim League on the National Movement.

Answer

The person shown in the picture is Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan.

(a) His views regarding Hindu-Muslim unity were as follows:

1. He regarded Hindus and Muslims to be one Quam (nation).
2. He founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh which had both Hindu and Muslim patrons.
3. However, under the influence of the British Principal of Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, in the 1880s, he gave up his earlier views and declared that the political interests of Hindus and Muslims were different.
4. When the Indian National Congress was founded, Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan opposed it.
5. He founded the United Indian Patriotic Association in 1888 mainly with a view to oppose the Congress.
6. In this effort, he was supported by Mr. Beck, the British Principal of Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College (Aligarh). Beck's idea was that Anglo-Muslim unity was possible, but Hindu-Muslim unity was impossible.
7. It was said that Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan believed that since the Hindus formed the majority of the Indian population, they would dominate the Muslims in case of a withdrawal of the British rule.
8. He felt that the continuance of British rule was a "guarantee for the welfare and progress of the community."
9. Therefore, he declared that if the educated Muslims support the British, the latter would reward them with government jobs and other special favours.

(b) Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh which had both Hindu and Muslim patrons.

1. Sir Sayyid Ahmad believed that since the Hindus formed the majority of the Indian population, they would dominate the Muslims in case of a withdrawal of the British rule.
2. He felt if he supported British, they would secure their rights and be rewarded with government jobs and other special favors.
3. Theodore Beck was invited by Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan to serve as the Principal of the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College in Aligarh.
4. He identified with the Indian Muslims and made a systematic effort to alienate them from the Hindus.
5. His objective was to protect the political rights of the Muslims and to strengthen the British rule in India.
6. His idea was that Anglo Muslim unity was possible, but Hindu-Muslim unity was impossible.
7. This paved the way for the formation of the Muslim League.

(c) The impact of the Muslim League on the National Movement is as follows:

League's Role in the Beginning —

1. Initially Muslim League sought greater representation of Muslims in all services.
2. As regards representation in Assemblies, it wanted more seats than its numerical representation warranted.
3. Its political activities were directed not so much against the foreign rulers as against the Congress.
4. Its leaders, belonging to the upper class, had little in common with the Muslim masses and they did not fight for the removal of their grievances.

Government Support to the League —

1. The Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 provided separate electorates for Muslim whereby seats were reserved for the Muslims from where Muslims could vote for the Muslim candidates.
2. The provision for separate electorate in the Morley-Minto Reforms was intentionally incorporated to please the Muslim League and create a rift between the Muslim League and the Congress.

The Phase of Rapprochement — From 1910 to 1913, new forces emerged in Muslim League politics and some of its leaders realised that rapprochement with the Congress was desirable. Several factors were responsible for this change in attitude:

1. Britain's hostility to Turkey in the Turko-Italian War (1911-12) and the Balkan Wars (1912-13) and the annulment of the Partition of Bengal in 1911 made a large section of Muslim leaders critical of British policies
2. The younger section of emerging Muslim leaders disliked the loyalist politics of the Aligarh group and the leadership of big Nawabs and Zamindars. Some young scholars, influenced by the Deoband school of Muslim studies were inspired by nationalist sentiments.

Congress and the League —

1. When the British Government acted against the Turkish interests and supported the cause of the Balkan countries, the Indian Muslims stood up and launched the Khilafat Movement against the British.
2. The Congress cooperated with them and the Khilafat issue was included as one of the demands of the Non-cooperation Movement.
3. As a result, a pact which is known as the Lucknow Pact was signed. The Lucknow Pact refers to the joint scheme of political reforms agreed to by both the Congress and the Muslim League in 1916 regarding the structure of government in India and the relationship between the Hindus and the Muslims.

Partition of the Country on Communal Lines —

1. In 1930 the idea of two nation states was born and in the 1940 session of the League at Lahore, Jinnah put forward his two-nation theory.
2. Thus, despite a severe opposition from Gandhiji, the country drifted towards the partition.
3. The communal riots broke out in the country and in 1947, a separate country, Pakistan, came into existence.

Realising the aims and objectives of the Muslim League when it was formed in 1906, do you think that more than the Muslim League, it was the British policy of Divide and Rule, that encouraged the communal forces to create a rift between the two communities in India.

Answer

Yes it is true that the British policy of Divide and Rule was responsible for creating communal rift between the Hindus and Muslims in India. The Hindus and Muslims have lived together in India for centuries. Since both the communities were exploited by the British, they fought together during the First War of Independence in 1857. Such unity between the two communities posed a danger to British imperialism. Thus, to divide the two communities in order to prolong their rule in India, they tried to sow the seeds of discord between them to check the rising tide of nationalism.
They encouraged the communal forces to wreck the National Movement from within. They dubbed the National Movement as a movement for establishing the 'Hindu Kingdom' in India and encouraged the Muslims to set up their own separate political organisation. It was the British policy of Divide and Rule' that led to the rise of communal trend and to the formation of the Muslim League in 1906.

Mahatma Gandhi said, "Communal harmony could not be permanently established in our country so long as highly distorted versions of history were taught in her schools." State your views on this statement and justify it by giving examples.

Answer

The manner in which Indian history was interpreted in those days contributed to the growth of communal thinking among the Hindus and the Muslims.

1. Some British and communal historians divided Indian history into the 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. In the so-called Hindu period, Muslim rulers were dubbed as foreign invaders who had settled in India.
2. The British and communal historians ignored the notion of a composite culture in India and tried to create a rift between the two communities. They failed to interpret that the diversity was primarily class-wise and region-wise and not religion-wise.
3. Some communal historians highlighted the myth that Indian society and culture had reached great heights during the ancient period but was declining during the medieval period which was dominated by Mughal rulers. They did not give much importance to the contribution of the medieval period to the development of Indian economy, religion, art, literature, culture and society.
4. The communal bias was propagated through poetry, drama, novels, short stories, newspapers, etc.

Not many people are aware of the friendship built on mutual respect that was a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity of India—the friendship between Lokmanya Tilak and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. When Tilak, as the President of Home Rule League, was leaving for England to press for India’s demand for Swaraj, Jinnah had proclaimed that there was no man more fitted to voice the opinions of Indians other than Tilak who had devoted his whole life to the cause of his country. Trace the events that led to Jinnah demanding Partition of the country and the establishment of Pakistan. The relationship between the two countries till date is a proof of the discord sowed by the British. What in your opinion, can be done to improve relations between the two countries.

Answer

The demand for the partition of India and the establishment of Pakistan can be traced back to a series of events:

1. Two-Nation Theory — The Muslim League, under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, proposed the Two-Nation Theory, which asserted that Hindus and Muslims were two distinct nations and should have separate homelands.
2. Lahore Resolution (1940) — The Lahore Resolution, which later came to be known as the Pakistan Resolution, called for independent states in the Muslim-majority areas of India.
3. Mountbatten Plan (1947) — The final plan for independence, proposed by Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, included the partition of British India into two dominions, India and Pakistan.

In my opinion, improving relations between India and Pakistan would require several steps:

1. Both countries should engage in constructive diplomacy and maintain open channels of communication.
2. Efforts should be made to resolve longstanding disputes through peaceful means.
3. Encouraging cultural exchanges and people-to-people contact can foster mutual understanding and goodwill.
4. Cooperation on Common Issues such as climate change, water scarcity, and regional instability can build trust and improve relations.