OVERVIEW
Muslim and Christian View of Islam in India in Early 20th Century E.M. Wherry, D.D. Condition of Moslems in North India
When we consider the fact that for many centuries the Moslems held the supreme power in India, especially in the great political and literary centres of North India, we should naturally have expected them to have held a leading position under the new regime inaugurated by the British conquest. That such is not the case requires some explanation. The first influence operating against Moslem advancement was the unprogressive character of their religion. Everything is cast in a mould. The mould is believed to have been made upon a Divine pattern in consequence of which the idea of possible development or improvement is, in the nature of the case, impious.
Everything necessary to Moslem perfection is found in the Koran, the Traditions and the Deliverances of the Majtahiddin. History proves that the progressive movements of the Caliphs of Baghdad and Cordovan, or of the Emperors of Delhi, were made in spite of the teachings of Orthodox Islam. Accordingly, what was accomplished in the artistic and literary age, that is to say, in the reigns of Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan, was in great measure undone by the fierce repressive measures of Aurangzeb. The empire dissolved with the close of his reign, and the disunited fragments were unable to contend against the onslaught of the Mahrattas in the south and the Sikhs in the north. A long period of internecine warfare and anarchy resulted in breaking up the social and intellectual fabric of the Moslems. Education was limited to the schools of a very few centres and the teaching of the Mullas in the local Musjids. The range of instruction given was that of reading and writing the Arabic character, with a knowledge of Persian necessary for the duties of public office. In the higher schools at Delhi, Agra, and Lucknow, education was along the lines of the seven sciences-Language, Logic, Mathematics, Rhetoric, Jurisprudence, Theology and Exegesis.
Mission Schools Oppose
Most of these had relation to the propagation of the religion of Islam. Secular knowledge, especially of science, has always been regarded by orthodox Mohammedans as dangerous to the faith, and for this reason has been discouraged. In the disturbed state of the country in the two centuries preceding the establishment of British rule, the amount of education given, even along these narrow lines, was naturally very small. At the same time the ignorance of the mass of the Mullas led to extreme narrowness of thought and intense bigotry among the people.
This leads up to another influence operating against the social and intellectual progress of Moslems in North India. When the way was being opened up by missionaries to give the people of India the advantages of Western science and knowledge, the Mohammedan Mullas everywhere discourage the people from sending their children to mission schools. Only a few of the poorer people were willing to allow their boys to attend the schools, and that when a monthly stipend was given to the pupil. When, later on, the government undertook to establish a system of public instruction, and pledged the people that there would be no religious instruction given, many, who had refused to send their boys to the mission government for the sake of the knowledge which would schools, were ready to patronize the secular schools of fit for government office. But those who patronized the secular schools formed a small minority, even in the cities, while in the country the mass preferred to bring up their sons to the agricultural calling of their fathers, or to induce them to take service in the army or police corps.
English Knowledge Discouraged
Thus, it came about that schools were for the most part patronized by the Hindu and Christian population rather than by Mohammedans. Consequently, the necessary English education, were closed to Moslems, numerous offices, open to those who had acquired the who had refused to qualify for them, Hindus and Christians took the lead. To amend this state of things, and to avoid the secularizing influences of government schools, the Moslems organized numerous schools under the direction of the Anjuman-i-Islam, the society for the defense of Islam. These schools undertook to impart a knowledge and of Western science as taught in the Indian government schools, and at the same time to instill into the minds of the pupils a knowledge of the Arabic language and the tenets of Islam. These schools have rarely exhibited the efficiency of the rival schools, but on the whole, they have done much to advance the social more progressive spirit, and while their value to orthodox condition of Moslems. They have done much to arouse a Mohammedanism may be questioned, they have raised up a class of men who have secured some of the emoluments of office, and the influence which office and wealth usually bring with them.
Aligarh Muslim University
Perhaps the institution which had done most to further the social and material interests of Mohammedans in North India, is the college at Aligarh, founded by the late Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan, who was most liberally aided by Sir William Muir, then Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Provinces. For a long time, this college was discredited by the orthodox leaders because of the liberal views of Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan, but the liberal spirit bred through English education in mission and government schools has rapidly grown, so that to-day all educated Mohammedans are proud of their great college, which is likely to become the Moslem University of India. it should be here noted that mission schools should have some of the credit for bringing about this important change in the material and social life of Moslems. The sons of the weavers, cooks and tailors, who were among the first students of the mission schools in North India, were thereby enabled to secure lucrative positions in the public service, or to become masters in the mission and government schools. Their success naturally inspired others to seek for education int he missions schools. Many Mohammedan parents preferred, and still prefer, to patronize mission, rather than government schools, because they were sure their boys would receive a sound moral and religious training, which they rightly believed to be better than the godless training of the government schools. They also observed that the superior training of students in mission schools enabled them more readily to secure appointments in the public offices, than the training in the less efficient Moslem schools. Hence it has been found that the alumni of our Christian schools prefer to patronize the mission institutions, and often do so in spite of the pressure brought upon them by their co- religionists. Under these new conditions of Moslem community is making progress in material and social life; while in religious life many are prepared to study the claims of Christianity, and some have openly identified themselves with the Christian church.
Urdu, Persian and Arabic
The education received by Moslem youth in North India is for the most part imparted through the Urdu language. Persian is also taught as a second language necessary to a proper knowledge of Urdu. Arabic is taught as a classic. All higher education in the mission and public schools is imparted through the English language. And yet it remains true that the Moslems speak every language in India, and many of them can only be reached through a provincial tongue. This is especially true of the Mohammedans of Bengal, the Punjab, and the Northwest Frontier Province.
For the reasons already mentioned, illiteracy among Mohammedans is very great, the percentage of literates given by the last census being about 3.27 per cent. In the average village, the adult population is almost entirely ignorant of even the alphabet. The boys who learn to read in the public schools rarely continue int he callings of their fathers, but find their way into the array, the police or the public office. The various educational institutions are, however, rapidly educating the boys. At the same time there is a growing desire among Mohammedans to educate their wives and daughters. The Mohammedan custom of secluding the women in the harem, while not so rigid in India as in Turkey, nevertheless operates against female education. The social and family system is also affected most unfavorably by polygamy, divorce and concubinage, and there is little to indue women to desire education. These customs also affect the moral life of Moslems in India very unfavorably and so stand in the way of racial, material, social and religious development.
Seclusion of Women
It is not surprising therefore to find some of the most prominent men ready to reform these customs to the extent of abolishing the seclusion of women. Such men also advocate the abolition of polygamy and concubinage, claiming that the ideal of the Koran is monogamy. It goes without saying that these reform movements are in no sense a movement of orthodox Islam, but grow out of the liberalizing influence of Western education and the impact of Protestant Christianity. But we believe the new Islam has come to stay and that it will continueto draw to itself educated Mohammedans, especially those who have lost faith in the doctrines taught by the orthodox Mullas and Moulvies, and who cannot accept the Christian religion.
(Source: The Dalit Velce, 1-15 August, 1996)
RSS: Sarsanghchalak's
Call for Akhand Bharat, 15 August, 1996
On this day let us remind ourselves that ours is still a divided country. Let everyone therefore feel the pain of a partitioned Motherland and strive to restore the undivided Bharat. That was also the vision of Sri Aurobindo whose birth anniversary is also being celebrated today....
"Bharatiyas who have enjoyed the fruits of Independence, must pray and work for Akhand Bharat because then alone will the people living in Pakistan and Bangladesh be able to enjoy the freedom that we enjoy". "Rishi Aurobindo has prophesied that sooner or later Akhand Bharat will come to be. Let us pray for it.
For Hindus the motherland is synonymous with their lives, and the two cannot be separated. Those who understood this rekindle their belief in Akhand Bharat, they have taken a vow to repair the damage-done by reunifying the country and bringing back the past glory. A united nation with its head high in self-respect is essential in the interest of whole world".
The 15th of August of 49 years ago was a black day in the history of Bharat. Unless we remove this stigma from our national life, the country cannot hold its head high.
(Source: The Organiser)
