Aligarh Movement – Essay

Syed Ahmad Khan was the first man to start a reform movement among the Muslims. This movement was known as the Aligarh Movement. To him Quran was the only authentic scripture for Islam and all other Islamic writings are secondary and misnomer. For the safety of the Muslim community in India, he wanted to maintain cordial relation between the Muslims and the Bruisers. Further, he wanted to provide modern education to the Muslims. For educating the Muslim society, Ahmad Khan established an English Medium School at Ghazipur in 1864. Later on he established ‘Vegan Samaj' for translating English books to impart scientific knowledge to the Muslims. To materialise his dream, he established Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh which developed into Aligarh University in 1890, thus, the Aligarh movement was instrumental in spreading western education among the Muslims and developing religious fundamentalism within them. For achieving that end, he organized a Mohammedan Educational Conference which fostered unity among the Muslims and spread western education among them. Taking chance of it, Theodore Back, the first principal of the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College and his successor Mr. Morrison spread communalism among the educated Muslims. The Aligarh Movement was instrumental in the social, economic and educational progress of the Muslims in India. Due to the predominance of the Hindus in the national awakening, Ahmad Khan launched this movement to safeguard the Muslim interest. Being deeply impressed by the western education and culture, Ahmad Khan wanted to incline towards the English administrators of India and advised the Muslims to remain loyal to the British authority. In 1893, he formed the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental Defense Association of. India and limited its leadership only to the Muslims. By this, he wanted to keep the Muslims away from politics. Syed Ahmad Khan also opposed the All India Congress. Thus, the Aligarh Movement made the Muslim fundamentalism strong. The Bruisers capitalized this by sowing the seeds of communalism among the Muslims and followed their principle ‘divide and rule' to secure their position in India.