Alternative History: Muslims of South Asia and Their Detractors
Author(s)
Ahmad, Muhammad Saleem
Abstract
The struggle of both Hindus and Muslims for political authority in Raj India eventually led to independence and partition. History, however, has been pro-Hindu, marginalizing the Muslim effort by describing it as “separatist” and “communalist,” while Hindu nationalism was considered Indian nationalism. This article provides a Muslim perspective of Indian history, showing how Hindu attitudes toward Muslims fomented Muslim nationalism and how the British colonial administration, despite its efforts to promote unity, exacerbated relations between India’s Muslim minority and Hindu majority, using the actions of the Indian Association, the formation of the Indian National Congress, and an anti-Urdu campaign as examples.
