Thursday, March 4, 2010

History of Islam in India, Titu Mir (contd-8)

                                     The contribution of Muslim revolutionaries, poets and writiers is documented in India's struggle against the British. Titu Mir raised a revolt
against British. Hakim Ajmal Khan, Maulana Abul kalam Azad, and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai areMuslims  
who engaged in this purpose.Muhammad Ashfaq Ullah Khan of Sahjehanpur conspired to loot the British treasury at Kakori, Lucknow . Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan (popularly known as Frontier Gandhi) was a great nationalist who spent 45 years in jail in his 95 years of living, Barakatullah of Bhopal was one of the founders of Ghadar Party which created a net work of anti-British organisations, Syed Rahmat Shah of the Ghadar Party worked as an underground Revolutionary in France and was hanged for his part in the unsuccessful Ghadar (mutiny) uprising in 1915, Ali Ahmad Sidiqui of Faizabad (UP) planned the Indian Mutiny in Malay and Burma along with Syed Mujtaba Hussain of Jaunpur and was hanged in 1917, Vakkam Abdul Khadir of Kerala participated in the Quit India movement  struggle in 1942 and was hanged, Umar Subhani, an industrialist and millionaire of Bombay provided Gandhi with Congress expenses and ultimately died for the cause of Independence. Among Muslim women, Hazrat Mahal, Asghari Begum, Bi Amma contributed in the struggle for freedom against British.    

The first ever indian rebellion against the British saw itself in the Vellore of 10th July, 1806 which left around 200 British officers and troops dead or Injured. But it was subdued by the British and the mutineers and the family of Tipu Sultan who were incarcerated in the Vellore Fort at that time had to pay a heavy price. At the Sepoy mutiny of 1857, the upper class muslims were targeted by the britishers. Thousands of kith and kins were shot or hanged near the gate of Red fort, Delhi, which is now known as "KHOONI Darwaza." The renowned urdu poet Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869) has given a vivid description of such massacre in his letters , published by Oxford University press Ghalib ,his life and letters, compiled and trnslated by Rulph Russel and Khurshidul Islam (1994).
At the period of decaying of Mughal empire the Ulama Firangi Mahal led and teered the Muslims of India . The maulanas and moulavis of darul-Uloom, Deoband (UP) also played signicant role in freedom struggle of India declaring subjugation of an unjust rule against Islam tenets.