Naveed Aman Khan
SIR Syed Ahmad Khan is believed to be the first visionary dynamic politician and reformer of the subcontinent who duly acknowledged high educational standards of the West especially the Great Britain (GB). Impressed by Western political system, industrial development and modern scientific and educational system he raised a strong voice for learning Western modern scientific education. He believed that most modern British educational system has enabled GB to become biggest imperial power of the time. He also believed that high standards of graceful existence can’t be achieved without pivotal role of media in this regard. That’s why, he initiated periodicals to widely spread his message to widely spread his reformed message he initiated periodicals Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, for whom educational reform was a way of life, a loyalist and social reformer who transformed education for Muslims and left an indelible mark on India. His legacy is evident to all. He was loyal companion of the British Administration before the revolt of 1857. He even penned a pamphlet titled The Causes of the Indian Revolt to explain the reasons of the revolt from a native perspective. However, the near annihilation of the Muslim elite prompted Sir Syed Ahmad Khan to take up the case of Muslims and his life-long journey as an Islamic reformer and educationist is a testament to his dedication.
“Post-ghadar (revolt), Sir Syed was not disappointed by looting of his house and loss of belongings. He was disturbed due to the ruination of his nation. He initially thought to leave the country but decided against it later. He gave up the idea of migration and decided to struggle for the rebuilding of the nation. Born on 17 October 1817 to a wealthy family close to the Mughal court, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan wore many hats: Civil servant, politician, journalist, historian and educationist. However, he is, first and foremost, known for his pioneering role in transforming the educational opportunities for Muslims. He recognised that education is the most important way through which Muslims could emerge from a position of disadvantage and compete with Hindus, especially Bengali Hindus who were at the pinnacle of the political scene at the time. He pushed educational and social reforms and was a champion of democratic ideals and freedom of speech. In one of his writ-ups he wrote, “Freedom of expression is the right of everyone… Suppression of opinion, be it for any religious fear, or the fear of community and tribe or the fear of being defamed, or the fear of the government – is very bad”. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan is best known for the Aligarh Movement a systemic movement aimed at reforming the social, political and educational aspects of the Muslim community. He founded the Scientific Society in 1863 to translate major works in the sciences and modern arts into Urdu. He released two journals to this end “The Aligarh Institute Gazette”, which was an organ of the Scientific Society, and the Tehzibul Akhlaq, known as the Mohammedan Social Reformer in English.
Sir Syed’s most notable contribution to the field of education is establishing the Madarsatul Uloom in Aligarh in 1875, now known as the Aligarh Muslim University, a premier educational institution of the country. He attempted to model the college on universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. His work on Muslim education was not limited to this alone. He wanted to create a network of educational institutions managed by Muslims and founded the “All India Muslim Educational Conference”. In 1886, he set up the “Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental Education Congress”, later renamed the “Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental Educational Conference”, to bring together education and culture. He emphasised the need for an autonomous Muslim institution free of any government funding. On this issue he said, “As long as we depend on Government for wants which are essentially of a domestic nature as education necessarily is, we really expect to get what is simply impossible to obtain. The best educational institutions in Europe are either entirely or next to entirely free from any control of the government.” An avid historian, he was the first person to publish an archaeological study in an Indian language. As a result, he was also named as an honorary member of the “Royal Asiatic Society”. He also collected sculptures and rare artefacts, including those of Hindu deities. In 1888, three years after the “Indian National Congress” was founded, Sir Syed delivered a lecture in Meerut on the invitation of the Muslims residing in the area. He was critical of the Congress and talked about how it was essentially a party of Bengali Hindus who could not best represent the viewpoint of a Muslim population. He called for greater representation of Muslims. “The unfair interference of these people is this, that they have tried to produce a false impression that the Mahomedans of these Provinces agree with their opinions.
But we also are inhabitants of this country, and we cannot be ignorant of the real nature of the events that are taking place in our own North-West Provinces and Oudh,” he said. He further iterated that some Hindus were misled by the party and given false assurances that joining Congress would result in them becoming the dominant group in the nation, he expressed regret at the discord this was sowing between the two communities. These proposals of the Congress are extremely inexpedient for the country, which is inhabited by two different nations who drink from the same well, breathe the air of the same city, and depend on each other for life. To create animosity between them is good neither for peace, nor for the town and country. We have lost the way of graceful advancement since the creation of Pakistan. Pakistani governments have never paid sincere attention for the educational reforms and uplift of the nation. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan then asked Muslims to learn English for bright future but his fellows have been declaring him agent and loyalist of the British. The time has proved that his vision and approach about the British educational system was absolutely right. We need to follow the reformed approach and way of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan to glorify our future generations and homeland. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Memorial University was established in Islamabad but education and knowledge hating governments have made it non functional. What a misery.
—The writer is book ambassador, columnist, political analyst and author of several books based in United Kingdom.
