Khaksar Movement Weekly “Al-Islah’s” Role Toward Freedom
By Nasim Yousaf
Abstract
In-depth study and analysis of the Khaksar Tehrik’s (Khaksar Movement) weekly paper Al-Islah (started in 1934) is imperative from the perspective of British India’s independence — the emergence of Pakistan and India in 1947. It is not conceivable to record a balanced and uncontaminated account of the freedom moveme
nt of the Indian sub-continent without examining the role of Al-Islah in the 1930s and 1940s. This paper, Khaksar Movement Weekly “Al-Islah’s” Role Toward Freedom, discusses the paramount and pre-eminent role that the said weekly (newspaper) played in spreading the Khaksar Movement’s ideology, the goal of which was to inculcate character and discipline amongst the masses and ultimately lead to freedom of India from the British. Al-Islah indeed served to spread the Movement, which rose to become a Private Army (as referred to by Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy of India) of 5 million, and generated following in other countries. In addition, the Al-Islah inspired others who copied the Khaksars and formed similar organizations. The weekly also helped to achieve Allama Mashriqi’s (founder of the Khaksar Tehrik) mission of instilling unity, strict discipline, equality, and self-less community service (regardless of religion) amongst millions of Khaksars. The spread of the Khaksar Movement in British India and other countries and the emergence of analogous organizations provide clear evidence that Al-Islah’s motivational, instigating, and morale-raising contents brought about an awakening amongst the people of pre-partition India. The Government of British India was alarmed and banned the Al-Islah. Yet they could neither suppress the Khaksar Movement nor the spirit of freedom which Al-Islah had infused throughout the nation. This piece argues that the British would not even have spoken to Indian leaders or thought of transferring power, and the emergence of Pakistan and India could not have been envisioned, unless the rulers understood the grave threat posed to their rule by this awakening brought on by Al-Islah and the Khaksar Movement. To read the article, click on the link below:
http://pakistaniaat.org/index.php/pak/article/view/134
About "Pakistaniaat" (Academic Journal):
Pakistaniaat is a refereed, multidisciplinary, and open access academic journal offering a forum for scholarly and creative engagement with various aspects of Pakistani history, culture, literature, and politics. Housed in the English Department of the University of North Texas (USA), Pakistaniaat is a sponsored journal of the American Institute of Pakistan Studies. Available online as well as in print, Pakistaniaat publishes three issues per year. All sales of our Print Version support our online open access mission. Pakistaniaat is an approved journal of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. About the Author:
Historian Nasim Yousaf comes from a renowned family of the Indian sub-continent and is a grandson of the pre-eminent Allama Mashriqi (world-known scholar, mathematician and founder of the Khaksar Tehrik). He is also a nephew of globally recognized social scientist Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan (both Allama Mashriqi and Dr. A.H. Khan were nominated for the Nobel Prize; Mashriqi for Literature for his book “Tazkirah” and Dr. Khan for Peace for his rural development and poverty alleviation projects). Yousaf is an expert on the Khaksar Movement and is the author of 10 books, many articles in the press, and works in scholarly journals; he has also presented at conferences in the USA. https://www.scribd.com/NasimYousaf
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