The Growth of Communalism

🌍 What is Communalism?

• Communalism is the belief that the interests of one religious community are fundamentally different from and opposed to those of another.
• In India, this meant Hindus and Muslims were increasingly seen — wrongly — as separate “nations,” rather than parts of a shared national struggle.
• By the late 19th century, communalism became the single biggest threat to national unity.

⚡ Causes for the Rise of Communalism

1. Government’s Policy of Divide and Rule

• After the Revolt of 1857, the British were deeply shaken by the unity of Hindus and Muslims in the uprising.
• Initially, they punished Muslims harshly (since Delhi was seen as the Mughal centre).
• By the 1870s, however, they reversed strategy: now they pampered Muslims to weaken the Congress-led nationalist movement, which had a largely Hindu base.
• Example:
  • Supported Urdu vs. Hindi controversy in U.P. and Bihar.
  • Used legitimate sectional demands to foster divisions.

2. Relative Backwardness of Muslims in Education and Industry

• Among Hindus, new classes emerged: modern intellectuals, professionals, traders, industrialists.
• Among Muslims, zamindars and aristocrats retained leadership, as very few entered modern education or commerce.
• This meant that:
  • Muslim elites stayed loyal to the British (to preserve privileges).
  • British easily projected them as “natural leaders” of Muslims, reinforcing communal politics.

3. Slow Spread of Modern Education among Muslims

• In the early 19th century, upper-class Muslims often avoided English education, seeing it as anti-Islamic.
• This delayed their exposure to Western liberal ideas and nationalism.
• Result: Muslim leadership remained conservative and traditional for longer, creating space for communal appeals.

4. Economic Backwardness and Job Competition

• India lacked modern industries → very few jobs, especially for educated youth.
• British exploited this scarcity:
  • Promised Muslims special favour in government jobs if they stayed loyal.
  • Pitted Hindus and Muslims against each other in the scramble for posts.

5. Militant Nationalism’s Religious Colouring

While militant nationalism was revolutionary in spirit, some of its symbols appeared Hindu in tone, which alienated Muslims. For example:

• Tilak’s Ganapati and Shivaji festivals.
• Aurobindo’s idea of India as Bharat Mata, nationalism as religion.
• Revolutionary oaths before Goddess Kali.
• Swadeshi protests beginning with Ganga dips.

👉 These were meant as cultural mobilisation tools, not communal acts. But:

• They did not resonate with Muslims, who felt excluded.
• British propagandists exploited this to deepen divisions.
• Even among Muslims who were nationalist, it fostered a separate Muslim identity.

⚠️ Important nuance: Extremists like Tilak were not anti-Muslim; they supported unity. Their inspiration was often European revolutions (Ireland, Russia, Italy), not just religious cults.

6. Teaching of History in Schools

• British historians divided Indian history into Hindu period, Muslim period, British period.
• Taught that all Muslims were rulers in medieval India and all Hindus were victims.
• Ignored the reality:
  • Most Muslim peasants were as poor and oppressed as Hindu peasants.
  • Politics was driven by power and wealth, not religion.
• This distorted teaching sowed deep seeds of communalism.

👉 Gandhi later wrote: “Communal harmony cannot be established if our textbooks continue to teach distorted history.”

✨ The Bigger Picture

• Nationalism and communalism rose together — nationalism tried to unite, communalism divided.
• Religion was often used as a tool of mobilisation (to awaken people in traditional societies).
• But repeated use of religious imagery made it easier for British and communal leaders to argue that Hindus and Muslims had irreconcilable differences.

🌍 Communalism: A Modern Phenomenon

• Common misconception: Communalism = continuation of Hindu–Muslim rivalries from medieval times.
• Reality:
  • Before 1870s → religion was important in personal life, and disputes did happen, but no organised communal ideology or politics existed.
  • Communalism emerged in the modern era of mass politics, when religion was politically exploited to mobilise people.
• In simple terms: communalism is not religion itself, but the political use of religion.

👉 Gandhiji’s warning: “Religion is a personal affair. It must not be mixed with politics.”

⚡ Communalism and Religious Diversity

• India’s diversity (many religions) is not the root cause of communalism.
• Example: Many societies have multiple religions without communal conflict.
• The problem arises when:
  • Religion is dragged into political matters,
  • Leaders use religious identity to mobilise votes, jobs, and privileges.

So: communalism = political exploitation of religious sentiments, not religion itself.

👤 Role of Syed Ahmad Khan

• A great educationist and social reformer, but in his later life, he took a conservative, pro-British political stance.
• In the 1880s:
  • Declared that Hindu and Muslim political interests were divergent.
  • Preached loyalty to the British, saying Muslims would get jobs and special favours in return.
  • Warned that if British power weakened, Hindus (being the majority) would dominate Muslims.

Why his views were flawed:

• Economic and political interests of Hindus and Muslims were identical under colonialism.
• Both were equally exploited by British imperialism.
• A Bengali Muslim had far more in common with a Bengali Hindu than with a Punjabi Muslim.

👉 Yet, Syed Ahmad Khan’s ideas laid the early foundations of Muslim communalism in politics.

🏛 Role of INC in Mitigating Minority Fears

The Congress leaders were aware of minority concerns and tried to avoid communal mistrust:

• Dadabhai Naoroji (1886, Congress President): Assured that Congress would deal only with national issues, not religious or social questions.
• 1888 Congress Rule: No resolution would be passed if most Hindu or Muslim delegates opposed it → a safeguard for minorities.

👉 Early nationalists understood that communalism was unscientific, but minority fears still needed to be respected and addressed.

⚔️ Role of British Officials in Promoting Communalism

Several British administrators actively encouraged divisions:

• Lord Curzon: Partitioned Bengal (1905) to divide Hindus and Muslims.
• Lord Minto: Introduced separate electorates (1909) to weaken Congress unity.
• Sir Fuller (Lt. Governor of East Bengal & Assam): Openly pitted Hindus and Muslims against each other.
• Sir Lancelot Hare (Fuller’s successor): Favoured Muslims in government jobs to reduce Hindu influence.
• Sir Andrew Fraser: Supported policies that deepened communal divisions.

👉 In short, divide and rule was a conscious state policy, not an accident.

✨ Key Takeaways

1. Communalism was not medieval — it was a modern political strategy, sharpened under colonial rule.
2. Religion itself was not the cause; its politicisation was.
3. Syed Ahmad Khan’s later ideas gave an intellectual base to Muslim communalism.
4. INC tried to reassure minorities and promote unity.
5. British officials actively engineered divisions to weaken nationalism.