Day 15

In the construction and consolidation of Muslim identity as distinct from the Hindus, the role of the Mussalmani Bangla was immensely important. Although the doctrinal differences between the two principal communities were wide and varied, historically these differences were not of such importance as to divide them in blocs antagonistic to one another. In fact, any unprejudiced consideration of historical Islam would suggest that ‘the basic doctrinal principles had very little to do with the political confrontation between the Muslims and the Hindus’. It was only through skilful manipulation of certain religious symbols and constant ideological propaganda that these differences were articulated and utilised in strengthening the claim for a separate homeland for the Muslims. A well-designed scheme in this direction was the Mussalmani Bangla, a curious hybrid which made indiscriminate use of Arabic, Persian and Urdu words.

The story began in the late nineteenth century, but the most significant step was undoubtedly the formation of the Islam Mission Samity in 1904 at the behest of Maniruzzaman Islamabadi, a self-styled preacher of repute seeking to undertake a programme of revivalism and reform in Bengal. In its inaugural meeting, the Samity pledged to pursue the following plan of action to popularise Islam among the Bengali Muslims who were apparently ‘ignorant of their cultural roots’:

(a) publication of booklets in simple Bengali on religion and to arrange their free distribution;
(b) publication of a magazine (Islam Darshan or Muslim Dharma) as a mouthpiece of the mission for free distribution;
(c) appointment of salaried missionaries, who would undertake preaching in different parts of Bengal;
(d) sending of preachers and missionaries to the remote corners of Bengal where the rays of Islam had not penetrated;
(e) translation of religious book on Islam into Bengali;
(f) establishment of contacts with Anjumans and such other bodies in different part of Bengal and
(g) setting up of a national library for the benefit of preachers, speakers and missionaries.

The basic objective was two-fold: first, the fact that Islam was a cementing force was recognised and its role in both constructing and consolidating a powerful Muslim bloc was, therefore, immensely significant. Secondly, in order to establish the Muslims as a pre-eminent political group in the public arena, the Samity suggested specific programmes involving not only the salaried missionaries but also those ‘interested in safeguarding the interests of Muslims in Bengal’. It is true that the Samity never became as effective as was anticipated, but it had certainly contributed to a process that loomed large in the course of time. The Muslim intellectuals realised the importance of creating a space for them not only for survival but also for strengthening their claim for power and privileges in the new environment, created in the aftermath of political and institutional changes, introduced by the colonial administration.

What was initiated by the Islam Mission Samity in 1904 blossomed fully with the formation of Bangiya Mussalman Sahitya Samity in 1911 in Calcutta, in which renowned Muslim intellectuals - Moniruzzaman Islam-abadi, Mohammad Shahidullah, Mozammel Haq, Eyakub Ali and Hatem Ali Khan - participated. Its principal aim was to bring about ‘a national awakening of the Bengal Muslims through the creation of an exclusively Muslim literature or national literature’, which was absolutely necessary ‘to develop the community as strongly as the Hindus’. Drawing on Islam, the Samity also articulated its objectives in such a way as to consolidate the Islamic identity in opposition to the Hindus.

~~The Partition of Bengal And Assam -by- Bidyut Chakrabarty