In 1947, the Indian subcontinent was divided
into three parts: India, East Pakistan, and West
Pakistan. This division resulted in one of the
bloodiest massacres the two nations have ever
seen. Muslims and non-Muslims slit each other’s
throats with anger and hate. The streets of many
cities in India were filled with the blood of
innocent people. Millions of loved ones were
separated from one another. With partition, two
communities – Muslims and Hindus - that had
lived together for hundreds of years were
divided. As a result, a foundation of hatred was
laid in the region, a foundation that has
consequences even today. Allama Mashraqi, a
prominent 20th century leader in the
subcontinent, foresaw this state of affairs in a
divided British India, and thus rejected the
notion of communalism and partition from the
very beginning.
***
Allama Mashraqi had always been a different
kind of leader. He was a renowned scholar who
came from an eminent family, yet – unlike many
of his contemporaries - he shunned a life of
luxury in favor of serving the masses. He was a
man with wisdom and vision, yet he remained
humble. Mashraqi was a firm believer in
brotherhood and the unity of mankind, regardless
of religion, class, color, or creed. And it was
on these principles that Mashraqi founded his
Khaksar Tehreek (Movement) in 1930.
Given its benevolent aims, it was not long
before the Khaksar Movement gained a firm
foothold among the masses, and Mashraqi’s
followers and supporters throughout India and
abroad grew into the millions. Through the
Khaksar Tehreek, Mashraqi preached Akuwat
(brotherhood). He realized that the path to
freedom and prosperity for the masses would be
paved through unity - as opposed to communalism
- and directed his followers to put an end to
senseless hate and bigotry. He believed that
animosity cultivated through any medium must be
crushed with utmost vigour. So, Mashraqi
preached the creation of a non-communal social
order, and reflected this in two of the fourteen
points of the Khaksar Tehreek (issued on October
15, 1937):
“We, Khaksars, stand for the establishment of
an order that will be equal, non-communal and
tolerant, yet non-subservient, by the crushing
of all communal sentiment and religious
prejudices of mankind by our good and serviceful
conduct; an order which will afford proper
treatment and protection to all communities and
will be founded on eternal justice, goodness and
goodwill.”
“The Khaksar stands for (a) regard for the
religious and social sentiments of all
communities, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Parsi,
Christian, Jew, and Untouchable etc., (b)
maintenance of their particular culture and
customs and (c) general tolerance; and believes
this policy to be the secret of Muslim rule in
India for a thousand years.”
Indeed, Mashraqi’s dream had always been to
crush “all communal sentiment and religious
prejudices.” So how then, did India and Pakistan
as well as Muslims and Hindus find themselves as
bitter rivals?
Unfortunately, it seems that not everyone
shared Mashraqi’s vision of unity. Thus while
Allama Mashraqi – who had been unwavering in his
devotion to unity among the Indians – was
imprisoned, those with vested political
interests continued to spread communalism.
***
Mashraqi was held in jail throughout the
beginning of the 1940s and the restrictions on
his movements were finally lifted on December
28, 1942. Emerging from jail, Mashraqi knew that
unity was the need of the hour and immediately
went to work. Following his release, he spoke to
followers and supporters at Jhansi Railway
Station en route to his home in Lahore. In his
speech, he desperately pleaded for solidarity
between Muslims and non-Muslims and passionately
denounced communalism. The Hindustan Times,
Delhi of January 05, 1943 wrote:
“Allama Mashriqui…referred to the communal
problem…He [Mashriqi] pleaded with the Muslims
for religious tolerance, broadmindedness and
magnanimity…‘I want Khaksars to preach the
gospel of Hindu-Muslim unity which is a living
force and without which no liberation is
possible. Those leaders who preach ratio
communalism are not your leaders. You must
discard them and throw them overboard.’”
Indeed, Mashraqi not only realized the need
for unity, but he also clearly understood that
there were those who were actively working to
undermine it. Nevertheless, he and the Khaksars
continued their efforts towards mobilizing the
nation to collectively demand freedom. They
worked tirelessly (though historians have
neglected these efforts) to enable a meeting
between Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and
Mahatma Gandhi so the two leaders could resolve
their differences. However, despite Mashraqi and
the Khaksars’ desperate efforts, the two leaders
were unable to reach an agreement, and the
nation was ultimately divided into three parts.
***
History has shown the devastating
consequences when leaders allow a nation to fall
prey to division, instead of standing united. It
is unfortunate, however, that people in Pakistan
and India have not learned from the past. Many
individuals on both sides of the border -
through books, articles, speeches, and seminars
- continue to spread communalism in the region.
Perhaps most unfortunate is that the manner in
which history is taught in Pakistan and India
generates hatred between the two major
communities of the region: Muslims and Hindus.
In Pakistan, Mashraqi’s philosophy of
non-communal politics and his point of view of
retaining a single India are practically barred
from discussion. Further, his vision to unite
all communities - whether they be Muslims,
Hindus, Parsees, Christians, or any other - is
not promoted.
Indeed, it is high time that we begin to
learn from the mistakes of the past. Mashraqi’s
ideology is one that could help not only the
Indian subcontinent, but mankind in general. In
his 1955 pamphlet entitled “Human Problem”
(which was addressed to scholars and scientists
of the world), Mashraqi wrote:
“Man’s Strange Prejudices
Many causes (e.g. religion, race, colour,
nationhood, lust of conquest, capitalism, force
of ideology, geography, history, etc.) have
contributed towards this war between man and
man, although Religion, perhaps, is still,
inherently, a potent factor. Man, collectively,
has so far not understood even the elementary
truth that the so-called ‘Prophets,’ if they all
‘came from One God’ as claimed, could not have
brought different ‘messages’ to one Human race,
nor could they have come to pit man against man.
Other causes are even more frivolous from the
biological or scientific point of view and this
catastrophe of schism has happened to the race
of Man, as Man - collectively as a species - is
ridiculously deficient in understanding the
intention of Nature and only very few
individuals (perhaps not even one in a million)
can see and think universally. Thus this
collective stupidity of the Human race is
resulting in its unnatural development towards
decay and possible ultimate extinction.”
Violence resulting from sectarianism,
communalism, or other prejudices is prominent in
many countries of the world today. Life has
become suffocating because of the destruction
that is going on in the world. Muslim and Hindu
leadership failed to heed Allama Mashraqi’s call
for unity, and it resulted in a long history of
confrontation. It is clear then that in order to
bring peace to not only the Indian subcontinent,
but also the world, we need to create a society
based on Mashraqi’s philosophy and wisdom. A
society that accepts various ethnic, religious,
and cultural groups; a society where justice,
brotherhood, equality, and service to the
community prevail and communalism and
sectarianism are extinct. We must seek
inspiration from his teachings and establish an
atmosphere where we can live in peace. This is
the only true solution to the tribulations that
mankind faces today.
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