Eleanor Finch
The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India, with the goal of protecting the interests of Muslims in South Asia. The party's constitution was written by Maulana Mohammad Ali in a book called the Green Book and was framed in 1907. The AIML initially supported a united India but later led the Pakistan Movement, advocating for a separate Muslim state following the British departure from India.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1907 |
| Location | Karachi, Pakistan |
| Founder | Khwaja Salimullah |
| First President | Aga Khan |
| Members | Several Islamic organisations in India and 1400 nationalist Muslim delegates |
| Goals | Securing Muslim interests in South Asia |
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What You'll Learn
- The All-India Muslim League was founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India
- The first constitution was written in 1907, a year after its formation
- The party arose from the need to represent Muslim interests in British India
- The party initially supported a united India but later led the Pakistan Movement
- The party has always had a small but constant presence in the Indian Parliament
The All-India Muslim League was founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India
The All-India Muslim League, popularly known as the Muslim League, was founded on 30 December 1906 in Dhaka, British India (now in Bangladesh). The first Honorary President of the League was Sultan Muhammad Shah (Aga Khan III). The party's chief aim was to promote and secure civil rights for Muslims. It advocated loyalty to the British government as a means to achieve more political and civil rights for Muslims. The Muslim League was formed as a result of a conference of the Muhammadan Educational Conference, which was founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in 1886. The conference was held in Dhaka and was attended by around 3000 delegates.
The constitution of the All-India Muslim League was framed in 1907 and was espoused in the "Green Book", written by Mohammad Ali Jauhar. The League's first session was held in 1907 in Karachi, Pakistan, and was presided over by Adamji Peer Bhai. The party was initially made up of educated elite Muslims and had six vice-presidents, a secretary, and two joint secretaries, all appointed for a three-year term and proportionately from different provinces.
The All-India Muslim League supported the Partition of Bengal as it believed that Muslims were a separate entity from Hindus and that the two groups had different interests. Leaders of the League began to spread the idea that Hindus and Muslims were not one nation and had separate cultures and identities, despite having lived together for centuries. This propaganda gained traction after 1930, and in a 1940 speech in Lahore, Jinnah asserted the impossibility of Hindus and Muslims living as one nation.
The Muslim League played a significant role in the partition of British India into separate Hindu and Muslim states in 1947, leading to the creation of Pakistan. The party functioned more effectively as a mass-based pressure group in British India than as a modern political party in Pakistan, and it gradually declined in popularity and cohesion. By the late 1960s, the party had split into various factions, and by the 1970s, it had disappeared.
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The first constitution was written in 1907, a year after its formation
The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India, with the goal of protecting and representing the interests of Muslims in South Asia. The party's formation came about as a response to the need for political representation of Muslims in British India, particularly amidst the Indian National Congress-sponsored massive Hindu opposition to the 1905 partition of Bengal.
The first constitution of the All-India Muslim League was written and adopted in 1907, just a year after its formation. This constitution laid the foundation for the party's organisation and principles. The party's initial session was held in Karachi, Pakistan, in 1907, with Aga Khan serving as the first president.
The All-India Muslim League played a significant role in the political landscape of the region, particularly in the lead-up to Indian independence. While the party initially supported a united India, it later shifted its stance and advocated for the creation of a separate Muslim homeland, leading the Pakistan Movement.
The party's influence extended beyond the realm of politics, as it actively worked to silence Muslims who opposed the partition of India, using intimidation and coercion tactics. This included disrupting the rallies of Deobandi scholar Maulana Syed Husain Ahmad Madani, who advocated for Hindu-Muslim unity and opposed the partition.
In the years that followed, the All-India Muslim League continued to gain support, especially in the 1946 Indian provincial elections, where it won an overwhelming majority of the seats reserved for Muslims. The party's commitment to creating an independent Muslim state was solidified with the Lahore Resolution of 1940, which formed the basis for Pakistan's first constitution.
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The party arose from the need to represent Muslim interests in British India
The All-India Muslim League was formed in 1906 to represent the interests of Indian Muslims in British India, which was predominantly Hindu. The need for a political party to protect the interests of Muslims arose during the Indian National Congress-backed Hindu opposition to the 1905 partition of Bengal.
The Nawab of Dhaka, Khwaja Salimullah, proposed the creation of a political party to safeguard the interests of Muslims in British India during the 1906 annual meeting of the All India Muslim Education Conference in Dhaka. The proposal was unanimously passed, resulting in the formation of the All-India Muslim League in Dhaka. The Muslim League's initial focus was on achieving greater representation for Muslims in the Imperial Council and provincial legislatures. They demanded separate electorates and reserved seats, which were granted in the Indian Councils Act following protests and lobbying efforts by the League.
The Muslim League played a significant role in the 1940s, advocating for the creation of a separate Muslim nation during the partition of British India in 1947. Led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was elected president in 1916, the League insisted on the need for a federal government and proportional representation for Muslims in the central government. In 1940, Jinnah's 'two-nation theory' solidified the League's commitment to creating an independent Muslim state, which would become Pakistan.
The Muslim League's role in the freedom movement during the First World War and their opposition to the Swadeshi Movement of 1905 further highlighted their desire for a separate Muslim nation. The League's insistence on Muslim representation and independence ultimately contributed to the division of India along religious lines, with the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state.
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The party initially supported a united India but later led the Pakistan Movement
The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India, with the goal of securing Muslim interests in South Asia. The party initially supported interfaith unity and a united India, but later led the Pakistan Movement, calling for a separate Muslim homeland after the British exit from India.
The need for the political representation of Muslims in British India arose during the Indian National Congress-sponsored massive Hindu opposition to the 1905 partition of Bengal. The Muslim League supported the Partition of Bengal as the league thought Muslims to be a separate entity and that Hindus and Muslims had different interests. The birth of the AIML came as an expression of the Muslims' desire to organise themselves politically as a separate community.
The Muslim League's earliest base was the United Provinces, where they successfully mobilised the religious community in the late 1930s. From 1937 onwards, the Muslim League and Jinnah attracted large crowds throughout India in its processions and strikes. At a League conference in Lahore in 1940, Jinnah emphasised the differences between Hindus and Muslims, stating that they belonged to two different religious philosophies, social customs, and literature. He argued that uniting the two nations under a single state would lead to growing discontent and the destruction of any fabric that may be built up for the government of such a state.
The shift in sentiment towards a Muslim separatist movement was also influenced by the murder of the All India Azad Muslim Conference leader Allah Bakhsh Soomro in 1943, which further solidified the All-India Muslim League's demand for the creation of Pakistan. Jinnah and the Muslim League led the struggle for the partition of British India into separate Hindu and Muslim states, and after the formation of Pakistan in 1947, the league became Pakistan's dominant political party.
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The party has always had a small but constant presence in the Indian Parliament
The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India, with the goal of protecting the interests of Muslims in South Asia. Initially, the party advocated for a united India, but it later led the Pakistan Movement, calling for a separate Muslim state after the British departure from India. The AIML's presence in Indian politics has always been small but constant.
The AIML's constitution was drafted in 1907, a year after the party's founding. The party's origins can be traced back to the All India Muslim Education Conference held in Dhaka in 1906, where the Nawab of Dhaka, Khwaja Salimullah, proposed the creation of a political party to safeguard the interests of Muslims in British India. This proposal was seconded by several prominent Muslim leaders, including Maulana Muhammad Ali and Moulana Zafar Ali.
The AIML's presence in the Indian Parliament has been continuous but modest, with the party consistently securing a small number of seats. In the Lower House, the AIML has typically held two seats, except for the second and fourth houses, where they had no and three members, respectively. In the 14th Lower House, they had a single member, and they currently hold four seats in Parliament.
The AIML's influence extended beyond its numbers, and it played a significant role in Indian and Pakistani politics. In the Indian provincial elections of 1946, the AIML won an overwhelming majority of the seats reserved for Muslims, demonstrating its strong support base. The party's platform centred around the creation of an independent Muslim state, which would include regions such as Sindh, Punjab, and Bengal. This stance put them at odds with Congress, led by Gandhi and Nehru, who firmly opposed the division of India.
The AIML's role in the Lahore Resolution of 1940 further solidified its commitment to an independent Muslim state. The resolution, moved by the Chief Minister of Bengal, A.K. Fazlul Huq, established the foundation for Pakistan's first constitution. However, the party also faced challenges, particularly in East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh), where issues with the Constitution of Pakistan and the Bengali Language Movement contributed to the party losing its mandate in that region.
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Frequently asked questions
The first constitution of the All-India Muslim League was written by its members, which included several Islamic organisations in India and 1400 nationalist Muslim delegates.
The first constitution of the Muslim League was framed in 1907.
The first constitution was framed in Karachi, Pakistan.
The goal of the Muslim League was to secure Muslim interests in South Asia and protect Muslims in British India.
The Muslim League later led the Pakistan Movement, calling for a separate Muslim homeland after the British exit from India, and eventually forming the country of Pakistan.
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