Aligarh Muslim University The Making of the Modern Indian Muslim

By Mohammed Wajihuddin

THE ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY (AMU) completed a hundred years in December 2020. In December 1920, the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College founded by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in 1877, was transformed into AMU. Sir Syed also established the All India Mohammedan Educational Conference to infuse the subcontinent’s Muslims with a spirit of modernism. This helped prepare the community, devastated in the aftermath of the Revolt of 1857, for new challenges.

In time, the Aligarh Muslim University played a critical role in the making of the modern Indian Muslim. As Zakir Hussain, AMU alumnus, its former vice chancellor and a former President of India, said over fifty years ago, ‘The way Aligarh participates in various walks of national life will determine the place of Muslims in India’s national life. The way India conducts itself towards Aligarh will determine, largely, the form which our national life will acquire in the future.

“Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), a premier institution which completed 100 years in 2020, has helped shape the destiny of Indian Muslims. From the fledgling Mohammedan Anglo Oriental (MAO) College founded by Sir Syed in 1877 to its metamorphosis in AMU in 1920, from weathering the partition pains of 1947 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling it a ‘mini-India’ at its centenary celebrations in December 2020, AMU has crossed many milestones. This book not just maps the university’s exciting journey, but it also points out some of the cracks that have proved stumbling blocks in its path to progress,” says Mohammed Wajihuddin.

“The impact of the Aligarh Muslim University on the ‘making of the modern Indian Muslim’ is unparalleled and so far, largely undocumented. With this book, we hope to fill this gap in a crucial aspect of India’s contemporary history. That the book comes at a time when this landmark institution is celebrating its hundredth year is only fitting,” says Swati Chopra, Executive Editor, Harper Collins.

Mohammed Wajihuddin is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Times of India, Mumbai. Earlier, he worked with the Indian Express and the Asian Age. A passionate lover of Urdu poetry, he is also a blogger and writes prolifically on issues that are of interest to Indian Muslims. He lives in Mumbai.