Q: Discuss the factors which led to the evolution of a distinct Muslim Press in South Asia before 1947.

When the Britishers occupied a vast area of the Indo-Pak subcontinent after the battle of Plassey in 1757, there was no newspaper that provide the new rulers the day to day information. They felt the need and to fulfill this need, James Augustus Hickey published the first newspaper in 1780. It was purely a rulers newspaper. Afterwards, newspapers in local languages appeared. The Bengal Gazzette was the first Indian owned newspaper, appeared in 1816. In 1822, the first Urdu newspaper, Jam-e-Jahan Numa was published.

The evolution of the Muslim Press

After the Mughal dynasty came to an end, the Muslims of the India faced many soacial, economic, religious and educational problems. In these circumstances, the Muslim intelligentsia felt the need of newspapers to educate the Muslims. The first Muslim-owned newspaper was Ain-e-Siakndari published from Calcutta in 1831 under the supervision of Mirza Ghalib- the greatest poet of Urdu literature. In 1837, Maulvi Sayyed Muhammad Khan, the elder brother of Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan, published a newspaper from Agra. Before the War of Independence (1857) the pattern of the Muslim Journalism was different. When th Britishers succeeded in supressing the Muslims, the modes of the Muslim Journalism took a sudden turn. The factors which forced the Muslims intelligentsia are written below:

1. The Political Factor:

After the War of Independence, the new rulers, the English, took the Muslims as their rivals. They tried their best to supress the Muslilms. The Britishers, first of all sowed dissension between the Muslims and gave all that to Hindus who welcomed the new rulers. The Muslims were deprived of all the facilities, even many of the Muslims were sentenced to death. During these worse circumstances, Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan came forward. He wrote Risalah Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind to tell the English rulers that the Muslims were not the sole participants of war, the Hindus were also there. He tried to convince the rulers that the Baghawat was not the holy war, but it was the intrigue of some villians. He also pointed out the shortcomings of the new government. Risalah Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind was published to satisfy the rulers. Sir Sayyed also published the newspaper, The Scieintific Society in 1886 and The Tahzib-ulAkhlaq in 1870. Through these newspapers he suggested the Muslims not to take part in politics. In these newspapers, the articles were written on social, religious and educational aspects of life.

The Hindi-Urdu controversy (1867) appeared as the first rift between Muslims and the Hindus. Sir Sayyed made aware the Muslims of their heritage. When The All India Congress in 1885 appeared as a political party, it increased the unpleasantness between the Muslims and the Hindus. The conditions became worsened day by day. The Muslim Journalists Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Muhammad Ali Joahr, Abul Kalam Azad and Hasrat Mohani adopted the militants policy against the rulers and the Hindus. The Muslim Journalists performed two main functions: 1) It stirred up the Muslims politically. 2) It forced the rulers to accept the rights of muslims. After the formation of the All India Muslim League (1906), the Muslim Press became the stalwart of the League. The pro-Muslim League journalists wrote the articles to favour the policies of the League. The combined struggle of the Muslim journalits-cum-politicians made the Muslims of the subcontinent capable to obtain their goal. It was, no doubt, the muslim press which favoured the muslim politicians and they could succeed in their mission. The role of Manshoor, Zamindar, Ehsan, Inqalab, Nawa-I-Waqt, Dawn, Pakistan Times in the struggle of Pakistan is very important which is unforgettable.

2. The Economic Factor:

The Muslims were not only politically depressed but they were also ruined economically. The new rulers, consciously, put the Muslims backward. The jobs were not available to them. Their sources of income were limited and it was very difficult to live within those conditions. The new governers cut off the fingers of the Muslim artisans for they were making politicians to introduce their own manufacturers and inventions. The Muslim journalists wrote against the inhuman and prejudiced attitude of the Britishers. Though, the muslim press also faced many financial problems, yet the journalists struggled against the Britishers and even they compelled them to bow their knees.

3. The Religious Factor:

The English were aware of the religious concept of Jihad in Islam. The Muslims, due to the lack of leadership, could not win the war of independence. The new rulers of the Indo-Pak subcontinent put restrictions on the religious activities of the Muslims. They supported the Hindus against the Muslims. The Muslim leaders like Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan, Maulana zafar Ali, Hasrat Mohani, Muhammad Ali Johar and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad wrote innumerable articles on the Islamic values and the ways of life. In those days, due to the political and economic unstability, the Muslims were neglecting the Islamic principles. These writers, through their writngs admonished the Muslims and insisted on to live according to the teachings of Islam. They pointed out the cultural and religious differences between the Muslims and the Hindus. Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq, Zamindar and Al-Hilal always discussed important national, cultural

and religious problems. The articles, columns and editorials on religious topics created a sense of purity and piousness among the Muslims.