OXFORD OF THE EAST

In the aftermath of the failure of the first war for Indian independence in 1857 against the British colonialists, the Indian Muslims were left to battle with numerous challenges. The British colonizers and occupiers considered them to be the real threat to their rule. It was the Muslim Mughal Empire that the British had decimated, sending its last ruler, Bahadur Shah Zafar, into exile. Additionally, the British changed the educational, political, economic, cultural system and were even threatening the religious identity of Muslims. While this was going on, the ulema and other influential Muslims were antagonistic vis-à-vis everything British. So there was a need for some intermediary who would take care of Muslim interests while negotiating with the resentment and anger of the Brits.