Colonialism and the Call to Jihad in British India examines the role of Muslim religious leaders or Ulema’s in India’s freedom struggle. And it does so by visiting the life and times of seven main protagonists- the 19th century cleric Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi, the mystic revolutionary Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, Maulana Mahmoodul Hasan( the founding father of the Silk Conspiracy and later of Jamia Millia Movement), Maulana Obaidullah Sindhi, Barkatullah Khan and Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani. All eulogized the idea of ‘Jihad’ but used it to fight and lead the freedom struggle against the British. It examines the roots of the Walliullahi movement which led to the Deoband movement in the second half of the 19thcentury in North India. It also highlights the 20thcentury Silk letter movement in which Muslim Ulema worked in tandem with the Hindu and Sikh Nationalists led Ghadar Party which was active not just in India but also in Europe and the USA. The book is a timely reminder of a shared Hindu-Muslim unity during our freedom struggle and helps us understand the commonly misunderstood notion of Jihad in the Indian context. The book in the end puts onus on the prevailing political system to ensure that India does not fall victim to sectarian violence and religious intolerance.

Acknowledgements Introduction: Forgotten Pages from Indian History The Empire and 19th-century Jihad The Maulvi of Faizabad and the Battle for Lucknow The Deoband Connection: Revolt and Revivalism Deoband and the Roots of the Khilafat Movement The Silk Conspiracy Case, 1914–1916 The Ulema and the Partition of India Conclusion: Colonialism and Jihad in the 21st Century Bibliography Index