INDIA :
In 1914, as World War I began, the renowned London newspaper The Times published an article titled The Choice of the Turks, urging the Turks to side with the Allies. In response, Muhammad Ali Jauhar (10 December 1878 – 4 January 1931), a fervent supporter of Türkiye in India, penned a counter-article with the same title. In it, he fiercely criticized The Times and refuted its arguments.
Six weeks prior to the publication of this article in The Times, Muhammad Ali was bedridden with diabetes. Despite his condition, he worked tirelessly, sitting for forty consecutive hours to write his response, foregoing sleep and rest, and nearly all sustenance except for occasional sips of strong coffee. During this demanding period, he faced personal tragedy when his only sister’s husband passed away. On his way to Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, India for the burial, Ali continued to work on his essay on the train, meticulously revising the draft on the train.
When this article was published in the English weekly Comrade on September 26, 1914, under his editorship, it created a significant stir across the country.
How could the British government allow someone who wrote such an article to do so unchallenged? Consequently, all copies of Comrade dated September 26, 1914, were removed from the press. A few days later, the bail bonds of both Comrade and the Urdu daily Hamdard were confiscated. Muhammad Ali appealed the decision and represented himself in court, but the order to confiscate Comrade‘s bail was upheld. Shortly afterward, the District Magistrate of Delhi placed the Ali brothers—Muhammad Ali and his elder brother, Shaukat Ali—under house arrest.
When Muhammad Ali learned of his detention, he was not disheartened but overjoyed. He expressed gratitude to Allah, thankful that even in detention, he could continue writing articles for Hamdard. During this time, he maintained his support for Türkiye, and numerous letters from the British government concerning his activities are now preserved in the National Archives of India. The author also has a few copies of these letters.
The British government, however, was determined to prevent his articles, which supported Türkiye, from reaching the Indian Muslim masses. They feared these writings could incite dissent or harm British interests. To silence him, Muhammad Ali was sent to Jail for four years, where his freedom to write was further restricted. In this way, he became the first journalist from British India to be imprisoned by the Britishers for his support of Turkish Muslims. Despite this, he continued to speak and write in support of Türkiye, showing remarkable resilience.
Muhammad Ali Jauhar was a renowned Indian freedom fighter, journalist, and a prominent figure in the Islamic world. He was a graduate of Oxford University, where he studied Law and History. A gifted writer and an exceptional orator, Muhammad Ali left an indelible mark on both Indian and global history. The famous English writer H.G. Wells praised him, saying, “Muhammad Ali possessed the pen of Macaulay, the tongue of Burke, and the heart of Napoleon.”
Muhammad Ali’s love for Türkiye was deep-rooted and not a passing sentiment; he had been an ardent admirer of the Turkish people from the very beginning and remained steadfastly pro-Turkish throughout his life. He played a key role as a propagandist and fundraiser for the medical mission sent in 1912 to alleviate the suffering of the Turks during the Balkan Wars. Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhry noted in his research paper titled “Pro-Turkish Feelings of Muhammad Ali Jauhar as Reflected in His Letters”, that Muhammad Ali donated two hundred thousand rupees to make this medical mission a reality.
In 1913, Muhammad Ali traveled to Great Britain to raise awareness among British government officials about the injustices being inflicted on the Turks. During his visit, he met with British officials and delivered speeches at public meetings. He sought to engage with key figures in Britain, but despite his efforts, his message fell largely on deaf ears, and Muhammad Ali returned feeling somewhat unsuccessful in his mission.
Türkiye’s decision to align with Germany against Great Britain in World War I deeply troubled the Muslims of India. They feared that a British victory could bring devastating consequences for Türkiye. To secure British support, the Muslims of India obtained a pledge from British Prime Minister Lloyd George that Muslim sacred sites would remain untouched during the war and that the Muslim Caliphate would be protected after the war.
However, after Germany’s defeat and Britain’s victory, Britain and its allies violated their promises by entering Basra and Jeddah. This betrayal led the Muslims of India to launch the Khilafat Movement to hold the British accountable for their promises and to defend the Caliphate. The movement’s most prominent leader was Muhammad Ali.
Türkiye’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office, Burak Akçapar, wrote in his book People’s Mission to the Ottoman Empire— “Mohammad Ali was a rare jewel as his ‘Jauhar’ title suggests. He had the fabric of a hero in the Indian Independence Movement. He also remained a ‘Maulana’ until his last breath in championing the Muslim community’s rights in India and indeed around the world. He was never to understand the Turkish Revolution and how it was to set the Turkish nation on the path of rejuvenation after centuries of decay and pain. He was right, however, that void would emerge after Turks yielded the leadership of the Sunni Muslim world to be filled by a cacophony among Muslims…”
However, the documents that I have, suggest that Muhammad Ali was well aware of the Turkish Revolution. As a result, even after the end of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of democracy in Türkiye, the love for Türkiye remained strong among Indian Muslims. Kemal Atatürk continued to be seen as their leader, and his portrait was displayed at Jamia Millia Islamia, a university founded by Muhammad Ali and his associates, until 1928, according to available documents. Additionally, Muhammad Ali continued to publish news related to Türkiye in his Urdu daily Hamdard until January 1929. After that, his newspaper was permanently shut down.
According to a report published in the Turkish daily Vakit on January 6, “M. Ali evelki sene bir tet kik seyahatine çıkarak Istanbula ve Ankaraya da gelmişti.” (Muhammad Ali took a brief trip a year ago, during which he visited Istanbul and Ankara).
Muhammad Ali arrived in Palestine on November 20, 1928, while returning from a trip to Europe. Before that, he had spent a few days in Ankara and Istanbul. He mentioned this himself in his speech in Bait-ul-Muqaddas.
To be precise, one of the main objectives of the Khilafat Movement in India was preserving the al-Aqsa mosque. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a close friend of Muhammad Ali, clearly stated that with the abolition of the Caliphate in Türkiye, the true goal of the Khilafat Movement became the cause of Palestine. This is why the Khilafat Committee still exists in India today.
Muhammad Ali Jauhar passed away on January 4, 1931, in London. On January 23, 1931, he was buried in a grave in the al-Aqsa mosque complex.
(Afroz Alam Sahil is a journalist and author. He can be contacted at @afrozsahil on X)
source: http://www.beyondheadlines.in / Beyond Headlines / Home> History / by Afroz Alam Sahil / January 04th, 2025