The Ulama as a Pressure Group during the Indian Freedom Struggle: An Analysis

Abstract

Ulama—Islamic scholars and religious leaders—acted as a pressure group during the Indian freedom struggle, a crucial but untapped aspect of South Asian anti-colonial politics. This study investigates how the Ulama mobilised religious authorities and community networks to resist British colonial rule and promote nationalist ideology. The research shows the Ulama’s dual dedication to religious revivalism and national freedom by examining their engagement in the Khilafat Movement, the Non-Cooperation Movement, and constitutional reform debates between 1937 and 1947. The study places the Ulama’s activism in the context of Islamic political theory and growing nationalist currents using archival documents, political pamphlets, and contemporary literature. The findings suggest that the Ulama mediated between the masses and political elites and affected public opinion by promoting Islamic and nationalist principles. They balanced faith, identity, and politics to preserve religious liberty and support anti-imperialist objectives. The paper also claims that Ulama’s influence transcended religion, contributing to the independence movement’s moral and ideological foundations even as it later exacerbated communal polarisation. This study highlights the Ulama’s deliberate use of religious legitimacy to influence public policy, exert political pressure, and redefine Muslim engagement in the independence movement by reinterpreting their role as a pressure group rather than just religious reformers. The analysis enhances understanding of religion, politics, and colonial resistance in contemporary Indian history.