The popularity of the Muslim League and its idea of Pakistan has been measured in terms of its success in achieving the goal of a sovereign state in the Muslim majority regions of North West and North East India. It led to an oversight of Muslim leaders and organizations which were opposed to this demand, predicating their opposition to the League on its understanding of the history and ideological content of the Muslim nation. This volume takes stock of multiple narratives about Muslim identity formation in the context of debates about partition, historicizes those narratives, and reads them in the light of the larger political milieu of the period. Focusing on the critiques of the Muslim League, its concept of the Muslim nation, and the political settlement demanded on its behalf, it studies how the movement for Pakistan inspired a contentious, influential conversation on the definition of the Muslim nation.

The earlier volume in this series dealt with two religions of Indian origin, namely, Buddhism and Jainism. The Indian religious scene, however, is characterized by not only religions which originated in India but also by religions which entered India from outside India and made their home here. Thus religious life in India has been enlivened throughout its history by the presence of religions of foreign origin on its soil almost from the very time they came into existence. This volume covers three such religions—Zoraoastrianism, Judaism, and Islam . In the case of Zoraostianism, even its very beginnings are intertwined with India, as Zoroastrianism reformed a preexisting religion which had strong links to the Vedic heritage of India. This relationship took on a new dimension when a Zoroastrian community, fearing persecution in Persia after its Arab conquest, sought shelter in western India and ultimately went on to produce India’s pioneering nationalist in the figure of Dadabhai Naoroji ( 1825-1917), also known as the Grand Old Man of India. Jews found refuge in south India after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 C.E. and have remained a part of the Indian religious scene since then, some even returning to Israel after it was founded in 1948. Islam arrived in Kerala as soon as it was founded and one of the earliest mosques in the history of Islam is found in India. Islam differs from the previously mentioned religions inasmuch as it went on to gain political hegemony over parts of the country for considerable periods of time, which meant that its impact on the religious life of the subcontinent has been greater compared to the other religions. It has also meant that Islam has existed in a religiously plural environment in India for a longer period than elsewhere in the world so that not only has Islam left a mark on India, India has also left its mark on it. Indeed all the three religions covered in this volume share this dual feature, that they have profoundly influenced Indian religious life and have also in turn been profoundly influenced by their presence in India.

Allama Mashraqi (Inayatullah Khan) and Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, two eminent 20th-century personalities of the Indian sub-continent, fought for freedom--the former for an undivided and the latter for a divided British India. This work discusses Allama Mashraqis rigorous efforts to prevent the Muslims and India from being divided, while Quaid-e-Azam remained focused on the partitioning of India.

This book is the first biographical study Allama Mashraqi, one of the most colorful personalities in pre-partition Muslim India. A brilliant and unconventional scholar, Mashraqi studied at Cambridge and after his return to India founded the controversial paramilitry khaksar movement. Mashraqi was the focus of both intense hatred and loyalty, and his life provides unique insight into the culture and politics of the period.

In 2013, Islamia College, one of the iconic learning institutions of Pakistan, marked its Platinum Jubilee. Islamia College first opened its doors to students in 1913 in Peshawar, a Muslim dominated province, where most men were illiterate and female education was considered a sin. The College, planted at the gate of the famous Khyber Pass (connecting Pakistan and Afghanistan), had successes and influence that extended well beyond the old-fashioned city and into the entire North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) in British India. The founders of the College, Nawab Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum, Sir George Roos-Keppel, L. Tipping, and Allama Mashriqi, deserve tremendous credit for these successes. In honor of the College's 100-year anniversary, this booklet provides a background on one of its founding fathers, Allama Mashriqi (who was the first Vice Principal and later Principal of the College). Mashriqi is best known today as the Founder of the Khaksar Tehrik and for his instrumental role in liberating India from British rule. Mashriqi believed that a nation could not rise without education, and demonstrated a lifelong commitment to advancing this cause - from breaking academic records at the University of Cambridge to promoting education among females (including within his own family). At Islamia College, Mashriqi introduced a number of revolutionary reforms and practices, and his progressive thought process helped the institution transform education by bringing an awakening among the males and females in the North West Frontier Province. As a result of his efforts, Mashriqi was promoted to Under Secretary of Education in India and inducted as a member of the prestigious Indian Educational Service (I.E.S.). This booklet provides an overview of the early days of Islamia College as well as Mashriqi's background and many contributions to the institution as he progressed through his career as an educationist. Indeed, the College's legacy is a testament to the pivotal role played by Allama Mashriqi and the other founding fathers in establishing a strong foundation and ensuring the success of the institution.

Yvonne Ridley's terrifying 10 day detainment by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan struck a chord that continues to resonate around the world. At a time when the world was plunged into a state of unprecedented chaos and uncertainty following the terrorist atrocities in the US, Yvonne faced the ordeal of her life. Captured by the Taliban as she attempted to cross the Afghan border to report on the outbreak of war for the Sunday Express, Yvonne found her life hanging in the balance in the hands of the most reviled regime in the world. For Yvonne, an unexpected survival instinct kicked in that saw her face her captors not with fear, but with anger. Her courage and gutsiness, and that of her family, prompted the Taliban to release her, glad to be rid of such a so-called 'difficult' woman. This is Yvonne's full, true story. From her capture, to the ordeal she endured at the hands of the Taliban, to her eventual release; she offers a unique perspective into a way of life that remains a mystery to many. The friendships she formed with her fellow hostages, her feelings about her captors and their beliefs, and her discoveries -- many of which surprised and baffled her -- are all exclusively revealed in detail. Yvonne's story is a truly compelling and inspirational read.