Islam, State and Modernity : Muslim Political Discourse in Late 19th and Early 20th century India

This paper explores the interaction between Muslim intellectuals and ‘Western’ socio-political ideas, particularly the concept of the nation-state, in late 19th and early 20th century India. Debates over the adaptability of Western political ideologies and institutions are located within the wider context of the evolution of Islam/Islams and Islamic political thought. Rejecting assertions of an ‘authentic’ and unchanging Islam, this study highlights the rich and diverse political imagination of Muslim intellectuals in India. This study reflects the diversity of Indian-Muslim political discourse. While some intellectuals argued that Islam was not inimical to the adoption of new Western political ideologies/institutions, others constructed Islam itself into an ideology and polity