The Majlis-i Ahrar-i Islam (2016)

Undergraduate: Anisha Padma

Faculty Advisor: Iqbal Sevea
Department: History

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The Majlis-i Ahrar-i Islam, who will henceforth be referred to as the Ahrar, hold

the reputation of being an organization comprised of orthodox individuals that align

themselves with secular parties, such as the Indian National Congress. In this paper, I

seek to interrogate the definitions of ¿¿¿orthodox¿¿¿ and ¿¿¿secular¿¿¿ with the hopes of

expanding our understanding of groups such as the Ahrar. Much of the scholarship

surrounding this¿¿¿semireligious political organization¿¿¿ describes the Ahrar through the

contentious relationship they had with the Ahmadis. Subsequently, there is very little

focus on the tactics of the brief success of the Ahrar, such as their use of ¿¿¿Islamic¿¿¿

symbols. Therefore, this paper will look at primary sources such as speeches made by the

leadership of the Ahrar, Indian press releases, and British sources from the National

Archives to formulate a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the Ahrar.