Ibrahim Rahimtullah

Sir Ibrahim Rahimtullah (1862-1942[1]) was an Indian Muslim leader in the early years of the 20th century. Born into a prominent Ismaili trading family, he became the Mayor of Bombay in 1899.

In 1913, he was elected president of the All-India Muslim League. Abul Kalam Azad hailed his presidential speech at the AIML meeting in Agra as "the first in [Islamic] political literature soaked in Indian nationalism."[2] Riding on waves of worldwide Islamic outrage after the 1911 Tripoli massacre, and the British position of "neutrality" in the matter, the League that year substantially modified its pro-British "loyal" position.[3]

Rahimtullah worked with pro-Congress leaders like Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ali Jinnah[4] and the Aga Khan, and brought in an amendment to the constitution of the League, adding statement 2(d), seeking “attainment under the aegis of the British Crown a system of self Government suitable to India through constitutional means...” This marked an important shift in Indian Islamic attitudes from a position of loyalty to the government, to an alignment with the mainstream Hindu groups like the Indian National Congress.[4]

In 1918, he supported the idea of a Navy to protect the Indian coasts.[1]

In November 1924, he was knighted by the British Raj.[1] A street in Bhendi Bazaar, Bombay is named after him.

References

  1. 1 2 3 http://ismaili.net/heritage/node/20710
  2. ↑ Shan Muhammad, The Indian Muslims A Documentary Record, p. vii
  3. ↑ Rajendra Prasad, India Divided, 1946, p. 147
  4. 1 2 Ian Bryant Wells, Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity: Jinnah's Early Politics, Orient Blackswan, 2005, p.28-33. At the time, Jinnah was strongly aligned with the Congress, and was convinced to join the League on condition that his larger aims for India would not be hampered.
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