Muslim and Hindu Partition

Hindu and Muslim relations were major contributory factors in the formation of India’s independence, as the dream of a separate Muslim state became a reality in 1947. Feuds between the two ideologically contrasting faiths prove centuries old, the two populations never being able to coexist peacefully. In the early 1900s, Muslim members of the Indian National Congress split from the organization and formed their own Muslim league. The Muslims were infuriated by Hindu rule, and as s independence from the British Empire drew nearer, strained relations grew as the Islamic population of India began to fear that they would not receive proper representation in a largely Hindu dominated country. The raising tensions between Hindus and Muslims were resulting in hate crimes and religious violence despite Gandhi’s efforts to create harmony between the two groups. The Calcutta Riots of 1946 were four days of massive Hindu-Muslim riots in the capital of Bengal, India, resulting in 5,000 to 10,000 dead and some 15,000 wounded in the time span of three days. Among the chaos a man named Muhammad Jinnah emerged as a leader for the Islamic people. Jinnah, a member of the Indian National Congress, had always resented the dominantly Hindu congress. He promoted the righteousness of an Islamic free state,  “We [the Muslim population] should have a state in which we could live and breathe as free men, and which we could develop according to our own lights and culture, and where principles of Islamic social justice could find free play.”  It became clear to the British Empire that it would be impossible for the two factions to share a single nation. As a result, on June 15, 1947, the British House of Commons passed the Indian Independence Act, leaving India divided into two dominions. The subcontinent was partitioned into Hindu-dominated India, and the newly created Muslim state of Pakistan. Although this partitioning meant to be a solution, in actuality it had the antithetical effect. Severe rioting, chaos, and murder ensued, including the forced transfer of millions of people. Miscommunications over boundaries, and the disorganization of the transfer of people lead to extreme violence, homelessness, and greater acrimony between the two religious groups. The two nations were immediately thrust into a civil war. It was clear that the intolerance between Pakistanis and Indians would exist for a very long time.