Syed Ahmed Khan
In 1857, there was a rebellion in India. This is known as the First Indian War of Independence. During this time, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan kept loyal to the British; He also saved many European lives. After the rebellion, he wrote a book where he said the British were, in fact, those who caused the rebellion. To settle whether Sir Syed was a communitarian or a communalist, we need to assess the speeches and articles which he wrote. One such speech of Sir Syed, which he gave in Meerut in the year 1888, clearly shows that Sir Syed turned to arguments fielded by religious fanatics to develop a communal alliance between Indian Muslims and British Christians. He said,