3.

Increasing Political Awareness

Sir Syed was determined to improve the status of the Muslim
community. By writing his Essay on the Causes of the Indian Revolt and
The Loyal Mohammadens of India he had shown a desire to re-
establish good relationships with the British, as he hoped this would
lead to greater opportunities for Muslims. This earned him a reputation
of being too moderate and too British. But, in fact, Sir Syed realized
that the British were too powerful to overthrow and that Muslims
would gain more by cooperating with them.

He also believed that Muslims should have good relations with Hindus,
as they had a common long-term aim - to restore the authority of the
local people in their own country. In a speech to the Indian Association
he said:
‘We, Hindus and Muslims, live together on the same soil under the
same government. Our interests and problems are common and,
therefore I consider the two factions as one nation.’

However, Sir Syed soon realized that the Hindus were not so keen on
working with Muslims and this led him to the conclusion that the two
groups could not work together. In time he came to believe that
Hindus and Muslims were different enough to be considered as two
separate groups within the subcontinent.