This posting is prepared in response to Abid Bahar’s recent note on Syed Ameer Ali. I am sorry to write this scholar’s name as the way Syed Ameer Ali did in all his legendary works. Recently I gave a light introduction about him and avoided a detailed biography. There is no solid proof for Syed Ameer Ali’s Bangladesh connection as Abid Bahar placed a biographical sketch. I am providing a brief overview on the life sequence of Syed Ameer Ali who did not born in Chinsura. He was rather born in Cuttack in Orissa.

The family of Syed Sadat Ali (father of Syed Ameer Ali) moved to Chinsura from Cuttack when Ameer Ali was a child where his early education in the English medium began. He later studied in Hooghly town (both school and college) and used Haji Mohammad Mohsin’s contribution. He was the first Muslim on the Bengali-speaking land (using no Bengali at all) during the British era to achieve an honor of M.A. degree in History in 1868 and B.L. in 1869. Shortly thereafter he left for U.K. for higher studies.

In 1873 he returned home and moved to Calcutta. It is believed that he stayed in Paris for a few days or so before coming back home. Between 1875 and 1887 he visited U.K. a few times for various reasons. In 1884 he got married to Isabella, daughter of Arnold Konstam (formerly Kohnstamm). This British (originally not British) family was advanced with the acting as evidenced by Isabella’s younger sister Gertrude Kingston. She was a known figure in acting in U.K. in the early part of the 20th century.

Syed Ameer Ali established Central National Mohamedan (Muhamedan) Association in 1878 (this date is also recorded in many places as 1877) which is believed by many Muslims that took a shape of Muslim League in 1906. But this is nonsense as Syed Ameer Ali was not a politicized character but a voice of the Muslims as a whole for the development of the Muslim mentality during the British era.

It was an organization which consisted of the educated Muslim people at that time largely dominated by the mentality of Syed Ameer Ali. This organization actually elevated Muslim nationalism for which Syed Ameer Ali published several articles in the then British media. He was holding the leadership position until his departure for U.K. in 1904. He retired in the same year and decided to settle in U.K. with his British wife.

Some people claim that he founded the Muslim League branch in U.K. in 1908. But this also did not make sense as he had no connection with any person of Muslim League that was formed in 1906 or even independent Chaudhury Rehmat Ali (Assamese origin) who gave the name PAKISTAN while staying in U.K. in 1928 before the death of Syed Ameer Ali. In reality this organization was an independent entity and had no connection with the Muslim League that was founded in Dhaka in 1906. In this context it may be noted that with his departure in 1904 Central National Mohamedan (Muhamedan) Association in British India had no existence. This organization did not give birth to the Muslim League as modern Pakistanis or Bangladeshis may think today.

Somehow misconception is evidenced with Muslim League for Syed Ameer Ali, although all Pakistani minded people prefer to brand him as a pioneering element for Muslim League that carried the flag of Rehmat Ali’s Pakistan. It is clear from Syed Ameer Ali’s attitude that he had no intention to take the political leadership role for the Muslims of British India following the death of Syed Ahmed Khan (founder of Anglo-Oriental College in 1866 and later Aligarh Muslim University around 1875) in 1898. Syed Ameer Ali chose a non-political quiet life in U.K., and passed his time writing several other texts that he intended to do by using British Museum Library as Karl Marx did.

Out of two surviving sons, later around 1931 his eldest son (Tariq) returned to British India and served in Calcutta until 1944. Tariq left British India and settled in U.K. as his dad did. It is doubtful whether Syed Ameer Ali’s any descendent lives now either in India or in Pakistan. I do not consider in my mind that person like Syed Ameer Ali’s any descendent would ever consider Bangladesh as their seat.

I had noted earlier that Syed Ameer Ali’s forefather came to Delhi as a part of the Nadeer Shah’s army (mistakenly wrote by me as Ahmed Shah Abdali – who had the battle of Panipath in 1761) from Persia (modern Iran) in 1739 and decided to stay back in Delhi. This family searched for a homeland for the next hundred years or so and wandered at various places of Northern India so that can stay peacefully with a steady job or some fixed income without trouble or some sort of establishment. Thus, this family loitered around all over Northern India and eventually his father was destined to Chinsura around early 1850s from Cuttack with four sons.

Living in Hooghly (Chinsura and Hooghly town) at early ages and later during professional days in Calcutta does not make a person connected with Bangladesh. If that is the case then Haji Mohammad Mohsin or his step-sister Munnujan is 100% Bangladeshi. But see again, Mohsin and Munnujan lived in modern West Bengal of India which is not a part of Bangladesh.

If they were Bangladeshis then the question remains: why we do not have the MOHSIN FUND in Bangladesh? This fund was used by Syed Ameer Ali and numerous Muslims until 1947. Of course today many Muslims are using the same fund in West Bengal of India. Indeed we used their names in making students’ Halls at the Universities. Similarly Syed Ameer Ali Road exists near Alipore Zoo in South Calcutta since 1932. There is nothing like this in Bangladesh. But this does not portray that these people were Bangladeshis and had solid Bangladesh connection.

If someone argues then it will stand by the same token Iskander Mirza (Alexander Mirza) or Mohammed Ayub Khan (Mohammed Job Khan) or Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan (Agha Mohammed John Khan) belongs to Bangladesh and has solid connection with Bangladesh or its people as they ruled the soil during our times. Not only that Job Khan used to utter “PURBO PAKISTAN” in his all lectures (Public, Radio or TV) particularly after getting re-elected on January 2, 1965. It may be noted that Asghar Khan used to deliver political lectures in Bengali during 1970 in the then Paltan Maidan and used to draw massive crowd. Should he be considered as a Bangladeshi hero? One of our Bangladeshi brothers, indeed, taught him Bengali language during mid-1960s at free of cost. All this is history now.

Regarding Muslim League, Salimullah hosted the meeting in Dhaka in 1906. Eventually Agha Khan (grandfather of the present Agha Khan) became President of this organization. The members of this Muslim League had no connection with what Ameer Ali did in 1877 (or 1878) as well as with the so-called Muslim League Branch of U.K. in 1908 lead by Ameer Ali. It is only a coincidence that the names happened to be identical.

Let us keep our temperament in equilibrium before calling or branding someone as a hero of Bangladesh or bringing connection with Bangladesh. I understand Pakistanis often do so with H. S. Suhrawardy as his daughter (Begum Akhter Sulaiman) lived there until her death in 1982. But see again, Suhrawardy’s only living son Rashed is residing in U.K. since 1950s. He came to Dhaka last time on December 8th 1963 for a day or so during the time of his father’s burial. Since then he never visited our country or paid homage to his father thereafter, and I doubt whether he ever thinks that Bangladesh has honor for his departed father. Hardly he speaks or understands Bengali other than English. The same situation applies for Syed Ameer Ali.

The difference lies that H. S. Suhrawardy had a good connection with Bangladesh (or the people) even when he was Provincial Chief Minister in Calcutta. Syed Ameer Ali left British India and remained with his scholarly devotion by having a single-phase life in U.K. until his death. The only legacy that he left is the massive works on ISLAM having several types of books. Thus, his scholarly involvement is above any question. Indeed we may use them as a standard text beside good references.

But indeed question needs to be reviewed very seriously when he is attached with Bangladesh or even Pakistan. Let us not be whimsical on this issue but adjudge with wisdom. Again, as a summary, many of his texts contain Shi’ite view points and may be diluted or biased severely unless one probes deeply into other sources of information in order to understand the event described therein in a better way.