By Tanvir Salim, TwoCircles.net,
In the long struggle for the freedom of India, there are many stories which fell through the cracks, and the saga of Momin Conference is one amongst them. Momin Conference represented the voice of the oppressed and the down trodden amongst the Muslim masses. It was the party of the artisans and craftsmen, people who were in the lower rung of the Muslim society. They were at the receiving end from the British Empire, as well as from the fellow Muslims. The East India Company in quest to sell its products from Manchester and Liverpool was determined to destroy the Indian garment industry; as a result, the ones who were the backbone of this industry were feeling the wrath. Since the Muslim society in Asian subcontinent is divided on Ashraf-Arzal caste lines, they were also the victims of the oppression which was meted to them by the so called upper caste Muslims. There was an urgent need for these beleaguered and down trodden people to unite and fight for their rights, which they did.
Momin Conference was formed in 1925 and actively participated in the freedom struggle along with the Congress party, and was instrumental in opposing the doctrine of Muslim League that “all” Muslims in India subscribed to the Two Nation Theory, which unfortunately resulted in the partition of the country. Momin Conference provided the foot shoulders to the Congress party lock horns with Muslim League, which was mainly a party of the noble and rich of the Indian Muslim society.
A rare group photograph, taken during the session of the Momin Conference in Gorakhpur in 1939
Momin Conference’s journey started from Calcutta and was mainly confined to the North India, where Annual Sessions were held in places like Allahabad, Delhi, Lahore, Gaya, Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Patna. The defining moment for Momin Conference was its Ninth Session, which was held in 1948 in Patna, under the guidance of Janab Abdul Qayyum Ansari. In this conference, Momin Conference decided to rescind its political inspirations in favor of the Congress party. After this, couples of session were held in New Delhi in 1976 and 1985, which were presided by the Prime Ministers, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Later, since the purpose was served, the movement fizzled out. There were umpteen attempts made to give it a fresh lease, but they were not successful.
For more information about this movement, one is referred to “Momin Conference ki Dastavezi Tareekh”, edited by Ashfaq Husain Ansari and was released at National Conference of Social Justice, held at V.P. House, Rafi Marg in New Delhi on 30th September 2000, in the presence of Shri Subash Yadav, Deputy Chief Minister Madhya Pradesh government, and prominent Parliamentarian, Shri Charanjeet Yadav.
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(Tanvir Salim is a US based Nuclear Engineer, who is presently in India and can be reached at www.tanvirsalim.com )