£32.00
Muslim Conspiracy in British India?
Politics and Paranoia in the Early Nineteenth-Century Deccan
Historical Context
As the British prepared for war in Afghanistan in 1839, rumors spread of a Muslim conspiracy based in India's Deccan region. Colonial officials were convinced that itinerant preachers of jihad - whom they labelled Wahhabis - were collaborating with Russian and Persian armies, and inspiring Muslim princes to revolt.
Colonial Actions
Officials detained and interrogated Muslim travelers, conducted weapons inspections at princely forts, surveyed mosques, and ultimately annexed territories of the accused.
Analysis by Chandra Mallampalli
Using untapped archival materials, Chandra Mallampalli describes how local intrigues, often having little to do with religion, manufactured belief in a global conspiracy against British rule. By skillfully narrating stories of the alleged conspirators, he shows how fears of the dreaded Wahhabi sometimes prompted colonial authorities to act upon thin evidence, while also inspiring Muslim plots against princes not of their liking.
Implications
At stake were not only questions about Muslim loyalty, but also the very ideals of a liberal empire.
