While numerous leaders made significant contributions to education during India’s struggle for independence, the Congress party has chosen to celebrate the birthday of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India’s first Education Minister, as National Education Day since 2008. This move, some argue, was more about appeasing the Muslim community at a time when the Congress feared it might lose its grip on power. However, this decision raises an important question: aside from being a founding member of Jamia Millia Islamia University, which has since been associated with radical elements and anti-India, anti-Hindu activities—such as disrupting Hindu festivals and supporting terrorism and Palestine—what lasting impact did Azad have on India’s education system?

Did Maulana Azad’s contributions to education truly stand out in the same way as these other figures who left a deeper and more lasting legacy in the field of education?

Since 2008, the day 11 November has been marked as National Education Day in honor of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India’s first Education Minister. While much is made of his role in shaping the country’s education system post-independence, there is little discussion about his contribution to the distortion of Indian history, particularly regarding the Muslim invasions and their violent impact on Indian society.

Azad served as Education Minister for over 11 years, during which time he appointed individuals aligned with his ideological leanings, many of whom shared his community affiliations or adhered to leftist ideologies. Notable among these were Humayun Kabir, M.C. Chagla, and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, all of whom helped craft a version of Indian history that presented Mughal rulers as “benevolent” or even as “saviors of the oppressed Hindu masses.” This version of history, often referred to as “negationist,” downplayed or completely obscured the violence and atrocities committed by Muslim invaders — including looting, temple destruction, forced conversions, the imposition of the Jizya tax, and the selling of captured children in slave markets.

Azad’s efforts during his tenure as Education Minister have drawn criticism for systematically whitewashing the historical misdeeds of Islamic rulers. His approach, supported by Jawaharlal Nehru, was to focus on portraying Islamic invaders in a positive light while vilifying Hindu culture and traditions. History textbooks revised under his leadership downplayed the destructive invasions and the oppression of Hindus, thereby shaping generations of Indians to overlook the true consequences of their history.

Whitewashing Islamic Invasions

A 2014 report by Freedomfirst.in highlights how Azad, during his tenure as Education Minister, oversaw a significant shift in how Indian history was taught, particularly concerning the Mughal Empire. The atrocities committed by Mughal emperors like Alauddin Khilji and Tipu Sultan, which included forced conversions, temple demolitions, and other forms of religious persecution, were either ignored or downplayed in the history textbooks. Instead, figures like Akbar were celebrated as benevolent rulers, despite the empire’s violent expansionism and coercive policies. This narrative significantly distorted the realities of India’s medieval history, which included long periods of suffering under Islamic rule.

In 2020, M. Nageswara Rao, a senior IPS officer, criticized this whitewashing of history under Azad’s leadership. He argued that there was a concerted effort to diminish the contributions and civilization of Hindus by promoting a narrative that celebrated Islamic rule at the expense of India’s ancient cultural heritage. Rao noted that during Azad’s tenure, history was rewritten to serve a political agenda — one that sidelined the rich traditions of Hindu civilization while simultaneously glorifying the medieval Muslim invaders.

Azad’s Legacy In Education System

Maulana Azad’s legacy as the Education Minister has been widely debated. His policies shaped the education system for decades, but they also entrenched a narrative that minimized the hardships faced by Hindus during Islamic rule. The deliberate omission of historical facts and the glorification of the Mughal period under Azad’s watch left many wondering about his true motivations. Was Azad truly working in the best interests of Indian education, or was his tenure part of a larger effort to appease the Muslim community and reinforce Islamic solidarity in the country?

Furthermore, his leadership in crafting a curriculum that ignored the atrocities committed by the Mughal rulers has been criticized for promoting a form of historical amnesia. Many argue that his bias toward Islam was influenced by his own religious background. Born into a prominent Islamic family, Azad’s upbringing and education were rooted in traditional Islamic teachings. His father, Maulana Khairuddin, was a well-respected scholar and a strong proponent of preserving Islamic traditions, which perhaps influenced Azad’s worldview as he rose to power.

The Historical Blind Spot: Mughal Tyranny

Azad’s personal history and familial background reveal why he may have been reluctant to portray the Mughal Empire in a negative light. Raised in Mecca and Medina, Azad’s education was deeply influenced by Islamic teachings. His father, who was committed to Islam, did not prioritize English or modern education for his children. Instead, Azad was immersed in religious studies, focusing on the Quran, Hadith, and other Islamic texts.

Given this, it’s not surprising that Azad, upon becoming India’s Education Minister, made efforts to downplay the violent and tyrannical actions of historical Islamic rulers. Under his leadership, the narratives of rulers like Akbar were polished, while the history of Tipu Sultan and Alauddin Khilji, who were responsible for significant atrocities against Hindus, was either softened or omitted altogether.

This skewed portrayal of history has led to debates about the educational system’s integrity, as it failed to educate students about the true nature of Islamic conquests. The focus on Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (the idea of Hindu-Muslim unity) has often masked the brutal realities of the past. While it’s crucial to acknowledge the diversity and pluralism of India, glossing over the violent aspects of history does a disservice to the country’s students, who deserve to learn the full truth about their history.

The Question Of Azad’s Appointment

Despite his background and ideological leanings, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was appointed as India’s Education Minister, a position in which he held significant influence over the country’s educational policies for over two decades. The question arises: On what basis was he chosen for this critical role? Was it because of his educational expertise or due to his ability to serve as a symbol of Muslim leadership in a newly independent, secular India? Azad’s tenure, which saw the whitewashing of India’s history, raises important questions about the motivations behind his appointment and the legacy he left in Indian education.

Today, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad is hailed by some as a secular icon and a champion of Indian nationalism. However, his contributions to the education system have been far from neutral. By promoting a version of history that overlooked the atrocities committed by Mughal emperors and other Islamic invaders, Azad’s legacy has been questioned. The glorification of Islamic rulers and the erasure of their crimes from history textbooks may have been part of an effort to appease a certain section of society, but it has left a lasting impact on the way history is taught in India.

(With inputs from OpIndia)

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