When and Where
In 1857-1858, in India, armed uprisings broke out. Many Muslims took part in an effort to rid India of the British invaders.
Why
Indian sepoys (soldiers in the British East India Company), both Muslim and Hindu, were upset when pig and beef fat was to be used on the rifle cartridges that they bit open for the gunpowder. Also, the British started forcing them to accept Christianity.
Thana Bhawan
Fighting raged in many towns. In Thana Bhawan Ulama of the future Darul Uloom Deoband appointed Haaji Imdaadullah as Ameer and declared Jihad. In May 1857 Battle of Shamli took place between them and the British.
What Happened
Muslims pledged allegiance to the last Moghul Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Muslims captured several towns. But eventually the British started winning. They went towards Delhi hanging numerous civilians and Ulama along the way. All villages beside the Grand Trunk Road were burned, and their inhabitants hanged. They looted Delhi killing many civilians. Artillery was set up in the main mosque and the neighbourhoods within range were bombarded including Muslim homes. Bahadur Shah’s 3 sons were murdered and their heads presented to their father. The end of the war in 1858 was followed by the execution of a large numbers of civilians by the British. Bahadur Shah was exiled to Burma where he died in 1862, bringing the Muslim Mughal dynasty to an end.
INDIAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
