"I grew up learning from my family and the Khaksars about the role of Allama Mashriqi, Mahatma Gandhi, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and other leaders in the freedom movement of the Indian sub-continent. And I have dedicated the last seventeen years to research on this topic. In this book, I seek to share this knowledge with the world. My goal is to help unite the human race, a vision inspired from the ideals of my beloved grandfather, Allama Mashriqi."
- Scholar and Historian Nasim Yousaf
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In August of 1947, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and others who had lived together peacefully for centuries were torn apart when a united India was divided into Pakistan and India on the basis of the Two-Nation Theory. This partition led to enormous tragedy, as communal riots escalated, families were separated, innocent victims were murdered and females raped. In the years following partition, Pakistan and India fought wars over Kashmir and become nuclear-armed states. Furthermore, hostility between the two countries contributed to terrorism, poverty and constant instability in the region, a situation that persists to this day. All of this could have been avoided had there been an alliance between two prominent leaders of the time: Allama Mashriqi and Mahatma Gandhi.
Allama Mashriqi and Mahatma Gandhi shared many similarities - both men left their professions behind and dedicated their lives to liberating India from British rule. Both adopted a life of simplicity and began their grassroots campaigns in the streets and villages of the country. Both were nominated for the Nobel Prize (Mashriqi for his monumental work, Tazkirah, and Gandhi for his non-violence) and shared a common objective of achieving independence for the nation. Yet despite all their similarities, they could not reach agreement on Mashriqi's "The Constitution of Free India, 1946 A.C." nor were they able to work together to achieve a united, independent India. Why? The answers are contained in this book.
In "Mahatma Gandhi and My Grandfather, Allama Mashriqi," Mr. Yousaf brings together nearly 17 years of exhaustive research of historical documents as well as firsthand knowledge and insights gained from Allama Mashriqi's wife, sons, daughters, and the Khaksars, who were part of the freedom movement and witnessed the division of India. He takes the reader through a riveting journey as he brings to light a fresh new analysis of the freedom of British India.