COLONIAL ENCOUNTER AND ISLAMIZATION THROUGH LEGISLATURE IN THE NORTH WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE 1932-37

Abstract

This study focuses on the evolution and development of Islamic laws under the English legal system by investigating the various Shar­­i’a­­­­­­­­­h bills in the first legislative council in British NWFP (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). It will analyze the British parliamentary system, their democratic standards and role of various stake holders in the pre-independent era from 1932 to 1937.  This province was kept aloof from the constitutional reforms and it was administered through special laws under (Rewaj). Shari’ah laws and British implemented (Rewaj) had unpredictable features for the Muslims of frontier. Ulama role, British democratic way and other communities had key role in this regard that contributed in legislative council. The study finds that Shari’ah laws were the product of the interaction, cooperation and pluralistic approach of the various stake holders. It is very important to conduct a research on the challenge of colonial encounter on one side, and response of the British administration for Shari’ah laws on the other side. The legislative members were not from ulama’s class, the British were not to emphasize on Shari’ah laws. However, this alliance of ideologically inconsistent groups could not be predictable unless there is a mutual agreement. In this study, that mutual agreement and cooperation will be studied. The study will help in finding the historical roots of the process of socio-political discourse of Islamization of laws in the modern times and the parliamentary politics with special reference to ulama within the time frame work of the legislative council 1932-1937. The research will be conducted by using historical and analytical methods and the main sources will be consulted from the archival materials as legislative council debates and police abstracts of Intelligence of British N.WF.P.