Nawab Sirajul Islam

Khan Bahadur Nawab
Sirajul Islam
নবাব সিরাজুল ইসলাম
Member of the Bengal Legislative Council
In office
1893–1902
Personal details
Born1845
Pearakandi, Tipperah district, Bengal Presidency
Died1923 (aged 77–78)
Calcutta, Bengal Province
Alma materDhaka College

Nawab Sirajul Islam (Bengali: সিরাজুল ইসলাম; 1845–1923)[1] was a Bengali lawyer, activist and educational reformer.[2][3][4]

Early life and education

Sirajul Islam was born in 1845 to the Bengali Muslim Qazi family of Pearakandi in the Tipperah district of the Bengal Presidency (now Brahmanbaria District, Bangladesh). His father, Qazi Muhammad Kazem, served as a Ṣadr Amīn (revenue judicial officer) for the Company Raj. Sirajul Islam graduated from Dhaka College in 1867.[1]

Career

Sirajul Islam began his career as the assistant headmaster of the Pogose School.[1]

He became a Calcutta High Court lawyer after completing his Bachelor of Law degree in 1873.[1][5] In 1875, he was elected commissioner of the Calcutta Municipality. He became the assistant secretary of the Central National Muhamedan Association in 1885 and was made an honorary member of the Bengal Provincial Educational Conference.[1] Sirajul Islam served as a member of the Bengal Legislative Council from 1893 to 1902. He was also nominated as a member of the syndicate body of the University of Calcutta.[1]

Political views

Sirajul Islam was a supporter of Begum Rokeya and her campaign for the education of Muslim women.[6] He had initially opposed the 1905 Partition of Bengal and the establishment of the University of Dacca, but later changed his mind regarding both matters.[7]

Honours

In 1887, the British Raj awarded him the title of Khan Bahadur.[1][8] He was awarded the title of Nawab in 1911.[1]

Death

He died in 1923 in Calcutta.[1] His family collection was donated to the University of Dhaka Library.[9] Nawab Sirajul Islam Lane in Kolkata is named after him.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bhuiyan, Golam Kibria (2012). "Islam, Nawab Sirajul". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  2. ^ Khan, Muhammad Mojlum (21 October 2013). The Muslim Heritage of Bengal: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of Great Muslim Scholars, Writers and Reformers of Bangladesh and West Bengal. Kube Publishing Ltd. p. 332. ISBN 978-1-84774-062-5.
  3. ^ Gupta, Nilanjana; Banerjee, Himadri; Mukherjee, Sipra (2009). Calcutta Mosaic: Essays and Interviews on the Minority Communities of Calcutta. Anthem Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-81-905835-5-8.
  4. ^ Rahim, Muhammad Abdur (1981). The History of the University of Dacca. University of Dacca. p. 7.
  5. ^ Taifoor, Syed Muhammed (1965). Glimpses of Old Dhaka: A Short Historical Narration of East Bengal and Aassam [sic] with Special Treatment of Dhaka. S.M. Perwez. p. 34.
  6. ^ Amin, S. N. (1996). The World of Muslim Women in Colonial Bengal, 1876-1939. BRILL. p. 158. ISBN 978-90-04-10642-0.
  7. ^ "Musalman opinion on the proposed Dacca University". The Modern Review. 1912. p. 453.
  8. ^ Who's who in India. Newul Kishore Press. 1914. p. 16.
  9. ^ The Independent Yearbook, Bangladesh. Beximco Media Limited. 1998. p. 80.