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Ali Brothers
Maulana Mohammad Ali Maulana Shaukat Ali
The Ali Brothers: Maulana Shaukat Ali and Maulana Mohammad Ali, were among the leading Indian Muslim political activists of their generation. They both attended Aligarh College and gained renown in the union debating society. Mohammad Ali studied at Oxford but failed to be selected for the Indian Civil Service. Both brothers entered government service.
Mohammad Ali frequently wrote articles for the cause of Aligarh University and Muslim involvement in national politics. In 1911, he started his famous English weekly , Comrade, and a year later an Urdu journal, Hamdard.
The Ali brothers became firm opponents of British rule under the combined shock of the Balkan wars, and British refusal of university status to Aligarh College in 1913. They were interned for four years during World War I for their pro-Turkish activities. Released in 1919, they led the Khilafat Movement but were again imprisoned in 1921.
In 1923, Mohammad Ali served as president of the Indian National Congress. After giving a soul-stirring speech at the First Roundtable Conference in 1930, he died in London, and as he said "Give me freedom or give me my grave" he did not wish to return to India which was unfree and was buried in Jerusalem.
