Radically Nonviolent Islam? Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his Muslim Army of Peace
Kelly Allen Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) continues to make headlines as it is racked by tribal conflict, Taliban training operations, and ongoing U.S. military action. This corner of the world is often associated with radical Islam, global jihad, a disregard for the rights of women, and lack of education for children. In the current context, is it possible to imagine there was once a nonviolent Muslim army of 100,000 men and women from the NWFP? An army that promoted social reform and education among its people? An army which faced armed British soldiers with hands devoid of weapons and risked imprisonment and death to end the British occupation of their land?
There was such an army, and it was led by Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890-1988). During his lifetime he became known affectionately as "Badshah" (king) Khan. His commitment to nonviolence—a commitment rooted in Islam—predated his connection with the most famous proponent of nonviolence in the world: Mahatma Gandhi. He is little known today even in Pakistan, where he was labeled a traitor to country and faith because he advocated for a united India. He was treated as harshly by the Pakistani government after independence as he was by the British who imprisoned and attempted to silence him, and Pakistan's official histories do not mention his name. His nonviolent army, along with the millions who joined Mahatma Gandhi in the movement known as satyagraha (soul force), succeeded in expelling the most powerful empire the world had ever known.
Early Influences
Khan was born into a prominent Pashtun family in the Northwest Frontier Province of what was then colonial India. Pashtuns (also known as Pakhtuns and Pathans) are an ethnic group that originates from eastern Iran and make up the majority of the population of eastern Afghanistan and large portions of Pakistan. Their ancestors became Muslims during the Prophet Muhammad's lifetime, and they are well known for their intense commitment to a traditional code of honor called Pukhtunwali. This "highly distinctive code of ethics and behavior, dates back more than a thousand years."[1] This code, heavily embedded in a clan and lineage society, draws on Islamic law and practice while embodying "a hierarchical ideology which looks very similar to the caste system in India."[2] Along with strict practices of hospitality and the use of jirga, or local councils of elders, honor has long been maintained through a tradition of blood revenge—a tradition that has made the Pashtun people legendary. They have fought the British, the Soviets, and other occupying forces with ferocity.
Ghaffar Khan was born into this culture of blood revenge, under the heavy handed rule of the local British commissioners and the expansive reach of Queen Victoria's Pax Britannica. His father was a wealthy landowner and village chief in the NWFP. Khan inherited a deep Muslim religiosity from both parents. His mother spent long periods of time in prayer. His father, a wealthy landowner and local community leader known for his great hospitality, demonstrated resistance to the extremes of the Pashtun code of honor; he showed tolerance and encouraged reconciliation in his community rather than blood revenge.[3]
Though the Pashtuns had a violent history, British imperial policy deepened divisions among the Pashtun people. The British colonial rulers discouraged education for the Pashtuns and the children had little formal training. In addition, families were influenced by local mullahs who decried education. These factors moved the Pashtuns deeper into illiteracy and ignorance.
Khan has been dubbed the "Muslim St. Francis" because he responded to a call from God, renounced his family's wealth and position and, as a young adult, became an itinerant advocate of social reform, education, and political freedom among the tribes of the NWFP. The concept of British social reform influenced Khan's thinking. Ironically, he was later imprisoned by the British authorities for "spreading education among impoverished and illiterate people."[4] He built his first school in 1910 (at age 20) and was to build many more.[5] Though both British colonial representatives and Pashtun leaders were sometimes skeptical and hostile, Khan was welcomed affectionately in local villages. He traveled on foot with his message of encouragement, transformation, and peace—all based firmly in his faith in God and the words of the Prophet in the Qur'an. In his 1969 autobiography, Khan wrote, "Islam is amal, yakeen, muhabat [work, faith, and love]."[6] During his early life, Khan was influenced by new progressive Muslim publications (such as Zamindar and Al-Hilal) that circulated through the region.[6]
A Nonviolent Army
A small group of young people responded to Khan's call for social reform and served as the catalyst for Khan's dream to create a nonviolent Pashtun army, called the Khudai Khidmatgars (KKs), or "the Servants of God," for the purposes of the "social uplift" of the Pashtun people. Khan formed the KK movement in 1929.[8] Because the social uplift of the people was inextricably linked with the need to control of their own political destiny, this army became a movement of political resistance to British rule as well. Though many expressed surprise that a Muslim would subscribe to nonviolence, Ghaffar Khan called nonviolence the "weapon of the Prophet."[9] He argued that it was central to the Prophet Muhammad's approach in Mecca 1400 years previous.
To recruit, train, and develop the "Servants of God," Khan set up training camps throughout the Northwest Frontier Province. In the camps, groups of up to 800 Pashtun men and women had religious instruction, physical fitness training, and political education.[10] Each member of the Khudai Khidmatgars took the following oath, quoted in D. Tendulkar's 1967 biography of Ghaffar Khan:
I am a servant of God, and as God needs no service, but serving his creation is serving him, I promise to serve humanity in the name of God.
I promise to refrain from violence and from taking revenge.
I promise to forgive those who oppress me or treat me with cruelty.
I promise to refrain from taking part in feuds and quarrels and from creating enmity.
I promise to treat every Pathan [Pashtun] as my brother and friend.
I promise to refrain from antisocial customs and practices.
I promise to live a simple life, to practice virtue and to refrain from evil.
I promise to practice good manners and good behavior and not to lead a life of idleness.
I promise to devote at least two hours a day to social work. I shall expect no reward for my services.
I shall be fearless and be prepared for any sacrifice.[11]
After taking this oath and being trained, KK members went into local communities to build schools, work on development projects, promote hygiene and sanitation, and be an active, peaceful presence in public meetings.[12]
Khan met Gandhi in 1928. The two men became great friends and partners in a movement to nonviolently remove the British and bring independence to India. Gandhi helped Khan deepen and expand his understanding of nonviolence—it was not just as a tool for resistance but a complete way of life. Their relationship demonstrated the possibility of unity and cooperation between Hindus and Muslims at a time of growing tension. For example, in 1946 when Hindus in Peshawar were threatened by Muslims in response to violence between Hindus and Muslims in the Punjab, Ghaffar Khan sent a KK regiment of 10,000 into Peshawar to protect the Hindu and Sikh minorities, thus restoring peace to the city.[13] Khan and Gandhi traveled many places together. At events they spoke and prayed alongside one another.
Khan and Gandhi both opposed the creation of Pakistan, which was to be a Muslim state. They believed unity among people of all faiths in one nation was possible and preferable. Khan asked the KKs to boycott the referendum on whether the NWFP would join the soon-to-be-established Pakistan, and they did by the tens of thousands.[14] This political and religious belief in the possibility of maintaining a unified India after independence, along with his commitment to nonviolence and ongoing efforts to promote human rights in the new country of Pakistan, led to Khan's persecution, imprisonment for years at a time, and house arrest by the Pakistani government after independence. He spent the years 1964-1971 in voluntary exile in Afghanistan, in the company of many other Pashtuns who had fled across the border in response to persecution by the Pakistani government.[15]
Khan spent over 15 years in British jails in India during his lifetime, often in solitary confinement and usually without a trial.[16] The KKs faced intense repression from the colonial leadership; on several occasions the British military fired on unarmed gatherings of the KKs and conducted mass killings. Not once did a member of the Servants of God use a weapon in response.
"Badshah" Khan died on January 20, 1988 at the age of 98 in Peshawar, Pakistan. Twenty thousand mourners walked 70 miles over the Khyber Pass, accompanying his coffin to his home in Jalalabad, Afghanistan[17] where he was buried. A ceasefire was declared in the Soviet-Afghan war to allow for the safe passage of mourners.[18]
Khan's Legacy
This faithful, courageous man who was committed to humanity and peace has slipped into obscurity. Yet Abdul Ghaffar Khan's example has much to offer our world today. First, he is a great spiritual mentor for people of faith. He held strongly and deeply to his own tradition while showing honor and appreciation for others. He gained strength, hope, and encouragement through prayer and meditation. The oath that he and the Servants of God took is a great testimony to faith in action.
Second, Khan's movement, along with that of Gandhi, is an example of the power of nonviolence. Khan's creation of the KK army provided the opportunity for people to participate in a peace movement that could be just as compelling as war, a movement that would require as much courage, camaraderie, and passion.
A third reason Khan's example is relevant today is because his nonviolent army is a potent challenge to the prevailing view that Islam is inherently a violent faith. Khan's primary teaching text was the Qur'an, and his model of faith was the Prophet Muhammad. In his writings, Khan emphasizes sayings of the Prophet Muhammad such as: "That man is a Muslim who never hurts anyone by word or deed, but who works for the benefit and happiness of God's creatures. Belief in God is to love one's fellowmen."[19] For Khan, the essence of the Qur'an could be summed up in this way: "The Koran makes it absolutely clear that faith in One God without a second, and good works, are enough to secure a man his salvation."[20] His beliefs and actions demonstrate Islam's potential for peace-building.
Finally, Abdul Ghaffar Khan and the Khudai Khidmatgars offer an extraordinary model for political and social activism. Khan's movement had strength and integrity from the beginning because he led by example. He owned little, he prayed a lot, and he expected no sacrifice from others that he was not willing to make himself. He began by focusing on the people at the bottom and on the outside and worked to empower them and to convince them that they could improve their own lives. By asking the KK members to commit to two hours of social service every day, he sent two powerful messages to the people: that the British were not the only force that was keeping the Pashtuns impoverished, uneducated, and embroiled in violence, and that changing themselves was the starting point for changing their situation of oppression. Being empowered to serve others meant they no longer needed to be victims. Their political activism—built on this foundation of social service—allowed them to participate in the overturning of British rule in their land.
Unfortunately, the phrase "radical Islam" is associated with the intentional slaughter of innocent human beings. This association means that a deeply rooted commitment to Islam is viewed as contrary to a spirit of reconciliation and peace. Could lifting up Abdul Ghaffar Khan as a spiritual mentor, passionate peacemaker, and humble servant of God help reshape our ideas of what "radical Islam" truly is?
[1] M. Banerjee. The Pathan Unarmed. (Oxford: James Currey, 2000), 29.
[2] Ibid 29.
[3] E. Easwaran. Nonviolent Soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan, A Man to Match His Mountains. (Tomales, California: Nilgiri Press, 1984), 41.
[4] Ibid 84.
[5] Ibid 64.
[6] Ibid 63.
[6] Ibid 67.
[8] Ibid 255.
[9] R. Johansen. "Radical Islam and Nonviolence: A Case Study of Religious Empowerment and Constraint among Pashtuns." Journal of Peace Research, 34(1): 60. <http://jpr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/34/1/53>
[10] D. Lynch. "Structure, chance and choice." 2005.
[11] Tendulkar, 1967, cited in Johansen 59.
[12] Johansen 59.
[13] Easwaran 175.
[14] Banerjee 1.
[15] Easwaran 260.
[16] Johansen 62
[17] Easwaran 262.
[18] Banerjee 2.
[19] Easwaran 55.
[20] Ibid 63.