Which Reformer does the following passage relate to ? t£He insisted on the cooperation of the Muslims with the British Government and looked at all political movements with distrust. Thus, when the Indian National Congress was formed, he opposed it. He regarded education and education alone as the means of national progress. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

The passage describes Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, a prominent Muslim reformer who founded the Aligarh Movement. He was a loyalist member of the British judicial service and later the Imperial Legislative Council [1]. Sir Syed believed that the progress of the Muslim community depended solely on modern education and official patronage rather than political agitation [4]. Consequently, he viewed the Indian National Congress with distrust, projecting it as a representative body of only Hindus and exhorting Muslims to stay away from it to avoid unfavorable reactions from the British rulers [3]. He emphasized the use of English and Western sciences, founding the Scientific Society and the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College to facilitate this educational transition [4]. His opposition to the Congress was rooted in the belief that Muslims needed to catch up educationally before engaging in politics [2].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 9: A General Survey of Socio-Cultural Reform Movements > Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and the Aligarh Movement > p. 230
2. [4] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 19: Towards Modernity > Aligarh Movement (1875) > p. 304
3. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 24: Post-War National Scenario > British Policy of Divide and Rule > p. 482
4. [3] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 6: Communalism in Nationalist Politics > e) Role of Syed Ahmed Khan > p. 75