From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (also known as Bacha Khan) (1890 - January
20, 1988) was a
Pathan
political and spiritual leader known for his nonviolent opposition to British
rule during the final years of the Empire on the Indian sub-continent. Few
individuals of greatness are as little known to the Western World as this
lifelong pacifist.
Ghaffar Khan was a Pathan (or Pushtun) and was educated in a small school run
by Christian missionaries. A devout Muslim for his entire life, his
childhood was in sharp contrast to his contemporaries. Education as a means of
social advancement remained a dominant theme throughout his life.
Ghaffar Khan’s goal was a united, independent, secular India. To achieve that end, he
founded the Khudai Khidmatgar (“Servants of God”) during the 1920s. The Khudai Khidmatgar was
based on a belief in the power of complete non-violence. Its members
vowed: “I shall never use violence. I shall not retaliate or take revenge, and
shall forgive anyone who indulges in oppression and excesses against me.” Also
known as the “Red Shirts”, the organization recruited over 100,000 members and
became legendary in opposing (and dying) at the hands of the British controlled
police and army. Through strikes, political organization and nonviolent
opposition, the Khudai Khidmatgar was able to achieve some temporary success and
came to dominate the politics of the North West
Frontier Province (now a part of Pakistan) from 1930 until 1947.
Although Ghaffar Khan was a champion of woman’s rights and nonviolence, he
became a hero in a society dominated by violence and machismo. Notwithstanding
his liberal views, his unswerving faith and obvious bravery led to his
recognition as the Badshah Khan – the “khan of khans”. Throughout his life, he
never lost faith with his non-violent methods or with the compatibility of Islam and nonviolence. He viewed his
struggle as a Jihad
with only the enemy holding swords.
Ghaffar Khan died in Peshawar in 1988 and was buried in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Although he had
been repeatedly imprisoned and persecuted, tens of thousands of mourners
attended his funeral. A cease fire was announced in the Afghan war to allow the
funeral to take place. He had been awarded the Bharat Ratna – India’s
highest civilian award – a year before his death.
