Muslim Nationalism Essay

In the twentieth- century Muslim leaders in South Asia along with North Africa defined nationalism in different ways in their countries. Documents 3 and 4 demonstrate the path of looking for power and gaining power through nationalism. Documents 1 and 2 show how South Asia and Northern Africa tried solving problems and gaining more education through nationalistic beliefs. Lastly, documents 5 and 6 shows the Algerian motives to being nationalists. Muslim leaders used nationalism to gain power, solve internal problem, and gain more education. Using potential power as a motive for being nationalistic was an option. Muslims wanted to copy European ways in order to have more power and achieve independence(Doc 4). The Europeans had a strong army that went against many countries and won. For instance, the Muslims were witnesses of WW1. The Muslim states wanted to become as powerful as the Europeans, so they became nationalistic in order to do so. The Muslims in the Ottoman empire lasted through seeing the tactics and way of empowerment that the Europeans had. The Muslims from Egypt decided to mimic Europe while in India the leaders greatly dislikes the new people in power(Doc 3). Both Southern Asia and Northern Africa tried solving country issues and gain more education by basing themselves on a Nationalist state. In 1965 Egypt turned into a nationalist state in order to resolve conflicting associations within their people and land(Document 2). One of the main reasons Egypt used education as their excuse was to get closer to peace within their country. The level of rigor for education was boosted up to British levels education as a result of the Muslim look on Europe(Document 1). During 1880s Africa wanted to be unified and not have conflicts within and with other countries and regions. As seen in Document 5, Moufdi, a nationalistic, Algerian leader, believed in accepting people from other lands no matter where they were from. Algeria was religiously tolerant as well. As well as ,Ahmed Ben Bella, a military nationalist leader, spoke of how he wanted to point out the the contrasting relationship within Catholics and Muslims and not have it be a conflict anymore(Document 6). As a result of nationalism spreading throughout regions, Africa was being unified to be a more in sync continent. Muslim leaders used nationalism to gain power, solve internal problem, and gain more education. Places like South Asia and north Africa were growing internally and externally due to a change in nationalism. A helpful additional document could have been a letter from an opposing power to the nationalists and how the transformation of nations was affecting them.