Sir Muhammad Azizul Haque, KCSI, CIE (27 November 1892 – 23 March 1947), also known as Muhammad Azizul Huq or Mohammad Azizul Huque, was a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

lawyer, writer, educator and public servant. He studied at Presidency College and University Law College in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

. He worked to better the condition of Muslim people, primarily in the rural farmlands. This led him to work with Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Haque, Sir Abdulla Suhrawardy, Sir Salimullah and

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

. He remained friends with many throughout his life. He served, from 1926, on the

Bengal Legislative Council The Bengal Legislative Council ( was the legislative council of Bengal Presidency. It was the legislature of the Bengal Presidency during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After reforms were adopted in 1937, it served as the upper house of ...

, as Education minister for Bengal (1934–1937), as the speaker of the

Bengal Legislative Assembly The Bengal Legislative Assembly () was the largest legislatures of British India, legislature in British India, serving as the lower chamber of the legislature of Bengal Presidency, Bengal (now Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal). It ...

(1937–1942), as the vice-chancellor of Calcutta University (1938–1942), as the High Commissioner for India in the United Kingdom (December 1941 – May 1943), and as the member in charge, on the

Viceroy's Executive Council The Viceroy's Executive Council, formerly known as Council of Four and officially known as the Council of the Governor-General of India (since 1858), was an advisory body and cabinet of the Governor-General of India, also known as Viceroy. It exis ...

, of the Department of Commerce, Food, Industries and Civil supplies (May 1943 – 1945).

Early life and education

Azizul Haque was born on 27 November 1892, to a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

family in

Shantipur Shantipur is a city and a municipality in the Ranaghat subdivision of Nadia district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. The fort area of this city, also known as Daak-Garh (calling or gathering room) is thought ...

, located in the

Nadia district Nadia () is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. It borders Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Purba Bardhaman to the west, and Murshidabad to the north. Nadia district is highly influe ...

of the erstwhile

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

. His father,

Mohammad Mozammel Huq Mohammad Mozammel Huq (Bengali language, Bengali: মোহাম্মদ মোজাম্মেল হক; 1860–1933) was a Bengali language, Bengali-language poet, novelist, magistrate and educationist. His writings were said to have bee ...

, is a renowned Bengali poet and author. His grandfather, Nasiruddin Ahmad, and paternal family were originally from the village of Baweegachi, not far from Shantipur town. Haque studied at the Shantipur Muslim School, and passed his matriculation in 1907. He graduated from the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

initially with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

, and later a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree.

Career

He started his career with a government job in 1914, and found employment as a Deputy Magistrate. The following year, he became a lawyer at the Judge Court in

Krishnanagar, Nadia Krishnanagar (; ) is a city and a municipality. in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Nadia district. History Krishnanagar municipality was established in 1864 and is one of the oldest municipalities in Bengal. It is ...

. Not long after, he was appointed as the Public Prosecutor of the District of Nadia. In 1926, he became the vice-chairman of the Nadia District Board. In 1928, he was made a fellow of the University of Calcutta and member of the Dacca University Court. He published an article titled ''A Plea for Separate Electorate in Bengal'' in protest to the

Nehru Report The Nehru Report of 1928 was a memorandum by All Parties Conference in British India to appeal for a new dominion status and a federal set-up of government for the constitution of India. It also proposed for the Joint Electorates with reservation ...

of 1931. In the same year, he was nominated as a member of the Indian Franchise Commission. He became a member of the Bengal Banking Enquiry Commission, Bengal Retrenchment Committee and Bengal Board of Economic Enquiry in 1932. Haque has also been a part of the Railway Advisory Committee and worked with the Public Accounts Committee of the

. He later became the vice-president of the Bengal Board of Industries. In 1933, Haque became the chairman of the Krishnanagar Municipality. He left the District Board in 1934, as he had then become a member of the Bengal Legislative Council and the Minister of Education in Bengal. It was Haque that was the first to introduce Free Universal Primary Education Bill. Among his other activities were the establishment of new schools, and better administration of schools in both urban and rural areas. He was also responsible for the registration and

waqf A (; , plural ), also called a (, plural or ), or ''mortmain'' property, is an Alienation (property law), inalienable charitable financial endowment, endowment under Sharia, Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot ...

as a minister, as well as distribution of food. He also played a role in changing the medium of education from only English to Bengali. Following the 1937 legislative elections, Haque became a member of the

, and also served as its Speaker for the first five years. Haque became the second Muslim to be appointed as the

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

of the

in 1938. He was appointed again in 1940, thus serving as vice-chancellor for two terms, ending in 1942. His contributions included the introduction of a new

Islamic studies Islamic studies is the academic study of Islam, which is analogous to related fields such as Jewish studies and Quranic studies. Islamic studies seeks to understand the past and the potential future of the Islamic world. In this multidiscipli ...

curriculum and the establishment of the School of Islamic History and Culture. Haque worked with the Kamal Yar Jung Education Committee, and began researching about issues pertaining to Muslim education across the British Raj from 1939 to 1941. His report presented a comprehensive educational plan that would support the cultures of the Muslims. He was appointed as the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom in December 1941. He returned to Bengal in May 1943 and became a member of the Governor-General's Executive Council, first under

Lord Linlithgow Marquess of Linlithgow, in the County of Linlithgow or West Lothian, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 October 1902 for John Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun. The current holder of the title is Adrian Hope. Thi ...

and then under Lord Wavell. He was responsible for the departments of commerce, industries, civil supplies and food. He was later given the responsibility of the textiles office of the supplies department.

Awards and recognition

Order of the Indian Empire Certificate of Sir Azizul Haque

On 4 April 1938, the Azizul Haque College in

Bogra Bogra (), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, officially Bogura, is a city located in Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The city is a major commercial hub in North Bengal, Northern Bangladesh. It is the second largest city in te ...

was established in his name by Khan Bahadur Muhammad Ali and Moulvi Abdus Sattar. The

has awarded him with a

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

. Haque was conferred the title of '' Khan Bahadur'' by the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, appointed a CIE in 1937 knighted in the 1941 New Year Honours List, and appointed a KCSI in the

1946 Birthday Honours The 1946 King's Birthday Honours, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 13 June 1946 for the United Kingdom and British Empire. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new ...

List. He subsequently renounced his British honours in protest against the government, on 16 August 1946.

Death

He died due to brain haemorrhage at his residence in

on 23 March 1947.

Major works

Haque's literary works include: # ''History and Problems of Moslem Education in Bengal'' (1917) # ''Education and Retrenchment'' (1924) # '' The Man behind the Plough'' (1939) # ''The Sword of the Crescent Moon'' # ''Cultural Contributions of Islam to Indian History'' # ''A Plea for Separate Electorate in Bengal'' (1931)

References

External links

* ''The Islamic Review'', Surrey, England, p. 331 (Oct. 194

* ''The Islamic Review'', Surrey, England, p. 411 (Dec. 194

* ''The Islamic Review'', Surrey, England, p. 16 (Nov. 1949

Azizul Haque
in Banglapedia * Rabindranath Tagore's letter to Sir Azizul Haqu

* Bengal Legislative Assembly Lis

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haque, Azizul 1947 deaths 1892 births Bengali writers Bengali educators Scholars from West Bengal 20th-century Indian lawyers Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian Knights Bachelor Bengali knights High commissioners of India to the United Kingdom People from Nadia district Presidency University, Kolkata alumni Shantipur University of Calcutta alumni Vice-chancellors of the University of Calcutta 20th-century Indian educators Krishak Sramik Party politicians Members of the Council of the Governor General of India Bengal MLAs 1937–1945 20th-century Bengalis Bengali Muslims Indian Sunni Muslims Education ministers of Bengal