Editing Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani (section)

== Jamaluddin and his plan to use the British for helping the Muslims, against Tsarist ==

The British was very uneasy about the cry of “Pan-Islamism”, which was very effective in India and elsewhere. The success of Sudanese Mehdi, culminating in his capture of Khartum, and the death of General Gardon in January 18, 1885, made it necessary for the British to contact Afghani.

As blunt in his “Gardon at Khartum” explains Jamaluddin’s activity in regard to affairs of Mehdi and problems of Afghanistan, which lead to a series of maneuvers at this period.

The British first offered Jamaluddin to be the ruler of Sudan, in order to get rid of Mehdi, and to end the anti British activity o Afghani. Jamaluddin, knowing, the purpose of these maneuvers, in one of his meetings with Randolf Churchall, when he made the offer to him, to be the ruler of Sudan, Afghani smiled and said: “May I ask the honourable Lordship, since when the British became the owner of Sudan? Sudan belongs to the Sudanese! They are the only people who can choose their ruler”. Churchall got the point and did not raise the question again. At the time of Lord “Salisbury”, Randolf Churchall was minister for Indian affairs, and Drummand Wolff was responsible for Egyptian and Sudanese affairs. When Afghani as in contact with them in London, meanwhile he was, also in touch with Sultan Abdul Hamid through Ismael Jawdat.

Drummand Wolff, unlike Churchall and Blunt, was a typical British colonial diplomat, taking into account only his own interest. He was not sincere during negotiation with Afghani. Randolf Churchill came to see Afghani when he arrived from Paris at the home of Mr. Blunt. They spoke about the British policy in the East, Afghani as it was his habit explained with great clarity the weaknesses of British policy in Asia, he also expressed his views in regard to Egypt and the Mehdi.

Wolff also met Afghani and after discussing the affairs of Sudan and Egypt, he promised Afghani to go together to Istanbul and raise all these questions with Sultan to see also if Sultan, agree with the plan of unity between Afghanistan, Ottoman, Iran and Britain. While all the arrangement was made for this trip, Wolff left alone without taking Jamaluddin with him to Istanbul. This made Afghani very disappointed and Blunt in his “diary” holds, Wolf, responsible for the failure of his mission and concludes, that this failure was mainly for not taking Afghani with him.

Anyhow, neither the British, nor Afghani, achieved what they wanted from each other, during the negotiation of Paris and London (1884-1885). Once again Afghani lost hope, for the support of the British for people of the East.

Jamaluddin while in London encouraged the British to declare war on Tsarist Russia, and to get a Muslim Jehad in favor of the British,

When he failed to achieve this aim, in 1887 he asked the same thing from Tsarist Russia to declare war on the British. Afghani knew well, since, Muslims and Asians cannot, match the military and economic power of Europeans, he wanted to get the support of the British or Tsarist Russia in order to fight the colonial powers. In later years Chandra Bose the Congress leader of India during the Second World War like Afghani wanted to push the British out of India by the help of Janpanese. When Afghani was unable to get the help of the British he wanted to approach the Russians.