Paper short abstract:

My paper looks at a Christian convert from Shia Islam and traces issues of identity and belonging in late colonial North India through his Urdu writings.

Paper long abstract:

Even though Muslim high-caste converts to Christianity remained an exception throughout British colonial rule in India, they played an important role in spreading their newly adopted faith. However, the position of converts within their community of choice was often ambivalent and marked by tensions.

In my paper, I will look at the life and work of a convert from Shia Islam, Barakat Ullah (1891-1972). After his baptism in 1907, he became associated with the Anglican Church Missionary Society and remained in their service for more than fourty years. During his life time, he authored more than fifty books and pamphlets in Urdu. In his writings, Barakat Ullah focused on Christian apologetics and polemic attacks against Islamic teachings. Despite his association with the CMS, he also appeared as a sharp critic of foreign missions in India. Barakat Ullah felt closely connected to other Muslim converts in the Christian community whom he regarded as the leadership elite of India's indigenous church.

Another narrative that resurfaces repeatedly in his writings is the struggle to reconcile different identities: after having left his community of birth, Barakat Ullah assumed an uncomfortable position within the nascent North Indian church. His negotiation of sometimes contradicting identities exemplifies the complexity of conversion as a religious, social, and cultural phenomenon which touches upon questions of identity and belonging in early twentieth century India.