{{Short description|Bengali politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}{{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = Khan Bahadur Nawab | name = Sirajul Islam | native_name = নবাব সিরাজুল ইসলাম | native_name_lang = bn | image = Nawab Sirajul Islam (1845-1923).jpg | office1 = Member of the Bengal Legislative Council | term_start1 = 1893 | term_end1 = 1902 | birth_date = 1845 | birth_place = Pearakandi, Tipperah district, Bengal Presidency | death_date = {{Death year and age|1923|1845}} | death_place = Calcutta, Bengal Province | relatives = | alma_mater = Dhaka College }} Nawab '''Sirajul Islam''' ({{langx|bn|সিরাজুল ইসলাম}}; 1845–1923)<ref name=":0" /> was a Bengali lawyer, activist and educational reformer.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Khan |first=Muhammad Mojlum |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-2s9BAAAQBAJ&dq=Nawab+Sirajul+Islam&pg=PA332 |title=The Muslim Heritage of Bengal: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of Great Muslim Scholars, Writers and Reformers of Bangladesh and West Bengal |date=2013-10-21 |publisher=Kube Publishing Ltd |isbn=978-1-84774-062-5 |pages=332 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Nilanjana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RrOpM9L5xMC&dq=Nawab+Sirajul+Islam&pg=PA129 |title=Calcutta Mosaic: Essays and Interviews on the Minority Communities of Calcutta |last2=Banerjee |first2=Himadri |last3=Mukherjee |first3=Sipra |date=2009 |publisher=Anthem Press |isbn=978-81-905835-5-8 |pages=129 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Rahim |first=Muhammad Abdur |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IUEMAAAAIAAJ&q=Nawab+Sirajul+Islam |title=The History of the University of Dacca |date=1981 |publisher=University of Dacca |pages=7 |language=en}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Sirajul Islam was born in 1845 to the Bengali Muslim Qazi family of Pearakandi in the Tipperah district of the Bengal Presidency (now Brahmanbaria District, Bangladesh). His father, Qazi Muhammad Kazem, served as a ''Ṣadr Amīn'' (revenue judicial officer) for the Company Raj. Sirajul Islam graduated from Dhaka College in 1867.<ref name=":0">{{Cite Banglapedia |author=Bhuiyan, Golam Kibria |article=Islam, Nawab Sirajul}}</ref>
== Career == Sirajul Islam began his career as the assistant headmaster of the Pogose School.<ref name=":0" />
He became a Calcutta High Court lawyer after completing his Bachelor of Law degree in 1873.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Taifoor |first=Syed Muhammed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=579HAAAAMAAJ&q=Nawab+Sirajul+Islam |title=Glimpses of Old Dhaka: A Short Historical Narration of East Bengal and Aassam [sic] with Special Treatment of Dhaka |date=1965 |publisher=S.M. Perwez |pages=34 |language=en}}</ref> In 1875, he was elected commissioner of the Calcutta Municipality. He became the assistant secretary of the Central National Muhamedan Association in 1885 and was made an honorary member of the Bengal Provincial Educational Conference.<ref name=":0" /> Sirajul Islam served as a member of the Bengal Legislative Council from 1893 to 1902. He was also nominated as a member of the syndicate body of the University of Calcutta.<ref name=":0" />
==Political views== Sirajul Islam was a supporter of Begum Rokeya and her campaign for the education of Muslim women.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Amin |first=S. N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VcAfpv6x0m4C&dq=Nawab+Sirajul+Islam&pg=PA158 |title=The World of Muslim Women in Colonial Bengal, 1876-1939 |date=1996 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-10642-0 |pages=158 |language=en}}</ref> He had initially opposed the 1905 Partition of Bengal and the establishment of the University of Dacca, but later changed his mind regarding both matters.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Musalman opinion on the proposed Dacca University |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u6YmAQAAIAAJ&q=Nawab+Sirajul+Islam |magazine=The Modern Review |date=1912 |pages=453 |language=en}}</ref>
==Honours== In 1887, the British Raj awarded him the title of Khan Bahadur.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gxdLAQAAMAAJ&q=Nawab+Sirajul+Islam |title=Who's who in India |date=1914 |publisher=Newul Kishore Press |pages=16 |language=en}}</ref> He was awarded the title of Nawab in 1911.<ref name=":0" />
== Death == He died in 1923 in Calcutta.<ref name=":0" /> His family collection was donated to the University of Dhaka Library.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8el5AAAAMAAJ&q=Nawab+Sirajul+Islam |title=The Independent Yearbook, Bangladesh |date=1998 |publisher=Beximco Media Limited |pages=80 |language=en}}</ref> Nawab Sirajul Islam Lane in Kolkata is named after him.
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirajul Islam}} Category:1845 births Category:1923 deaths Category:People from Nabinagar Upazila Category:Politicians from Chittagong Division Category:People from the Bengal Presidency Category:Lawyers in British India Category:Bengali lawyers Category:Bengali educators Category:Bengali activists Category:19th-century Bengali people Category:20th-century Bengali people Category:Bengali Muslims Category:Activists from West Bengal Category:Indian activists Category:Indian lawyers Category:Dhaka College alumni Category:Titular Nawabs of Bengal