Oxford Majlis
The Oxford University Majlis Asia Society, also known as the Oxford Majlis, is a South Asian cultural and debating society in Oxford, England. Founded in 1896, the society became an intellectual, social and practical hub for anti-colonial thinking and action alongside its counterparts in Cambridge and London. It is the second oldest student society in Oxford, the oldest being the Oxford Union, and has a long and extensive tradition of hosting important leaders, both from South Asia and otherwise.
Former members and Presidents include Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Manmohan Singh, Solomon Bandaranaike, M. C. Chagla, Liaquat Ali Khan, Rabindranath Tagore, Govinda Krishna Chettur, K.P.S. Menon, Mohammad Habib, Humayun Kabir, Basanta Kumar Mallik, Frank Moraes, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Dr Shaukat Hameed Khan, Bakar Ali Mirza, Sajjad Zaheer, Kamal Hossain, Freda Bedi, K.M. Panikkar, and Rishi Sunak.
History
Originally founded in 1896 for Indian students at the University of Oxford, the Oxford Majlis became an organisation for the debate of political and social matters, as well as for socialisation. The name Majlis comes from the Persian word for assembly. Many future prominent Indian politicians were involved in the society. From the society's inception to the 1950s it agitated for the Indian Independence Movement from Britain. The Majlis societies were also involved with the India League, which had crossover in its membership, and the Oxford Majlis still collaborates with the 1928 Institute.After Independence the Oxford Majlis has remained a platform for South Asian arts, politics, and culture.
Archives from the British Library and British Colonial Policy and Intelligence Files show that the society's allegedly 'seditious activities' and 'communist leanings' led to the Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard monitoring its activities.
The society suffered a cyber attack in 2024.