44 SOCIAL SCIENTIST Two landlord families—the Sikdars and the Ghoshes—in a bid to halt the advancing Ferazee influence, resorted to banning cow-slaughter on their estates, collecting levies for Durga and Kali festivals, and dissuading the peasants from joining the movement.9 Dudu Mia organized two successful expeditions, one against the Sikdars of Kanaipore in 1841, and the other against the Ghoshes of Faridpore in 1842.10 These anti-landlord campaigns enhanced his popularity among the downtrodden peasants and labourers, especially in the districts of Bakherganj, Faridpore, Dacca, Mymensing, Pabna, Noakhali, Tripura and parts ofjessore. Seeking protection from the landlords the panic-stricken and tyrannized Muslim peasantry joined Ferazee ranks. According to a police report, the followers and supporters of Dudu Mia numbered in Eastern Bengal alone between 55,000 and 80,000.u The Ferazee movement spread rapidly to the rural areas in Eastern Bengal, where Hindu zamindars were lording it over the Muslim peasantry. Because of its peasant orientation and leadership, the aims of the movement held little or no appeal for the moneyed and urban Muslims.12 In the villages, however, Muslims were also compelled to join the movement by fair means of foul: violence, threats and constant annoyance.1'5 Conflict with Civil Authority The Ferazees practised a rigid adherence to the truth, abstinence from all ceremonies approaching worship of idols or men, and a strict conformity with the Koran. It was wrong for a Ferazee to take an oath of ^truth and nothing but the truth" before a judge of a different sect or religion, but ^right to deviate from the truth to favour or aid a brother" before such a tribunal. Based on the belief that the earth was common property, the payment of rent was regarded as contrary to divine law. All such demands, especially from the Hindu zamindars, were frequently resisted, although an exception was made for revenue officials of the government. While under Shariat-ullah's leadership (1828-40), the movement essentially stood for religious reforms in Muslim society, under Dudu Mia it tended to be broad-based through an amalgam of political, economic and socio-religious programmes. The constitutional facade erected by Dudu Mia for regulating the Ferazee flock came to be known as the ^Ferazee-Khilafat system". To ensure protection from landlords, he organized a military force and to realize the social-equality objective, constituted the panchayats. In Eastern Bengal, Dudu Mia the Ustad,14 and in the districts of Western Bengal his Wahabi counterpart Titu Mir the Pir, stood at the top of the hierarchy. The Ferazees had no love for the British administration. Their rebellious mood, sense of cohesion, obedience to leaders ar d fanaticism of belief called for constant vigilance on the part of the authorities.16 A