Why did the British treat the Muslims harshly immediately after the uprising of 1857? Why did the British attitude towards the Muslims change in the later part of the 19th century?

The British established their supremacy in India after dethroning the Mughal rulers. Therefore, the Muslims became bitter enemies of the British. They participated in the Wahabi Movement and also took part in the uprising of 1857. This made the British view them with suspicion. The British government consciously discriminated against the Muslims, holding them responsible for the uprising of 1857.

After the 1870s, the British government changed its attitude and followed the policy of appeasing the Muslims in order to undermine the National Movement. They sowed the seeds of dissension between the Hindus and the Muslims and encouraged separatist and communal tendencies.