Ahmadiyyat or Qadianism! Islam or Apostasy? — Page 42
MUSLIMS UNDER THE SIKH RULE:. During the Sikh rule of the Punjab, Muslims were subjected to singular tyranny by the Sikh autocrats who not only deprived the. Muslims of their basic and fundamental rights but also perpetrated excessive brutalities against them. Commenting upon the Sikh treatment of Muslims in the Punjab, a Hindu historian of the sub-continent admits that the Sikhs were passionately hostile towards the. Muslims and they not only denied them the right to call the Adhan but also confiscated their mosques and used them to either recite the Granth or use them for indulgence in excessive drinking. 41. The British annexation of the Punjab came as a welcome relief to the. Muslims who were rescued from the clutches of Sikh tyranny by the Raj which restored to them all their fundamental right and gave them complete freedom to practise, profess and propagate their faith in complete security. . It is ironic however that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's appreciation of the British Raj for its assistance to the Muslims in India, particularly those of the Punjab who had suffered extensively at hands of the Sikh rulers before the British annexed the territory has often been quoted out of context by his enemies inspite of his categoric declaration that his admiration of the British was not prompted by any desire for reward but he gave vent to his feelings as he considered it his moral obligation to acknowledge the truth and return beneficence with gratitude 42 since the British not only delivered the Muslims from their misery but also ensured that they did not interfere in the active profession of the Islamic faith nor did they promote their own faith through the use of their might and power. 43. THE PRO BRITISH SENTIMENTS. OF THE OPPONENTS. It need be stressed however that the founder of the Ahmadiyya 41. Ram, Tulsi: Sher e Punjab 43 Kashti Nuh: pg 68 42. Ruhani Khazain: Vol 13. pg 340 42