Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 264
264 AHMADIYY AT family during the severe cold of the winter. In extreme cases a person in that situation adopted that course secretly at the risk of losing his liberty for life. Sir Reginald tried to persuade the Maharaja to agree to the abolition of this offence, or at least to the reduction of the penalty to a nominal chastisement. The Maharaja would not hear of it. The utmost that Sir Reginald was able to wrest from a reluctant Maharaja was the conces- sion that the penalty for the offence might be reduced to rigorous imprisonment for ten years. Another instance in which the efforts of Sir Reginald Glancy towards meeting a grievance of the Muslims of the State were completely frustrated by the stubbornness of the Maharaja, was a law under which a Hindu who became a convert to Islam forfeited his share in the family property and his right of inheritance to the property of a deceased member of the family. When Sir Reginald urged the Maharaja to agree to a repeal of this outdated instance of bigotry the Maharaja's firm reply was that he would rather abdicate than agree to the suggestion. In the face of this threat Sir Reginald felt himself unable to carry the matter further. A short time before the All India Kashmir Committee had been set up a new political party p. ad been formed in the Punjab called the Ahrar (the Free). Its membership was confined to Muslims and its leadership was vested in persons whose only purpose was to exploit every situation for their personal benefit. In their political outlook they supported the policies of the All India National Congress and the bulk of the Muslims of the Punjab looked upon them as the Muslim wing of the Congress. They were not, however, firmly committed to any set of principles or policies. They trimmed their sails according to the direction of the prevailing wind. The only policy to which they consistently adhered was their proclaimed virulent opposition to the Ahmadiyya Move- ment. This attitude of theirs was not inspired by any concern for religious doctrine or teaching but had been prompted by the consideration that opposition to and hostility towards the Movement would win them easy popularity among the bulk of orthodox Muslims.