Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page xx
xx Islam’s response to contemporary issues As it was not possible to do full justice to such a vast subject in the space of time traditionally provided for such public addresses, only partial treatment was possible. However, in view of numerous demands by many who attended or those who missed this lecture, the book based on the original manuscript is being published separately. Since the original text of this address was dictated by the Speaker, every effort was made to faithfully record the dictation. During the first revision, some minor mistakes were discovered here and there which were duly corrected by the Speaker himself. Later on, it was considered advisable to have parts of the text reviewed by an Englishman so that he could point out any areas where the text needed further elaboration or if some expressions were unfamiliar to the English ear. We are grateful to Mr. Barry Jeffries of Queensbury, Yorkshire and Mr. Muzaffar Clarke of Stirchley, Birmingham, who volunteered their services and carried out this task admirably. Their advice was most valuable in regard to some passages, which may have conveyed a different impression to the reader than was intended mainly because of the gradual change in the connotation of some expressions and idioms in current use. Also their advice with regard to the hypersensitivity of the Western mind concerning some cultural differences between the East and the West was of considerable help. Of course everyone has a right to disagree with anyone else, but disagreement merely because of a misunderstanding of points of view should be avoided as far as possible. It is here that both these gentlemen helped immensely. As we go to print, albeit very belatedly, we are deeply conscious of the fact that a number of issues addressed herein have assumed centre stage. A number of possibilities seen by the far-sightedness of the Speaker have miraculously begun to prove true. For instance, there has