Life of Ahmad — Page 585
as ELEVATION OF RELIGIOUS DISCUSSION 585 proclaim the excellences of their faith, should restrain them from attacking any rival system. Such a law would on the one hand leave intact the religious freedom of the people, and on the other, would be free from the charge of showing undue favour to any particular system. Nor could such a law give offence to the followers of any creed in denying them liberty to attack a rival faith. 2. If this proposal could not be accepted, then at least people might be forbidden to raise such objections against a rival faith as could with equal propriety be raised against their own; in other words, they should not be allowed to adduce in disparagement of a rival faith matters which formed part of their own creed. 3. If the second proposal was also unacceptable, a third course was that the Government might, in consultation with each community, prepare a list of its authoritative sacred books and then pass a law forbidding anyone to raise any objection against the creed save on the authority of the accepted books; for, when objections are based merely upon unfounded opinions and baseless stories which are not subscribed to by the followers of a faith, then the only consequence of such objections is an increase of bitterness and animosity. This law should be passed as a supplement to section 153-A of the India Penal Code. The idea of the Promised Messiah as in suggesting this legislation was that there should be created a