Message of Love and Brotherhood to Africa — Page 3
3 Mosque open to all worshippers of one God. I told them that according to the teachings of Islam the gates of the mosque over which we stand guard are open to all who care to worship one God, be they Muslims or not; that the Holy Quran has proclaimed to the whole world that the mosque is a symbol and insignia declaratory of the sanctity and inviolability of places of worship of all faiths. Muslims learnt this teaching and set a charming example before the world. In this connection it has just occurred to me to tell you that during my visit to Spain an Englishman was our driver. He was not a Catholic. He saw that the Catholics had demolished all the mosques in Spain and spared only a couple as showpieces and archaeological relics and not as mosques. In wide-eyed surprise he asked if there were any Catholic churches in our country and when he was told that there were he wondered if it were possible that they were permitted to hold their churches in our country and in other Muslim lands as their centres of worship. We told him that Islam teaches practice of faith and establishes a