My Mother — Page 118
118 In the meeting Lady Willingdon was seated on a sofa. She invited Mother to be seated on her left and putting her left arm round her waist drew her close to herself. The Viceroy occupied an armchair on Lady Willingdon’s right, and I was seated in an armchair on ’s left. After the exchange of courtesies the Viceroy, addressing Mother, said, ‘I have understood from Zafrulla that you wish to speak to me about your community. ’ ‘Yes, indeed. I have ventured to approach you after great delib eration. I am a member of the Ahmadiyyah Movement. The Promised Messiah, the Founder of the Movement, had instructed us that we should be loyal to the British Government and should pray for it, as we enjoy full religious freedom under it and can carry out our religious obligations without any apprehension. I cannot speak of the Community, but I can affirm on my own behalf with complete confidence (and at this point she put her right hand over her heart) that I have throughout carried out the instructions of the Promised Messiah to the full and have prayed constantly for the welfare of the British Government. However, over the last two years the attitude of the Punjab Government towards our com- munity has been so unsympathetic and so unfair, and the Head of the Movement and the members of the Community are being put to so much trouble that though I still continue my prayers for the Government in compliance with the instructions of the Promised Messiah, my prayers do not rise spontaneously from my heart as my heart is troubled. Only a few days back a worthless person assaulted the younger brother of the Head of the Movement and caused him hurt. The offspring of the Promised Messiah are dearer by far to us than our very lives. Ever since I have heard of this incident I can neither eat, nor drink, nor sleep. ’