The Nehru Report and Muslim Rights — Page 125
,. . [ 125 ] celation '\vith modern conditions and thus make their con tribution to the world civilisation, so they may understand that the hearts of f\1uslims have been pulsating precisely in the same manner. They too are heirs to glorious traditions, and are the descendents of a race of men, ,,�hose enterprise knew no bounds. They too have their aspirations. They too are not strangers. They are lndians and yield to none in their patriotic sentiments. But it can hardly be gainsaid that where the Hindu ele ment ,-vould preponderate, the Government would develop on lines of Hindu culture and philosophy. It is. there fore, that the �luslims demand for opportunities in the predominantly Muslim provinces to make progress on their o,-vn cultural lines. I do not, here, mean to say that they would enforce the Islamic law in those pro vinces. Such enforcement of the laws of a particular religion ,vould not be proper, either for the Hindus or for the 1\1uslims under a joint system of Government. But apart from Government, there are many spheres of life other than religion wherein a man should like to develop according to the philosophy of life peculi3. r to his people, and to sow the seeds and rear the plants of national development suitable to the particular scheme of worldly progress. A legitimate desire, therefore, prompts the iv1uslims' demand for similar opportunities :n two of the bigger provinces to make progress for some time to come, in accordance with their special traditions without interference and interruption. ls this demand an unreasonable one? Is the desire unnatural? Is it anta gonistic to feelings of patriotism? No, not in the least. Free cultural development is not inimical to common na tional interests. so India with a free dominion Govern ment, while serving as a vast laboratory for the cultural development of Asia, is not likely to cause any injury to England. It is regrettable, therefore, that the Nehru-