Perseverance — Page 139
Part II – My Life as a Muslim 139 AN ISSUE WITH MY PASSPORT I went to the Office of Wak ī l-ut-Tabsh ī r and they were entertaining a police officer. The officer looked at me and with a very rude tone, said in English, “You! Give me your passport!” I told him that it was at my home and I would have to go to get it. However, feeling offended, I did not return. I later went to a meeting of some niz ā m heads and asked their opinion about the incident regarding the police. They said that I should simply give the passport and not make an issue of it. Mirz ā Bash ī r Ahmad stated, “I can understand Rashid’s action because at least the officer should state why he needs to see the passport. ” Still, I was reluctant and did not go back. Meanwhile the police officer who was waiting for me became infuriated that I did not return. One of our men who was at the Jhang train station, had heard that the police had arranged papers for my arrest, with a $10,000 fine or one year in prison. When this news spread in Rabwah, those niz ā m heads stated that in spite of the fact they informed me what I should do, I still refused, and now I should suffer my punishment. I requested permission from the Wak ī l-e-Tabsh ī r, the institution responsible for foreign missionary students, to go to Lahore to meet the American Consul General. The Wak ī l-e- Tabsh ī r denied me permission and said that I had already made a mess and I should stay in Rabwah to see what was going to happen. I then wrote to Huzoor ra saying that I was refused permission to go to Lahore to straighten out my case. He stated that this is not a case for the Wak ī l-e-Tabsh ī r to settle. This is a case for Mr. Rashid