Political Solidarity of Islam — Page 14
as he trea!ted other Muslims and that he looked upon the Ahmadis with the same feelings with which he looked upon other Muslims. He ·did not even hesitate ·to stigmatise one of his rivals as a person of loose moral character. Even after what Sir Zafar Ali has written in the Press regarding us, I extend to him the 'Courtesy of not disclosing the name of the Muslim gentleman about whom he used such disparaging remarks lest he might be sued for defamation. But is it, I again ask, in keeping with honesty or with any principles of morality that a year ago Sir Zafar Ali should have taken us to be Muslims and now should ask the Government to exclude us from the Muslim Community? He cannot take shelter behind the plea that he was unaware of our beliefs at the time, for the Siasat of Lahore was in those days writing a series of articles against us in which the Promised Messiah, the Holy Founder of our Movement, was alleged to have laid claim to Godhead and to have been a denier of the finality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad's prophethood and to have shown disrespect to other prophets and Sir Zafar Ali had himself written an appreciatory note about these articles which evi- dently shows that he had read the Siasat articles against us and he approved of them. So Sir Zafar Ali cannot plead ignoran~e of the Ahmadiyya beli~f s or at least of the beliefs that were ascribed to us. In the face of all these beliefs, however, he regarded us as Muslims which fact he even acknowledged in his signed letters. What new belief has now come to light that has led him to think that the Ahmadis are not Muslims? It is perfectly clear that h~s present attitude towards the Ahmadis is due not to his jealousy of Ch. Zafarullah Khan's being made a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council but is due to his failure to get out support in his own favour in the Council elections. So if the name of Sir Zafar Ali be written in place of Ch. Zafarullah Khan's and the words "the Punjab Council" be substituted instead of the words "the Viceroy's Executive Council," it would be nearer the truth. Is it, I ask, in harmony with honesty or does any moral code allow it, that a person who only a year ago regarded us as Muslims should now address a letter to the Governor saying