Proceedings of the Prayer Meeting — Page 13
The Sermon 13 Now, in contrast, look at the extent of freedom enjoyed by the people of every caste and creed. Let us confine ourselves to just the Muslims. The Empire allows full freedom to perform religious obligations and acts of worship. It does not unjustly interfere with the property, life, and honour of someone, in sharp contrast to those turbulent times when everyone—no matter how blameless his conduct—feared for his life and property. However, if someone is guilty of evil conduct, thus becoming liable to punishment on account of his perversity, crookedness, and perpetration of crimes, that is quite a separate issue. Or, if one is lax in worship due to his own mis- belief and negligence, it is a different matter altogether, for the Government has granted complete freedom in every respect. At present, you can become as ardent a worshipper as you wish because there is no restriction whatsoever. The Government itself preserves the sanctity of religious places of worship and expends thousands of rupees on their maintenance; whereas, against this, during Sikh rule, the environment was such that mosques were converted into places where bhang [hemp leaves] drink was pre- pared and horses were stabled, an example of which is present here in Qadian, while the major towns of the Punjab abound in such instances. In Lahore, several mosques are in the posses- sion of the Sikhs to this day. But now, in opposition to this, the British Government pays every kind of due respect to these holy places and considers it among its duties to honour and revere all religious buildings, just as His Excellency the Right Honourable Viceroy, Lord Curzon recently demonstrated through his own example by not wearing shoes when entering the central mosque of Delhi; thus, he set a commendable example of high moral