The Turkish Peace — Page 42
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad 42 has this happened? It is because in the past, Muslims had not succumbed to those [lowly characteristics] mentioned above which plague them today. And what have they done to cast off these unworthy attributes and seek noble character traits instead? Have the Muslims availed themselves of this time of pain and difficulty to repent and turn towards Allah? Instead we observe individuals, whose sole objective is to gain fame and renown, working towards corrupting the moral state of the Muslims still further and instead of encouraging them to fear God, they have diverted them towards other ostentations. Accordingly, the tongues of Muslims everywhere flow with abuse and arrogance, and they clap at and whistle and mock in the most vulgar manner those who hold opinions and beliefs contrary to their own. Moreover, they take pride in these acts of degradation as they consider it a great service to Islam. Representatives of Islam! As you sit in solemn discussion to deliberate over the future of the Ottoman Empire with hearts laden with grief and sorrow, there are throughout India, in the heat of a midsummer’s day, many innocent children and women who suffer from the pangs of thirst for no reason other than that their parents or husbands do not recognise the Turkish