The Turkish Peace — Page 54
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad 54 a sufficient amount of Europeans and Christians to fulfil the needs of the state of India at a national level. All military requirements could be easily met by the Europeans as well as the Sikhs and Gurkhas who could never be expected to make common cause with the Muslims on this matter. Therefore, even if this proposal does not foment disorder, though I believe it most certainly will, and even if all Muslims are able to rally around it which is unlikely, there still remains the fact that hoping the adoption of this proposal will put pressure on the British government is both fanciful and a grave mistake. Conversely, what is certain is that implementing such measures will diminish any remaining power and influence the Muslims have, and here in the one country where they still possess some degree of outward prosperity, they will be left weak and impotent and the blame for their downfall will fall squarely on their own shoulders. In my view, all the proposals hitherto put forward are either contradictory to the dictates of the sharia or they are impossible to implement. For me the only course which is advantageous for the Muslims and which, given the prevailing circumstances, offers an avenue to them is that they join together, and with one voice, convey to the Allies that the terms of peace