Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 253
THE RENAISSANCE OF ISLAM 253 his life. During the period of his confinement he found an opportunity of scribbling a note on a piece of paper and arranged to have it conveyed to his host in Peshawar. The note, which has been carefully preserved by his host, read: Sir, I am now face to face with the contingency that you had mentioned to me and, by God's grace, I am able to inform you that I am resolved to follow the example of the great martyr, the Sahibzada Sahib. ' In due course he carried out his resolve with great firmness and presence of mind. It is worthy of note that not. a single Ahmadi who was called upon to lay down his life in this cruel manner on account of his faith exhibited the slightest fear at any time or showed any mclination towards repudiating his faith. May Allah receive the souls of all of them into His mercy. When the news of Naimatullah Khan's martyrdom was received in London, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih and his party were ~verwhelmed with grief and pity for the young martyr. A protest meeting was held in Essex Hall, Essex Street, which runs from the eastern end of the Strand down to Victoria Embankment. It was presided over by Dr Walter Walsh and was well attended. Several British public men spoke at the meeting and expressed their horror at the cruel murder of the young martyr and their sympathy for his parents. There was universal condemnation of the barbaric atrocity, and the authorities in Afghanistan who were responsible for it were harshly criticized. Naimatullah Khan's execution was carried out under the orders of Amir Amanullah Khan, who advocated liberalism in every sphere of life and was anxious to modernize Afg- hanistan. Shortly after the execution of Naimatullah Khan, Amir Amanullah Khan set out on a tour of Western Europe with his wife, who discarded the veil and appeared to have adopted western ways in dress and deportment. In the mean- time Amir Amanullah Khan had assumed the title of King and was received everywhere in Europe as His Majesty King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan. They were accorded a royal welcome everywhere and were much gratified with all