Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 105
Since Qadian was a hitherto unknown small village, it is nothing short of amazing to note that Hadhrat Ahmad's as message did indeed reach the West in his lifetime. It happened so fast that the Biblical prophecy concerning the 'Coming of the Son of man' was certainly fulfilled like lightning coming out of the East and shining over the West. Let us, therefore, examine some aspects of the success story. East Meets Western Thoughts Contacts between Western countries and the Indian populace were already in place, especially through traders and Christian missionaries. The Portuguese, Dutch, French and British had their special business interests in India during several preceding centuries. Along with the merchants, the Portuguese missionaries arrived at the Malabar Coast in the late 15th century. They became so powerful that in the mid -sixteenth century they installed the Inquisition in Goa to force the entire Hindu population to accept Roman Catholicism as their faith. Those who refused to convert to Christianity were burnt alive at stake in public. Protestant missionaries began their work throughout India in the 18 th century. Later, when the British acceded to power, the government scrupulously abstained from converting its native subjects to Christianity, although Christian missionaries were free to carry out their work under Imperial protection. Protestant missionaries started arriving from Britain after the British Parliament promulgated a decree in 1813. The first Anglican Bishop was consecrated in Calcutta in 1814. Later, non-British missionaries were also granted permission to establish their missions in India. The missions received grants-in-aid for educational purposes from endowments established by the British government and even by some local States. In the 19 th century, Christian missions became so numerous and diverse in India that they were a noteworthy feature of the British Empire. The missionaries were aggressively engaged in attacking Islam and other native religions, and prominent British statesmen announced that the British sovereignty was God's work to redeem the whole of India and to find its salvation in Jesus Christ. Moreover, Western influence was reaching India through the British public education system, initiated in 1854 by Sir Charles Wood (later Lord Halifax), and many primary, secondary and high schools were established. Superior education was mainly given in English. Universities with affiliated colleges were functioning in Calcutta, Madras, Bomba y and the Punjab, exposing the young minds of Muslims and Hindus and other native Indians to Western sciences, arts and philosophies for their "mental and moral progress. " Among educational institutions, mission schools and colleges were run by Christian functionaries and missionaries with the hope to use the institutions as factotums to promote Christianity. In addition, anti-Islamic literature was being profusely produced by Christian scholars and missionaries. The reputable British Universities of Cambridge and Oxford were not only sending missionaries to India, they were busy preparing apologetic material to prove the superiority of Western civilization over the oriental cultures and religions. Besides the Western education system, a wide variety of books, magazines and newspapers carrying Western thought and information were constantly pouring into Indian bookstores. Schools, colleges and universities had libraries where publications from the West were accumulating. In contrast, there was hardly any effort made by the ulama (Muslim scholars) to communicate the teachings of Islam either on a mass scale, or to send missionaries to European countries and the Americas. The West's access to Islam was through translations done by their own scholars, especially the so-called "Orientalists" and those interested in mysticism,that is , Sufism of Islam. Literature against Islam, prepared by Christian evangelists and apologists, like the German missionary Karl Gottlieb Pfander (1803-1865), was propagated in various languages. He had authored Mizanal-Haqq (Balance of Truth), trying to prove the superiority of Christianity over Islam. This book became very popular among Christian missionaries who used its material to refute the message of Islam. Hadhrat Ahmad as could not read, write or speak English, but he kept himself fully informed about the Western thoughts and trends. Some of his companions, such as Hadhrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq ra and Maulvi Muhammad Alir a, who were well-read in English, 105