The Turkish Peace — Page xi
vi conferences, meetings and gatherings were held to determine its aims and objectives and decide upon a manifesto. Though invited to attend these events, the then head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra , declined the requests citing the obduracy and intransigence of the members of the movement. He did, however, communicate his views on the issue at two of the conferences, by way of written addresses which he sent through a small envoy of representatives. These addresses have been brought together and published in this book. Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra primarily argued that one of the major flaws of the movement was that by insisting on the acceptance of the Sultan of Turkey as the true leader of the Muslim world, it disenfranchised vast swathes of the Muslim community from rallying around the Turkish cause and sent a message to the Western powers deciding on the future of the country that there was no unity amongst the Muslims on this issue. He also asserted that for the movement to succeed, it needed to respect the newly found independence of the Arabs and not demand that they remain under Turkish control.