Freedom's Battle

is happy; but this has come out of the war, that there is not a singl

gh slow course of gradual unfoldment of freedom than to take the troubled and dangerous path of

bility to the people of India. What does this mean? It means that the revenues of India are spent away on what the nation does not want. But after the mid-East

esh taxation, the heavy burden of which on the poor will outweigh all the advantages of any reforms. It maintains all

utive Government of India absolute powers to override the popular will, are still unrepealed. In spite of the tragic price paid in the Punjab for demonstrating the danger of unrestrained power in the hands of a f

le have been encouraged and even after boastful admissions and clearest proofs, left unpunished

SSALMA

order to realise why Mussalman India, which was once so loyal is now so strongly moved to the contrary are easily set out and understood. Every religion should be interpreted by the professors of that religion. The sentiments and religious ideas of Muslims founded on the traditions of long gener

and the agent of God on earth. According to Islamic tradition he must possess sufficient temporal power effecti

am throughout the world turns in prayer. According to the religious injunctions of the Mussalmans, this entire area should always be under Muslim control, its scientific border being believed to be a pr

ely be free for the entry of the Mussalmans of the world by the grace or the license of no

rth and help the Khalifa in every possible way where his

etends to protect and spread peace and happiness among them has no

city. He is to have no real fighting force, army or navy, and the financial control over his own territories is vested in other Governments. His capital is cut off from the rest of his possessi

n to powerful non-Muslim Powers, the remnant left with p

left in the possession of minor Muslim chiefs of Arabia entirely dependent

ice of a Khalifa such as Islamic tr

INDU

truth of all religions. This unity is established by mutual help and understanding between the various religions. It has come as a rare privilege to the Hi

s respect is placed beyond al

p them with faith--even they, O Kaunteya, worship m

h to worship a particular form, of such a on

this cardinal tenet, its followers offer themselves as sacrifice

ified God of his name and his very cross and the World has been mistaking it to be Christianity. After the battle of Islam is won, Islam and Hinduism together can emancipate Christianity itself from the lust for power and wealth which have strangled i

en Hinduism and Christianity will unite on behalf of Islam, and in that strife of

URING

overning themselves peacefully? This was the question for years, and no one could believe that the two communities could suffer for each other till the miracle was actual

mentality has been perverted that can soothe itself with the domination by one race from a distant country, as a preventative against the aggression of another, a permanent and natural neighbour. Instead of developing strength to protect ourselves against those near whom we are permanently placed, a feeling of incurable impotence has been generated. Two strong and brave nations can live side by side, s

ople on the two sides have become grateful friends. The faith of the Mussulman is a better sanction than the seal of the European Diplomats and plenipotentiaries. Not only has this great friendship between India and the Mussulman States around it removed for all time the fear of Mussulman aggression from outside, but it has erected round India, a solid wall of defence against all aggression from b

TISH CO

ut it is only a means to an end, not a mandate of Providence of Nature. The alliance of neighbours, born of suffering for each other's sake, for ends that purify those that suffer, is necessarily a more natural and more enduring bond than one that has resulted from pure greed on the one side and weakn

LTERN

ied? Violence at a time when the whole world has learnt from bitter experience the futility of viol

If a people rely for freedom on its soldiers, the soldiers will rule the country, not the people. Till the recent awakening of the workers of Europe, this was the only freed

been emasculated and deprived of all weapons, and the whole world is hopelessly in advan

fore India. Submission to injustice puts on the tempting garb of peace and,

IFTH

was recognised sometimes by our ancients, which they called Upeshka. It is this Punchamopaya that is placed by Mahat

futile the method of Upeshka remains to be applied to the case. Indeed, when the very existence of the power we seek to defeat really depends on our continuous co-operati

on the part of the governed, it must have broken down long ago. Any system of race domination is unnatural, and can be kept up only by active coercion through a foreign-recruited public, service invested with large powers, however much it may be helped by the perversion of mentality shaping the education of the youth of the country. The foreign recruited service must necessarily be very highly paid. This creates a wrong standard for the Indian recruited officials also. Military expenditure has to cover not only the needs of defence against foreign aggression, but also the possibilities of internal unrest and rebellion. Police charges have to go beyond the prevention and deletion of ordinary crime, for though this would be the only expenditure over the

OBJEC

possibly also anarchy for a time. If the operatives in a factory have grievances, negotiations having failed, a strike would on a similar argument be never admissible. Unyielding obstinacy being presumed, it must end in the closing down of the factory and break up of the men. But if in ninety-nine out of a hundred cases it is not the case that strikes end in this manner, it is more unlikely that, instead of righting the manifest wrongs that India complains about, the British people will value their Indian Dominion so low as to prefer to allow us to non-co-operate u

st foreign aggression. If we have the self-respect, the patriotism, the tenacious purpose, and the power of organisation that are necessary to drive

f our country. Non-co-operation is not mere negation. It will lead to the recovery of the lost art of co-operation among ourselves. Long dependence on an outside government which by its interference suppressed or prevented the consequences of our differences has made us forget the duty of mutual trust and the art of friendly adjustment. Having

a mysterious manner, and communal duties are not realised by the people. The one reason addressed by those who deny to us the capacity for self-rule is the insufficient appreciation by the people of communal duties and discipline. It is only by actually refraining for

set about organising a substitute, and most people would realise the true social value of a police force. Few realise in the present taxes anything but coercion and waste, but most people would soon see that a share of every man's income is due for common purposes an

CIPA

s freedom, it has been purified and consolidated through and through, until liberty has become a part of its very soul. Otherwise it would be but a change of the form of government, which might please the fancy of politicians, or satisfy the classes in power, but could never emancipate a people. An Act of Parliament can never c

been eliminated; and that which is the true essential for forging liberty, the self-purification and self-strengthening of men and women has been kept pure and unalloyed. It is for men, women and youth, every one of them that lives in and loves India, to do his bit in this battle, not waiting for others, not calculating the chan

n for future service on the part of the next generation are the two main branches of this co-operation of slaves in the perpetuation of slavery. The boycott of government service and the law-courts is aimed at the first, the boycott of g

e now going on is a silent study of the writings and speeches collected here