Al-Risala (English), September 1984

“Can you tell me whether the disputed land belongs to the Hindus or the Muslims?” “The truth of the matter is that the land belongs to the Hindus,” Maulana Mahmud Bakhsh replied. “The Muslims’ claim is false.” The case was decided on the basis of this evidence and the Hindus got their land. The plot can still be seen to the south-east of the congregational mosque in Kandhla. Construction of a temple commenced there immediately after the magistrate’s decision, and it still stands there. The Muslims were a sullen and dispirited lot as they returned from the court room. Many of them accused the Maulana of disgracing them in front of others. Little did they know that, though the judicial decision had been made, another ethical one was still to be taken. The Hindus were extremely impressed by the Maulana’s honesty and unprejudiced adherence to truth. They began to see, in his truthfulness, the truthfulness of the religion which had given him the strength to stick to justice in such a delicate sectarian matter. As a result several families in Kandhla accepted Islam at the hand of Maulana Mahmud Bakhsh. One of these families was still living in Kandhla at the time of the partition of India in 1947. The Muslims act on the basis of national prejudices in their dealings with non-Muslims, they only succeed in alienating the other party. But when they act on the basis of truth, God blesses their efforts to such a degree that even their failures turn into successes; even their worldly defeats become eternal triumphs; even their personal setbacks are put to the advantage of their faith. Preaching peace, but failing to practice it The Green party of West Germany is perhaps the most famous and influential peace party in Western Europe. The party is stringently opposed to the nuclear arms race, and has actively resisted the stationing of American missiles in Germany. In the 1983 general election, the Greens won over 5% of the national vote and are now represented in the Bundestag. One of the party’s most prestigious representatives in parliament was Mr. Gert Bastian, a former general in the Bundeswehr. Recently he resigned from the parliamentary party of the Greens. The reason given (Guardian Weekly, February 26, 1984) was that “he could no longer tolerate infighting...and organizational chaos of the party in the Bundestag.”