to Islam and the injury to the manhood of the Punjab,
that we feel bound to wipe out by non-co-operation.
We have prayed, petitioned, agitated, we have passed
resolutions. Mr. Mahomed Ali supported by his
friends is now waiting on the British public.
He has pleaded the cause of Islam in a most manful
manner, but his pleading has fallen on deaf ears and
we have his word for it that whilst France and Italy
have shown great sympathy for the cause of Islam,
it is the British Ministers who have shown no sympathy.
This shows which way the British Ministers and the
present holders of office in India mean to deal by
the people. There is no goodwill, there is no
desire to placate the people of India. The people
of India must therefore have a remedy to redress the
double wrong. The method of the west is violence.
Wherever the people of the west have felt a wrong
either justly or unjustly, they have rebelled and shed
blood. As I have said in my letter to the Viceroy
of India, half of India does not believe in the remedy
of violence. The other half is too weak to offer
it. But the whole of India is deeply hurt and
stirred by this wrong, and it is for that reason that
I have suggested to the people of India the remedy
of non-co-operation. I consider it perfectly
harmless, absolutely constitutional and yet perfectly
efficacious. It is a remedy in which, if it is
properly adopted, victory is certain, and it is the
age-old remedy of self-sacrifice. Are the Mussalmans
of India who feel the great wrong done to Islam ready
to make an adequate self-sacrifice? All the scriptures
of the world teach us that there can be no compromise
between justice and injustice. Co-operation on
the part of a justice-loving man with an unjust man
is a crime. And if we desire to compel this great
Government to the will of the people, as we must,
we must adopt this great remedy of non-co-operation.
And if the Mussalmans of India offer non-co-operation
to Government in order to secure justice in the Khilafat
matter, I believe it is duty of the Hindus to help
them so long as their moans are just. I consider
the eternal friendship between the Hindus and Mussalmans
is more important than the British connection.
I would prefer any day anarchy and chaos in India
to an armed peace brought about by the bayonet between
the Hindus and Mussalmans. I have therefore ventured
to suggest to my Hindu brethren that if they wanted
to live at peace with Mussalmans, there is an opportunity
which is not going to recur for the next hundred years.
And I venture to assure you that if the Government
of India and the Imperial Government come to know
that there is a determination on the part of the people
to redress this double wrong they would not hesitate
to do what is needed. But in the Mussalmans of
India will have to take the lead in the matter.
You will have to commence the first stage of non-co-operation
in right earnest. And if you may not help this
Government, you may not receive help from it.