Dr. Iqbal Shedai: why the Indian Muslims could not live with Hindus

After some ten minutes, he took me to another shop of Messrs Ibrahim Sachwani & Faiz Mohammed-From that shop he phoned the editors of 41 Yaghza and “Azzaman” telling them that I had arrived in Baghdad and had put up in Hotel Regina. Both the editors sent their reporters to have an interview about my mission in Iraq and other Arab countries.

 They put the same questions as did the Egyptians and, the Syrians why the Indian Muslims wanted to have their own country and why they-the Muslims could not live together with their Hindu compatriots. I explained to them that, we had been living in India for about 8 centuries but the Hindus considered us “unclean foreigners”.We, therefore, were “Parias” although about 80 % Of us were converted from Hinduism to Islam. and more than 60% of the Indian Muslims were of pure Ayrean stock. We Muslims could not eat with them,
nearly 60% but in the administration, they were not more than 10% Before, the year 1924 although they had advanced a good deal in education.

The Hindus who were 29% had monopolized every walk of life. The young Muslims had no chance to enter administrative departments. In 1924 and after a Muslim leader Sir Fazli Hussain struggled for the rights of
Muslims and the Britishers were obliged to concede 40% of jobs in the govt. services.

The Hindus made a hue and cry over it, saying that Fazli Hussain was the enemy of Hindus. When the Hindu propaganda went out of limits he, Sir Fazli Hussain asked Gandhi and C.R. Dass to come to the Punjab and to decide whether Hindu rights were trampled. If they would say that the Hindus were right in their complaint then he, Fazli Hussain would resign.
Both the Hindu leaders after examining the situation declared that Hindu rights were not jeopardized the least rather they had more shares in the administration than they deserved. The whole Punjab Hindu press denounced both the Hindu leaders as enemies of Hinduism.
Well, such the reporters of both the Baghdad papers and both of them were very important ones in Iraq-were very satisfied and got the interview published on the first page. They had already read in the Syrian and Egyptian press about my propaganda regarding Pakistan.
After giving this interview I went to the Royal Palace to sign my name in the visitors’ register as was the custom. After a couple of days, I was asked by the “Indian Muslims” Association to give a talk about Pakistan and
which I did. The Baghdad press was also represented in this meeting. The theme was the same as I have stated above but I added more facts and figures to emphasize my speech. The translater, Dr.Durry a graduate of the
Oxford University, did its best to translate my speech word by word. The Baghdad press again helped me to publish everything I said in that meeting. Now the Iraqis understood why the Muslims of India wanted to separate themselves from the Hindus and wanted to have their own
country where they could mold their lives according to their conceptions
based on the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah.