Freedom's Battle - Being a Comprehensive Collection of Writings and Speeches on the Present Situation

gubef - Mahatma Gandhi

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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Freedom's Battle, by Mahatma Gandhi
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Title: Freedom's Battle
Being a Comprehensive Collection of Writings and Speeches on the Present Situation
Author: Mahatma Gandhi
Release Date: December 2, 2003 [EBook #10366]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FREEDOM'S BATTLE ***
Produced by Ted Garvin, Debra Storr and PG Distributed Proofreaders
[Transcriber's Note: The inconsistent spelling of the original has been preserved in this etext.]
FREEDOM'S BATTLE
BEING A COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF WRITINGS
AND SPEECHES ON THE PRESENT SITUATION
BY MAHATMA GANDHI
Second Edition
1922
The Publishers express their indebtedness to the Editor and Publisher of the "Young India" for
allowing the free use of the articles appeared in that journal under the name of Mahatma Gandhi,
and also to Mr. C. Rajagopalachar for the valuable introduction and help rendered in bringing out
the book.
CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
II. THE KHILAFATWhy I have joined the Khilafat Movement
The Turkish Treaty
Turkish Peace Terms
The Suzerainty over Arabia
Further Questions Answered
Mr. Candler's Open Letter
In process of keeping
Appeal to the Viceroy
The Premier's reply
The Muslim Representation
Criticism of the Manifesto
The Mahomedan Decision
Mr. Andrew's Difficulty
The Khilafat Agitation
Hijarat and its Meaning
III. THE PUNJAB WRONGS
Political Freemasonry
The Duty of the Punjabec
General Dyer
The Punjab Sentences
IV. SWARAJ
Swaraj in one year
British Rule an evil
A movement of purification
Why was India lost
Swaraj my ideal
On the wrong track
The Congress Constitution
Swaraj in nine months
The Attainment of Swaraj
V. HINDU MOSLEM UNITY
The Hindus and the Mahomedans
Hindu Mahomedan unity
Hindu Muslim unity
VI. TREATMENT OF THE DEPRESSED CLASSES
Depressed Classes
Amelioration of the depressed classes
The Sin of Untouchability
VII. TREATMENT OF INDIANS ABROAD
Indians abroad
Indians overseas
Pariahs of the Empire
VIII. NON-CO-OPERATION
Non-co-operation
Mr. Montagu on the Khilafat Agitation At the call of the country
Non-co-operation explained
Religious Authority for non-co-operation
The inwardness of non-co-operation
A missionary on non-co-operation
How to work non-co-operation
Speech at Madras
" Trichinopoly
" Calicut
" Mangalore
" Bexwada
The Congress
Who is disloyal
Crusade against non-co-operation
Speech at Muxafarbail
Ridicule replacing Repression
The Viceregal pronouncement
From Ridicule to--?
To every Englishman In India
One step enough for me
The need for humility
Some Questions Answered
Pledges broken
More Objections answered
Mr. Pennington's Objections Answered
Some doubts
Rejoinder
Two Englishmen Reply
Letter to the Viceroy--Renunciation of Medals
Letter to H.R.H. The Duke of Connaught
The Greatest thing
IX. MAHATMA GANDHI'S STATEMENT
I. INTRODUCTION
After the great war it is difficult, to point out a single nation that is happy; but this has come out of
the war, that there is not a single nation outside India, that is not either free or striving to be free.
It is said that we, too, are on the road to freedom, that it is better to be on the certain though slow
course of gradual unfoldment of freedom than to take the troubled and dangerous path of
revolution whether peaceful or violent, and that the new Reforms are a half-way house to
freedom.
The new constitution granted to India keeps all the military forces, both in the direction and in the
financial control, entirely outside the scope of responsibility 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-Eastern complications and the fresh Asiatic additions to British Imperial spheres of
action. This Indian military servitude is a clear danger to national interests.
The new constitution gives no scope for retrenchment and therefore no scope for measures of
social reform except by fresh taxation, the heavy burden of which on the poor will outweigh all the
advantages of any reforms. It maintains all the existing foreign services, and the cost of the
administrative machinery high as it already is, is further increased.
The reformed constitution keeps all the fundamental liberties of person, property, press, andassociation completely under bureaucratic control. All those laws which give to the irresponsible
officers of the Executive 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 foreign bureaucracy and the inhumanity of spirit by which
tyranny in a panic will seek to save itself, we stand just where we were before, at the mercy of the
Executive in respect of all our fundamental liberties.
Not only is Despotism intact in the Law, but unparalleled crimes and cruelties against the people
have been encouraged and even after boastful admissions and clearest proofs, left unpunished.
The spirit of unrepentant cruelty has thus been allowed to permeate the whole administration.
THE MUSSALMAN AGONY
To understand our present condition it in not enough to realise the general political servitude. We
should add to it the reality and the extent of the injury inflicted by Britain on Islam, and thereby on
the Mussalmans of India. The articles of Islamic faith which it is necessary to understand in 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
generations cannot be altered now by logic or cosmopolitanism, as others understand it. Such an
attempt is the more unreasonable when it is made not even as a bonafide and independent effort
of proselytising logic or reason, but only to justify a treaty entered into for political and worldly
purposes.
The Khalifa is the authority that is entrusted with the duty of defending Islam. He is the successor
to Muhammad and the agent of God on earth. According to Islamic tradition he must possess
sufficient temporal power effectively to protect Islam against non-Islamic powers and he should
be one elected or accepted by the Mussalman world.
The Jazirat-ul-Arab is the area bounded by the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and
the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates. It is the sacred Home of Islam and the centre towards
which Islam 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 protection for the integrity of Islamic life and faith. Every Mussalman throughout
the world is enjoined to sacrifice his all, if necessary, for preserving the Jazirat-ul-Arab under
complete Muslim control.
The sacred places of Islam should be in the possession of the Khalifa. They should not merely
be free for the entry of the Mussalmans of the world by the grace or the license of non-Muslim
powers, but should be the possession and property of Islam in the fullest degree.
It is a religions obligation, on every Mussalman to go forth and help the Khalifa in every possible
way where his unaided efforts in the defence of the Khilifat have failed.
The grievance of the Indian Mussalmans is that a government that pretends to protect and spread
peace and happiness among them has no right to ignore or set aside these articles of their
cherished faith.
According to the Peace Treaty imposed on the nominal Government at Constantinople, the
Khalifa far from having the temporal authority or power needed to protect Islam, is a prisoner in
his own 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
possessions by an intervening permanent military occupation. It is needless to say that under
these conditions he is absolutely incapable of protecting Islam as the Mussulmans of the world
understand it.
The Jazirat-ul-Arab is split up; a great part of it given to powerful non-Muslim Powers, the
remnant left with petty chiefs dominated all round by non-Muslim Governments.The Holy places of Islam are all taken out of the Khalifa's kingdom, some left in the possession of
minor Muslim chiefs of Arabia entirely dependent on European control, and some relegated to
newly-formed non-Muslim states.
In a word, the Mussalman's free choice of a Khalifa such as Islamic tradition defines is made an
unreality.
THE HINDU DHARMA
The age of misunderstanding and mutual warfare among religions is gone. If India