16
THE STRENGTH OF ISLAM
actual violence, whatever his religious opinions may be. Since my return from South Africa about a year ago I have received a constant succession of letters from a well-meaning but fanatical Christian who will persist in loading me with platitudes, and saying that I have stepped into "heathendom." One difficulty is keeping this gentleman to the point. The following is an excerpt from my last letter to him:—
I have your letter of November 8th, and fear that. you have not yet grasped the fundamentals of Islam in which are to be found charity and tolerance often wanting in Church Christianity. You can at present only see one side of the picture, whilst I am anxious to examine and probe into whatever God has revealed through the mouths of His Holy Prophets since the beginning of the world, which goes back to a period far great than most of us suppose. You do not attempt to answer my statements and queries as to the necessity of the belief in the Christian dogmas, the cruelty of the Christian Deity, and the beautiful idea that it is through the exercise of our reason and the march of science that we are approaching daily nearer and nearer to the Truth which cannot be very far from the Throne of God. To my mind Science is the very greatest ally to true Religion; our intelligence is given us to use, and I cannot help thinking that it should be the means whereby we may be enabled to detect foolish and
