Address to the Muslim Students Conference, Karachi, October, 11, 1938: Quaid

Address to the Muslim Students

Conference, Karachi,
October, 11, 1938
Hindus will always prevent you from receiving education. They will never allow you to progress. Therefore, you have to help yourselves. Statistics revealed a sorrowful picture regarding education Make real and sincere efforts to regain what you have lost. It was high time that you should work for Islam and the economic, educational and industrial uplift of your land.
Muslims have no home and no place to their own, and the Muslim League has created a home for them and a platform for you. Rally round this flag, and believe me you will come into your own sooner than you imagine.
(Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah recalled that 28 years ago when he was a member of the Imperial Council, a Sindhi came to him and asked him for advice as to how Sindhis could prosper. He said that there were only three things which Muslims should acquire — education, commerce and industry and ammunition
He threw the blame on parents, He said that parents were responsible for the high percentage of illiteracy of Muslims. He added that it was discouraging to find such a low figure and quoted the number of Muslims in all stages of education — primary, secondary
and higher — and the education of girls. He advised them to follow the motto “Self help is the best help”, Tht Britishers would not like the people of this country to be literate and as their sister community the Hindus would not like Muslims educated as they (Hindus) would be deprived of services, government as well as private, as they had been holding a monopoly for all these years. He appealed to the Muslims to organize education on a mass scale
After acquiring education, the Muslims should organize the economic side. They must start industries and business houses. The third thing was the acquisition oF power that is swords. When success was achieved in business they would get “silver bullets” with which they would realize gold and would be able to get “golden canon balls”. This would pave the way for power),
Inaugural Speech at the All-India
Muslim Students’ Conference, Patna,
December 29, 1938
There were three forces in the country; the British, the States and the Congress. The time has now come to give battle to all these forces, and the sooner young men made up their minds to do so the better for them.
Young men had been deluded into believing that the Congress fought for the freedom of the country and the niasses, and that the Congress would turn the country into a land of milk and honey. But now it was amply evident that it said one thing while meaning 5ornething quite different.
Congress had offered terms which were unjust and prejudiced. The Muslim League would be satisfied with nothing less than perfect equality. The Congress claim of being the only body representing the entire country was preposterous. India was not a nation yet, but a
number of nationalities. -
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