Correspondence to M.A. Jinnah Regarding Protection of the Holy Quran and Political Stances

Sub title : Appeals from Anjuman Siddiqia, Amritsar and Political Constituents

Subject: Religious Sensitivity | Protection of the Holy Quran | Muslim Sentiment in Punjab | Legislative Appeal

Date of publication: 1943

Language: English

Page: 5p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 27974

Keyword: Holy Quran Protection -- Anjuman Siddiqia Amritsar -- Religious Offense -- Punjab Legislation 1943 | M.A. Jinnah Appeals -- Muslim Sentiment -- Hindu-Muslim Tensions -- Islamic Prestige -- Political Leadership -- Grassroots Mobilization

Abstract: This file contains scanned letters addressed to M.A. Jinnah, including a detailed appeal from the Anjuman Siddiqia of Amritsar dated 1943–1944. The Anjuman urgently requests Jinnah's intervention and leadership in presiding over a conference aimed at advocating for a Punjab Legislative Bill to prohibit the sale and misuse of the Holy Quran by non-Muslims. The letter cites incidents where Hindu shopkeepers were found using pages of the Quran as waste paper, causing deep distress to the Muslim community. The correspondents also reference earlier political communications from 1937, which question Jinnah's stance on certain policies and seek clarity on his political direction during a period of constitutional deliberation.

Description: These scanned pages comprise two main sets of correspondence directed to M.A. Jinnah. The primary document is a letter from the Anjuman Siddiqia, Amritsar, urging Jinnah to preside over a conference on 31st December 1943–1st January 1944 to support legislation banning the handling and sale of the Holy Quran by non-Muslims. The letter details the discovery of Quran pages being sold as raddi (waste paper) by Hindu merchants and the subsequent demand for legal protection. Earlier pages (from 1937) include political correspondence that appears to critique or seek clarification on Jinnah's public statements and policy alignments. Together, these documents reflect the dual nature of appeals made to Jinnah—spanning both religious-cultural safeguarding and political strategy—during the tense pre-Partition period in Punjab. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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