Book Islam Our Choice

Islam Our Choice was published in May 1961 by the Woking Muslim Mission, and reprinted in May 1963. Its title refers to Part II of the book, its core, which contains accounts given by many converts to Islam of how and why they came to accept Islam.

Read Islam Our Choice, Woking Muslim Mission full edition

Contents:

Part I:

1. A brief life-sketch of the Prophet Muhammad
2. Islam
3. A Christian names his son Muhammad
4. How much of the European civilization is Islamic?
5. Muslim concepts of law, liberty and morality
6. Some facts about marriage in Islam
7. Grandeur of Moorish civilization in Spain
8. Muslim domination of Sicily and Southern Italy
9. Islam in the World

Part II:

10. Islam Our Choice (accounts by converts to Islam)

Part III:

11. Non-Muslims on Islam, the Prophet Muhammad and the contribution of Islam to civilization
12. Non-Muslims on polygamy and status of women in Islam

Part IV:

13. Selections from the Quran and some sayings of the Prophet Muhammad
14. Conclusion

Appendix 1: ‘Islam My Only Choice’ by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din

Appendix 2: What is Islam?

Index

Lahore Ahmadiyya connections removed from the generally-available editions of Islam Our Choice

An abridged edition of the Woking Muslim Mission edition was also published in 1961 by the Bawany Trust of Karachi, Pakistan, and consists mainly of the stories related by the converts given in Part II of the Woking edition. The Bawany edition has been reprinted by several publishers, for example by the Saudi Arab Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Guidance and Propagation, in Riyadh. These stories are also published online on a large number of websites.

However, in all these versions of the accounts of these converts, certain words have been removed in a systematic and deliberate manner. These were words mentioning the names of the Woking Muslim Mission or the Berlin Muslim Mission run by the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, or the names of Lahore Ahmadiyya Imams of these missions, or the names of Lahore Ahmadiyya authors or books. The reason why the names have been removed is to prevent readers from finding out that the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement did the work of the propagation of Islam. It is also apparent that, apart from the removals of these names, there are barely any other omissions for the purpose of abridgement.

At this local link you can read the ‘abridged edition’ of Islam Our Choice published by the Saudi Arab government deparment mentioned above.

We detail below the specific instances of the deletions mentioned above.

The abbreviation B/S stands for the Bawany/Saudi edition, and WMM for the Woking Muslim Mission full edition.

In the quotations below from the WMM edition, we have if necessary underlined the text which has been omitted from the S/B edition. In our pdf copy of the B/S edition we have marked by a marginal red line each of the references that are mentioned below.

1. Lord Headley ‘Al-Farooq’ (England)

His statement in the Bawany/Saudi edition begins as follows:

“It is possible some of my friends may imagine that I have been influenced by Muslims; but this is not the case, for my present convictions are solely the outcome of many years of thought. My actual conversations with educated Muslims on the subject of religion only commenced a few weeks ago, and need I say that I am overjoyed to find that all my theories and conclusions are entirely in accord with Islam.” (B/S, p. 17)

In the original statement Lord Headley then continued:

“Even my friend Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din has never tried to influence me in the slightest degree. He has been a veritable living concordance, and has patiently explained and translated portions of the Koran which did not appear quite clear to me, and in this respect he showed the true spirit of the Muslim Missionary, which is never to force or even persuade.” (WMM, p. 98)

The above text has been omitted in the B/S edition. After this, the remaining account is the same in the B/S edition as in the WMM edition.

2. Dr. Hamid Marcus (Germany)

In the B/S edition, we read within his statement:

“Later, in Berlin, I had the opportunity of working together with Muslims and listening to the enthusiastic and inspiring commentaries which the founder of the first German Muslim Mission at Berlin and builder of the Berlin Mosque, gave on the Holy Quran. After years of active co-operation with this outstanding personality and his spiritual exertions, I embraced Islam.” (B/S, p. 44)

It seems curious that this “outstanding personality” is not named. This is because his name has been removed in the B/S edition! The above words:

… which the founder of the first German Muslim Mission …

are as follows in the original statement:

… which the Maulana Sadr-ud-Din, the founder of the first German Muslim Mission … (WMM, p. 115)

The omission of this name is the only change under this entry in the B/S edition.

3. William Burchell Bashyr Pickard

In the B/S edition, we read within his statement:

“This remark surprised and greatly interested my teacher in Arabic, who after a little talk invited me to accompany him to the London Prayer House at Notting Hill Gate.” (B/S, p. 47)

The B/S edition then leaves out the following words which occur immediately after the above sentence:

“I did so and there I met the Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din, of happy memory.” (WMM, p. 157)

A little further on we read in the B/S edition:

“…until, on New Year’s day, 1922, I openly joined the Muslim community.” (B/S, p. 47-48)

The original words are:

“…until, on New Year’s day, 1922, I journeyed to Woking and there I openly joined the Muslim community.” (WMM, p. 157)

Again, the rest of this long entry is the same in the B/S edition as in the WMM edition, except for the omission of a hadith which Mr Pickard had placed in brackets.

4. Thomas Irving (Canada)

This is T.B. Irving whose Muslim name is Talim Ali and who has produced an English translation of the Quran. On several Internet sites, it says within his statement:

“An Indian philanthropist from Bombay, the late Mr. Q. A. Jairazbhoy, had sent me ‘What is Islam!’ by H. W. Lovegrove (this is perhaps the most practical exposition that I have read, and merits wide distribution). Later he sent me […an…] annotated edition of the Holy Quran, and various other books and tracts.” (For example, see this link at the Discovering Islam website.)

Firstly, text occurring immediately after “H. W. Lovegrove” has been omitted, which is as follows

“published by the Woking Muslim Mission and Literary Trust, Woking” (WMM, p. 185)

Secondly, the text “[…an…]” is clear proof that an omission has been made. Originally this sentence read:

“Later he sent me Maulvi Muhammad Ali’s excellent annotated edition of the Holy Quran, and various other books and tracts.” (WMM, p. 185)

The words “Maulvi Muhammad Ali’s excellent” have been replaced by “[…an…]” on the Internet site. In the S/B edition, these words are present as in the original (see B/S, p. 83).

This suggests that in some printings of the B/S edition one or two instances of Ahmadiyya names still remained, having escaped the notice of the censors, and these have then been removed in later reproductions.

5. Mavis B. Jolly (England)

In the S/B edition it says within her statement:

“I read a number of books, including The Religion of Islam, Muhammad and Christ, and The Sources of Christianity, the latter showing the amazing similarities between Christianity and the old pagan myths, impressed me greatly.” (S/B, p. 60)

Originally this text was as follows:

“I read a number of books, including The Religion of Islam and Muhammad and Christ by Muhammad Ali and several by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din, whose The Sources of Christianity, showing amazing similarities between Christianity and the old pagan myths, impressed me greatly.” (WMM, p. 186)

In the S/B edition the names of the authors of these books (Muhammad Ali and Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din) have been removed.

6. Dr. Umar Rolf Baron Ehrenfels (Austria)

Along with his account of embracing Islam, there is a biographical note by the compiler of the book. In the B/S edition this is given as a foonote on p. 38, while in the WMM edition it is given as an introductory note on p. 234.

(a) In the B/S edition it is stated in the sketch:

“His interest in Islam increased by and by and Ehrenfels accepted Islam in 1927…”

In the original, instead of the above sentence, we have the following:

“On one occasion a Yugoslav Imam, by the name of Abdullah, suggested to contact his namesake, the Imam of the then newly-constructed mosque at Berlin, Dr. S.M. Abdullah. This done, literary contributions to the Moslemische Revue, edited by Dr. S.M. Abdullah and Dr. Hamid Marcus at Berlin, and soon also personal contacts developed, and in its consequence Ehrenfels accepted Islam in 1927…”

(b) Further on, the B/S edition says:

“He visited Indo-Pakistan sub-continent in 1932…”

The original words were:

“He travelled in 1932 with Dr. S.M. Abdullah in the regions of the present Pakistan and India…”

In the above two cases, the name of Dr. S.M. Abdullah and mention of the Berlin Mosque has been removed. He was a distinguished missionary of Islam of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement who worked both in the Berlin and the Woking Missions, and the Berlin Mosque was built by the Lahore Ahmadiyya community.

(c) Further on in the sketch, the B/S edition says:

“When Austria was overrun by the Nazis in 1938 Baron Umar again went to India, worked in Hyderabad at the invitation of the late Sir Akbar Hydari and carried on anthropological field-work in South India…”

However, in the original sketch it had stated:

“When Austria was overrun by the Nazis in 1938, Baron Umar again went to India as the guest of the late Maulana Muhammad Ali of Lahore and later worked in Hyderabad at the invitation of the late Sir Akbar Hydari. During the war he translated works by the late Hazrat Amir, Maulana Muhammad Ali, into the German language, cf. The Prophet of Islam, The New World Order, and also pursued anthropological field-work in South India…”

7. Mrs. Amina Moseler (Germany)

Her statement in the B/S edition reads:

“Years passed before I came in contact with the Imam of the Berlin Mosque, who introduced me to Islam.” (B/S, p. 68)

Her original statement said:

“Years passed before I came in contact with Dr. S.M. Abdullah, the Imam of the Berlin Mosque, who introduced me to Islam.” (WMM, p. 154)

8. Ismail Wieslaw Jezierski (Poland)

In the B/S edition it says within his statement:

“Later, I received a small pamphlet entitled Islamo chies religio from Dar al Tabligh. P.O. Box 112, Cairo, and some works of Maulana Muhammad Ali.” (B/S, p. 72-73)

Here the name of Maulana Muhammad Ali has not been deleted. However, the words which immediately followed the above have been removed:

“(The Holy Quran, The Religion of Islam, The Living Thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad, and The New World Order) from the Joint Secretary, Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at-i-Islam, Lahore, Pakistan.” (WMM, p. 118)

9. Hussain Rofe (England)

The B/S edition reads:

“An invitation to watch the prayers and participate in the lunch after the ‘Id prayers one day in 1945 gave me the opportunity to study an international group of Muslims at close quarters at the mosque.” (B/S, p. 80)

In the original he had said:

“… to study an international group of Muslims at close quarters at the Woking mosque.” (WMM, p. 190)

10. H.F. Fellowes (England)

According to the B/S edition, he said:

“I wrote to the Muslim Mission and I was supplied with books by Muslim authors.” (B/S, p. 94)

In the original statement, he had said:

“I wrote to the Woking Muslim Mission at Woking and I was supplied with books by Muslim authors.” (WMM, p. 233)

11. S.A. Board (U.S.A.)

His account in the B/S version begins:

“It was sometime during 1920, while in a doctor’s office, I saw an issue of the African Times and Orient Review, London. It contained an article on Islam.” (B/S, p. 98)

The original statement reads:

“It was some time during 1920, while in a doctor’s office, I saw an issue of the African Times and Orient Review, London, edited by Duse Muhammad Ali, of 158 Fleet Street, London. It was an article on Islam by, I think, Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din.” (WMM, p. 209)

12. T.H. McBarklie (Ireland)

It says in the B/S edition:

“One day I chanced on a copy of Islam and Civilization.” (B/S, p. 105)

In the original, this is as follows:

“One day I chanced on a copy of Islam and Civilization, by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din.” (WMM, p. 150)

The name of the author of this book, Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din, has been omitted.