Date: December 1912
Location: London (?)
Speaker: Aga Khan III
Source: Speeches of Aga Khan III – K K Aziz
Full Text
Suffering among Muslim refugees of the war – organize meetings and house-to-house visits for funds.
According all accounts from independent sources, apart from Red Crescent work, terrible, unheard of suffering amongst Moslem refugees. Thousands of women and children dying of cold and hunger, terrible calamity for Islam and humanity. Thou sands of innocent little ones daily shivering to death. Pray you at once organise meetings throughout Northern India and Bengal.
Appeal to His Highness the Nawab of Ramp ur, Her Highness the Begum of Bhopal and also to His Highness and the Nobles of Hyderabad. Kindly organise house-to-house visits everywhere and send money collected telegraphically to Right Honourable Saiyad Ameer Ali, who will forward to Constantinople at once for relief of refugees, orphans and widows. Appeal to all Moslems – to all human beings. For God’s sake, for sake of Prophet, do not let thousands of Moslems daily die for want of help. See what Russian public subscription has done for the Balkan sufferings. Now or never is time for help. Am broken hearted to see terrible suffer ings. Help!
To my Islamic brethren and to all my countrymen I appeal in the name of humanity to rise to the occasion and to extend their helping hand by contributing their mite for the alleviation of the painful suffering of their fellow creatures abroad. The warmth and earnestness with which the people have hitherto responded is gratifying indeed, but the seriousness of the situation demands sacrifice, strenuous efforts and arduous work in a still greater degree. I have no doubt that my countrymen will readily and generously respond to this pathetic cry for relief and I trust that the members of our community will organise local and house-to house collections in every town and village. It is immaterial whether the money so collected is sent to the Right Honourable Mr. Saiyad Ameer Ali or to the Prime Minister in Constantinople, but the object should be clearly specified. I am doing, and will do all that lies in my power in furtherance of the noble cause and will shortly organise a tour of visits to important places throughout India.
Source: The Times of India, Bombay, 9 December 1912.
This appeal formed the text of a cablegram sent by the Aga Khan, presumably from London, to the Raja of Mahmudabad. The Raja released it to the press with the following short statement of his own: “We are all aware that in the war in which Turkey and the Allies are involved an armistice has now been proclaimed and terms of peace are being considered.
Let us all hope that the war has practically come to an end and that further bloodshed will be averted. If that is happily so there will be no further addition to the number of the wounded and the work with which the Red Crescent · Society is immediately concerned will soon come to a close. But there has arisen in an acute form the problem of relieving the widows and orphans of those who have been slain and the refugees who have been obliged to take shelter within the walls of Constantinople from numerous places. Their number must be large and their sufferings intense. “The following cablegram from His Highness the Aga Khan to me indicates the gravity of the situation.”