Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-07-15
'THEWORL
IN REVIEW
BY Maj. Con.
D. P. BarroWS

A REPORT from India says
"A that Mohandas X. Gandh
has proposed a plan for the I
independence of India by Tho
political separation of the Mo-
hammedan states and peoples
from the Hindu.
The proposal is interesting.
II may indicate that Gandhi
has grown in craftsmanship and
recognizes that all-India cannot
succeed in attaining inde-
pendence at once.
Among the many millions OF
Indian peoples the Moham-
medans are a minority but they
occupy definite territorial areas.
the Punjab largely, and they
are the militant element OF
India. Their profession of Islam,
their soldierly qualities, their
fierce pride and their utter dis
taste for rule over thems
selves by the peoples OF Brah.
man religion have defeated the
progress of India toward an
independent status and make
its realization dangerous.
Gandhi's new proposal would
seem to comprise two future
Indian states or "dominionsS
based upon the religious and
cultural separation between
Indian peoples.
TASTY and uniformed
IL critics of British rule In
India are accustomed TO charge
this problem of disunity to a
British policy Of divide and
rule" Certainly the British did
not create this disunity.
II existed long before their
arrival. And the effects of Bri,s1
ish administration are more Wis
ible in creating uniflcatlon Il
the Indian peoples than in sepa.
rating them and inflamlng tho
hostility between them
This India problem is a very
great one, involving a country
which in size and numbers 10
almost continent in itself. But
II finds illustrations IN other
countries. even small ones.
where the native population.
rarely homogeneous in race. cul-
ture and degree of advancement,
Likewise asplres 10 independence
and viii have its ambition
@ greatly enhanced by this war.
4 MERICANS have an iden-
"A teal problem m the Phil.
ippine Islands. Nlne-tenths IT
the Filipino peoples are Chris
tanned and while different Ma
layan languages are still their
mother tongues. they have re-
celved a common language Eng.
lish. through nearly As years OF
public instruction.
This developing unlilcation
applies 10 the Filipino peoples
OF LuZon and the BlSayan
Islands. but II IS not true Of the
southern part Of this archipel-
ago. The natives Of southern
Minanao. the Sulu Islands and a
large part of the long island Of
Palawan are Mohsmmedans. or.
10 use the Spanish term, they
are Moros.
They we're Mohammedsnlzed
long before the northern islands
were ChriStanized. This sepa-
rated them from the Filipino
peoples 10 the north. While geo.
graphically they lie in the Phil.
lppne Archipelago they are
united culturally with the Mo-
hammedanlLed Malayans of I'M
donesla
NOR three centuries the Sui
i tanstes of Mindanao and
Sulu successfully resisted Span
iSh conquest. For two centuries
and half the MeroS carried out
offensive operations Of piracy
and raid against the Philippine
Islands inhabited by Christian
peoples. They were only finally
conquered in the early years OF
this century by American
troops.
Filiplnos proper have no active
part in this military unlfication
of the Philippines. But, as
the policy OF independence
developed, Philippine leaders in
sisted that the Philippine COM
monwealth receive full lurisdlc-
ton over these Mohammedan
tribes, as well as over them
selves. This ignore the
preferences and the rights 81
The MoroS 10 be independent Of
the rule of the F'lliplnos whom
they still dlstrusted and re-
garded as enemies.
lust how the result Of sub
y jecting the Moros 10 tho
- -.