Excerpted from "Hindu-Mahomedan Unity" by Mahatma Gandhi
What then does the Hindu-Mahomedan Unity consist in and how can it be best promoted? The
answer is simple. It consists in our having a common purpose, a common goal and common
sorrows. It is best promoted by co-operating to reach the common goal, by sharing one
another's sorrow and by mutual toleration. A common goal we have. We wish this great country
of ours to be greater and self-governing.[4] We have enough sorrows to share and to-day
seeing that the Mahomedans are deeply touched on the question of Khilafat and their case is
just, nothing can be so powerful for winning Mahomedans friendship for the Hindu as to give his
whole-hearted support to the Mahomedan claim. No amount of drinking out of the same cup or
dining out of the same bowl can bind the two as this help in the Khilafat question.
And mutual toleration is a necessity for all time and for all races. We cannot live in peace if the
Hindu will not tolerate the Mahomedan form of worship of God and his manners and customs or
if the mahomedans will be impatient of Hindu idolatory, cow-worship. It is not necessary for
toleration that I must approve of what I tolerate. I heartily dislike drinking, meat eating and
smoking, but I tolerate all these in Hindus, Mahomedans and Christians even as I expect them to
tolerate my abstinence from all these, although they may dislike it. All the quarrels between the
Hindus and the Mahomedans have arisen from each wanting to force the other his view.
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