Myself standing in front of the entrance to the masjid. To my left is the tomb of Allama Iqbal, the creator of the idea of Pakistan as well as its national poet. He was a brilliant and original philosopher who synthesized native Islamic philosophy with the best and most progressive aspects of the western tradition. He was an unflinching advocate for political democracy and for the rights of the oppressed. The fact that he is so revered and yet was the grand son of Kashmiri converts from Hinduism is a testimony to the Islamic ideals of universal brotherhood and judgement according to character as opposed to ancestry.