Jinnah- A better Muslim

Some people are revered in their life and some after their death. There is no doubt that Jinnah was a legend in his own lifetime and lives on in people's memories long after he is dead to the world. But he continues to be one of the least understood and enigmatic leaders in history. It is a strange fact that Jinnah is revered in Pakistan as the Quaid-i-Azam (The great leader) but portrayed as a villain in neighboring India. He is termed as arrogant, a divider and a cold-hearted man; yet in Pakistan he's seen to be a man of principles, a just and truthful, honest man. Yet how can the two faces of the same man so irreconcilable?
Ali Jinnah's biggest crime in the eyes of Indians is the division of United India on the basis of religion; yet the same man is considered to be the saviour of Muslims of the Sub-Continent by demanding and achieving a state for them. Yet why did a man perceived to be secular demand partition on the basis of religion? There can be two reasons for that; the first being the biased attitudes of the nationalist Hindu leaders that led him to believe that progress of Muslims in a united India, after the British left, would be difficult under a resurgent Hindu majority. What, for me, is the second reason is that Jinnah may be a secular man in his daily habits, but he is the perfect example of a Muslim in his character. He was truthful, incorruptible, honest, a constitutionalist, just and loyal to the people who trusted him. I can only marvel at the honesty and sense of responsibility of a man who had the unwavering loyalty of the people and power; yet he refused to even eat a meal at his country's expense. I am amazed at his love for principles and his penchant to stand for truth. How many examples can a Muslim world boast of in recent history, that may even come near to Jinnah's stature? None. If he isn't a true Muslim in character, I don't know who is.
The problem with the present Muslim population in India is that they tend to see Jinnah as someone who divided India and left them at the mercy of the majority. They fail to see that this is exactly what Jinnah was trying to save them from. If partition had not happened, this would have been the exact fate of all the Muslims, not only the Muslims in present day India. Whenever I go out in the streets of Pakistan, I feel I have a right to this land; there is no one who claims to be more Pakistani than I, but an Indian Muslim cannot say the same thing, as his patriotism is always called into question on the basis of his religion. Why should not, then, the Pakistanis revere Jinnah as their great leader? I was deeply saddened when, on a recent visit to India, I had to hear anti-Jinnah remarks. A remarkable example of what teaching distorted history can do to minds.
As this December 25 passes, I again feel the pull that the great Quaid has on people's hearts. I pray that Allah bless him and enable us to be as honest, as incorruptible and as loyal, as Jinnah was.