Page:History of India Vol 6.djvu/335

CHRISTIAN PASSES FOB MOHAMMEDAN PILGRIMS 271 lie was asked his reasons, he replied that there were only two routes to Mecca, one was by Irak, the other by Gujarat. On the former route a man must hear abusive language from the Kazilbashes (Persian Shi- ahs) ; by the latter he must, before he embarks at sea, suffer the indignity of entering into an engagement A CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN INDIA. with the Firingis, which engagement was headed and stamped with portraits of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ (upon whom be peace!), and so is tinctured with idol worship. Therefore both ways should be pro- hibited.' The fact that the Europeans did grant passes for ships to convey pilgrims to Mecca is recorded also by Nizam-ad-din Ahmad, in the Tabalmt-i Akl>ari, in which Akbar's historian notes incidentally that a ship was detained at Surat for lack of the necessary papers.