Political Dilemma

(Fatima Tahir, Lahore)

The world has become an extremely dangerous place to live in. The devastating power of plastic explosives, combined with hi-tech, remotely controlled activation means superimposed by a proliferation of suicide bombers becomes a lethal combination beyond any effective counter. The unfortunate reality is that both, the perpetrators of the crime as well as most of the sufferers from it are Muslims. This has inevitably made non-Muslims believe, though wrongfully, that Islam is a religion of intolerance, militancy and terrorism. This thesis is rapidly evolving across the globe: connecting Islam to fundamentalism, fundamentalism to extremism and extremism to terrorism. We can protest, however vigorously, against this labeling, but the reality is that such arguments are not likely to win this formidable battle of minds against us. To compound our apathy further, we are probably the poorest, most uneducated, most powerless and the most disunited in the world.

Before the anti Soviet, Afghan War started, the Palestine dispute alone was the cause of unrest in the Muslim World which led to a general unification of Muslims in favour of Palestinians and against Israel. The Afghan war of 80’s, supported and facilitated by the West, as a proxy war against the Soviet Union, saw the emergence and nurturing of pan Islamic militancy. Islam as a religion was used to harness mass, world-wide Muslim support. Subsequently, the atrocities and ethnic cleansing against Muslims in Bosnia, the Chechen uprising, Kashmir freedom struggle and invigorated Palestinian Intifada all erupted in the 90’s after the Soviet disintegration. To make matters worse the militancy sparked in Afghanistan which needed to be defused after the end of the Cold War, was allowed to fester for the whole decade of 90’s. This saw the birth of Al-Qaeda. Then came the bombshell of the horror of 9/11 and the angry reaction of US against Taliban/Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. All subsequent reactions of the US, their domestic responses against Muslims, their attitude towards Palestine and operation in Iraq led to total polarization of the Muslim masses against the US.

Muslim world is passing through a very difficult phase of its history. Internally, if we look at ourselves, it displays poverty, illiteracy, social backwardness most of all intellectual stagnation. These basic problems lately been aggravated by the phenomena of religious intolerance, and political violence being practice by minority whom I call radicals. They know and talk only of Haqooqullah. They don’t practice and don’t want to propagate Haqqoulabad, emancipation of human character of self.

The Muslim culture, society, and the Shariah if viewed from Islam’s intellectual, ideological and moral perspective, then these two attributes would stand out as the distinct features of Islam as a religion and civilization. That is the reason why Islam has decreed ‘Adl’ , which stands for moderation and balance, in matters concerning one’s faith, actions, the life of an individual in a society, his community life, worship rituals, economy and even in matters concerning friendship, war and peace. A man is accountable in Islam for all that he does. This sense of accountability depends on his awareness, his power of discretion and enlightenment. It also helps to check bias and imbalance. The Qur’an has, therefore, described the Muslim Ummah as a Moderate Community. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) also declared moderation and the middle road as the best course. The parameters laid down by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to keep the Muslim Ummah always on the right track determine the boundary lines of the enlightenment and moderation. These are in fact built-in in our social order as a Muslim community and there is no need for importing it from elsewhere, or for any process of pick and choose to suit others’ whims and demands.

We must remove the yoke of dominance of unenlightened extremist and have the moderate enlightened Islam prevail in our society and the Ummah. Fifty seven out of the 191 countries of the world are Muslims belong to Ummah. We posses 70 per cent of world energy resources. We also posses 40 per cent of the world’s raw material. In spite of all this our share of global trade is only 5 per cent or six per cent. Our collective GDP of whole Ummah is less than five per cent of world GDP. 22 of 49 least developed countries of the world are Muslims. Why this dismal picture is question that comes to any thinking Muslim mind. We are left behind knowledge. We are left behind in technological development, in science and technology specially. We have left the fruits of industrial revolution to bypass us. The Muslim Ummah entered the 21st century, in this very abject state of illiteracy, poverty and backwardness, at the same time confronting external accusation against us.

THE ONLY DARKNESS AHEAD OF ME IS THE SHADOW I CAST!
For the sake of universal harmony, a remedy has to be found. Both in Muslim society and externally where true image of Islam needs to be projected world at large. Muslim Ummah should develop new paradigm for responding to challenges being faced by Muslims today. In order to develop such a paradigm, new revolutionary strategy is needed. The proposed strategy should be based on enlightening moderation. It focuses on adopting a middle course, free from all kinds of religious extremism.

What we need today is self-introspection. Who are we, what do we as Muslims stand for, where are we going, where should we be headed and how can we reach there? The answers to all these questions, we see as the Muslim prong of the strategy of enlightened Moderation.

The time for renaissance has come. The way forward is to head towards enlightenment and concentrate on human resource development through poverty alleviation, education, health and social justice. If this be our direction, it cannot be achieved through a confrontationist approach. We have to adopt the path of moderation and a conciliatory approach to wash off the common belief that Islam is a religion of militancy and is also in conflict with modernization, democracy and secularism. All this has to be done with a realization that, in the world we live in, the doctrine of fairness is not always available to us.

Moderation is strongly advocated by Islam. Muslims are enjoined to follow the middle course and to avoid extremism. And this has to be done with the realization, a very practical realization that the world environment in which we live today will not always assure us fairness and deal with us fairly. We must know this bitter truth. This, briefly, is our prong of the strategy of enlightened moderation. If we deliver on this, we shall be in a better position to demand from the west the just resolution of political disputes in whish Muslims are involved.

The world at large and the powers that be, must realize that confrontation and use of force is no more the option available to bring ultimate peace. Justice must be done and be seen to be done. Let it not be said by our future generations that we, the leaders of today took humanity towards apocalypse. The best course left for us is to strengthen our own Islamic values and traditions and sincerely try to improve the socio-economic lot of the Muslim masses according to the models available with us for a multi-dimensional progress and development in this world and the Hereafter.

Fatima Tahir
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