Islam

Ennahdha's Statement of Solidarity with Syrian Paople

2012-02-09T21:59:00.000+04:00

As the Arab Spring continues, so does the persistence of the brave Syrian people in their struggle for freedom. The brutal Syrian regime's insistence on murder also continues as the whole world watches.

The Ennahdha Party:

Prays for the souls of the martyrs and for the recovery of those injured.

Supports the Syrian people's struggle until the achievement of their aims.

Salutes the bravery of the Syrian people in the face of repression and murder.

Condemns Assad's regime and his brutal crimes, and holds it responsible for any future deterioration of the situation.

Supports the post-revolution Tunisian government's decision to expel the Syrian ambassador, for the birthplace of the Arab Spring can only stand by all peoples struggling against oppression and authoritarianism.

Considers the expelling of the Syrian ambassador to be a popular demand as well as a government decision which has been welcomed by the Arab street and international public opinion.

Expresses astonishment at the illusionary contradiction posed by some between our desire for freedom and the central causes of the Ummah and the imagined need to abandon one or the other. We stress that elected governments are the most capable of defending their people's national interests.

Calls on all people of the region and on the Arab League to support the Syrian people so as to avoid foreign intervention.

Calls on the Syrian people and its elites to unite around a political alternative based on establishing a pluralistic democratic system that protects the unity of the people and the national territory and accommodates all sects and groups on the basis of equal citizenship.

Condemns the silence of some among the Tunisian elites and their equating of the victim with the murderer, in an implicit support of the authoritarian Syrian regime.

Calls for a demonstration on Friday 10 February in support of the Syrian people.

Ennahdha Party

Rached Ghannouchi

(From Ikhwan's Official English Website)

What Now In Syria?

2012-02-09T11:02:00.000+04:00

Writer: İBRAHİM KALIN

After the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Syria was vetoed by Russia and China on Feb. 4, the situation in Syria has been getting worse, not better. Last week saw the full-fledged shelling of Homs and other cities, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people. Damascus seems to have taken the UNSC veto as a license to kill. China and Russia as well as other countries supporting the Assad regime need to rethink their position.

The Syrian resolution aimed at a peaceful transition, calling on President Bashar al-Assad to transfer his powers to his deputy and form a transitional national government. It included no provision on military intervention. It was a summary of the calls that have been made by Turkey and the Arab League since August of last year.

The Assad regime rejected all of these calls. At times, it gave the impression that it was interested in reform and dialogue with the opposition. It did not take long to see that the regime was simply buying time and was neither serious nor sincere about reforms or peaceful transition. Instead, it took a false comfort in the delicate position and strategic location of Syria. This is a false comfort because everybody and also the regime know that those who support the regime in Damascus have their own agenda.

The Russian attempt to mediate between the regime and the opposition, made formal and public by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to Damascus on Feb. 7, will come to naught. The Russians may sincerely believe that they can convince President Assad to stop the bloodshed and start a process of national dialogue. But judging by its actions so far, the regime is unlikely to change course at this point and take substantial steps, which will have to include the stepping down of Assad and his close associates.

Instead, Damascus wants to have a prolonged war and maintain the “delicate” position it has at the moment. The “delicate” position is no secret: With Chinese and Russian support at the UNSC on the one hand and the support of the Iranian and Iraqi governments on the other, it has calculated to wear down the opposition, both national and international, to consolidate its military prowess and intelligence capability and to convince its support base that the regime is strong and will not be toppled.

The regime has made promises to the Syrian people before and to Turkey and the Arab league and kept none of them. It will not be any different with the Russian initiative. The regime in Damascus thrives on the regional balance of power with global players included. This “instrumental” value for Syria will not last for too long. That is why the regime will try everything to regionalize the regime crisis in Syria and make it a power struggle between different alliances in the Middle East and the world and secure a comfort zone for itself in the mix.

Neither a neo-imperialist intervention nor the continuation of the current dictatorship is a viable option in Syria. The challenge for all stakeholders is to find a third way that will ensure the rebuilding of Syria as a democratic, pluralist and prosperous country freed from dictatorship, nepotism, corruption and apathy. Here the Syrian opposition, both inside and outside the country, carries the greater burden. It is they who are the rightful owners of the Syrian revolution.

But they have limited resources and are just beginning to mature as an opposition. Given the fact that Syrians never had a chance to organize as a legal political opposition in the past, it is only natural that they face problems. At any rate, they will continue to be the key actors of the process of change in Syria. The next stage in Syria will be to further empower the Syrian opposition.

After the veto at the UNSC, Turkey will continue to work with the Arab League, members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the EU countries and the US. As Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Feb. 7, Turkey will launch a new initiative to raise the awareness and support of the international community on Syria and deepen the political, diplomatic and economic isolation of the regime in Damascus. The new round of consultations and coordination will take a concrete form in the next few weeks.

(With thanks to Turkish English Daily Today Zaman)

An End to an Endless War

2012-02-07T08:11:00.001+04:00

Eric S. Margolis (A veteran US journalist)

Far-called our navies melt away
One dune and headland sinks the fire
Lo, all our pomps of yesterday
Is one with Nineve and Tyre
(Redyard Kipling 1897, Recessional)

The poet laureate of British imperialism might write the same stanzas today about its successor, the American Empire, which, having reached its high water mark in the bleak mountains of Afghanistan is set to begin receding. US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta just announced that all US combat troops would withdraw from Afghanistan by mid-2013. Of the 90,000 US Afghan garrison, 22,000 will depart this fall. Some sort of training mission will remain.

The Obama administration, facing a tough election this year, has taken the fiscally, militarily and politically correct decision to end the no-win, $1 trillion Afghan war begun by George W. Bush. Withdrawal dates for roughly 40,000 NATO troops is uncertain, though France just announced an accelerated pullout. The fate of an estimated 80,000 US-paid mercenaries in Afghanistan is  also uncertain.

The US will continue strikes by drones, warplanes and attacks by special forces from a small number of fortress bases. Pakistan will be cajoled or bribed by Washington to keep its forces active against Pashtun tribal fighters. Washington and London will keep issuing cheery claims about the success of the Afghan War. But the hard truth cannot be avoided. All the concentrated military-technological might of the United States and its allies has been defeated by fierce Pashtun tribesmen whose primary weapons are courage, patience and legendary determination to drive out foreign invaders.

Afghanistan has once more earned the title, “Graveyard of Empires.”

The United States had hoped to pound or bribe the Pashtun fighters that comprise Taleban and its allies into submission, or split them by selective peace talks. They have failed in Afghanistan. Soon after 9/11, I wrote in a US newspaper article that US intervention in Afghanistan would be a disaster for all concerned. I’d joined Pashtun mujahidin, first against the Soviets, then Taleban battling the Afghan Communists. These Pashtun mountain warriors were the bravest men I had seen while covering 14 wars. All the Western propaganda about “terrorism” and abused women in hijabs could not fully conceal that Afghanistan was a neo-colonial war being waged for strategic geography, minerals, pipeline routes.

The last fig leaf fell when then CIA chief Panetta admitted there were no more than 25-50 Al Qaeda members in Afghanistan. That and the assassination of Osama bin Laden left Washington no more excuse for occupying Afghanistan. A majority of Americans turned against the endless Afghan war. Even the US-installed Hamid Karzai stated that NATO’s only achievement had been killing large numbers of Afghan civilians.

Even if US combat troops leave next year, as in Iraq, the US will still exercise influence through drones, air strikes, commando raids and a vast fortified embassy (“Crusader Castles” bin Laden called them) with its own little mercenary army. Still, quitting the Afghan fiasco will boost Obama’s electoral chances. Hopefully, it will also lessen or end America’s semi-occupation of Pakistan, which has been forced to support a war against its natural ally, Taleban.

As a result, nuclear-armed Pakistan has become dangerously destabilised and a hotbed of anti-Western hatred. Ending the Afghan War is urgent before Pakistan blows up and draws India into the maelstrom. This should be America’s primary strategic interest.

(With thanks to Khaleej Times and the writer)

Reach Muhammad, SAW, the Last and Final Link of the Chain of Divine Guidance

2012-02-05T10:11:00.000+04:00

An unprecedented rise of the multi facet technology, particularly its latest phenomenon, IT technology is a prototype with nothing to match in the previous history. It is the technology which gave birth to Globalization connecting the people of the world as if they are habitants of a small village now. The modern technology was rightly expected to help in bridging the gulf of cultures and ideologies and bringing the mankind closer. Through it an atmosphere of mutual understanding between the communities could be developed and enmities and rivalries could be put to an end. But what is in sight is totally different.

The most significant feature of the modern technological age is its having about a dozen theories of the 17th and 18th centuries--- Humanism, Existentialism, Secularism, Materialism, Chance-ism, Evolution, Utilitarianism, Free Competition, Relativism, Communism, Socialism and Democracy---almost all of them relating to the polity, economy and morality. In the other words all of the ideologies and theories mentioned above reason about and call for enhancement of man’s social, moral, political and economic condition. Surge of modern material knowledge of the 20th century speeding up the technology also has the claim to help man in removing predicaments.

But what is the gain for man from these glossy ideas and theories and a huge gush up of the modern technology? He has earned nothing except corruption of his nature and futility of a baffling material life. He has been lowered from the lofty ideals of his life to a consuming animal. As a tool and stooge of the industrialists he has been entangled in a maze of production for consumption and consumption for more production. Confounding ideologies of the 17th and 18th centuries and zenith of the modern knowledge of the 20th century followed by staggering progress in the technological fields has pushed man into the sufferings of inner desolation and hollowness and outwardly and superficial wooing. From the position of a free and responsible being, having a Noble Cause behind his creation, now man has been transformed only a slave, ostensibly of his ‘self’ because most of his efforts and energies are exhausted in working only to satisfy his carnal desires, but actually he has been pushed into the servitude of the industrialists and producers.

In the dust of propaganda of changing the vast world in a tiny global village, instead he had got connected to his fellow men and closer to others he has actually gone far away from himself. In the flourish and hustle and bustle of the cities and town man is lost in his loneliness. Glamour and glitters of the show biz, excess of the entertainment events, glut of food outlets and fun points and all other superfluities of life fail to fill the spiritual vacuum and relieve him from his inner desertedness.

Ignorant, naïve and unknowledgeable times are blamed to had caused huge sacrifices of human lives in the name of religion, but when we reckon the loss of lives only during last 100 years in the effulgence of modern civilization and boom of modern knowledge, it goes much higher than collective loss of almost last several millenniums, and it has been only for establishing hegemony and dominance of some particular nations who unfortunately gained upper handedness in science and technology, progress in weapon industry and surpassing position in wealth.

In spite of an open failure in actual serenity and peace through the materialistic theories and ideas of the 17th and 18th centuries having their roots in about four thousand old Greek philosophies, man is still extolling the same thoughts. He worries not to trace out the lost link of the chain, the Great Truth. The worship of spacious ostensible made him forget the UNSEEN Fact of the Facts, their Lord, the Creator and His Guidance conveyed to man through His Messengers starting with the creation of the first man, Adam up to the last and final Prophet, Muhammad, be peace and blessings of Allah upon him. The modern knowledge of the 20th century and the astonishing phenomenon of Information Technology could but due to their materialistic nature have not enabled man to reach the last Link of the Chain, modern man ignorantly closing his eyes from. Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa and many other Prophets, be Allah’s blessings upon all of them, are far behind and most of their teaching are lost but Muhammad, SAW, is close, only at the distance of 1444 years back, with all his teachings safe and live. As long as man fails to accept and espouse what Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, came with, no other philosophy and theory can prove a guarantee a real SUCCESS for man.

Muslim World Threatened by Three Extremes

2012-02-03T10:28:00.002+04:00

Writer: BÜLENT KENEŞ

(We may not agree with all the views expressed in the article below but it is not wise to ignore the apprhensions expressed by the writer. Almost similar views were expressed by the Foreign Minister of Turkey, Mr. Ahmet Davutoglu in his recent interview with Turkish English Daily Hurriyet)

The eurozone fiscal crisis, the "Occupy Wall Street" protests all across the US, the "Arab Spring" that has been shaking the Middle East and North Africa and other massive incidents are signaling that the world is on the brink of a major and historic transformation and transition process.

Of course, this process of change and transformation mainly concerns the Middle East in particular and the Muslim world in general. As veteran journalist Cengiz Çandar noted at a conference in Cairo, "The developments that occurred so far in this process can only form the introductory part of a thick history book." Although they are today considered as very important and significant, the incidents that occurred during the Arab Spring that started on Dec. 17, 2010 will be given possibly less space in the history textbooks that will be written 50 years down the line. For the time being, it is not clear who will be entitled to write the history after successfully emerging from the history-making process. Therefore, we don't have the ability to predict the content that will make it into these textbooks. Still, an analysis of the elements that have made their impact on this historic process of change and transformation may give us hints as to future trends.

While it is certainly the most important development in the region in recent years, the Arab Spring is not the only reality in the region. Other elements that are affected by and that have the potential to affect the Arab Spring should be taken into consideration as well. Any assessment of the process of change in Egypt will be flawed if it is done without considering its potential effect on the country's relations with Israel and the West. I think no one can deny the Shiite presence and rising Shiite influence, including Iran's part in it, and its cooperation with the administration in Damascus, as the most obvious reason for the lack of a concerted internal effort to stop the ongoing massacres in Syria. We should also note that there are signs that despotic or semi-authoritarian regimes in the Muslim world tend to implement new restrictive or repressive processes with fears and concerns triggered by ongoing developments in the Arab world.

An article by Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate President Mehmet Görmez, published in the Zaman daily on Jan. 10, 2012, successful points at two extremist components of this dangerous course of developments. "As we evaluate the background of the political reflexes, tensions and conflicts in the immediate vicinity of our country, we cannot ignore the part religion plays in them," writes Professor Görmez, adding strikingly, "Some religious groups and approaches that seek to compete with each other in the region have, by all means, eye-catching roles in international politics."

In this important article, Görmez further suggests: "In our close environment, there are renewed efforts to implement the historical plan to divide Islam. Sectarian differences are being used as a basis for the intended political and geographical divisions. Moreover, in this process, we should not ignore the efforts by an Islamic ideology -- which has, as a byproduct of modern times, severed religious texts from daily realities and turned them into soulless books on law -- to replace Sunni Islam. In this context, both Shiite and Sunni actors are seeking to expand their roles, positions and influence, taking into consideration regional power balances. Sects and religious affiliations, each of which relies on different interpretations of Islam, particularly as seen in the case of Shiism and Salafism, have been trying to publicly advertise themselves as a superior representation of Islam."

As Mr. Görmez unerringly pointed out, the Muslim world, and in particularly the Middle East, is suffering from a process in which two extremist ideologies that claim to have exclusive right to represent Islam compete with each other. And unfortunately, the wrong policies the US and the West have pursued knowingly or unknowingly in the region have certainly played a great role in empowering these two extremist poles.

I think no one can deny the fact that the new geopolitical structure that emerged in the wake of the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and of Iraq in 2003 had played into the hands of Iran, a country which eventually made Shiite expansion the main axis of its national policy. It goes without saying that the Shiite Crescent that extends from the Persian Gulf to the East Mediterranean and that has become a major source of worry and fear among Sunni Arabs is largely an American product.

The extreme armament of the Gulf countries, and in particular of Saudi Arabia, whose defense expenditures amount to hundreds of billions of dollars, has obviously urged Iranians to perceive this development as a threat, which in turn has led even reformists and moderate groups in Iran to band together with the radical policies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The rising Shiite dominance in Iraqi politics, the impact of Hezbollah on the Lebanese political scene, and the support Iran and Iraqi Shiites publicly give to the Syrian government further confirm the presence of a Shiite Crescent in the region while the ongoing armament of the Arab states in the Gulf via the US forces Tehran to maintain its nuclear program -- which can be viewed as a relatively ineffective deterrent factor -- at any cost. Thus, with their shortsighted roles in the region, the US and the West are dragging Iran to adopt an extremist position tainted with radicalism.

We have previously seen in the case of Taliban in Afghanistan that Shiite extremism will breed its alternative: an extremist Sunni organization. Nowadays, in the atmosphere of uncertainty created by the Arab Spring, we witness the emergence of Salafism as an extremist Sunni doctrine, supported by Wahhabism. Many people are still shocked to see that Salafis secured 23 percent of the national vote in parliamentary elections in Egypt. While democracy and the quest for freedom are still emerging values, spurred by the Arab Spring, we cannot ignore the fact that these developments are also paving the way for Shiite and Salafi extremism.

As an early diagnosis, we can say the Muslims world is being pulled into a field of conflict between two hostile extremes: Shiite radicalism and fundamentalist Sunni Salafism. If proper measures are not taken, the Middle East faces the risk of being a bloody battlefield between these two extremists doctrines. As a matter of fact, the Shiite Maliki regime in Iraq has already being signaling that it can drag the country into a fraternal feud.

I partially explained above why I refer to three extremes -- instead of two -- in the headline. To elaborate on this, I can say that, concerned with the Shiite and Salafi extremism, some anti-democratic regimes in the Middle East, or in the wider Muslim world, may opt for introducing extremist, repressive secular regimes in their countries. We are already seeing the first signs that the developments in the Middle East have the potential to trigger repressive secularist practices in some Muslim countries, particularly in Central Asia, where freedom of religion and conscience is already problematic.

(With thanks to Turkish English Daily Zaman and the writer)

Piety and Purity of the Hearts

2012-02-02T10:01:00.000+04:00

Turkish Prime Minister denies having secret Mideast Agenda

2012-02-01T11:51:00.001+04:00

We do not discriminate any ethnic root, religion or sect, and we are not making our politics based on these, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tells to Parliamentarians.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey had no secret agenda in the Middle East and did not intend to meddle in anyone’s domestic affairs. He also said, however, that no country had “the luxury to stay indifferent” to unrest in another.

“We are neither against nor behind any sect. Those who perceive our well-meaning advice as interference should first engage in their own self-criticism,” Erdoğan told lawmakers in a speech at Parliament yesterday.

Although Erdoğan did not give names, his words targeted Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has frequently criticized Ankara for intervening in Iraq’s internal affairs after a crisis erupted between Shiite and Sunni political groups. “Sunni, Shiite, Nusayri, Alawite, Arab, Kurd, Orthodox, Catholic. We do not discriminate any ethnic root, religion or sect, and we are not making our politics based on these artificial elements,” Erdoğan said in response to claims Turkey was seeking to change the regime in unrest-laden Syria for the advantage of the Sunni majority. Turkey is not interested in cheap politics, Erdoğan said, and the country was instead searching for peace and stability through dialogue in the most restive environment for decades.

“No problem remains local in this region,” he said, recalling that Turkey’s security has been seriously affected due to instability in the northern part of Iraq where the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) found shelter due to lack of autonomy. “Can one argue that the terror organization that is located in northern Iraq could be counted as an internal problem of Iraq? Can one call the ongoing tension between Sunni and Shiite groups, which has the potential of triggering a sectarian clash in the entire region, simply the internal affairs of Iraq?” he asked. Erdoğan’s words were indirect responses to United States Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone, who said last week, “Their internal affairs are their internal affairs. We certainly respect them. We can’t direct what they do.”

Erdoğan said, “As Turkey, our efforts are for resolving the problems of this region with the efforts of all [actors] of the region. We are not, we cannot be, part of any of ongoing political disputes,” he said. In the meantime, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, head of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), claimed Turkey has lost its flexibility in foreign policy and accused the government of being part of sectarian conflict in the Middle East.

(With Thanks to Turkish English Daily Hurriyet)

Truthfulness and Trustworthiness Foundation Stones of Islamic Morality

2012-01-31T10:44:00.000+04:00

Brotherhood (Ikhwan) to stay out of Egyptian Presidency Race

2012-01-28T09:49:00.000+04:00

The Muslim Brotherhood, the big winners of Egypt's parliamentary vote, will not field a candidate for the Egyptian presidency, its leader Mohammed Badie said on Thursday.

"The Muslim Brotherhood will not support (former member) Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh or any candidate who has an Islamic reference in the presidential elections," he said, quoted by Egypt's news agency MENA.

He said the movement would "reach an agreement with all national powers on the qualifications of the upcoming president," stressing that "the demands of the Egyptian nation are on the top of the Muslim Brotherood's priorities."

Egypt's Islamists led by the once-banned Muslim Brotherhood clinched two thirds of seats in parliament in historic polls following last year's ouster of president Hosni Mubarak.

The Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party won 235 seats in the new People's Assembly, or 47.18 percent, while The ultra-conservative Salafist Al-Nur party came second with 121 seats.

The landmark election was the first since Mubarak's overthrow last February. It began in November and was carried out in three stages.

The Muslim Brotherhood has repeatedly said it would not run for the presidency in polls which are to take place by the end of June at a yet to be fixed date.

The military, which took power after the fall of Mubarak, has said it will hand over once a president is elected in a democratic poll.

(With thanks to esteemed Arabic Daily Asharq Alwsat)

Is American and Israel Hegemony over the Middle East in theArab interest?

2012-01-27T09:15:00.000+04:00

By Patrick Seale
In spite of bluster from belligerent hawks in the United States and Israel, it is highly unlikely that either country will attack Iran in the near future. Israel will not dare attack Iran alone, while US President Barack Obama has made it clear — if not perhaps quite clear enough — that, after its costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US has no intention of allowing itself to be pushed or pulled into another disastrous Middle East war.

The US is cutting $500 billion (Dh1.84 trillion) from its military budget over the next decade. It is trying to get out of Afghanistan without admitting defeat. Instead of ‘boots on the ground’, it is switching to cyber warfare and unmanned drones in its counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist efforts.

Instead of a hot war against Iran, the US and its European allies are waging economic warfare against Tehran with the declared aim of forcing it to suspend uranium enrichment. The undeclared aim would seem to be regime change.

On December 31, Obama signed into law a new set of sanctions against Iran’s oil exports and Central Bank. On January 23, the European Union followed suit. On the same day, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions on Bank Tejerat, Iran’s third largest bank. As the sanctions noose tightens, the Iranian rial has lost half its value since October.

Faced with this severe punishment of a neighbour, the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council need to ask themselves a number of tough questions. Is the economic warfare waged against Iran in the Arab interest? Economic warfare could spark something hotter. Any conflict in the region would inevitably expose the Arab countries, their populations and their vulnerable oil terminals and desalination plants to possible attack.

Arab leaders must surely be aware that if Iran is prevented from exporting its oil, it will do its utmost — as it has already threatened — to prevent its neighbours from making up the shortfall by increasing their own production. The situation is fraught with danger. Iran may well view the sanctions and the boycott as an act of war. Seething with anger at the murder of four of its nuclear scientists — widely believed to be the work of Israel’s intelligence service Mossad — Iran may well retaliate. With tensions running high, there is always the possibility of war by accident, if not by design.

Negotiations not sanctions are the way to defuse the crisis. Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, has suggested renewed talks between Iran and the P5+1 (The five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany). But the declared aim of these talks is to compel Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment. Iran will not submit meekly to such diktats and sanctions. No Iranian leader could survive if he agreed to give up the right to enrich uranium for peaceful industrial purposes — as is allowed by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), of which Iran is a signatory. The humiliation would be too great.

In any event, whereas the NPT forbids the production of nuclear weapons, it does not forbid developing the capability to do so. Experts from the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are due to visit Iran from January 29 to 31 in an attempt to resolve this and other outstanding issues.

If the western powers are unable or unwilling to start serious negotiations with Tehran, the GCC should seize the initiative and propose engaging talks itself. The Arabs and Iran have a strong common interest in safeguarding the security of the vital Gulf region. To open the way for GCC-Iranian talks, the Gulf states might pledge not to allow their territory to be used for an attack on Iran. In return, Iran might pledge not to use the Shiite communities in the region to disturb the existing political order. That could provide the starting point for closer security cooperation. Would not this be the best way to protect the region from the fallout of a possible conflict?

The region’s geography cannot be changed. Whether the Arab Gulf states like it or not, Iran is their neighbour. It has many common interests with them, as well as many trade and family ties. Both Arabs and Iranians should do their utmost to bridge the Sunni-Shiite divide. It is folly for them to allow events which happened 1,400 years ago to shape their present fears and dictate their current policies.

Israel has for years led the propaganda campaign against Iran. Its strategy has been to blackmail the US and Europe into imposing ‘crippling sanctions’ on Iran by threatening to attack Iran itself. Israel would dearly love the US to destroy the Iranian regime, in much the same way as pro-Israeli neo-cons in George W Bush’s administration managed to push the US into overthrowing Saddam Hussain. The consequences of that war were catastrophic for Iraq, for the Arab world as a whole, and for the US itself.

What are Obama’s real motives in sanctioning Iran? First, he is seeking to maintain America’s hegemony over a region rich in oil and gas. Secondly, facing an election this year, he cannot afford to let his Republican rivals accuse him of being weak in support for Israel. He needs to placate Israel’s powerful friends in Congress, in the press, in the many pro-Israeli lobbies and think-tanks, as well as in his own administration. He must do nothing to offend Jewish American donors and voters. He is, in any event, committed to protecting Israel’s regional military supremacy.

Although he may disagree with several aspects of Israeli policy and have no love for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he is obliged by US law to guarantee Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME) — that is to say its military superiority over all Arab states. US arms sales to Arab countries have to be cleared with Israel, to ensure that they pose no threat to it.

Is American and Israel hegemony over the Middle East in the Arab interest? Is it not time for Arab leaders to assert their independence from these powers and distance themselves from quarrels which do not concern them?

The astonishing aspect of the present highly dangerous situation is that there is absolutely no proof that Iran has decided to produce nuclear weapons. America’s National Intelligence Estimate for 2007 and 2010 — the joint work of its 17 intelligence agencies — concluded that Iran had ceased work on developing nuclear weapons in 2003. There was no conclusive evidence that it had resumed such work. The paradox, however, is that the more Iran is threatened and sanctioned, the more likely it is that it will seek the protection of nuclear weapons.

The security of the GCC must surely lie in engaging with Iran rather than allowing itself to be sucked into a quarrel which could end in bitter tears.

(With thanks to Gulf News and Patrick Seale, a commentator and author of several books on Middle East affairs)

Fears of the Middle East

2012-01-27T08:52:00.001+04:00

Writer: TAHA ÖZHAN

The Middle East is a region with connotations of fear. Some of these fears are constructed externally and others really do have a basis in the reality of our region. Fears and threats are intertwined. It is often difficult to distinguish between threats and imagined or constructed fears. Fears and threats may differ significantly from one actor to another.

In the middle of all these fears, there is an eternal Western perception of Iran as a threat. Putting aside all rhetoric and proxy wars through Israel in the region, it is not possible to cite one tangible major event that justifies the Western fears of Iran, even historically. So, what does this perceived threat and fear of Iran, mainly coming from the United States, mean? Why is Iran a target now, when it was once a major ally of the U.S. until its Islamic revolution?

Again, why hasn’t Iran developed a politically pragmatist approach toward a rational relationship with the West, 30 years after the Islamic revolution? How come the “thousands-year-old Iranian state tradition” cannot develop such rationality? Similarly why cannot the U.S. – which developed politically pragmatic approaches when it came to the Taliban in Afghanistan, anti-U.S. movements in Latin America, anti-American parties in post-Saddam Iraq, frontier countries during the Cold War and the Islamist movements in the post-Arab Spring era – find a way to talk to Iran?

What is clear is that due to these tensions, all actors involved are carving out political paths for themselves through “creative destruction,” to borrow from Schumpeter. These tensions delay finding a resolution to the problems and prevent a politically pragmatic rational approach from emerging. These tensions feed the vicious circle that justifies all those who want to convey an image of resistance to the West, as well as those who want to appear as if they are taking preventative measures against threats perceived by the U.S., and also Israel’s schizophrenic obsessions.

In the previous months, in order to keep the question “when will Iran be attacked?” on the agenda, the media began a campaign of bombardment. As expected, this campaign, repeated almost every year, became meaningless after two weeks, and things went back to normal. In the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, Iran’s repeated threat to “seal off the Strait of Hormuz” – unclear as to what this would actually intend – launched another public discussion. There could not have been a better opportunity for the U.S., in its election year, to build up the perceived threat of Iran. The U.S. will seize this opportunity to the bitter end. There could not be better material for the U.S than now, at a time when all fears and threats are interlocked in the region.

The existential question is whether Iran also considers this vicious circle as an opportunity to capitalize. If this is the case, then there is ample reason for concern. Don’t let this be misunderstood: The worry is not about the possibility of a war breaking out; it is about the hope of building a new regional order in the near future fading away.

(With thanks to Turkish English Daily Hurreyat and the writer. The article appeared on January/27/2012)

Bangladesh: Jamat Islami Victim and Tableeghi Jamat Victor

2012-01-25T21:37:00.002+04:00

I am one of the admirers of Tableeghi Jamat for its discreteness in some of very good qualities, yet I do have some demur and displeasure also. It has really a tremendous record of religious service through preaching the basics of Islam. The preachers of TJ place greater emphasis on revival and refreshing of the Sunnahs, than the obligatory acts of Deen, because according to their religious philosophy Islam came by the Fraidh (obligatory acts) and is feared to suffer its extinction through the negligence in the matters of Sunnahs of the Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him. Thus Sunnah is much more significant to keep alive.

Three most salient and meritorious aspect the activists of TJ, making them uncommon in different religious elements are their sincerity for their mission, sacrifice of time and money and avoiding any disputatious behavior while calling the people to join their venture. They are simple, humble and fanatics. To them their activity is prior to the enterprise of seeking deep Quranic and religious knowledge. Their detestation towards knowledge is axiomatically felt in their talks.

The followers of Tableeghi Jamat are generally discouraged or debarred from reading and understanding the Glorious Quran with translation. In this case Jamat’s stand is almost the same that used to be in olden days of Judaism and Christianity that understanding of the Heavenly revealed Book is purely a matter of rabbis and priests of high caliber. Thus keeping all other windows closed only one window is left open and that is ‘Tableeghi Nisab’ or ‘Kitab- ul-Fadhail’, compiled by Maulana Muhammad Zakriya Kandhalvi, having many unauthentic and unreliable Ahadith. This book is thought a thing of paramount importance, sometime taking precedence over the Glorious Quran, revealed by Allah, the Most Exalted.

TJ has an extremely wide circle of influence, spreading from Australia and New Zealand in South, covering many Far East and Middle East countries and Europe, Canada and America in North West of the globe. India is its birth place and now it has strong bases in South Asia. Its largest congregations are held in Raiwind near Lahore, in Pakistan and in Dhaka, in Bangladesh. Very recently four million people are told to have gathered in Bangladesh to attend the annual ‘ijtema’, of Tableeghi Jamat. Perhaps a month before this a gathering near to it was counted in Raiwind.

Leaders of almost all the political parties of Pakistan go there for the blessings of Maulana Haji Abdul Wahab, de facto chief of Tableeghi Jamat. Haji sahib has nothing to do how ugly stains of corruption, opportunism, lies and fraudulence these leaders have on their cloaks and how conscienceless they prove to be in their private and political life. Choudry Parvez Ilahi, former chief minister of Punjab, is among the most corrupt politicians who made a proud announcement of a great donation of 60 ‘Kanals’ piece of land for building the second largest Masjid of the world in Tableeghi Markaz Raiwind. Haji Wahab Sahib showered the rose petals of praises on the Choudry for his generous donation.

They use a parable of a dirty and stinky ditch to explain the nature of their work. They find the currency coins in the dirt of the ditch. They pick one, wash it with a small mug of water and make it useful. Very surprisingly, they are not concerned to make the ditch clean and change it into a stream of pure and clear water. Change of the system in the Muslim countries has never been the subject of discussions in Tableeghi Jamat. How the holders of the reins and political power divert the direction of the entire nation to the secularism and how boldly they make anti-Islam policies, is not a matter worth thinking by the Tableeghi brothers.

Presently Bangladesh, which recently saw a huge Tableeghi gathering of 4 million people on its soil, is ruled by a lady, herself secular and very speedily pushing her country into the secular bloc. Jamat Islami was the coalition partner of the previous government of Khalidah Zia and the ministers belonging to Jamat Islami had the best record of performance with not a minor blemish of corruption, are now in jails facing the serious charges of treason. Even Professor Ghulam Azam, 90 year old former Amir of Jamat, suffering from many diseases, has been very brutally and mercilessly thrown in jail. He is not only in need of treatment but special care also. Due to his old age and ailments he is unable to walk. So, he was forced to land in jail on his wheelchair. When the Hindu doctor there was told about his serious health problems, he wickedly said: “Not a big problem. It happens in this age.” It is sad, really very sad! Religious community of Bangladesh is silent on these trials and torments, the leadership of Jamat Islami there is target of. The people of Tableeghi Jamat have closed their eyes from the fact that before joining Jamat Islami Pro. Ghulam Azam was prominent stalwart worker of TJ. Their coolness and and keeping themselves at a distance from what is happening with the former and present Amir of Jamat Islami and their honourable companions is a great tragedy of these pious people.

Why Taghut is harsh and scowling for Jamat Islami and soft for Tableeghi Jamat in Bangladesh? Because the Jamat Islami is a prickling thorn in the side of the secular elements and a challenging force for Taghut. While the later is thought by the local and foreign secular powers a toothless jaw. It needs only the freedom of holding large gatherings. Their case is as Iqbal said long ago:
Mullah Ko Jo Hae Hind Mein Sajde Ki Azadi Nadan Yeh Samjhta Hae Keh Islam Hae Azad
(The religious leaders in India conceive the freedom of just prostration in prayers freedom of Islam)

Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) Statement on Final Results of Parliamentary Results

2012-01-24T08:25:00.000+04:00

Sunday, January 22,2012 21:22

Now that parliamentary elections have reached the end of the proverbial race track, and the final results have been announced, it is time for swelling hearts to subside, for tensions to recede and disappear, and for everyone to express respect for the will of the people and to thank the great Egyptian people for taking part in this marathon election, and for insisting on turning out to cast their votes as they felt the precious value of each vote and witnessed the integrity of the electoral process. Indeed, we – the Muslim Brotherhood and our party (FJP) and our coalition (the Democratic Alliance) – warmly and sincerely thank our beloved nation for the precious trust they’ve given us, and we pray God to help us live up to their expectations and aspirations. We also thank those who ran the election in such an honorable way and those who protected the whole process in a balanced manner.

We deeply appreciate the noble, civilized manner in which the People’s Assembly roles and tasks are being distributed, for the Parliament Speaker, technical committees, agents and representatives, and secretaries in a fair consensual way, giving everyone their due rights, away from selfish acquisitiveness and the wish to exclude others – chronic ailments of the old defunct regime. We hope this will reassure fearful souls, and ease away the effects of electoral competition, and reveal the truth about the Muslim Brotherhood and the Freedom and Justice Party’s vitality and commitment to broad consensus.

What happened is a major step in the march of the revolution. After just one day, full legislative powers will be transferred from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to the People’s Assembly elected by nearly 30 million Egyptians. This Assembly is the first institution to be established in a democratic way after the revolution. Those who wish to rush things should ponder and appreciate and give this event its due, and protect the democratic process with all the people who look forward to the day they recover full sovereignty, freedom and free-will by completing the transfer of executive power to the elected civilian authority and the drafting of a new permanent constitution.

Everyone should gather around major goals that achieve the greater good of the homeland and the people, their interests and priorities. Those who enter parliament should realize that they are not representatives of their own respective parties only, nor of their respective districts only, but representatives of the Egyptian people, the full spectrum of sectors, communities and leanings, with all their hopes and aspirations and their revolution ambitions, and join those endeavoring to replace corrupt, rough laws-of-the-forest with fair and good and balanced legislation, and to monitor the executive branch, so it stays on the straight and narrow.

Everyone, parliamentarians and citizens alike, should realize that the task is arduous, the burden is heavy, and the required reforms are many and profound, and that no one faction or party or power can carry all that on its own, not even all political parties and institutions put together. Hence, all members of the public must stand by political forces and stakeholders to save the ship – our homeland – and help it set sail.

Therefore, there must be full transparency and frankness with the people regarding all the facts, so they shall always be aware and put their shoulders to the wheel, in order to get out of this tunnel. The Egyptian people have proved their strength and tenacity, persistence and sacrifice in many calamities and tribulations, as well as their ability to realize their hopes, overcome obstacles and endure all pains.

We hope that the elections will be a catalyst for all citizens to work hard, connect with others and selflessly serve the noble Egyptian people. This must also be a reason and a motive to respect and protect constitutional legitimacy in the light of Islamic ethics, good values and morals as well as noble national wisdom – self-denial, respect for others, giving selflessly, and sacrificing for the sake of God and in order to achieve the goals of the revolution.

The Muslim Brotherhood

Heriditary Politics: our Biggest Problem

2012-01-23T21:48:00.000+04:00

Invocation

2012-01-21T10:09:00.003+04:00

How the West sees the Changes underway in North Africa and the Arab World?

2012-01-20T19:40:00.001+04:00

(With Thanks to The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website)

(In an article published in the 13 January issue of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle addresses the role of Islamic political parties in the changes underway in North Africa and the Arab world.)

The Arab Spring faces three dangers. The first of these is restoration – that is, a resurgence of the forces of the old autocratic regimes. Secondly, economic failure could stoke social tensions and spark new unrest. Thirdly, democratic change could be undermined by radical, fundamentalist Islamist movements.

We need to support processes of transition in North Africa and the Arab world – politically and economically. Through investment, educational partnerships and more open markets, we can do a great deal to improve people’s economic prospects and give them more opportunities in life.

Politically, we should push to anchor democratic institutions and processes in these societies and to increase participation and plurality. In doing so, how are we to approach political groups whose political agenda is based on the values and morals of Islam? In places where elections have been or will be held, the majority of voters favour parties with Islamic leanings. How are we to greet the presence of Islam in politics?

It is important for us to take a sober and unbiased view. Political Islam is not the same thing as radical Islamism. An Islamic orientation does not in itself mean that a group has retrograde, anti modern, anti democratic or anti freedom views.

We need to learn to look carefully and to differentiate. Of course, there are also some fundamentalist, truly “Islamist” groups which have entered the political fray, and we have no prospect of successful dialogue with these groups. But what we have tended to see so far in Tunisia and Morocco, for example, are victories for more moderate Islamic parties.

We especially need to seek dialogue with these moderate forces about the relationships between state and society, politics and religion. After all, parties inspired by Islamic values and national traditions currently stand the best chance for long-term development into parties with a broad electoral base in the region. We must respect the wish of parties in North African countries to shape their politics with Islamic values, just as it is self evident in Europe that many parties feel a commitment to Christian values and base their political beliefs on them.

The decisive issue for us has to be the attitude of Islamic political parties towards democracy. Are these Islamic democratic parties, in the sense in which the European political spectrum naturally includes Christian democratic parties? I am confident that an Islamic orientation can be linked with democratic convictions, that Islam can be compatible with democracy.

The transition countries of North Africa can offer concrete evidence of this. Many representatives of moderate Islamic groups in North Africa are already looking to developments in Turkey, where the JDP – despite all the criticisms that could be made of it – offers an example of a party bound to both Islamic roots and democratic principles which is currently the country’s leading political force.

We need to take a closer look at the platforms of the Islamic parties, and above all we need to measure them by their actions. The key thing is a commitment to democracy and the rule of law, to a pluralistic society and religious tolerance as well as to the preservation of both domestic and external peace. These are the six criteria that we are applying, the six commitments we are calling for. Whoever adheres to them can count on our support.

In Tunisia, the Ennahda Party won a majority in the recent Constituent Assembly elections. Representatives of Ennahda describe the party as seeking to reconcile tradition and Islamic identity with the challenges of modern societies; they also, however, invoke democracy and plurality as the political framework for their actions. After the elections, Ennahda entered into a coalition with secular parties. These are encouraging signs along the path towards a political landscape with a prominent place for Islamic democratic parties. We should do our part to encourage positive developments by offering dialogue and support for a sustainable transformation to a plural and democratic society.

One thing is clear: the break with the autocratic past cannot be completed overnight. It demands patience and stamina on both sides of the Mediterranean. The Arab Spring has set in motion fundamental political changes and profound societal shifts. The toppling of autocrats and dictators in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt has completed the initial phase of revolutionary change. But the far longer phase of political, societal and economic reconstruction has only just begun.

There is an opportunity for moderate Islamic forces to permanently establish themselves in the form of Islamic democratic parties. It is very much in our interest for Islamic democratic parties to become established as a role model. That is why we should do everything we can to support this approach.

O Allah! I Seek Your Protection

2012-01-20T09:47:00.000+04:00

Mirath (Inheritance) and its different aspects

2012-01-18T12:00:00.000+04:00

With thanks to www.dawatonline.com edition 16/01/20127

Memo: From its Birth to Transpiration

2012-01-18T11:01:00.001+04:00

What is the Actuality of Ibadah?

2012-01-15T11:21:00.001+04:00

What is Ibadah? Apparently performance of some physical acts in a ritual manner is deemed to be Ibadah, because in sense of religiosity this term stands for some ritualistic movements and practices. Idolatry, Zoolatry, Heliolatry, Zoroastrianism and Astrolatry, all have been, in different ages, the ignorant rites of worshiping the idols, animals, sun, fire and stars. In worship in this sense actual importance goes to the ceremonial rites and not to the spirit and perception.

Long ago I was in a Hindu barber shop in Dubai to get my hair cut. While going to the shop I was not aware of his religion. I saw him turning to a corner of the shop and hurriedly making some gestures with his hands joined together. After a deliberate gaze I found a small deity put on a little dais in the corner. This type of worship was really a surprising thing for me, because other than a quick motion not a little heed and wariness could be felt going to the deity.

Very recently I had to visit a modern Hindu family. The head of the family, keeping the Bhagavad Geeta, a scripture believed sacred thing by the Hindus, in his hand and turning its pages admitted the family was not so heavily religious. Still they seemed to have a religious program at their residence, because on the dining table a baby stool, covered with a clean folded and scented towel was seen as a symbol of some particular function. Due to a bit loose religiosity they had not any beautiful metal, clay or plastic deity at home, so two internet prints of Ram facing each other were set up on the stool. Some precious ‘offerings’ were lying in a shining plate at the foot of the picture. It was for pleasing Ram and getting his blessings.

There are many Christians who have hardly ever gone to church to hear the sermon and have seldom touched the pages of the Bible but they do have a costly golden Cross hanging around their neck as a sign of their Christianity. Same is the case of Sikh young generation nowadays. They have abandoned ‘kaise’ and ‘kirpan’ but ‘kara’ is still a remnant of Sikh traditions.

And here in our Muslim Ummah! Ultra modern ladies and gents, mostly from show biz, upper rich class and religiously chagrined political elite, deeply immersed in fun and amusement and completely heedless of any allegiance to the moral and religious values, are regular in holding the ‘Mahafil-e-Meelad’ on or around 12th of Rabi’-ul-Awal’ to commemorate the birthday of our Holy Prophet, SAW, and mournful functions on 10th of Muharram in the memory of ‘Shuhda-e-Karbala’ at their homes. By this they are satisfied they have pleased the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessing upon him and his grandson, Hussain ibn Ali (R A), may Allah be pleased with both of them. In their ignorant presumption ceremonial and customary celebrations are ‘Ibadah’.

More amazingly it is observed in many Muslim families when there is a live cricket match or any movie or drama of their taste on air, not the youngsters only but the elders also get stuck to the TV screen for hours. The prayers are either totally out of mind or performed in a way as if it was nuisance, necessary to be free of it as quickly as possible. Utterance of the words is obviously not meshing with the actions. Such a way of Ibadah is in no way in compliance of the requirements of Islam. The Muslims seem equal to the above mentioned Hindus and Christians in lack of spirit of their faith.

In Islam the acts of Ibadah and obedience to the commandments of Allah, SWT are inseparable and not discrete things. Ibadah is defined to be complete submission and subservience to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Ibadah does not mean five times prayers, fasting in the month of Ramadhan, paying alms and performing Hajj only. It encompasses all the aspects of practical life. Working hard for seeking one’s lawful livelihoods, proper dealing and pleasant relations with the kin, neighbors and colleagues is Ibadah. The moral traits of showing to be just, truthful, trustworthy, honest, kind, helpful and sincere are no doubt the important parts of Ibadah. At the work place being dutiful and at home responsible is the part of Ibadah. In short, every virtuous act done to please Allah, SWT, is Ibadah.

In Lisan-ul-Arab, an encyclopedic work of Ibn Manzor, we find one meaning of Ibadah ‘Khudhu’ (submission), tazallul (humbleness, abasement).

Verse 5 of Surah Al-Fatihah, which is an invocation, taught direct by Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, a compulsory thing to be recited and repeated in our five times obligatory or the supererogatory prayers, is very significant part, the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, is reported to have told that half of it is for the Lord and the remaining half for His servant.

“You (Alone) we worship and You (Alone) we ask for help.” (Al-Fatihah: 5)

Imam Ibn Qayyum, in ‘Madarij-us-Salekin’ one of his masterpiece works, writes that love and showing humbleness to the loved one are indivisible things. Claim of love for your Lord, Allah, SWT, without subservience and humbleness is mere a deceptiveness and the claim of submission and humbleness without love is also a duplicity and lie. In both cases one cannot be counted a loyal and true servant (Abid).

Same is the touchstone in the matter of having claim love for Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him. His Sunnah and teachings are the criterions to judge this claim. Singing, dancing, jumping, laughing or sometime weeping and going out of senses in drills of showing love for the Holy Prophets, SAW, is extremely a ridiculous thing invented in the religion by some Sufi sects. The practices introduced in religious body having neither any authentication and affirmation from the Prophet, himself nor from his Sahabah (companions) are ‘Bidaat’ and as the Holy Prophet, SAW, has said every ‘Bida’ is ignorance and every ignorance leads to the Hellfire.

Repeatedly reciting Surah Al-Fatehah in our prayers actually means that after bowing to Allah, SWT, prostrating ourselves in His Presence, and refreshing our conscience and memories we are Your servants, when we will go out of the boundary of our worship place, our acts, mutual agreements and covenants, our dealings, and all our worldly matters will be in accordance with Your Commandments and teachings of Your blessed Prophet.

The following verse of the Quran, “And I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Adh-Dhariyat: 56) means that jinn and mankind got existence only to live in concordance with the Will and unconditional submission to Allah, the Most Exalted.

In the human history we find no group or community with their faith to worship Satan. Then why there is an intense admonition against getting involved in worship Taghut or Satan. Actually they snatch man out of the Will and Obedience of Allah and bring him under their control. The Quran makes it clear that obeying Taghut or Satan is in fact worshiping them. So there is a warning to abstain from worshiping them.

“And We certainly sent into every a Messenger (proclaiming): “Worship Allah and avoid (worshiping) Taghut…” (An-Nahl: 36)

“And did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you should not worship Satan, for he is to you a clear enemy. And that you worship (only) me? This is a straight path.” (Yasin: 60, 61)

These and dozens of other verses are there indicating the precepts of Ibadah laid down in the Quran. Taghut, is not only Iblees, but tyrant rulers, political, religious and spiritual leaders and guides who concoct false ways, customs and practices against the true teachings of the Divine Scriptures and the traits set by the Messengers of Allah. Following them in their contrived fashions is in fact identical to worshiping them.

The verse No: 31 of Surah At-Taubah says:
“They have taken their religious scholars and monks their lords besides Allah….” Very close to the revelation of this verse was the time Adiyy ibn Hatim had embraced Islam. In inquiring about the teachings of Islam, he asked the Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him, “What is the actuality of making our rabbis and monks our lords, while we do not worship them?” The Holy Prophet, SAW, said: “Is it not fact that you (the Christians and Jews) obey them in things that they make lawful what is actually unlawful and they make unlawful that is actually lawful in the Divine Decrees?” “Yes, it is true.” He replied. The Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, said: “It is making them your lords (worshiping them).”

Assertion of lawfulness and unlawfulness (Haraam and Halaal) of the things and acts and practices is right of Allah only and it has been decided and taught by the Holy Prophet, SAW. If someone else (ruler, politician, religious leader, spiritual guide (Pir) stands to claim his authority to make changes in what is lawful and what is unlawful or invents some or many things on his own authority to be Halaal or Haraam, it is equal to making claim of his position of being worshiped.

Object of Raising Muslim Ummat

2012-01-13T08:55:00.003+04:00

Supplication

2012-01-12T07:13:00.000+04:00

How the Belief Gets Polluted!

2012-01-11T10:33:00.000+04:00

Effect of the dominant civilization is an inexorable fact, seldom to be made off. Not only the outer spheres of life, but they change the inner life also bears the brunt with a drastic change. Ways of life and social trends as well as minds and natures are metamorphosed and get deep impression of predominant culture. Views and thoughts and also tenets and dogmas get a new transform. The decisions of lawfulness and prohibition start made under the convictions of the controlling civilization. Moral values get afresh definition in the light of the overpowering civilization’s philosophies.

We see this happening to almost all the communities who were subdued by heavy powers around them. This all befell the Jews and Christians. The nature of the children of Israel was totally corrupted under the rule of the Pharaohs and they had started mimicking most of the antagonistic values of the Egyptians. With the moral traditions even the belief of Oneness of Allah, the very basic creed of their religions could not be saved from polytheistic imprints.

Allah, the Lord of the worlds, is Omnipresent and Omniscient, but He keeps Himself invisible. Man’s nature ‘Khoogare Paikare Mehsoos’ (demanding Him to be in grasp of human senses) did not remain contented. He invented the deities according to his imagination and started worshiping them. Going beyond this, we see the Christians invented the belief of trinity beholding Christ and his mother Merry also to be God.

Reverence of the religious leaders and spiritual guides is not a contemptible thing, but it has limits. As excess of everything is bad, an excessive deference causes to create many ‘fitan’ becomes the reason of a great disbelief and impieties. Hyperbole in esteem and exaggeration in respect mostly lead the communities to the trials and troubles.

In Islam, in existence of the Quran, never to be a subject of any change, and clear teachings of the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, it has been difficult to design something to be God, but the external influences worked in the name of ‘Tasawwuf’ (mysticism) and some groups came into being which emulating the polytheism of the Christians, ascribed a lot of Divine Attributes to the saints. The saints, highly noble and pious people, in their lives, always had been the preachers of Monotheism.

Once the saints were raised to the heights with many Divine Attributes, a new problem was sure to occur. Where the Holy Prophet, SAW, to be placed in case of status of the saints was so elevated. The solution was found in raising the Holy Prophet, SAW, almost equal to Allah, SWT, in his authorities and powers. Now all has become in vogue in Muslim Ummah which was the particularity of the Christians in case of the Christ.

Egypt's Freedom and Justice Party: Our Vision for the Future

2012-01-09T19:10:00.000+04:00

(Major issues and big problems, at the top in priorities to be solved, have been very wisely highlighted in the article)

By Mohammed Mursi

The blessed 25 January revolution has succeeded in toppling a corrupt regime that had oppressed the sons of Egypt for many years, and the Egyptian people, the owners of the ancient civilization, will succeed - God willing - in toppling the corrupt system that has spread in the veins of the Egyptian society, and contributed to a great extent to our political, economic, social, and cultural backwardness. For this reason, the Muslim Brotherhood Group announced the establishment of the Freedom and Justice Party.

The Freedom and Justice Party, together with the rest of the sons of the Egyptian people, shoulders the responsibility of: building a modern constitutional national democratic state that expresses the will of the people; repairing - with the participation of all the efforts and creativity of the strong loyal sons of the nation in all fields - what has been corrupted by the tyrants; installing a new constitution; confronting all the laws that have allowed injustice and tyranny; and installing a quick way of dealing with unemployment, poverty, health, education, and other urgent problems from which the Egyptians suffer.

The challenges facing Egypt now will not stop the march of democracy that has started by the blood and sacrifices of the great martyrs of Egypt in the 25 January revolution in which all the sons of Egypt from all political parties, coalitions, and alliances have participated.

The Freedom and Justice Party, since the first day of its establishment and entry into the Egyptian political life in June 2011, has undertaken the mission of rebuilding Egypt anew. This new structure respects freedom, and protects the basic rights of every Egyptian within the framework of the original religious values, not to mention the protection of the political and social freedoms that are indispensable in practicing the rights and advancing the society. The new structure also establishes non-discrimination between citizens in rights and duties on grounds of religion, ethnicity, or color, and it also gives women all their rights in a way that establishes balance between their rights and duties. The structure will legislate the laws that criminalize corruption and nepotism, and guarantees equal opportunity, support and consolidation of political pluralism, and entrenching the bases of partnership between the state and the civil society institutions in order to undertake the burdens of rising and construction.

The fact is that there are numerous challenges that face the Egyptian society at the current times, which the party tries to deal with during the upcoming period through the objective concepts included in the program of the party. The most prominent of these challenges are represented by the following:

First: The principle of freedom and equality: The party stresses that it pursues releasing the freedoms, protecting the basic rights of every Egyptian, and amending all the practices or legislations that contradict or restrict these freedoms or violate these rights, because freedom is one of the duties of Islam, "We have honored the sons of Adam" [Sura al-Isra, from Verse 70]."

Second: Security: Since the eruption of the revolution, Egypt has been suffering from the lack of security, despite the fact that security is necessary for life, work, and production. Therefore, the party stresses the need for restructuring the Ministry of Interior, and purging it from all the officers who have been involved in oppressing the people and practicing corruption. This is in addition to changing the mission statement of the job, starting from the students at the Policy Academy and the honest among the police officers, in order to provide security and protection for the people, and not only for the ruler alone. This is in addition to drawing up a security policy to protect all the national institutions, raising the financial standard of the soldiers and junior ranks, instituting a maximum for the salaries of the senior officers, and supervising the ministry through parliament in order to guarantee good performance.

Third: The economic problems that are more deserving of care. The party believes that the Egyptian man is the base and target of development, and hence he has to be rescued from the state of poverty, and the low level of health and education services offered to him.

The party believes that the dignity and freedom of man are subject to the extent of the level of dignified life offered to him, and that frees him from the shackles of exploitation and poverty.

The party stresses that confronting the problem of unemployment requires combining the efforts of many society institutions to provide job opportunities, such as the banking system, the education institutions, the civil society, and requires the businessmen community, and the sponsoring of the major national projects, and at the same time it requires supporting the youths to establish small businesses so that we would be able to increase the rates of economic growth in order to absorb those entering the job market, and to provide jobs for every unemployed, a suitable wage for every worker, and social security for every one unable to work.

Fourth: Social problems: The party takes into consideration that there is a sector of the society whose financial abilities do not allow them to satisfy their needs for a dignified life. For this reason, the party's economic program proposes - in addition to the existing charities and solidarity among the sons of the society - to activate the mechanisms of alms to deal with the dysfunctions in the economic and social life; together with the mechanisms of alms the mechanisms of religious trusts will operate.

Fifth: Curing the dysfunction in the structure of wages: The issues of the dysfunction in the wages structure in the Egyptian market is one of the issues to which the party attaches great attention in order to secure a minimum and a maximum for wages that will guarantee dignified living for the Egyptian citizen. The increase in wages ought to be linked to the inflation rates, and the higher state administrators ought to be prevented from occupying more than one job, and should be prevented from being on the board of directors of more than one company or fund in order to allow the others the opportunity of benefiting from what is spent on these jobs.

Sixth: the issue of environmental pollution: With regard to the issue of environmental pollution, the party considers that the environmental balance between man and what he builds in his rural environment and what God created in the natural environment is the framework that governs the construction of earth, for which God commissioned man. Therefore, the party has laid down the priorities and policies for dealing with the types of environmental pollution starting from limiting the impact of environmental pollution, and then the mechanisms of treatment, up to the preventative policies to prevent the repetition of the pollution. This is done by establishing a national council for protecting the River Nile, a council that combines all the institutions concerned in order to unify the responsibilities, avoid conflicts of powers, and pursue the legislation of a bundle of laws and regulations that criminalize the pollution of this great river, and be firm in implementing these laws.

Seventh: Housing issue: The party believes that this thorny issue disturbs every family and every young man. Thus, the party is committed to finding an effective solution for the problem through the geographical redistribution of development and the population so that the manpower resources become compatible in quantity and quality with the factors of development and the requirements of national security. This can be done through dividing the state into development regions, and working to attract population and qualified people from the more densely populated regions with fewer resources to the regions with less population and more resources.

Eighth: Transportation and communications problem: In its program, the party sponsors integration among the four means of transportation: land, river, sea, and air transportation in order to raise the standard of this sector at home and abroad. This is done through: The Ministry of Transportation plays the principal role in the complete supervision of all the activities of the sector, and the drawing up of the necessary policies for this sector to play its role with high efficiency. This supervision by the ministry is aimed at avoiding the existing conflict between the various authorities currently supervising this sector, which include the Interior Ministry, the Tourism Ministry, the Environment Ministry, the local authorities, ... etc.

Ninth: The issue of education and scientific research: In its program, the party attaches special attention to human development, which guarantees the dignity of man. The party recognizes the right of every citizen to education in order to build a generation capable of carrying the standard of rising and development for this society.

The party considers that reforming and developing the education and the scientific research colleges and institutions would strengthen the national belonging and deepen the Arab and Muslim identity. This is because it represents the way to intellectual and cultural unity within Egypt and among the Arab and Muslim countries, as well as increases the development that will achieve progress and supremacy of the nation.

The party aims to make education and scientific research the principal tool to respond to the needs of the society and the nation, and to fulfil the nation's aspirations and progress at home and abroad. This is done through many programs and mechanisms, the most prominent of which are: providing education for all members of the society, coupling good upbringing with education in all stages of education; expanding education quantitatively, qualitatively, and geographically including the open learning, the distant-learning, the electronic learning, and other means; providing continuous learning in order to keep pace with the amazing and accelerating scientific and technical advancement; focusing on the development of the creative thinking abilities and the building of skills; and developing and modernizing the curricula and activities in a way that is compatible with the times, develops the abilities and talents, and achieves the required aims and specifications through adopting the method of thinking, dialog, research, and discussion in education, rather than the method of instruction and memorizing alone.

Within the same context, the party has laid down solutions for dealing with the problem of illiteracy, which is considered a tarnish that soils the reputation of the society, through the following measures: Drawing up a national plan for eradicating illiteracy within a few years (five years) and mobilizing all resources to implement it; allocating a budget appropriate for this plan; compelling the large companies and factories to organize illiteracy classes for their workers, and giving them appropriate tax exemptions for this; encouraging the children, especially in the countryside, not to resort to truancy; and also supporting the poor families so that they are not compelled to withdraw their children from education and send them to work in order to get money.

Tenth: Developing the health sector: The party has laid down an ambitious program to develop the health sector by providing health-care mechanisms for all citizens regardless of their financial abilities or place of residence in a way that guarantees the freedom of the citizen to choose the place in which he receives treatment, focusing in this respect on those who are unable to provide for their own health care. The program also aims to raise the standard of health care, secure the fairness of its distribution in a way that provides those with limited income suitable health care, and expand the health-care cover to include all Egyptians within a specific period of time.

Eleventh: Developing tourism: Tourism occupies its appropriate place in the program of the party, because of Egypt's civilization heritage, pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic, and Islamic antiquities, enchanting nature, and hospitable people that have no equal in the world. Tourism as an industry and export activity is considered a very important source of foreign currency, a fundamental constituent of the national revenue, and a principal pillar for creating productive job opportunities for thousands of our youths.

The program is carried out through protecting the tourist areas in the old Egyptian cities, and on the coast of the Mediterranean and Red Sea on modern tourist bases, preventing the random growth of buildings in these areas, encouraging the private sector, attracting foreign investments to the tourism sector, and guiding the service ministries linked to tourism - such as the Ministries of Aviation, Transportation, Information, Culture, Environment and other ministries and departments concerned with tourism activities in Egypt - to support tourism and promote it as part of the most important aims of their annual plans. All this necessarily requires caring for those working in this field, tourist guides, and public and private tourist companies, caring for their problems, and finding objective and radical solutions for these problems.

Twelfth: Deepening the cooperation with the Arab countries: the party stresses that it is pursuing the consolidation of the joint Arab plans, integration and action in all fields. The party also stresses that the Palestinian people have the right to liberate their land, and the peoples have the right to obtain their rights, and govern themselves according to what they decide and consider appropriate, as the nation ought to be really the source of power.

Finally, we hope that through these brief words we have succeeded in answering some of the questions arising in the minds of all. We stress that the Freedom and Justice Party will do its utmost in all sincerity during the upcoming period to turn the hopes and aspirations of the great people of Egypt into a practice reality to benefit all without discrimination in order to make Egypt stand on its own feet and to establish the real modern constitutional national Egyptian State that is based on freedom and democracy, and that will be truly the new Egypt.

Tomorrow comes soon for those expecting it and God can make this happen.
"And God hath full power and control over His affairs; but most among mankind know it not." [Sura Yusuf, from Verse 21]."

(With thanks to esteemed Arabic Daily Asharq al-Awsat and the writer of the article)

Changing Situations and Sense of National Honour

2012-01-09T10:36:00.000+04:00

Egypt's Parliamentary Polls: First Step on Long Road

2012-01-07T19:43:00.001+04:00

Writer: Abdul Moneim Said

(The blogger may not agree to all the thoughts expressed in the article, yet it is a good model of fair and balanced thinking and we appreciate it)

Regardless of who won or lost, successful completion of free parliamentary polls opens new chapter in country's historyAbdel Moneim Said , Wednesday 4 Jan 2012

Print Send Views: 205Democracy is at the door. When ballot boxes are sealed in the third round of Egypt’s first post-Mubarak parliamentary polls, a new chapter in the country’s history will have been written. It has not been an easy endeavour, and much of it requires closer inspection before an electoral system that is simpler, less complicated and less costly can be built. But that discussion can wait for another time.

What is important is that parliamentary polls have taken place; that Egypt has passed through the first bottleneck. Yes, it has come at a high price: there were those who attempted to obstruct the path, while others stayed home out of scepticism. But the majority made their voices heard and the outcome was beyond expectations.

The people sent a message to the “elite” that only the citizens – and not satellite television channels – will decide the nation’s destiny. The victorious majority also received a message after surviving for decades on a set of cohesive ideas that often seemed closed. Perhaps, in the entire history of Islamic political thought, there has never been the amount of flexibility, rationality and moderation as that seen within the past few days.

It is true that there were always Islamic thinkers who were moderate and flexible because they took the age and context into account when issuing rulings and edicts. Nonetheless, Islamic political movements could also be excessive, even terroristic at times. One need only compare the political platform of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2007 with the one it campaigned for during 2011elections. At the same time, recent developments and public statements all support the notion of conciliation between state and religion, Islamic culture and civic education.

Somehow, the building blocks hewn in recent decades are finally beginning to take final shape. For example, more than 30,000 civil society groups and institutions – dozens of which specialise in politics and human rights – suddenly went from merely criticising the former regime to focusing on how to tackle the many difficulties associated with applying democracy to the constitution and elections.

When I created a programme for opinion polling at the Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies in 1997, some accused us of high treason. Today, the Centre’s opinion polls are frequently quoted in the New York Times. When two of my colleagues, Diaa Rashwan and Gamal Abdel-Gawad, appeared on Canadian television to review the results of the third round of polling, I felt that my efforts had not been in vain. When democracy finally came to Egypt, there were Egyptian institutions ready with knowledge and expertise.

The road remains long. But as the saying goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

(With thanks to the writer and also esteemed Arabic Daily Ahram)

Has Someone Ever Thought About It?

2012-01-07T09:58:00.001+04:00

A Natural and Simple Way to Eradicate Poverty

2012-01-05T09:49:00.002+04:00

We have those in the Muslim Ummah, who proudly get listed in 100 richest men in the Forbes Magazine. And if we slip a little below, the 500 and then 1000 richest list we may be much happy to find many others there. It was really befuddling how much wealth Zain Al Abedin bin Ali, the deposed president of Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Qaddafi of Libya and their families had accumulated and how much money and assets the existing rulers of many Muslim countries, including the president of Pakistan, have in their own and their family members’ accounts in foreign accounts. The money, illegally and unethically, gathered by the high ranking officials of Armed Forces, bureaucrats, businessmen and politicians in Swiss banks is in trillions. On the other hand a large number of the population in the Muslim world lives below the poverty line, most of them longing for just a few morsels of bread, leave alone medical charges in their illness and education expenses of their children, which is a matter above their reach.

In the Ahadith quoted in the article titled “Break the Shell of Selfishness to be Boundless”, already on the blog have unique points, apt to put the economic right. The Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, appreciated a moral trait set by Al-Asha’ris, the tribe of Abu Musa Asha’ri, RA. They came forward with wise scheme of mutual cooperation, addressing the issues collectively and showing concern to the difficulties of others was innovated by them. Their innovative practice actually came over from emergency situation of famine type situation in Madinah or in case of shortage of food when they were in the battlefield to face the aggression of enemy.

The practice followed by a group of the companions of the Holy Prophet, SAW, liable to be named social security scheme and a equitable policy sprouted from the moral values inculcated in the minds by our Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him. Instead of insensitively and selfishly, using the food in one’s hold, they used to show their concern for others who were without it. In the times they faced shortage of food they piled up whatever was remained with them in a big piece of cloth and then distribute it equally among them. Thus those who had nothing with them to eat were not left starving.

It was such a natural and easy method of coping with the ephemeral crisis that the Asha’riyun came out from the situation without any panic and disorder in their ranks. Getting extremely touched by their noble contrivance, so concordant to the spirit of sacrifice, sympathy, compassion and cooperation, the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, declared them from him and himself from them.

If this, in today’s term a great social security scheme, is made a permanent economic policy in the Muslim World, it can help in eradicating poverty and hunger. The upper wealthy class of society need not squander whole of their wealth. Only guaranteeing maintenance of at least 20 ill-lucked and unresourceful families around them will be helpful in solving the huge social problem.

We see the nuclear micro families having only one or two children but their palace like houses cover thousand square meters area with the rooms dozen times more than their need. While starting the construction of such houses if the expenses of the land and building expenditures of only one small room are deliberately saved and set aside, it can help providing a ceiling over the head of a poor family in an austere locality. If items of only one dish on huge dining table of each rich family are reduced, it can easily feed a full poor family in its neighbor and dwindling of hoard of money reserved for wardrobe of each member of a wealthy family is lessened it can provide normal wears of the season for several poor families around them.

We read in the history of Anjuma Hemayt-e-Islam, a welfare society established in Punjab long before the partition of India into two countries. Anjuman established very prestigious educational institutions and orphanages in almost all the big cities of united Punjab. Its charity works mostly depended on the contributions made by the Muslims and the Muslim community was not so affluent to give cash in those days. So, before kneading dough for baking breads the Muslim women used to take a handful of flour, put it in the pot kept especially for the contribution for the Anjuman. After a fixed time the workers of the Anjuman used to take rounds of the Muslim populated areas to collect the flour. What a simple and natural thing it used to be for helping in a virtuous cause. Revival of this trait can do a lot in eliminating the poverty.

In the Gulf States, I have seen a very nice practice if emulated permanently and everywhere by the well-off class in the Muslim world it is sure to be a big solution for many social problems. In the month of Ramadhan, every well-being Arab family manages to prepare cauldrons of ‘harees’ (cooked wheat and meat mashed and pounded). It is to be given out to all those who come to get it. A large number of both the low paid labors and white collared middle class men rush to get this invigorating dish. In almost all big cities of Pakistan there are some philanthropists, very generously running such free ration schemes. Making this practice a culture of entire well established people is needed.

The moral tradition set by the Asha’riyun, liked and appreciated by the Holy Prophet, SAW, has many ways to be resuscitated. Actually we have lost the quality of contentment. Greed has not left any end to stop and get satisfied with what we have in our possessions. Two more Ahadith quoted in the article and separately posted on the blog with their Arabic text and English translation, tell us something more. The Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, said: “Food for the two persons can suffice for the three and food for the three persons can prove enough for the four people.”(Agreed upon) Imam Muslim related the same Hadith with a little difference. “Food for one can be ample for three and what is available for two can be copious for the four and what is ready for the four is adequate for eight persons." In the light of these Ahadith it not difficult to evaluate that a normal prosper family can easily take the burden of at least two more families around them.

Leave alone those who are in the list of 100 or 500 top rich men of the Forbes Magazine or the ruling elite class, mostly indifferent to the problems of the common people of their communities, if general well-to-do families come forward and build a culture in the light of the trait set by the Asha’riyun, a major moral, social and economic shift can easily be materialized.

Turkish Example: A Model for Change in the Middle East

2012-01-04T19:35:00.000+04:00

Dr. Seymen Atasoy
(a faculty member at the Eastern Mediterranean University, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus)

Turkey plays a crucial role in the contemporary Islamic world through the demonstration effect of its deepening democracy, booming economy and increasingly independent foreign policy. Reluctance to export any political model or to meddle in the internal affairs of other countries increases its appeal for reformists in many Muslim-majority nations. Some observers, impressed by the coexistence of democracy and Islam in Turkey, propose it as a model for democratization in the Middle East.1 Despite its unique political evolution, Turkey has gradually become a general inspiration for political and economic liberalization in other Middle Eastern societies. But a review of democratization in Turkey also illustrates the significant problems the country has yet to solve for the consolidation of genuine liberal democracy. Rather than a completed model for other countries to emulate, Turkey is an illustrative case of ongoing democratization from which other Muslim-majority nations can draw lessons. This paper focuses on democratic deepening and associated hurdles in Turkey during the past decade and searches for insights that may be useful to contemporary democratization efforts elsewhere in the Middle East.

Justice and Development Party (AKP) governments since 2002 have brought about a major reorientation of politics in Turkey and accelarated democratic deepening. Established by former Islamists, the AKP defines itself as "conservative democrat," accepts secularism in governance, and acts like a counterpart of European Christian Democratic parties. It pursues European integration along with the protection of traditional cultural values.
(with thanks to Ikhwan official website)

Another Year for the People

2012-01-03T09:27:00.000+04:00

Writer: Jameel Theyabi

The year 2011 would not have it otherwise; it thus registered surprises, activated revolutions, and acted in favor of the oppressed and the wronged. It is a year during which the Arab populations rebelled against the governments of the tyrants and murderers. The year 2011 insisted on ending the suffering of the Arab people within a few days, consequently ensuring the fall of dictatorships, the prosecution of tyrants and the introduction of reforms which would have never seen the light had it not been for the strong will and patience of the Arab citizens, who – for many years – were described in the media as being “the Arab street.” Moreover, this year would not leave without seeing sheikhs and clerics issue odd and uncanny fatwas, prohibiting people from enjoying a decent and honest living, which are described by the former as being decadent.

I sense pangs of sadness and pulses of overwhelming joy when looking back at the events in 2011. I am sad when I recall the departure of friends and honest men who left us in this exceptional year, and overwhelmingly happy when I recall how Arab countries got rid of dictatorial governments and tyrannical leaders who killed and oppressed the people throughout decades.

Each among us has characteristics and names for 2011. It is thus dubbed the year of the revolutions, the year of the popular uprisings, the year of transformations, of deaths, of liberation from fear, of freedom, dignity, justice, the regaining of the popular rights and the Arab spring. It is the year that prevented the leaders from sleeping, shook the chairs beneath their feet, and forced them to flee, to hide in pits or go to prison. Who can forget the sentence uttered by the former Tunisian president to his people as he was fleeing to Jeddah: “I understood you, I understood you”?

Who can also forget the expression uttered by that elderly Tunisian who said after Ben Ali escaped: “We grew old while waiting for this historical moment”?

Who can forget the desperate attempts deployed by former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to remain in power, and the attempts of his regime to convince the people of what he failed to do throughout his term? He even said: “I never sought power,” at a time when he was eager to stay until the last moment.

Who can forget the “hallucinations” featured in the speeches of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his description of the Libyan youth as being “vermin” and “rats”? Gaddafi’s speeches combined excitement, disdain, funniness, insanity and mistrust, until he was found in a pit he was digging for his people. Among his most famous expressions heard in his first speech was “we will march by the millions to cleanse Libya inch by inch, home by home, house by house, alley by alley!” Eventually, he was taken out of a sewage pipe like a rat!

As for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, he delivered two lengthy speeches which were interrupted by applause, 44 times during the first speech and 20 times during the second. Both speeches failed to appease the popular disgruntlement toward his government or absorb the anger toward the practices of his regime. Hence, the bloodiest regime in the Arab world is about to leave and will be punished sooner or later.

On the other hand, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s speeches each Friday featured outsmarting and maneuvering attempts, along with contradiction between the wish to stay and the announcement of his departure from power. Each and every Friday, he thus kept mobilizing his supporters to confront his oppositionists to the point where he was detonated – along with a number of his officials – in Al-Nahdain Mosque, before finally signing the Gulf initiative.

2011 is over after it registered itself as being an exceptional year, while along with the collapse of Arab governments, Western governments also departed – the last of which being Berlusconi’s government in Italy.

2011 will remain a turning point in the history of the Arab populations and humanity. There is no doubt that 2012 will not extinguish the flame of the popular revolutions and will not diminish their spark. It will likely witness new uprisings, confrontations and tensions in this alarming region, while only the governments that have immunized their domestic arenas, granted rights and freedoms to their people, know what these people want, lack and desire, how to deal with the aspirations of the youth and handle the files of poverty and unemployment will manage to stay. The world is changing and the margins of the social networking channels are expanding, in parallel to freedom of opinion and thought. What is confirmed is the survival of the fittest, and the fact that the next few years will sweep away those who do not respect their people’s rights, choices, dignity and liberty.

(With thanks to esteemed Arabic Daily Al-Hayat and the writer)

Unique Points of Economic Policy of Islam

2012-01-01T23:24:00.000+04:00

Break the Shells of Selfishness to Become Boundless

2012-01-01T21:24:00.001+04:00

Height and stature do make a reason for weight of man but it hardly earns any social importance. Real veneration depends mostly on man’s ideals and objectives. The more the ideals of man are lofty the more respect he earns. Same is the case of the communities. Their ideologies and ideals become the meter for their esteem and worth in the comity of the nations. Imagine what the Arabs in Arab peninsula were before the advent of Islam? Not worth of any consideration. Two super powers, one on the North and the other on South East had hardly ever attached any attention to the nomadic life in the deserts of the peninsula. None of the both super powers of the time even ever thought the Arab Bedouin useful in keeping them in their imperial clutches. Why? They did not have any majestic ideals. But just after the same Bedouins emerged to be the torch holders of Divine Guidance and transmitters of a holy message they started to be seriously noticed and the powers around them were alarmed. It was marvel of the ideology which changed them in an organized and civilized community.

Islam changed their world view and mindset. Direction of their thinking was diverted from narrowness of earthliness to the amplitude of Akherah. They were makers and not the breakers. They lived a vibrant, dynamic and energetic life to make this earth a peaceful and flourishing place but not for themselves but for entire mankind. They did added and enjoy the beauties of this world but were not enchanted by its charms. They kept their eyes on the pleasures of their Lord and success in the life Hereafter.

Illustriousness of their ideology lifted them materially from the rage to the riches and spiritually and morally they rose from the dregs to the flowering position. Those whom no one was ready to take as followers became the guides and leaders. The more they became free from greed of materialistic resources and less in worries of the worldliness and concerned about their life Hereafter, the more the doors of the honor and abundances they found opened on them. As the revelation of Truths of the Quran started went open for them they became the beacons of knowledge and wisdom. Their giving honor to the matter of Allah, the Most Exalted, brought unprecedented honor and grace for them.

Before the radiance of the Divine Guidance reached them, they were disbanded people with no sense of an organized and disciplined life. But as their hearts and souls became radiant with the Guidance they were torch bearer of a great civilization and inventers of an exemplary culture. They conquered and became dominant in a major part of the civilized communities of that time around them and proved how elevated they are in their skill of administration and rule. With the Belief in their hearts they held the material world in their tight fist, not letting it cast its shadows on their hearts and pollute their minds, they excellently managed the world. Only bottom part of their ark, that indispensible to keep in the worldly waters, they advanced ahead without damping their cloaks in materialism.

Message of Islam spread around three continents and Muslim Ummah expanded with the pass of time. But then the horrendous times of the decline came and Muslim Ummah came in the eclipse. It happened after it came under the sway of secularism. Glows of knowledge, wisdom and even their religiosity could not be saved from getting declined after the priorities changed and the worldliness overcame the morality and Faith. The stains of secularism grew with the time and with the bodies souls were also seasoned with the blends of earthliness.

An ultimate result of materialism is suffering the loss lofty objectives of life. It added the missing of the common interests and grew covetous egocentricity. Awe-inspiring aims and objectives were the common asset of all and a source of making the Muslims firmly joined with each other. Loss of the common objectives became the loss of unity. The solid structure of unity scattered and the Muslims were no more than either the loosely spread seeds in a barren land or small heaps of the brickbats. Epidemic of racism and communalism and even sectarianism in the name of religion and political partisanship in the name of democracy broke out in their ranks and the situation became as the Quran says:
“They have broken their religion among them into sects, each group rejoicing in what is with it.” (Al-Mu’minun: 53)

Every group is concerned about its own survival. Instead of showing any solitude towards entire Ummah, thoughtfulness is centered on only particular groups. The interests of all such groups are clashing with each other. There is no shortfall of wealth in the Muslim Ummah. But the moral evils of avariciousness, stinginess and selfishness have beaten all the positive and virtuous feelings. Corruption has polluted the natures with the ugly practices of plundering and hoarding has got acceptence.

Generosity and sacrifice for others, as an important part of Islamic morality, remain the collective behavior pattern only when glorious ideals exist and belief remains a motive behind the acts. Akherah is the major part of the belief. When the belief of Akherah starts fading the love for earthly things rapidly grows to fill the vacuum. A state of meanness, causing the death of sympathies with needy people of the community develops.

In surah Al-Ma’un, one of the last surahs of the Quran, it is told that the reason behind the trend of repulsing the orphans harshly, not urging the feeding of the poor, nature of showiness and withholding the kindnesses of very little things is denying the Day of Reckoning and Recompense. Belief raises the believers so high that they start preferring their brothers in Faith over their own selves.

If the spirit of living with magnificent ideals is regained and fading Faith gets its life again, Islam has enough remedial and preventive measures in its scheme to settle the issues of selfishness and miserliness. What Islam requires is evident from only three Ahadith of the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, going to be referred below. He highly appreciated the noble trait of Ash’aryun (the tribe of Abu Musa Ash’ari, one of the prominent companions of the Holy Prophet, SAW). When they felt scarcity of food for their families in Madinah, they used to collect whatever they had with them in a big piece of cloth. Then they used to distribute it equally among them. (Agreed upon)

The Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him, is reported to have said:
“The food available for one person is sufficient for the two and provision for the two is enough for four and what is there for four persons is ample for eight people.” (Muslim)

Very interestingly nepotism is recommended not even in supplications. Ali ibn Abi Talib, be Allah pleased with him, relates that “The Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, once passed by me when I was invoking for Allah’s blessing for me with the words: O Allah! Shower your blessings upon me.” The Messenger, be peace and blessings upon him, gave a stroke at my back with his hand and said: “Generalize your supplication and not keep it limited to yourself. Because in the invocations in general sense and praying specifically for one’s own person, there is a difference as it is between the heavens and the earth.” (Delmi)

With the lowered aims and objectives this height of the character cannot be touched. Getting shrunk and shortened in the ‘selves’ leaves no room for loftiness of the objectives. Islam wants us to break the shell of our ‘selves’ around us and become enormously boundless.

Constitutional Basis of Allamah Iqbal's Visualized State

2011-12-29T10:39:00.000+04:00

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party Sweeps Second Round of Election

2011-12-24T23:06:00.001+04:00

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party wins 38 of the 59 independent candidate seats contested in the second round run-off, with Salafists taking 13 , Saturday 24 Dec 2011

Related Results of second round of Egypt parliamentary elections The Supreme Elections Commission has announced the results of the second round parliamentary elections run-off held in nine governorates last Wednesday and Thursday.

Overall, 118 independent candidates competing for 59 individual seats were competing in the run-offs in Giza, Beni Suef, Sohag, Aswan, Menoufiya, Sharqiya, Beheira, Suez and Ismailiya.

The Commission stated that the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, took the highest number of professional and worker seats, with 38 out of 49 of its candidates achieving victory. The Salafist Nour Party gained 13 seats and independents won five.

In Beni Suef, the FJP won four out of six seats, leaving the remaining two for Nour candidates Negm Al-Din Islam and Abd Al-Hakim Masoud. The four FJP seat winners are Gaber Mansour, Mohamed Shaker Al-Deeb, Nehad Al-Kasem Said Amin and Abd Al-Kader Abd Al-Wahab.

In Sohag, the FJP won four out of 10 seats, with Mostafa Kamel Gaalos, Mohamed Abd Al-Rahman, Mohamed Mosaad and Heshmet Bekhet their winners there. Waled Abd Al-Awel, Mohamed Adlan, Lahzi Ahmed Nagdi and Gaber Gahlan won four seats for Nour Party, with two independent seats going to Faisal Al-Shibani and Yosef Abu Hamodi.

In Menoufiya, the FJP won six out of seven seats, with one seat going to Nour candidate Anwar Al-Balkeni. The FJP winners are Helmy Bakr, Saad Hussein, Said Al-Azab, Nasr Tahon, Mohamed Al-Maged and Ibrahim Haggag.

In Sharqiya, the FJP won all 10 contested seats. The 10 FJP winners are: El-Said Negeda, Saleh Ali, Amir Bassam, Mohamed Abd El-Raouf, Mohamed Fayad, Ibrahim Selim, Mohamed Awad Shawesh, Safwat Sweilam, Ahmed Shoeil and El-Said El-Atwel.

In Beheira, the FJP won seven out of 10 seats, with three seats going to Nour candidates Mohamed Abdullah Heiba, Abdullah Mohamed Saad and Hamed Abdullah Al-Tahan. The seven FJP winners are Osama Mohamed Soliman, Tarek Ragab Saleh, Yasser Al-Rafee, Ahmed Zoher, Masry Abu Kashek, Saad Abu Taleb and Ahmed Yousef Khater.

In Ismailiya, Islamists shared the two contested seats, as FJP candidate Hesham Al-Soli and Nour candidate Mohamed Al-Hawari took one each.

In Suez, FJP candidate Abbas Abd Al-Aziz won one out of three available seats, the other two going to Nour-supported candidates Mohamed Adel and Hani Nour Al-Din.

In Giza, the FJP won eight out of nine seats, leaving one seat for independent Amr El-Shobaky. The eight winners are Mohamed Hussein, Khattab Murad, Gamal Ashry, Hassan Bereek, Ayman Rafaat, Mohamed Alsaey, Abdul Salam Bashandi and Mohamed Amer.

The FJP gained no seats in Aswan, with Nour candidate Farag Gadallah and independent Mohamed Al-Omda winning the two contested seats.

Notably, voting results in Sharqiya's second and fifth electoral districts may be overturned after the governorate's Administrative Court ruled that last week's second-round polling in the two districts had been marred by electoral law violations.

The head of the Supreme Elections Committee, Abdel Moez Ibrahim, will announce the final results for the whole second round Saturday evening.

10,000 Egyptian Women March Against Military Violence and Rule

2011-12-21T16:57:00.001+04:00

Thousands of Egyptians stand up against state brutality. Security forces kill two more protesters in Egypt I won't stop aiding revolutionaries, Egyptian publisher tells SCAF Journalists targeted for exposing Egypt state violence Prompted by the image of three soldiers stripping a female protester naked and violently assaulting her, thousands of women marched on Tuesday from Cairo’s Tahrir Square to the nearby Press Syndicate chanting, “Egyptian women are a red line” and “Down with military rule.”

Women of all ages and backgrounds converged on the Mogamma administrative complex in Tahrir Square after calls went out on Facebook for a women’s protest march to express condemnation of images – currently circulating on online media venues and in newspapers – of young women being harassed, beaten and stripped naked by military personnel.

Some marchers wore headscarves, others didn’t; others still wore the niqab, or full Islamic face veil. Some Coptic-Christian women participating in the march also carried images of slain Coptic activist Mina Danial, who was shot dead during an attack on Coptic demonstrators by the military in October. Other marchers carried Egyptian flags bearing the cross-and-crescent symbol.

Older women were also among the demonstrators, braving the long march from Tahrir to the Press Syndicate despite weak health and obvious distress over recent events. Many mothers took part with their daughters.

“I came because I oppose violence against women; because I oppose violence against any Egyptian,” said protester Noha El-Khouly, who learned of the march from her daughter.

“Women have been targeted since the Mohamed Mahmoud clashes last month, when men were sent in to systematically harass female activists,” said protester Somaia Ahmed, a 17-year-old member of the ‘No to Military Trials’ campaign. “In the last sit-in, women were the military’s primary target. These attacks are no coincidence.”

Although Ahmed believes Tuesday’s march is more humanitarian in nature than political – with most women coming simply to register their opposition to violence – several of the chants heard at the event bore deeply political overtones. Many condemned military rule, while others demanded a swift handover of executive power to an elected civil authority.

“Don’t be scared, say it loud, the council must go,” they chanted, along with, “We want a civil state, down with military rule.”

Protesters also drew parallels between Egypt’s ruling military council and the former regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak. “The council transformed the army to become like the police,” some chanted.

In 2005, several female protesters were similarly stripped naked and assaulted by police-linked thugs in an effort to terrorise women away from political participation.

Women at Tuesday’s march carried banners depicting a woman’s face and the arm of a soldier that read, “Your hand should be cut off.”

As women marched from Tahrir Square to Talaat Harb Street in downtown Cairo, dozens of well-wishers waved in solidarity from surrounding balconies. Protesters called on those watching from their homes and offices to come down and join the march.

Numerous passersby, meanwhile, stopped to express their sympathy for the marchers’ cause. A number of men, eager to help, surrounded the women, acting as human shields against any potential attack.

Protesters’ numbers increased gradually until the march reached the Press Syndicate, where another demonstration was being staged by parliamentarians similarly protesting military violence.

By the time the women’s march reached the syndicate, the number of demonstrators had exceeded some 10,000, after which they eventually made their way back to Tahrir Square.

(With Thanks to Esteemed Egyptian Daily Ahramonline)

Transforming an Auspicious and Blessed Society

2011-12-20T09:18:00.000+04:00

It is truly a sign of auspiciousness for a society which has a pleasant atmosphere for its people to live with peace and prosperity in it. In a materialistic environment only amassing of maximum wealth and living a luxurious life is thought the main source of pleasures, but unlike to epicures and other carnal pleasures, Islam sets out totally different criterions for a real inner satisfaction and delightedness. The criterions laid down by Islam are spiritual and moral rather than to be erotic and fleshly. Allah’s Messenger, be peace and blessings upon him, has given numerous contrivance to transform such a blessed society. Here are some of the teachings of Muhammad, the last and final Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him. He is reported to have said:

“My Lord (Allah) gave me Nine Commandments and I enjoin these upon you.

1: He commanded me to persist with sincerity in private and public life.

2: I should establish justice whether I am pleased with someone or angry.

3: I should be thrifty both in riches and poverty.

4: I should forgive those who have wronged me.

5: I should give them who deprive me.

6: I should keep connected with those who have severed their ties with me.

7: My silence should be for reflection and contemplating.

8: My utterance should be with remembrance of Allah.

9: My stare and look should be for learning a lesson”

(Related by Ruzain)

Give the Light of Knowledge and Effulgence of Guidance their Natural Way

2011-12-18T10:14:00.004+04:00

Fragrance of the blossoming buds and rays of the rising sun, as it is the law of nature, can never be barred to spread. Similarly, light of knowledge and effulgence of guidance are never to be blocked in boundaries of some professionals or of the experts. They are neither a matter of inheritance nor to get monopolized by some groups, families or the classes of society. Wisdom of the Quran and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, are for all. Unlike Christianity and Judaism, where the instructions of the Bible and Torah were thought comprehensible only to the clergymen and rabbis, so they had the right reserved for them to interpret the Divine Books, there is no rule to keep Guidance of Islam exclusively to the Ulama.

Knowledge is, as made clear in a Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, an obligatory thing equally for all male and female Muslims. Learning the basics of Islam is not an optional matter. Every Muslim, according to the level of his/her access to the sources and has a stimulating minds, has to know about all that is lawful (Halal) in Islam and also what is prohibited (Haram). Task of Dawa (call to Islam) and duty of enjoining all that is right and prohibiting what is wrong and evil, is identically for all.

In the West it was unfortunate that the people were immensely fed up of religiosity because Christianity had been hands in gloves with exploitative forces of the cruel feudalism in defrauding and penalizing the innocent people in the name of religion under the umbrella of monarchism. So, since 17th century onward, after the enlightenment spread as outgrowth of Renaissance, first of all what was done was ridding from the unfair practices of the church. Thus the heavy clutches of religions were thrown away. That was the time when industrial revolution which gave an enormous push to the Capitalistic economic system ahead, was a little away. The designers of the new system had a plot of creating a consumer society for their products. They wanted beguile the consumers to make them on the threshold of temptations. The carnal wishes were kindled. For this all the religious and moral bindings were thought necessary to be purged. Hence secularism got deep roots particularly in education, politics and economy and in personal lives haphazardly.

Modern education did a great service to popularize the secular concept. The imperialists used the education as a tool to change the minds. After most of the Muslims countries were one by one colonized and subdued by the Western powers, the secular dogmas of the western societies got an easy and rapid acceptance there. Even the young Muslims, educated in the modern institutions, being regular in their five time prayers and fasting in the month of Ramadhan against implicit belief and unambiguous tenets of Islam, became convinced of the separation of worldly life from religion.

Among the intellectuals in our ranks there are many who are proud of having mugged up perplexed western theories, gone through history and literature and are found engrossed in complicated philosophies. They read heavy volumes of poetry, thick critiques and analistical works. But learning some major basics of Islam is nuisance for them. And if they have some necessary knowledge about lawful and prohibited things in Islam, they still resolve that communication of knowledge and conveying the message of Islam to the others is only the duty of the Maulvis. This way of thinking is the result of the walls raised to divide the life into religious and non-religious parts. Those who advocate this stand are actually ready to let the Caesar take all leaving a handful for God.

I have a very respectable highly educated man very close to me, about whom I know he is relatively well-versed in Islamic teachings but he always curses the religious elements for not doing their duties of Dawa and Islah. He thinks the religious leaders cause of all the evils in the society. We have a long dialogue in writing about how much the modern educated people in politics, armed services, bureaucracy, business, judiciary, and many other fields tainted with avariciousness, corruption, nepotism, opportunism, blunders and many other moral evils. It is clearly the fault of our secular natured education system, divorced from the religion and moral values. But the gentleman is obstinately of the view that only the Ulama are the responsible for this moral decline.

As it is obligatory for every Muslim who has his wealth beyond his necessities to spend in the way of Allah and help the needy people in the society, it is the duty of every Muslim to convey to the others whatever, a little or more, he knows about Islam. In his last sermons on the occasion of Farewell Hajj, the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, had emphatically advised the audience to convey from him to those who were not present there, no matter if there was only one Ayah of the Quran. Stinginess in case of knowledge is worse than the materialistic miserliness. The Prophet, SAW, is reported to have said that the one who is asked something regarding the teachings of Islam and he conceals it, will be put bridle of fire around his mouth on the day of Judgment.

The Messenger, be peace and blessings upon him, once said:
“What has happened to those who do not give their neighbors an understanding, do not teach them and do not enjoin them to do good and do not prevent them from doing bad. What has happened to those who neither learn from their neighbors, nor make out something from them, and nor get a piece of advice from them. By God! The people have do the task of teaching the neighbors, admonishing, enjoining what is right and prohibiting what is wrong; they have to learn from their neighbors, make perception through them, ask them for some good word; if not then soon they will be made subject to some affliction.” (Targhib-u-Tarheeb & Majma’ Azwaid )

Some are writers in our ranks while the others are good orators. There are some who are good in table talk and the others keep vast social relations. Everyone has a good chance to convey some message to the others using one’s special capability. Lawyers, teachers, doctors and nursing staff in the clinics and hospitals, religious preachers, government and private sector servants on public dealing duties, grocery men, receptionists, drivers, all happen to have an interaction. If each of them deliberately keeps a good thing to say to the others, thousands of messages can be transmitted every day. I remember a drawing teacher in the junior section of a prestigious international school. As a drawing teacher he had the calligraphic art. Out of the office buildings, from where almost two thousand students, office and teaching staff and also some parents of the students went by, a big board was fixed on the wall for ‘Thought of the Day’. The drawing teacher, with no religious appearance but a missionary spirit to expound some good idea , had undertaken to beautifully write something from the Holy Quran, Ahadith of the Holy Prophet, SAW, any thought provoking quotation or a good piece of advice every morning. This was his way to preach. I think he will be generously rewarded for this on the Day of Judgment, inshaALLAH.

It is true that the light of the knowledge and effulgence of the guidance are never to be blocked in the boundaries of some professionals and experts.

Military Rulers Hijacking Islam

2011-12-16T08:03:00.001+04:00

Note: Dr. Aaidh al-Qarni missed the point how monarchical institutions have been doing the same with Islamic System for last many centuries. Even democratic governments in different Muslim countries have been ducking their responsibilities regarding Islamic Sharia'. Dr. Qarni's thoughts about military rulers are yet genuine and relevent)

Writer: Dr. Aaidh al-Qarni (a prominent Saudi scholar)

Islam ruled Arab states for over a thousand years, firstly under the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, then later the Umayyads, the Abbasids and the Ottomans. Even non-Arab Muslim rulers harnessed the virtues of Islam as much as the Arabs themselves, if not more. Guided by the Holy Quran and the Sunnah [of the Prophet], Kurdish leader Saladin Ayyubi ruled the Muslim Umma and liberated Jerusalem. Similarly, Imad al-Din Mahmoud Zengi was a Turkic leader who championed Islam during his victorious rule [founding the Zengid Dynasty], as did his successors such as Nur al-Din Zengi. In the non-Arab world, Muslim Berber states, the Almoravids and the Almohads championed Islam until colonialism came and abolished the Islamic project.

Afterwards, when colonialism was overcome, power was assumed in most Arab states by ignorant, ruthless and illiterate military leaders, without the people pledging allegiance to them under Islamic Sharia law. As a result, their first declaration after seizing power was to invalidate the law of Islam, and many countries contented themselves with merely celebrating the Prophet Mohamed's birthday, and reciting the Holy Quran during celebrations and on special occasions. Islamic Sharia law was widely abolished as a source of legislation for public life. Other states mixed between conventional and Islamic laws, but failed to completely adapt Islamic Sharia law, thus confining Islam to the mosques. Some leaders even advocated communism, declaring their affiliation to the Kremlin in Moscow. People were divided either for or against these endeavours, but they were all Muslims. Some countries took from Islam only what suited them, or what seemed acceptable to them with regards to the ordinances of family, public rights, punishments, child-care and so on, whilst leaving behind what they did not like.

I often wonder about those military rulers who considered the enforcement of Islamic Sharia law to be a form of backwardness and reactionism, whilst they themselves were so illiterate and backward that some of them only held primary school certificates! After seizing power, the first thing these military leaders would do was promote themselves from the rank of corporal to colonel or lieutenant general, whilst only offering their people repression, suppression, imprisonment, torture and displacement. They even lost their own countries' territory to Israel, yet they claimed to be victorious. They forced ordinary citizens to display posters and statues of themselves [the leader] on every road, lane, street, square, school, playground, cafeteria, restaurant and park. They erected triumphant arches and statues in desolate cities, which ultimately transformed into ruins over time, as a result of neglect, poverty and underdevelopment.

I still do not know why these military leaders hijacked Islam, abolished Islamic Sharia law and replaced it with conventional and man-made constitutions. As the Quran clearly states: "Then is it the judgement of [the time of] ignorance they desire? But who is better than Allah in judgement for a people who are certain [in faith]?" [Surat al-Maeda; Verse 50]. Instead of fighting against Islamic Sharia law, I wish those leaders had occupied themselves with developing their countries, rebuilding their homelands, and reforming their political and economic conditions. Yet, now these countries are among the world's poorest states, suffering from a proliferation of disease, illiteracy, hunger, imprisonment, humiliation, repression, servitude and destitution. Many of the countries that abolished God's Sharia law are now begging to international organizations, lining up waiting for their aid. The military rulers neither maintained religion nor did they reform their countries, although they tried all conventional constitutions and laws, from French to English law, and even Marxism. Yet despite all these failures, they did not even think of trying to govern in accordance with Islamic Sharia law.

I do not know where these backward military leaders received their education, and what blinded their perceptions and distorted their hearts and minds. I do not know what made them turn their back on Islam, contest Islamic Sharia law, detain religious scholars, humiliate their own people, curtail freedoms, and persecute society's great thinkers and writers. Saddam Hussein, al-Assad, Gaddafi and other tyrants were all guilty of this.

Why is a country like Israel, an unjust and tyrannical state, proud of what has remained of its distorted Judaic faith and its interpretations of the Torah, whilst some Arabs are not proud of Islam, a religion that has transformed them from mere shepherds into conquerors, reformers, messengers and makers of civilization? Islam has taken the Arabs from darkness into the light, purified them, and prompted them to raise their heads high after they had lowered them in disgrace by worshiping idols and believing in myths. Islam prompted our ancestors to sail far across the world and traverse vast deserts to spread God's message, standing upon the Great Wall of China in the east, and praying in Cordoba in the West!

I urge the Arabs to prevent military rulers from coming to power in Arab states, for they are the cause for every calamity. They are behind all misfortune and only lead to decline, regression, destruction and subordination.

(With thanks to the writer and esteemed Arabic Daily Asharq Al-Awsat)

Race, Colour or Soil Based Nationalism, an Ideological State and Iqbal

2011-12-14T21:59:00.002+04:00

Islamists: Between Propaganda and the Truth

2011-12-12T17:21:00.000+04:00

Writer: Abdul Rehman Al-Rashed

In my previous article [Can the Islamists truly be democratic? Published 8/12/2011] I addressed the argument that Islamist parties are democratic and that they have not had their chance in power. I put forward examples of Islamist political parties, like the National Islamic Front in Sudan, and Hamas in Gaza, to disprove this argument. In addition to this, there is also the Khomeinist model that is ruling Iran, and Hezbollah which is part of the government in Lebanon, and others. They have all had their opportunity in power, whether they came to power via elections, as was the case with Hamas, or by forcibly taking power, as was the case with the Khomeinist Islamic revolution in Iran and the Islamic Front in Sudan. We also have proof that these "ideological" movements pretended to be democratic, but when they were in power, it was revealed that they were just another dictatorial party that rejects democracy and wants to monopolize power.
However I do not mean to say that Islamist parties should not be allowed to benefit from the Arab Spring, although they were against this initially and refused to take part in the revolutions. Indeed, I will go as far as to say that there can be no real democracy in the region unless these Islamist parties are politically included, because they are a political force that cannot be ignored on the ground, and their involvement in the political process will achieve two very important goals. Firstly, this will have an immediate effect, namely ensuring stability, particularly as these Islamist parties are capable of sabotage if politically excluded. Secondly, there is a more long-term goal, namely by being involved in the political process, these Islamist parties will evolve and develop their discourse and behaviour, and become courteous political parties that truly believe in democracy, rather than political opportunism.
Since the ouster of Ben Ali in Tunisia and Mubarak in Egypt, many people have put forward the theory that this is the time of the Islamists, who were previously deprived of the opportunity to rule. More than this, they claim that the image of the Islamists has been distorted by the Arabs and the West to prevent them from political participation. Following the revolutions, the Islamist party leaders rushed to improve their image in the eyes of the West, issuing statements stressing that they would not prohibit bikinis from their countries beaches, or outlaw alcohol, and that they would accept a woman or Christian as leader. Of course, these speeches are nothing more than public relations, and something that can only be believed by someone ignorant of the region or the logic of religious parties. If the claim of freedom of religion is true, it expresses the opinion of only a few [religious party] leaders, as the majority of leaders and members of such groups consider "purifying" society to be their first duty, and it would not be long before they turned against those political leaders urging tolerance.
Arab society is going through difficult developments that may lead to more dictatorships under the name of democracy, such as what happened in Iran. Therefore, we cannot settle for reading their intentions and believing their propaganda. If these societies, such as Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Morocco, truly want a democratic approach and want to grant an opportunity for all political forces - including the Islamist and Arab nationalist forces - to participate, they must build a state that is based on a constitution that protects rights, and an army that understands that its duty is not to rule, but to protect democratic institutions such as the judiciary and the parliament, and prevent the democratic system from being overthrown.
We can see in Egypt, and from the results of the first round of elections there, how the society - military, politicians and revolutionaries - has failed to apply rules of fair competition. Although it was forbidden for competing parties to use religion and mosques for electoral purposes, they all did this, gathering millions of votes by inciting people to fear the liberals and the Copts. As a result of this, the Islamists won about 65 percent of the votes! So where is the democracy?

(With thanks to the esteemed Arab Daily Asharq Al Awat and the writer of this essay)

Iqbal, Parliament and Jurisprudence in Islam

2011-12-10T20:57:00.001+04:00

(English version of this article is already on the blog)

Can the Islamists Truly be Democratic?

2011-12-10T19:03:00.001+04:00

By: Abdul Rehman Al-Rashed

All of a sudden, many Arab and Western writers have volunteered to testify that Islamist political movements can be democratic, and deserve an opportunity to govern. The examples cited include well-known parties such as Egypt's Freedom and Justice Party, which is the official party of the Muslim Brotherhood, the al-Nahda Party in Tunisia, the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, as well as the Justice and Development Party in Morocco.

Most of these writers have stressed the argument that Islamist groups have not been given the opportunity to participate in politics, and that the Arab Spring is an occasion to test their popularity and commitment to the democratic path. Of course, granting such groups the right to participate is acceptable - this is a right that is given to everybody, not just the Islamists - but as for the claims that they are democratic, and that they have never been given a chance [to rule]...these are two lies. There is the example of Sudan, where the National Islamic Front, led by [Hassan] al-Turabi, participated in the 1986 elections. The Islamists won 51 seats in parliament, which means they were the third largest party, after the national and federal parties. Although they did not dispute the elections, which were free and fair, the Islamists plotted and organized a coup two years later. They seized power in 1989, in cooperation with General Omar al-Bashir, who is still ruling the country today after he has destroyed its natural resources and waged a number of internal wars.

The Algerian experience was somewhat different. The military regime that ruled the country from behind the scenes was compelled to organize elections after seven years of turmoil and protests, in which the Islamists - and others - were very active. The military cancelled these legislative elections in 1991 [after the first round] when it looked like the Islamists would emerge victorious. However, here we must note that the moderate leaders of the Islamic Salvation Front, such as Abassi Madani, were suffering from the rising popularity of young extremist leaders such as Ali Belhadj, who was the most popular leader in the movement. Ali Belhadj, publicly in front of his followers, announced his rejection of democracy, saying: "No democracy and no constitution ... only the words of Allah and the Prophet". The Islamic extremists attacked cinemas and markets, and thus the military seized the opportunity and declared a state of martial law.

A third example of Islamic participation in politics can be seen in Palestine, where the Palestinian Authority approved the participation of Hamas in the elections, in exchange for its commitment to democracy and respect for the agreements signed with Israel. Hamas won in 2006, winning 76 seats out of 132, and was granted the presidency of the government. However, Hamas then went on to seize all public services and expel the Palestinian Authority from Gaza in a bloody battle.

Let us not forget the actions of Hezbollah, which on one hand participates in democratic activity via elections, but on the other hand imposes its will through the use of force and arms. There are also examples of the Islamists exploiting democracy to impose their own agendas, as happened in Kuwait, with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafists, and the Shiites. They banned certain books, concerts and intellectual activities under their ideological intimidation.

I am not against the participation of Islamist parties in politics, as long as they are prepared to respect the rules of democracy, but this is something that has not happened in the past, not even once! We have to realize that the very nature of ideological parties and Islamist political groups, intellectually and tactically, means that they deems other parties to be unacceptable, no matter how much they talk about tolerance and their adaptation to democratic thinking.

I think that the Turkish experience is the best example for Arab countries that genuinely want to give an opportunity for all popular parties to participate in politics, especially the Islamist groups. The army can serve as the guarantor, tasked with protecting those freedoms and rights that are always the subject of dispute. The Islamists do not differ widely from patriots, [Arab] nationalist, and Baathists, with regards to foreign policy, but they have an exclusionary stance towards women and the followers of other religions and sects, in addition to their views on the freedom of expression and other personal rights.

(With thanks to the writer and esteemed Arabic Daily Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Brotherhood's Victory in Egypt: Beginning of the End

2011-12-06T15:19:00.003+04:00

Written by: Dr. Hama Al-Majid

The initial results of the Egyptian parliamentary elections, and the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood, alongside the Salafists, with a comfortable parliamentary majority, means that Egypt is the latest country to reveal its Islamic nature, after the Islamists won in Tunisia and Morocco with a similar proportion of the vote. As for Libya, there is no need to wait for the results of the parliamentary elections there to know the strength of the Islamists. The Islamists provided the structure and backbone of the Libyan revolution, so it is inevitable that the Islamists will dominate any Libyan elections.

Thus, the Islamists in their various guises, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists, have now entered the nerve center of power via the ballot box, for the first time in the history of the Arab world. They now face the stern test of demonstrating their governing capabilities. If we disregard coming to power by democratic means, then Sudan was actually the first country to experience Islamist rule, and this was a failed experiment by all accounts. It is true that during the initial period of their rule, the Islamists in Sudan provided an honest, righteous model for heads of state. However, the rule of the Islamists in Sudan soon followed the path of the Arab military revolutions, which had suppressed the Arab people through the monopolization of power, dictatorial rule, and governance with an iron fist. During the era of military Islamism in Sudan, the aspects of good governance vanished, whilst the Sudanese people were deafened with endless empty promises of virtuous Islamic rule. The Sudanese Islamists' revolution was such a failure that the Sudanese President was no different in his attachment and grip of power than Hosni Mubarak, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Bashar al-Assad, Ali Abdullah Saleh and Muammar Gaddafi. Indeed, we do not need to waste further time highlighting the compelling evidence for the failure of military Islamist rule in Sudan.

In the countries where they won parliamentary majorities, the Islamists are now facing a number of challenges and difficulties. Some people will excuse them if these obstacles are not overcome in the initial period of their rule, for example economic prosperity and developmental progress, for it may take decades until this can be fully enjoyed by the Arab people. However what the Arab people cannot excuse would be the Islamists failing to establish financial and administrative integrity. Theorizing about integrity whilst outside of power is easy, but when the Islamists are at the heart of power, they will be subject to temptation. After their success at the parliamentary elections, the Islamists have been handed the keys to power and financial influence. With the exception of the era of the four rightly guided caliphs, only rarely have rulers in the Islamic world governed without failing the test of financial and administrative corruption.

The Islamists - and here I am giving a special mention to the Muslim Brotherhood [in Egypt] - will also face a stern test in overcoming partisanship in their respective countries, which sometimes can be as difficult as detecting a black ant on a black rock in the middle of the night! If the Muslim Brotherhood seeks to exclusively appoint its own men to government offices, then this will be the beginning of the end, but if they source these positions from both inside and outside the Brotherhood, then they will be on the right track. The countries in which the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists were victorious have transformed - from the era of dictatorships, which prevailed and then collapsed - into states plagued by corruption and underdevelopment. A great amount of work is required in order to correct what was destroyed by the era of tyranny, and the Islamists must use all available talent, regardless of party affiliation or ideology.

Why the Decline of the West is best for us---and them

2011-12-06T14:49:00.000+04:00

(A Very Interesting and Eye-Opening Article)

By R Vaidyanathan, Professor of Finance, IIM Bangalore.

Ten years ago, America had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash. Now it has no Jobs, no Hope and no Cash. Or so the joke goes.

Only, it’s no joke. The line is pretty close to reality in the US. The less said about Europe the better. Both the US and Europe are in decline. I was asked by a business channel in 2008 about recovery in the US. I mentioned 40 quarters and after that I was never invited for another discussion.

Recently, another media person asked me the same question and I answered 80 quarters. He was shocked since he was told some “sprouts” of recovery had been seen in the American economy.

It is important to recognise that the dominance of the West has been there only for last 200-and-odd years. According to Angus Maddison’s pioneering OECD study, India and China had nearly 50 percent of global GDP as late as the 1820s. Hence India and China are not emerging or rising powers. They are retrieving their original position.

The dollar is having a roller-coaster ride at present.

In 1990, the share of the G-7 in world GDP (on a purchasing power parity basis) was 51 percent and that of emerging markets 36 percent. But in 2011, it is the reverse. So the dominant west is a myth.

Similarly, the crisis. It is a US-Europe crisis and not a global one. The two wars – which were essentially European wars – were made out to be world wars with one English leader commenting that ‘we will fight the Germans to the last Indian’.

In this economic scenario, countries like India are made to feel as if they are in a crisis. Since the West says there’s a crisis, we swallow it hook, line and sinker.

But it isn’t so. At no point of time in the last 20 years has foreign investment – direct and portfolio – exceeded 10 percent of our domestic investment. Our growth is due to our domestic savings which is again predominately household savings. Our housewives require awards for our growth not any western fund manager.

The crisis faced by the West is primarily because it has forgotten a six-letter word called ‘saving’ which, again, is the result of forgetting another six letter word called “family”. The West has nationalised families over the last 60 years. Old age, ill health, single motherhood – everything is the responsibility of the state.

When family is a “burden” and children an “encumbrance,” society goes for a toss. Household savings have been negative in the US for long. The total debt to GDP ratio is as high as 400 percent in many countries, including UK. Not only that, the West is facing a severe demographic crisis. The population of Europe during the First World War was nearly 25 percent and today it is around 11 percent and expected to become 3 percent in another 20 years. Europe will disappear from the world map unless migrants from Africa and Asia take it over.

The demographic crisis impacts the West in other ways. Social security goes for a toss since people are living longer and not many from below contribute to their pensions through taxes. So the nationalisation of families becomes a burden on the state.

European work culture has become worse with even our own Tata complaining about the work ethic of British managers. In France and Italy, the weekend starts on Friday morning itself. The population has become lazy and state-dependent.

In the UK, the situation is worse with drunkenness becoming a common problem. Parents do not have control over children and the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation in London said: “There are all signs of arteriosclerosis of a culture and a civilisation grown old. Me has taken precedence over We and pleasure today over viability tomorrow.” (The Times: 8 September ).

Married couples make up less than half (45 percent) of all households in the US, say recent data from the Census Bureau. Also there is a huge growth in unmarried couples and single parent families (mostly poor, black women). Society has become dysfunctional or disorganised in the West. The government is trying to be organised.

In India, society is organised and government disorganised. Because of disorganised society in the West the state has to take care of families. The market crash is essentially due to the adoption of a model where there is consumption with borrowings and no savings. How long will Asian savings be able to sustain the western spending binge?

According to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal (10 October 2011), nearly half of US households receive government benefits like food stamps, subsidised housing, cash welfare or Medicare or Medicaid (the federal-state health care programmes for the poor) or social security.

The US is also a stock market economy where half the households are investors and they have been hit hard by bank and corporate failures. Even now less than 5 percent of our household financial savings goes to the stock market. Same in China and Japan.

Declining empires are dangerous. They will try to peddle their failed models to us and we will swallow it since colonial genes are very much present here. You will find more Indians heading global corporations since India is a very large market and one way to capture it is to make Indian sepoys work for it.

A declining West is best for the rest and also for the West, which needs to rethink its failed models and rework its priorities. For the rest—like us—the fact that the West has failed will be accepted by us only after some western scholars tell us the same. Till then we will try to imitate them and create more dysfunctional families.

We need to recognise that Big Government and Big Business are twin dangers for average citizens. India faces both and they are two asuras we need to guard against. The Leftists in the National Advisory Council want all families to be nationalised and governed by a Big State and reform marketers of the CII variety want Big Business to flourish under crony capitalism. Beware of the twin evils since both look upon India as a charity house or as a market and not as an ancient civilisation.

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PhotosDownload All image006.jpg

Imperatives of Constructing an Ideological State

2011-12-05T10:46:00.002+04:00

In the last of the first half of the 20th century simultaneously there appeared two states, Pakistan and Israel, on the world map. Some of the intellectual keep the opinion, actually an illusion, that both the states are parallel in regard of their ideological status. By only a cursory and skipping survey it can be assumed that racial discrimination and not the teachings of the Taurah, is the foundation stone of Israel. It is the state for the Jews, a particular race claiming to be from the lineage of Jacob (Yaqub AS).

In his presidential address in the meeting of All-India Muslim League at Allahabad, in December, 1930, when Iqbal gave his historic proposal for a free and sovereign Muslim state combining the Muslim majority areas in the West and East of the subcontinent India, he was fully aware of the fact that nationalism had become a phenomenal matter with some movements at their high rise in different parts of the territories under the British, French and Italian colonial clutches.

Eleven years before his address a devastating incident of the First World War had happened. And nine years after his address the same was going to be repeated as the tragic and ravaging scenario of the Second World War. Both the wars, actually the nasty fruit of the nationalism and jingoism, had caused the death, handicapping and displacing of more than 200 million people in Europe and other parts of the world. Only six years before this address the feelings of Turk and Arab nationalism had flared so high that ‘Qaba-e-Khilafat’ (Tunic of Usmani Caliphate) had been torn out by Turk Nationalists themselves. These all grievous developments were proving heartbreaking for Iqbal. He, very sadly expressed his feelings in his poem ‘Watniyyat’:

Muslim Ne Bhi Ta’mir Kiya Apna Haram Aur                   Tehzeeb Ke Azer Ne Tarshwae Sanam Aur

In Tazah Khudaon Mein Bara Sab Se Watan Hei              Jo Perahan Is Ka Hei Woh Mazhab Ka Kafan Hei

(The Muslims also have built a new Haram for them. Azer (name of the father of the Prophet Ibrahim and here a metaphor for the carver of the idols) of the modern civilization has got new idols carved. The biggest of the most recent carved idols is ‘Watan’ (the native country). The covering dress for this new idol is actually the shroud of the religion.)

In the last stanza of the same poem Iqbal says that this new idol is really a main cause of the rivalries between different communities. This idol is alluring the people to subjugate and captivate other countries. Main objective is to enhance their trade. Worship of this idol has made the politics quietly in short of the truthfulness. Only due to it the weak and poor nations are being pillaged and ravaged.

Iqbal was a bitter critical of secular concept of politics and jingoism, both the gifts of the West.

Meri Nigah Mein Hei Yeh Siasate Ladeen         Kanize Aharman o Doon Nehad o Murdah Zamir

(In my opinion the secular polity is a slave girl of Devil and ignoble and with a dead conscience)

Apni Millat Par Qias Aqwame Maghrib Se Nah Kar   Khas hei Tarkib Mein Qaume Rasoole Hashmi

Un Ki Jamiyyat Ka Hei Mulk o Nasab Par Inhesar      Quwwate Mazhab Se Mustahkam Hei Jamiyyat Teri

(Theorize not your Millat (Muslim nation) akin to the Western nations. The nation (ummat) of Muhammad (Rasool-e-Hashmi), be peace and blessings upon him, keeps a distinctive feature. Delineation of their (the Western’s) society is based upon their soil or linage but solidarity of your (Muslim) society depends on how strong bond you keep with your religion)

It was optimistically thought, and Iqbal, in the beginning, did share this thought that the lost honor and dignity of Muslim Ummah would be regained through Mustafa Kamal and Raza Shah, both who rose to the power in Turkey and Iran, but their pro-west policies and fondness of the western culture made Iqbal immensely disappointed.

Nah Mustafa Nah Raza Shah Mein Namood Is Ki           Keh Rohe Sharq Badan Ki Talash Mein Hei Abhi

(The spirit of the East neither found the body of Mustafa Kamal of Turkey nor of Raza Shah of Iran a proper place for it. It is still in search of some new body to descend there)

At last Iqbal discovered a western styled, slender and graceful personality of Muhammad Ali Jinnah a suitable figure for this soul. Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was convinced to come forward for leading the Pakistan Movement under the banner of Muslim League and making Iqbal’s dream true. He undertook the mission of creating a free and sovereign country. Pakistan became the homeland of Punjabi, Bengali, Pashtun, Baloch, Kashmiri races along with dozens of other smaller ethnicities, amalgamated not through any military force or legal coercion but by their religious belief. This only ideological oriented country is not of the 20th century but a unique ideological phenomenon of last more than a millennium. It had only a precedent of almost 1370 years back, when the state of Madinah was founded under the doctrines and principles of Islam.

The ideology does not take root in the air standing aloof from the substantive dimensions of life. Continuance of any system depends on to what extent the political, social and economical branches are institutionalized in the light of its religious beliefs and moral code (ideology). As Muslims we have all the provisions of basic principles of what the west has termed democracy. These principles, though not found in the modern terms, had been in practice until the golden era of four Guides Caliphs. Unfortunately, just after the Caliphate shifted to the arbitrary rule of monarchism, the process of materializing these lofty principles into institutions got disconnected and their development came to a stop. Freedom, justice, respect, protection of human rights and equal opportunities for all the citizens of the state without any discrimination, the major things, the western societies feel proud of, were assured in Islam. A mechanism of accountability also did exist and remained in operation.

It was sad that Quid-e-Azam did not live long after foundation of Pakistan, but shortly after that his successors propitiously got passed the Objective Resolution adopted by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, giving the government solid guidelines in its policies. Some institution has to stipulate a dynamic legal organism, needed for keeping law and order, safeguarding the public interests and overcoming the hurdles in smooth running of the system. The same institution has to determine the basic problems of the perplexed life and the ways how to solve them. It is the elected representatives of the people who point out the problems and the government has to make laws to resolve them. Thus for enacting, revising or repealing the laws or statutes some authorized body is essential. In modern terms the legislative assemblies or the parliaments do this job.

In Islamic system there exists the guidance in this case. The rulers are bound to have recourse to counsel of the ‘wise and noble people’ having an insight in the matters. In the Quran there are two places where even for the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, the counseling was made compulsory.

“And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allah’s) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs. Then when you have taken decision (after consultation), put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him). (Al-Imran: 159)

“…that is with Allah is better and more lasting for those who believe and put their trust in their Lord. And those who avoid the great sins and illegal sexual intercourse, and when they are angry, they forgive. And those who answer the Call of their Lord, and perform prayers, and who conduct their affairs by consultation, and who spend of what We have bestowed on them.” (Ash-Shura: 36, 37, 38)

Imam Shaukani writes in ‘Fathul Qadeer’, his famous commentary of the Quran, that it is compulsory for the authorities to consult the knowledgeable and experts of the particular fields about the worldly matters which are difficult to contrive or they are doubtful about them. For example in the issues of the defense of the country it is evitable to ask from the experts of warfare how to settle the problems. The matters of the public interest and progress of the country consultation of the skillful people in such fields is imperative. Qurtabi, another prominent commentator of the Quran, has quoted Ibn Atiyah’s stand in this case. He says there is no difference in this case that the ruler who refuses to consult those who are abreast of and conversant with special fields must be dismissed from his position. It means that the rulers who turn down the recommendations or laws made by the parliament, making it in the common term ‘a rubber stamp’ lose the right of remaining in the power.

The state affairs are not the children game. An expertise is required for every field. For important matters the opinion and guidance of only those is required who have some understanding of them.
“So ask the people of the knowledge (understanding of former scriptures) if you do not know” (An-Nahl: 43, Al-Anbiya: 7)

Though at both the places with the same wording, the verses referred above were revealed in a special case. All the Prophets, sent for the guidance of mankind were men and not otherworldly creatures. Because most of the Prophets were from Bani Israel, so their learned people were better to be asked for testifying to the fact. Allamah Shibbir Ahmed Usmani wrote in his brief commentary that when the same verses of the Quran are taken in a general sense, they make a significant point that for the important matters of human life, instead of groping in the darkness of ignorance it is much better to consult those who are really discerning.

So, following the guideline of the Quran bringing an institution like parliament or Majlis-e-Shura in existence becomes a thing really pre-eminent. But what the care is must to taken is that such body must be a house of pious, mannerly, principled and also proficient, dexterous and well-informed people in particular fields and not of the corrupt, ignorant and hereditary politics, as it is found in most of the Muslim countries and in Pakistan particularly.

In an organized society and a state having a firm system, there are three important layers of relations, necessary to be strengthened. The foremost is relation of the rulers with the ideology or the basic beliefs of the state, secondly of the government with the habitants of the country and then relation of the people with each other. In his inaugural speech after getting elected as the first Caliph, Abu Bakr As-Siddique (RA) drew a wise line describing the relation of the ruler with the ideology of the state (obedience to Allah and His Messenger, SAW). He said:

“Obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him. But if I disobey Allah’s commands or His Prophet’s, then no obedience is incumbent upon you.”

A commonly repeated phrase ‘strengthen the hands of the government’ is used for supporting and furthering the actions and policies of the government. According to the conditions laid by the Quran this boosting is restricted with the goodness of the steps taken and the policies followed by the government. The same are the provisos of the relations of different segments of the society between each other. The Quran has its clear teachings:
“And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.” (Al-Maidah: 2)

In the West the wording and terminology may be a bit different in accordance with their cultural traits and limits of whatever the social and moral values they have, but in fact they have taken the essence of the guidelines laid by the Quran and Suunah. They have stipulated a strict political discipline and carved an accountability statute making all the part of their constitutions and have taken the measures leaving no room for repudiation of these measures. Here still we fail and instead of only loudly beating the drums of democracy we need to institutionalize the principles and doctrines already we have.

We still fail in fulfilling Iqbal’s dream of a Muslim state having a dynamic ideology working behind it. Suffering from a dearth of wise, principled and sincere leadership, committed to the ideology of the country we are swayed by the slogans of nationalism and jingoism and are constantly lead astray. It is indispensable to trace our ideological roots, materialize them in strong institutions and shape a durable system taking light from the Quran and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him.

What Actually Bigotry is?

2011-12-03T19:26:00.001+04:00

The Arab Turkey

2011-12-01T17:00:00.001+04:00

Written by: Elias Harfoush

Ninety years ago, the Ottomans left our region, as a result of the political and military collapse of the Sultanate, and amid great joy by the Arab nationalists at the time, over their victory against “Turkification”. The latter’s slogans in fact reflected hostility against everything Arab, be it their ethnicity, language or culture.

But the Turks are currently gaining back important footholds in the Arab world. The Arab rebels and the new regimes in their counties are welcoming the Turkish role in supporting revolutions and defending the kind of democratic rule that those new regimes are calling for. However, the Turkish comeback is being achieved to the tune of a rhythm that is different from the one that had caused them to leave. They are coming back in conjunction with a wide Western approval of the “model” that they are supposedly trying to export to the Arab region, i.e. that of moderate Islam, which is not at odds with the current day and age and which holds no grudges against the dominant Western culture. This kind of Islam does not think of religion as an excuse for snubbing modern cultural values. But this Western endorsement of the new Turkish role completely contradicts the part played previously by the West, especially Britain, in nurturing Arab national sentiment, which the Turks, when they wrote their history, considered as hostile to the hundreds of years of historical relations between them and their Arab “subjects”, under the old and longstanding empire.

The Arabs require Turkish support, and they see in Turkey a model that they ought to follow in order to catch up with the present day and age. At the same time, they are expressing their disappointment at those regimes that have ruled them in the name of Arab nationalism, from the day their countries gained their independence. Since then, these regimes brought the Arabs nothing but pompous slogans and grandiose promises that only yielded collapses on the ground, on the level of the economy, education, administration, services, and infrastructure. This is not to mention the systematic oppression that, in some countries, reached the extent of state terrorism against the citizenry. Things reached such an extent that these populations started comparing their situation in the time of freedom, independence and nationalistic slogans to their situation during the time of colonization and the mandates. And in fact, the comparison often turned out not to be in favor of the regimes in question, in all aspects.

In addition to all that, there was the utter failure in the confrontation with Israel and in restoring Palestinian rights, despite the fact that a whole century has passed since the start of the conflict in Palestine, and 65 years since the creation of the state of Israel. While Arab armies were bracing for the so-called “liberation” battle, they were suffering defeats and losses on these fronts, while force was only being shown against internal opponents.

The Arabs’ efforts at following the model of the Turkish Justice and Development party and its patron, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, can only be understood through this historical evaluation. Arab history has come full circle and now its compass is pointing in the direction of Istanbul. As much as this is a victory tinted with some Schadenfreude on Turkey’s part, it is also a cultural and political defeat that the Arabs must no doubt be sensing as they are heading back once again towards a Turkish aegis.

This is the powerful Turkey on the political, military, and economic levels. It is the Turkey that can stand up to Israel, impose its terms on NATO and represent a successful commercial partner for the European Union. It is also ruled by an Islamic party that deals with the Western parties and Christian blocs from the position of an equal.

This is the model that is being followed by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Syria, the supporters of the Nahda in Tunisia, and the Islamists of Morocco and Libya. This is a model that is making Turkey turn “Arab” as never before, even under its Ottoman sultans.

In the meantime, this model represents a source of concern for Iran, the “exports” of which to the Arab region merely consisted of interfering with the affairs of the region’s countries and imposing tutelage over them, and supporting the regimes and parties that are rejected by their own populations. This is not to mention adding one more partner to the list of local partners who are exploiting the Palestinian cause, without achieving anything for the Palestinian people.

(With thanks to esteemed Arabic Daily Al-Hayat)

Iqbal, Parliament and Islamic Jurisprudence

2011-11-27T22:16:00.002+04:00

By: Munir Ahmed Khalili
muneer.khalili@hotmail.com

‘The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam’ is no doubt an essence of philosophical ideas and and reflective wisdom of Dr. Sheikh Muhammad Iqbal, very easily conjectured when only single part of his name ‘Iqbal’ is mentioned. This name is on the tongues and in the hearts of both the elders and the youngsters, regardless of whether they understand his writings, both prose and poetry, or not. But this is an undeniable fact that if there had nothing there of his poetic works, only the above mentioned academic hallmark could not have earned him the unrivalled reverence which he enjoyed throughout his life and around 80 years after his passing away still he is held in high regard. The thing keeping him alive and making him far-famed and loved one all over the world, particularly in the Muslim world is his longstanding poetry. So, it is indispensable to reevaluate his thoughts keeping his poetic works in consideration. It is insufficient to judge Iqbal rightly, only in light of ‘Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam’ with connivance at his poetry, a comprehensive and basic source of his thoughts.

Inert, inactiveness and uselessness, might that be of religious, social or political nature, Iqbal was a bitter critic of it. Twenty two thousands out of around 24 thousands verses of his poetic work construe as and have the message of movement, struggle and advancement. In spite of a robust feeling of his love for the Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, Iqbal was not a conservative in the sense of being an opponent of change. The communities live with the struggle because, in his opinion, life is the second name of ‘ Kashmakash-e-Inqelab’, an unending struggle, change, vicissitude. He said: ‘Sabaat Aik Taghayur Ko Hei Zamane Mein’ (only a change has the permanence). He got highest degrees of education from Europe, studied the western theories and philosophies and himself had been a member of legislative council during the British rule and was in favor of making avail of all useful modern institutions. But what he never had been in short of was his close touch with the Quran and his ‘Ishq-e-Rasool’, the warmest feelings of love and reverence for the Holy Prophet. Even when he was world-famous as one of the greatest philosophers and poets of that time, Iqbal never lost the emotional feedback of ‘Ishq-e-Rasool’.

He beseeched the Muslim Ummah to tell about sift the ideologies and thoughts coming from the west in the strainer of the Quran and Sunnah before accepting them. The authority of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him, was not to assert in Masjid only, but also in the power galleries, parliament, courts and all administrative units it is to be conceded. Iqbal thought everything coming from out acceptable only in case it did not clash with the mainstream of our ideological basis, moral values and cultural traits. So when someone comes forward to scrutinize Iqbal’s thoughts about political, economic and social issues and also his views about nations and civilizations, he should not pass over this root of his thinking.

Iqbal had formulated a ‘whole’ of his thoughts and it is necessary we keep this ‘whole’ in mind in the critiques about him and not to break this ‘whole’ into pieces. Many of the writers had and still have the interpretation of Islamic Laws (Ijtehad) a favorite subject of their discussion. Naturally they try to make Iqbal a reference for supporting their arguments. It is unfortunate that Muslim Ummah has been in spiritless condition for last several centuries and Iqbal was in bitter disliking for this state of inanimateness of thinking and action, so many of the ‘enlightened, moderate and progressive thinking’ intellectuals under the sway of modernity, mistakenly or mischievously, separating him from his root and also from his ‘whole’, try to fit him in the frame of modernity and prove the things extremely contrary to Iqbal’s ideological position.

Parliament, having major job of legislation, is one of the four fundamental pillars of the democracy. While studying Iqbal’s views about the function of the parliament it is more appropriate to first know his opinion about the democracy. Democracy is not a political system. An evil collaboration between the Church and cruel feudal lords under the umbrella of the monarchies had created a fierce manipulating system in the Medieval Europe. The people had suffered a lot and were fed up of the exploitations of this trio.

Actually, democratic concepts sprouted from Protestant religious doctrines in Christianity (a reformation movement in the Church by Martin Luther), Capitalistic economy replacing the feudal economic system and some later the Industrial and the French Revolutions. In the beginning it might have been a simple thought of just making the people free from the shackles of rigid religiosity, ruthless feudalism and authoritarianism of the kings. But later it became an absolute freedom.

Freedom is the greatest gift of democracy to the mankind. Yes, an absolute freedom, freedom from religion and moral disciplines. Getting free from some other forms of coercion, very foxily man was made a slave of carnality and sensuality. Though the Western communities had successfully purged the religious influence, still they feared it could be an obstructive force against materialistic nature of politics. So, using the democracy as a beautiful instrument they fully banished the religion

First of we see Iqbal thinks democracy to be a part of the Devilish scheme, actually a covering dress of the ugly face of monarchism making it credible and acceptable.

Ham Ne Khud Shahi Ko Pehnaya Hae Jamhoori Libas         Jab Zara Aadam Huwa Khud Shanas o Khud Nagar

(The second advisor of Iblees proclaims this in the poem Iblees Ki Majlise Shuraa)

Religion, in spite of losing its effectiveness, still can curb many of the evils of the rulers and politicians. It arouses elegance and purity of the feelings and blocks crookedness and mischief. Iqbal used a metaphor ‘Changezi’ (the uncivilized and savage character of notorious Mangol emperor Changez Khan) to express brutality and mercilessness of the political forces in case they are unbridled of the religion and morality.

‘Juda Ho Deen Siasat Se Tu Reh Jati Hae Changezi
(When the politics is separated from the religion, it becomes a ferocity practiced by Changez Khan)

Iqbal had a deep insight and could easily read that the more the West went advance in its dazzling material progress the more man’s suffering from psychological ailments grew and his restlessness and lack of peace of mind increased. It was hoped the freedoms guaranteed by the democracy would prevent the inner anguish (Qalb-u-Nazer Ki Ranjoori) of man but instead it grew high. In a short poem of ‘Zarbe Kaleem’ titled ‘Mashriq u Maghrib’ (The East and the West) with diagnosing this distress he mentioned the root cause of this ailment.

Yahan Maraz Ka Sabab Hae Ghulami u Taqleed                       Wahan Maraz Ka Sabab Hae Nizam-e-Jamhoori

Nah Mashriq Is Se Bari Hae Nah Maghrib Is Se Bari               Jahaan Mein Aam Hae Qalb u Nazer Ki Ranjoori

In his another poem in the same collection of the poetry we see a new ugly episode of this Western democracy.

Meri Nigah Mein Hae Yeh Siasat-e-Ladeen              Kaneez-e-Aharman o Doon Nehad o Murdah Zameer

Hoi Hae Tarke Kalisa Se Hakmi Azad                        Farangyun Ki Siasat Hae Deiv-e-Bae Zanjeer

Mata’e Gheir Peh Hoti Hae Jab Nazer Is Ki             Tu Hein Hirawale Lashkar Kalisa Ke Safeer

(I see this secular politics of the West working as a slave girl of Devil. It has a mean nature and dead conscience. Since the ruling power has become free of the influence of the Church (religion) it is behaving like a chainless monster. When it casts its avaricious eyes on the wealth of the other nations, it uses the agents of the Church sending them there as vanguards)

Ijtehad needs some basic qualities. Along with being a farsighted, a man of high character, pious and a practicing Muslim. One more minimum requirement is to have a full command over the Arabic language, a deep look in the previous works of Ijtehad. Moreover a wide range of the Quranic knowledge and an ability to draw a distinction between different degrees of Ahadith and skill of their application according to the situation is a requisite for the task of interpreting the Islamic laws.

Now have the convex lenses to find out men of these qualities in the parliament of Pakistan. Even the Ulama (religious leaders) of different sectarian groups sitting there hardly come up to the mark. The interior minister, on one occasion, was asked to recite Surah Ikhlas, one of the shortest but most significant Surah of the Quran, he could not. Even the president, prime minister, almost all of the ministers, advisors, Senate Chairman, Speakers of the National and Provincial Assemblies, both the opposition and leaders of the houses fail in coming up to the required level. It is really sad, the parliament has become the hotbed of the corrupt politicians, plunderers, smugglers, opportunists, fake degree holders, liars and fraudulent. Is it not a stupidity to suggest a sacred task to be entrusted to people of such a low level, both in knowledge and morality?

In the democratic system, the number of the members is a crucial thing. Only heads (number of the elected members) and not the brains (moral qualities and knowledge) are important. Whichever of the parties is higher in numbers is declared winner and is eligible to form the government, irrespective of the fact that most of its elected members neither prove any distinction in sagacity nor in goodness of their moral character. That is what Iqbal said in the verse below:

Jamhooriyat Ik Tarze Hakomat Hae Keh Jis Mein Bandon Ko Gina Karte Hein, Tola Nahin Karte
(Democracy is a system of government wherein the members are counted and not weighed)

And the last but not is the least point in this discussion. It is a commonly known fact that in the last years of his life Iqbal had a desire to get Sayed Abul A’la Maududi convinced to shift from Hyderabad to Punjab and without any delay set an institution to work for the great cause of revival and resuscitation of Deen. Both were in contact with each other and had exchanged mails. Sayed Maududi had shifted to the East Punjab and there Darussalam had been established. Iqbal wanted Maulana Maududi to undertake the task of recompilation of Islamic Fiqh in the light of the Quran and Sunnah keeping the challenges and problems of the modern world in sight. In the other words Iqbal had come to the conclusion that the reconstruction of Islamic Fiqh in accordance with the demands of the modern ages is beyond the capability of the institution of the parliament. Secondly the modern polity and the democratic system, in his opinion, had failed to bring any good ‘kheir’ to the people. Though the despotic monarchical system ostensibly has mainly come to its end, yet very wickedly many other forms of exploitation under the banner of democracy have been contrived. Parliaments provide beautiful coverings to these contrivances, particular for the manipulation.

Sayed Maududi was Iqbal’s choice to come forward for the project of, in the term of Iqbal ‘Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam’, and in the term of Sayed Maududi for ‘Tajdeed-u-Ihya-e-Deen’. The question is that if the parliament was a suitable forum to accomplish that enterprise then why so emphatically Iqbal urged Maulana Maududi to give up his abode in Hyderabad and come to live close to him?

Ask the Experienced

2011-11-24T17:34:00.002+04:00

Written by: Tariq Alhomayd (Editor-in-Chief Asharq Alawsat

Whatever the current situation with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh; the man must be considered extremely shrewd and a master at dancing with snakes. This is not a compliment, but it stems from comparing the facts, and the reality that sometimes things are defined by their opposites. A mere comparison, for example, between Ali Abdullah Saleh and Bashar al-Assad, shows a big difference in the game of politics and the art of maneuvering.

The snake dancer, i.e. Saleh, has excelled in tormenting his opponents and procrastinating with his negotiators, whether Saudis, the Gulf, or the West. He also excelled in preventing a Yemeni mass consensus against him, for he played all his cards, legitimately or otherwise, but without allowing Yemen to slip into a genuine civil war. However, Yemen is still a candidate for this fate, even today and tomorrow. Saleh's cunning, as I have already said, is not a compliment, but rather it is a reading of the facts, such as how he has been able to survive ruling Yemen for several decades, something that no one has done before in a country of great complexity, multiple crises, and potentially volatile hotspots. Above all this, Saleh is also a man who has recently come back from the dead. Following this, it appeared that he had genuinely understood the reality in Yemen, and that he was able to curb his personal feelings. In fact, he is a politician without feelings, a man fluent in living under pressure.

Al-Saleh attended Riyadh by himself; he did not send his deputy as he has done in the past, for he wanted to show that he was a man who makes sacrifices for his country. This is a political game, but there is also another significant matter here. The Saudi negotiators knew Yemen well, and they knew Saleh's key territories and likely maneuvers. This is not to mention that the Saudi negotiating team was also calm and patient, a feature of the people of the desert, and therefore yesterday we saw the completion of the Gulf initiative agreement with Yemen. The question here of course is: Is this the end of the crisis in Yemen? The answer is no, but at least the fuse leading to the biggest explosion has been disarmed, regardless of where the next fire comes from. The Yemenis are facing a very long road, and the most important thing is for Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave the scene as soon as possible, because he is capable of making this a very rocky road.

As noted above, Saleh is very shrewd, from his arrival to power, his survival at the helm, and ultimately his departure. This characterization is not impressive, but for those who doubt Saleh's shrewdness, they should compare the end of his reign to the end of three of his Arab predecessors, who left power earlier this year. Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled his country, or was forced to flee, Hosni Mubarak ended up on a bed in a prison hospital whilst his two sons were incarcerated, while in Libya we saw the horrific end to Muammar Gaddafi, not to mention what happened to his family and children! Finally, compare Saleh's initiative to the terms offered to al-Assad, and compare the tricks used by both leaders. Ali Abdullah Saleh signed the initiative and will leave the Gulf for New York, in order to receive treatment, without any international reservations. His plane will leave for America safely without any obstacles. Meanwhile, the moment the Gulf initiative was signed, France yesterday called for the need to provide safe humanitarian corridors in Syria, in order to protect the Syrians from Doctor al-Assad!
Therefore, as the proverb says: "Ask the experienced rather than the learned".

(With thanks to Arabic Daily Asharq Alawsat and its Editor-in-Chief)

Egypt: the Struggle over January 25

2011-11-24T11:51:00.000+04:00

The ongoing competition in Tahrir Square over the inheritance of Hosni Mubarak’s regime has its justifications. Indeed, each of the forces that participated in toppling the said regime has its own political program and aspirations for the future of Egypt, which differ from the vision and aspirations of other parties. Mubarak’s absence has left a great vacuum in the prime seat of power in the largest (most populated) Arab country. Filling such a seat will have a major impact not just on Egypt alone, but also on the future of the revolutions of the Arab Spring, still raging in many places.

Among competing forces in Egypt, the army seems to be the only one that considers itself to have the greater right to such an inheritance. Indeed, the leaders of the Military Council feel that they should be the first to be thanked for the success of the Egyptian Revolution. They consider themselves to have protected the revolutionaries on the field, that their tanks were pioneers in raising the slogan “down with Mubarak”, and that they thereby laid the foundation for the smooth and almost peaceful transition of power, in comparison with what took place in neighboring Libya and what is taking place in Yemen and in Syria. Had it been otherwise, or had the army played a different role, the Egyptian Revolution would have perhaps taken a direction quite different from what it is now.

This explains the doubts voiced by revolutionaries over the army’s goals. Such doubts have lately been reinforced within broad circles in Egypt, spread across the various political parties. Increasing these doubts over the intentions of the Military Council were the contents of the document that has been dubbed the “supra-constitutional principles document”, which considers the army to be the guardian of constitutional legitimacy, placing it in a position above that of elected institutions, where it would enjoy immunity unmonitored by the People’s Assembly with regard to its spending and its budget, being kept above legal accountability. This is a strange situation in a country where the Revolution arose with the purpose of restoring power to the people. This is aside from accusations voiced by forces that participated in the Revolution of the practices employed by security forces having remained the same as they were under Mubarak, indicating that the security mentality that dominates the country remains unchanged, as if the Revolution had never taken place.

This is why last Friday’s (November 18) protest took on the characteristics of a direct clash with the Military Council. Islamist features dominated the crowd gathered in Tahrir Square, as if Islamist movements of different trends, ranging from conservative to Salafist, sought to send a message to the Council that they were most likely to win in the coming democratic process, in addition to being the chief protectors of the civilian nature of the Egyptian state, in the face of what they consider to be a power-grab by the military, as well as in the face of the faltering of civilian forces that took part in the Revolution and have now chosen to distance themselves from the frontline of the confrontation of which the Islamists are raising the banner before the army.

And after accusations of partiality had been leveled at the army by liberal political parties at an earlier stage, of pandering to the Islamists, on the basis that they were the most powerful force, able if it so wished to provide cover for the Military Council’s ambitions, the supra-constitutional principles document, which has become known as the “Selmi document”, named after Deputy Prime Minister Ali Selmi, has come to drive Islamist movements to flex their muscles and prove their presence in the street, even if at the expense of both the army and the forces of other political parties put together.

Egypt’s youth had ten months ago gathered around the revolutionary slogan “let him leave, we are not leaving”, insisting on Mubarak stepping down. The same slogan has returned to be reiterated now, yet this time threatening to take the confrontation against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and its Chairman, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, to its utmost – this on the basis of accusing the SCAF and its Chairman of preparing Egypt for a phase in which the army would lead the state from behind the curtain of the democratic process, or even at its expense.

It is the headline of the next confrontation in Egypt. Indeed, an army that considers itself to be the guardian of a regime would consider the toppling of such a regime to be the toppling of the state. It would not be easy for an institution like the Egyptian army, which has led the Land of the Nile since the July 23 Revolution (1952), to hand over Egypt to the quarreling civilian and Islamist forces. And it seems that the threats facing the right of the people to manage its own affairs and to choose its representatives, whatever their inclination, will need more that January 25.

With thanks to esteemed Arabic Daily Al-Hayat:
Sun, 20 November 2011
by Elias Harfous
on http://www.daralhayat.com/portalarticlendah/330801

The Place with 'Khair' is of Great Worth

2011-11-23T11:07:00.001+04:00

Prophet Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, was born, and grew in Makkah. Though graves of both of his parents were not there, still naturally he loved Makkah, not only it was the homeland of his forefathers but because the Creator of this universe had chosen this place for His most sacred and ancient house, the Ka’bah, the Grand Mosque, built by Ibrahim (AS) and his son, Ismail (AS). Significance of the Ka’bah, can be envisaged through the fact that a believer’s one prayer there is equal to one thousand hundred prayers anywhere else in reward by Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Gracious.
In spite of this significance of Makkah, when the mission of calling the mankind to the Absolute Truth, Islam importuned and the Messenger of Allah (SAW) left his birth place. Carrying out the enterprise of Dawa became the top preference and he, with his companions who suffered tortures and troubles in Makkah, unhesitatingly made Yathrib (Madinah) his land of choice to live there. Hence the most sacred soil remained less important than the demand of making the message of Islam heard to the places, far and wide, establishing an Islamic society and founding a state in the light of the Quran. For a believer a very little premise where he can live in accordance with the Shariah of Islam is of greater worth.Though Makkah is still spiritual capital of the Muslim Ummah, yet Madinah itself becalme a place of Great Worth and the second most revered spiritual seat for the Muslims.
Many of the Faiths also have been getting relocated from one region to the other and even from one continent to the other continent. Christianity was originally the religion of Jerusalem and some other cities of Palestine and a matter of the Children of Israel (Jews) because it was actually a Jewish sect. By the 4rd century when it became the religion of the Roman Empire, it became the dominant religion of many parts of Africa, Europe and then even of the North America, Australia and New Zealand. European colonizers patronized the Christian Missions to spread this faith in the countries they had forcefully seized.
What is North America? A land of migrants from almost all parts of Europe and Africa and later a large number also from Asia! The early settlers were the British (and some other European) exploiters and manipulators. They drove away the original habitants grabbing their lands. Ships full of the African slaves were brought to work for them. The blacks there are the descendents of the same wronged African people.
For thousand years a lot of factors were there for making man move from place to place, across the oceans, over the vast deserts and around the continents. Harsh weathers, fear of overpowering forces, need for adequate food and water and a desire for having a better place to make his home have been the main considerations in his constant move. Aggressive designs to colonize the lands and subjugate the people also have been a motive of the warriors for taking large armies to faraway places and at last leaving many of the soldiers settle there. DNA tests are more probable to trace out Arab and Turk blood still in the reins of many of the Spanish and East European countries because they lived there for a long time, established stable dynasties and left indelible prints of their culture.
Millions of the people were displaced because of aggrandizement of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), and devastating warfare activities of the Mongol emperors Gangis (Changez) Khan, his grandson Hulaku Khan and a bit later Temur Lang conquering much of South West Asia till over half of 13th century. They destroyed Baghdad, hallmark of the Muslim civilization, weakened Damascus and devastated many other great power centers of the Muslim Ummah. The Mughals came to India as conquerors and established Mughal Empire there. Napoleonic wars (1803-1815) were not less in causing destruction and bringing miseries for millions of the people from Europe and Russia to Egypt in North Africa. Carnage of the First and Second World Wars left irretrievable impact on human lives.
This all has been making the populations move in search of better environment and felicitous circumstances for life. Unjust and cruel policies of despotic rulers, poor law and order situation, political instability, economical unevenness and lack of opportunities became the reasons for thousands of the Muslims from the Middle East, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other Muslim countries to shift to the European countries and North America for education, jobs and business. Now in coming one or a half more decade Islam is foreseen to be the largest religion of those lands.
Love for homeland is a natural thing. But man cannot live with peace of mind while lacking the respect and freedom. He wants favourable conditions of life and a bright future for his generations. He desires not to have any obstacles in following his religious teachings, moral values and cultural traits. Carrying the torch of FAITH and knowledge and to spreading the light of guidance in the lands sunk in the darkness of ignorance is the most dedicated 'diaspora'. This is what our Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him, had termed ‘khair’. Where man finds ‘Khair’ that is the place of great worth for him. The Messenger of Allah, SAW, is reported to have said:
“All the lands belong to Allah and all the people are the servants (here the word servant means creature) of Allah. So, wherever you find ‘khair’ (pleasant and favourable circumstances for life), settle down there.” (Ahmed)

Is any 'SPRING' Chasing the Stinking System?

2011-11-19T10:33:00.002+04:00

Arab Spring was a popular rise of the people, with an intensive wave of anger against despotic rules in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya in North Africa toppling the decade old rotten regimes of Zain El Abidine Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak and Qaddafi. Same is now ripe in Yemen and Syria and some other Middle East countries. In their crusade against the despot rulers ultimate demand of the people was not implementation of Islamic Sharia all at once. Very first and main objective was and still is to get rid of cruel authoritative rules. Freedom, honour, justice and availability of some basic sustenance, for which the people there have been longing for decades, were the main points of the movements. The people, mostly deprived of the basic needs of life were fed up of the status quo. Now, when Tunisian people, first time in their history of last about half a century, got a chance to elect their rulers through a free and fair election, showing an astonishing turn out in polls, they voted for Anehdhah, an Islamic party. And the same seems to happen in coming election in Egypt.

Arab Spring has proven to be a heavy blow smashing the ‘status quo’ into pieces. In the countries like Pakistan and some other third world countries the people are used to hear a common catch-phrase of the politicians ‘We will not let the system derailed’ from both the rulers and the opposition. This is actually a wicked trick to continue the status quo. A slackened shape of democracy works there only as cosmetic measure to remodel the face of dictatorship. It is just making it acceptable to the masses. There is little difference between the heavy dictatorships of the countries where the regimes have been blown up by the anger of the people and these second class democracies, as we see in practice in Pakistan.

Here the term ‘system’ is similar to ‘status quo’. Rulers, may they be of a single party or an alliance and the opposition are united to maintain ‘status quo’ viewing it in their interest. In Pakistan most of the politicians belong to feudal class. They very foxily get spared of paying any tax for their agricultural products. Many in business community too are tax avoiders. The reforms to bring any change for good are always blocked by those who watch over the status quo and defenders of the ‘system’. They are the biggest hindrance to rule of law and justice. Even the parliament remains subservient to their vested interests. For a long time they were successful to keep the judiciary too crippled to call them to the account for their corruption crimes. No mechanism of accountability is allowed to get strengthened. The rulers and the opposition both try to keep law enforcement agencies under their thumb.
They themselves, stooges of America, are indifferent to the needs and demands of the people. Very recently Media ran a report of an extremely lavish welcome lunch banquet by one of the MNAs of the ruling party in honor of the prime minister, who was in that constituency to address a party meeting. Cauldrons of roasted partridges and dear meat with many other dishes were served there squandering somewhere between 8 million to 10 million rupees just to appease the ‘honorable guest’. Very appallingly the details of the assets of the same parliamentarian, submitted to the election commission, show him a poor man with a heavy burden of debts. The president, the second richest man of the country and if his property and amounts alleged to be in Dubai, London and Swiss banks are added he may be one of the richest people of the world in the list of Forbes Magazine, pays no tax. This happens in the system which they resolve not to let be derailed. Giant national assets like railway, airline, Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and steel mill and many other profit giving establishments have been ruined under the avaricious blunders. The ministers fight for the portfolios of the ministries rich in funds.

From political leaders (even degree holders of Oxford to Harvard) , bureaucrats, business community, top brass of the Armed Forces to a clerk in the department of excise and taxation, a police constable and a ‘patwari’ (a lower level revenue registrar), everyone sees his interests safe in the existing stagnant and stinky system and are eager for its continuance. Why? In fact this cruel system is a powerful backer of the corruption, satisfying their greed. Lawyers, one of the highly educated segments of the civil society follow an absurd professional moral code making half of them fight legal battle exoneration of the criminals, including the plunderers and looters of the national wealth. The one thought to be a bigger legal expert in the lawyer’s community the much higher he has the rate of his fees for his legal aid to his clients. And it is awful! Media always loud in shouts for their freedom of expression are the major boosters of the decayed system. Large media estates are in many ways collaborating with the manipulating political and economic system at home and multi-national companies for promoting their products. The journalists and anchor persons of the TV channels apparently seem to have their freedom of exposing the other elements but they themselves have to toe the lines of the owners of the news papers and channels they work for.

Religiosity is immensely in dearth of religious knowledge and colossal characters. Most of the religious schools, deeply plagued by sectarianism, serve only the cause of their splinter group. Modern education is separated in two different islands, one with poor facilities and standard, is for poor and the other, with highest facilities and superior standard for elite class. Teachers in schools, colleges and universities only push their students to the upper classes and remain indifferent of all the moral and social evils. Most of the corrupt elements in every field of life and particularly in politics are the product of this education system and outgrowth of the training given in the educational institutions. Wisdom has alighted from brain to the tongues. Both the political and religious leaders are excessive in talks and sterile in thinking.
Imagine the tragic situation. The reports of government agencies submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan tell three parties in government keep deadly mafias under their wings involved in many cases of extortion and target killings. And it is a unique thing perhaps in entire world a federal minister goes to the apex court blaming his own government of extremely high irregularities in rented power companies. Before this another minister bore his witness in Hajj corruption case against his colleague in the cabinet, the minister for religious affairs. The countries borrowed airplanes from Pakistan to start their airline now have highly developed air services with special terminals with all world level facilities. Why? Because all those who are in responsible position in the government authorities deem their land their home. On the contrary, as the CJ had remarked during the hearing of the case, ruling elites and their lackeys in the administration are ‘foreigners’. They land here from abroad as the foreigners, with packed brief cases ready to fly out again when they smell time of their quittance is close. They fully make avail of the chance to loot national wealth as more as possible without any prick of conscience. While taking their flights for going out they hardly think at what a lower level they leave the sinking ship of economy and governance with their corruption and plundering.

The cries for letting the system be not derailed is a topsy-turvy way of thinking of the dirty minds who deliberately want the honest human, particularly sage and well educated youth’s potentialities of thinking and working out of practice. But till how long the ‘Autumn Season’ will be held back in existence? After all ‘Spring’ has to appear. It may be a bit late but after ‘Arab Spring’ the ‘Ajam Spring is destined to appear.

Emotional Aspects in Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) Life

2011-11-16T10:36:00.001+04:00

The West Wages 'Jihad' But Forbids Us From Doing So

2011-11-15T21:42:00.002+04:00

By Dr. Aidh Al-Qarni (A Respected Saudi Scholar)
(With thanks to the writer and esteemed Daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, we disagree with him in some of his views but appreciate his disposition)
How can the West wage jihad but prohibit us Muslims from doing so?
Here I am talking about the fact that the West has produced nuclear missiles yet prevents us from doing so; occupies our lands whilst protecting its own territory, and colonizes our seas and oceans whilst defending its own seas and oceans. Its factories produce rockets, bombs, missiles, frigates, rocket-launchers and aircraft carriers, whilst our factories only produce bubble-gum and Pepsi. The West warns us against acts of aggression and acquiring weapons, whilst it launches attacks and stockpiles arms day and night.
This is because the West is intelligent and knows that power is the source of all stature and grandeur. Allah the Almighty said: "Prepare against them what force you can". The world respects no one but the strong. As for diplomacy, romanticism, and political sentimentality, this is mere superficial talk to distract and deceive foes, because war is an act of deception. Preoccupying the Middle East with arts, folklore, and cultural ceremonies at the expense of military factories is an open joke. To produce one tank would be better than a thousand poems, a rocket more useful than a hundred cultural shows, and a bomb more effective than a hundred epic tales to remind us of the glory of our forefathers, and what it used to be like in the old days. Does the world respect a state for its peaceful reputation, finesse, tact, and modesty, or for its strength and power? Iran realized this secret, and indeed the Persians are among the most cunning people, described by Umar Ibn al-Khattab as having "the virtue of the mind, with which they rule".
I agree with what Mr Abdul-Rahman al-Rashid wrote in this newspaper, and what Mr Dawud al-Shuriyan wrote in al-Hayat newspaper, suggesting that Iran will produce a nuclear bomb and the West will not attack it. It will then be a case of the survival of the fittest, and the Arab appeal to Iran to abandon its military nuclear program - to have mercy on the Arabs and gain heavenly merit for doing so - will be proven to be a hollow cry. Iran has not heeded these words which do not deserve the ink with which they were written, because the true rational minds of the world; the international war scientists and military professors, all agree that the strongest is ultimately the one who is most respected and feared. In this life, there is no room for integrity, for integrity and sacredness belong to the heavens, whilst the world's laws and politics are established on deceit and cunning. As long as people accept to be ruled by current laws without divine legislation, then it is a matter of interests, manoeuvres, usurpation, arrogance, oppression and proving oneself.
Look at the five major nuclear states; how they advise others to abandon their nuclear weapons and oppose the atomic bomb, whilst the United States itself originally gained its respect and political weight because of its nuclear arsenal. The message of the five states is heard everywhere and their banners are held high. They possess the right to veto decisions and the world bows to them, fearing their reach and power. They preach to other states and advise all nations to be peaceful, transparent and hospitable, urging them not to manufacture nuclear weapons because this constitutes a global threat. In fact, the five major nuclear states do not want other nations to manufacture nuclear weapons so that they can maintain their hegemony, authority and tyranny. The West was wise to develop the inter-continental ballistic missile and the atomic bomb, yet it prevents us in the Middle East from doing so because it knows that in order to rule the world and monopolize its wealth, one needs overpowering strength and clear superiority. We in the Middle East are supposed to be content with reading history and revelling in the glories of the past, but this is only good for students in literacy classes.
The poet Nizar Qabbani once said about the Arabs:
They have long written history books and they became convinced. But since when did guns live inside books?
Oh Bin al-Walid [Islamic commander Khalid Ibn al-Walid], is there no sword that you can hire, or have our swords turned to wood?
I urge the Arabs to manufacture the nuclear bomb and nuclear weapons. There are buildings currently being occupied by minor daily newspapers that no one reads, and "cultural heritage" museums housing scrap metal, worn-out rope, blunt axes, and other artefacts. These should all be turned into factories to manufacture tanks, rocket-launchers, missiles, satellites and submarines, so that the world comes to respect us, hear our voice, and appreciate our status. The world is governed by the law of the strong.
An ancient Arab poet once said: "The wolves run after he who has no dogs, but steer clear of the lair of the vicious lion." Do not let us be fooled by Iran's honeyed words suggesting that Tehran seeks nuclear weapons only to burn Israel, for this is purely an illusion.
The poet Khalaf Bin Hazal said:
"Do not trust the wolf cubs if they are alive whilst their parents are dead, for they will come at you in the morning with their fangs".

Protection of Religious Freedom should be a Priority for all Democracies

2011-11-12T23:52:00.002+04:00

By Tony Blair*

There will be no peace in our world without an understanding of the place of religion within it. The past decade has seen many convenient myths which disguised the importance of religion, stripped away. Many thought: as society progressed, religion would decline. It hasn’t happened.

Then there are those that insisted that as the Arab Revolution knocked over long established regimes and created movements for democracy, so those societies’ religiosity would take second place to the new politics. It hasn’t happened. Religion is fundamental to those societies and if anything, in the foreseeable future, will become more so. And do we seriously think the issue of Jerusalem can be resolved without at least some discussion of its religious significance to all three Abrahamic faiths?

The virus of terror based on a perversion of the proper faith of Islam, shows no signs of abating. But it is not only the acts of terror that should alarm us. It is the extremism that promotes persecution of religious minorities too. The challenge is that much greater where human dignity is not respected and freedom of religion denied. This results in a general oppression of people of faith. It means we must support Muslims in Gujarat, India; non-Orthodox Christians in Moldova; Bahai’s in Iran; Ahmadis in Pakistan; all Christians in North Africa; Hindus in Sri Lanka; Shi’a in several Sunni majority countries, and other places.

The basic point is this: On every side, in every quarter, wherever we look and analyse, religion is a powerful, motivating, determining force shaping the world around us.

For some, this is final proof of the iniquity of religious faith. The answer they say is to abandon it. But for millions of people, faith is not measured in prejudice, intolerance or violence; but in love, compassion, a desire for and a striving for a more just and humane world.

It is this belief in a higher purpose, and in an era of globalisation particularly in the aftermath of the financial crisis, makes them assert the civilising force of faith in the modern world. But for this to happen, religious, secular and political people need to start talking with each other to build peaceful co-existence.

The correct and welcome push towards greater democracy round the globe increases the urgency. We need religion-friendly democracy and democracy-friendly religion. I offer here a third way. Those of us inspired by our faith must have the right to speak out on issues that concern us and in the name of our beliefs. At the same time our voice cannot predominate over the basic democratic system that functions equally for all, irrespective of those of faith or of none.

In turn, this should lead to a vital debate about the nature of democracy, a debate all the more critical as we witness the Arab Revolutions. I find it hard to define democracy by reference to one faith. The essence of democracy is that it is pluralistic. It is inherently secular, even if rooted in cultures that are profoundly religious. This is where democracy-friendly religion really means something very important in the way society is governed.

It is about free media; freedom of expression; and about freedom of religion. It is also about an independent judiciary and the rule of law and even about free markets albeit with appropriate government intervention and regulation. Political pluralism and religious pluralism go together.

The challenges are thus made very clear. Religion matters. Faith motivates and compels. If democracy is to function effectively therefore, religion itself has to embrace the open mind not the closed mind.

This open attitude of mind cannot be inculcated by politicians alone. It has to be undertaken, in part at least by those of faith. They have to provide:

a) the platform of interfaith understanding and respect; and

b) the theological and scriptural justification for the open mind.

With the best will in the world, protective constitutional provisions will remain paper aspirations if religious and government leaders do not educate their constituencies in religious minority rights. A commitment to human dignity means concrete action: training law enforcement officers to uphold these values, teaching from primary school upwards of respect and understanding for people of other faiths, religious literacy for national leaders.

This undeniably presents an enormous challenge to religious leaders: to draw from their own traditions and sacred texts the values and vision that will create a culture of democracy. The defence of the rights of people of other beliefs should be a routine part of their work, just as they defend the rights of their own community. Otherwise how can they stand as champions of universal values?

The question whether the truth-claims of the monotheistic religions draw them inevitably into intransigent, non-negotiable, positions is a real one. But it is the interpretation of these truth-claims that is the problem; the repeated human desire to claim that God is on our side, that we have formed the Party of God, that our human frailty, cruelty and inhumanity is sanctioned by God. The arrogance behind that is surely the true meaning of blasphemy.

The first is the reason I began my Foundation. Without inter-faith understanding, the exclusivist and closed-minded attitude is allowed free occupation of the religious space in politics. The second is where I, and others like me in politics, need help. Religious leaders must step forward and engage.

How faith impacts us all must be a question for universities and schools, where education about others is so crucial; and a political question.

Finally, were this to happen, there would be one major and positive consequence for faith itself. It would open up the potential of faith to many who at present search for spiritual meaning but have come to regard the practice of faith as the preserve of the irrational, the superstitious and the prejudiced. It would allow a true and rational belief in God to direct the path of the 21st Century. That is where Faith belongs. And why the world needs it.

* Tony Blair is Former Prime Minister of United Kingdom and Founder and Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. This is the edited version of a speech made on 10 November on why the protection of religious freedom should be a priority for all democracies. To read the speech in full go to:

www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org

Iqaamat-e-Deen and Uswah-e-Nabwee

2011-11-12T15:40:00.007+04:00

Following article has been extracted from http://www.dawatonline.com's/ website ref: 7/11/2011 by Owais Pasha Qarnee.

A Letter to an Enlightened Moderate

2011-11-12T14:08:00.001+04:00

محترم سر زبیر ، السلام علیکم

لگتا ہے کہ آپ کی ناراضی کچھ زیادہ گہری ہو گئی ہے. آپ جس سر زمین پر آج کل رہتے ہیں اور اس کی روایات و اقدار اور وہاں کے ماحول سے بڑی حد تک متاثر بھی ہیں، وہاں کی تو سب سے بڑی خوبی یہ بتائی جاتی ہے که جذباتیت سے زیادہ وہاں دلیل کا چلن ہے. دلیل غلط بھی ہو سکتی ہے اور درست بھی. لیکن اپنے موقف کے لئے دلیل کے ساتھ غیر جذباتی انداز میں بات کرنا ان لوگوں کا خاص وصف بتایا جاتا ہے.

ہمارا معاملہ کچھ عجیب ہے که ہم مقدمہ پہلے قائم کرتے ہیں، اپنے تعصبات ، اپنی نفرتوں اور اپنی چٹانوں سے سخت ہٹ کی اس مقدمے کے گردا گرد دیوار کھڑی کرتے ہیں تا که معقول سے معقول دلائل بھی اس پر اثر نہ کر سکیں. اس اہتمام کے باوجود بھی اگر دیواروں کی اینٹیں کچی ہونے کی وجہ سے الگ ہونے لگیں تو آخری سہارا ناراضی اور اس سے بڑھ کر قطع تعلقی کا لیتے ہیں. ہمارے دین داروں میں بھی یہ تنگ نظری ہے اور ہمارے 'مسٹر ' بھی اس میں پیچھے نہیں ہیں.

بات یہ ہے که کچھ وجوہ سے آپ دینی قوتوں کے بارے میں کچھ زیادہ حساس ہو گے ہیں. باقی لوگوں کے سات خون بھی معافی کے قابل سمجھتے ہیں لیکن 'وہ ' بیچارے 'آہ' بھی کرتے ہیں تو ہو جاتے ہیں بدنام . ان کی خامیوں سے مجھے کبھی انکار نہیں رہا ہے. ہمارے ہاں سیکولر ، مغرب زدہ اور دین بے زار عناصر ہمیشہ اسی لئے غالب رہتے ہیں که ہماری دینی قوتیں اپنی نادانیوں، اپنی کھلی حماقتوں، فرقہ بندی، تنگ نظری اور باہمی کشمکش کی وجہ سے پھٹی اور منقسم رہتی ہیں. ایک دوسرے کی ٹانگیں کھینچنا اور ایک دوسرے کو گرانا ان کا معمول ہے. بہت سی دوسری اخلاقی خرابیاں بھی ان میں در آئ ہیں. آپ طویل عرصے سے ان کی حماقتوں اور اخلاقی خامیوں اور حقیقی فرائض اور صحیح راہ سے انحراف کی بات کرتے ہیں ،یہ باتیں بیس بائیس سال پہلے میں اپنی اڑھائی تین سو صفحے کی کتاب میں لکھ چکا ہوں.

لیکن میں ماڈرن ، مغرب زدہ ، جدید تعلیمی اداروں کی پیداوار نام نہاد روشن خیال اور آزاد فکر و اخلاقی لحاظ سے بے مہار طبقوں کا بھی سخت ناقد ہوں، ہمارے ہاں کرپشن کی لت میں یہی طبقہ سب سے بڑھا ہوا ہے. سیاست و اقتدار کی باگیں ہمیشہ اسی طبقے کے ہاتھ میں رہی ہیں اور ملک کو تباہی کے دھانے پر فوجی جنتا، بیوکریسی، سیاسی جماعتوں ، کاروباری حلقوں اور کلیدی مناصب پر براجمان اسی طبقے ںے پہنچایا. مولوی بھی حرام خور ہوں گے لیکن ان کی حرام خوری سیکڑوں ہزاروں میں ہوتی ہے. لیکن اس ماڈرن طبقے کی حرام خوری کروڑوں اربوں میں ہوتی ہے. یہ ملک کے سارے وسائل چاٹ چکا ہے. یہ طبقہ ہمارے جدید تعلیمی اداروں کی فصل ہے. آپ اس طبقے سے کچھ زیادہ ہمدردی رکھنے کی وجہ سے اسے خصوصی نمبروں سے پاس کرنے کے قائل ہیں. عدل اس کائنات کی سب سے بڑی حقیقت ہے. عدل کا دامن تھام لیا جاۓ تو انسان بہت سی الجھنوں اور معاشرے بہت سے مسائل سے نجات پا لیں.

دینداروں کے بارے میں کہیں سے بھی ان کی کوئی گھناؤنی حرکت آپ کے علم میں آ جاتی ہے آپ اسے
پھیلانا ضروری سمجھتے ہیں. میرا اختلاف یہ ہوتا ہے که آپ ماڈرن طبقے کو بالکل بھول جاتے ہیں . اس طبقے کے بارے میں آپ کی نفسیات میں دور تک اںدر بیٹھی ہوئی ہمدردی کبھی سوتی نہیں ہے . آپ لگ بھگ دس برس تک بدترین آمر پرویز مشرف کے حامی رہے ہیں. ابھی جس طرح کی کہانی کو پیش کر کے آپ دین داروں کی بد ذاتی کو نمایاں کر رہے تھے اور میں ںے بد ذاتی کی ان حرکتوں کی مذمت کے ساتھ ، ماڈرن طبقے، کے پروفیسروں، ڈاکٹروں اور وکیلوں کی ایسی ہی شنیع حرکات کی طرف توجہ دلائی تو آپ ناراض ہو گے ، عید مبارک تک بھی کہنا گوارا نہیں کیا. میں آپ سے گزارش کرتا رہا ہوں کہ آپ ایک دانشور ہیں، ادب آشنا ہیں، معروف جامعات اور تعلیمی اداروں میں آپ ںے خدمات انجام دی ہیں. آپ کی نظر میں وسعت اور سوچ میں توازن ہونا چاہیے. دلیل پڑھے لکھے آدمی کا سب سے بڑا ہتھیار ہونا چاہیے. ہر چیز ، ہر معاملے ، ہر موقف اور ہر راۓ میں عدل اور دلیل کو بروۓ کار لانا چاہیے. پہلے سے قائم تعصبات پر ڈھونڈ ڈھونڈ کر گندی مثالوں کے ردے چڑھانے کے بجاۓ تعصبات سے چھٹکارا حاصل کرنا چاہیے. مجھے امید ہے که آپ میری ان معروضات پر غور فرمائیں گے.

خاکسار منیر احمد خلیلی

Glimpses of Iqbal's Visions about Prevalent Systems

2011-11-11T08:52:00.004+04:00

Iqbal, the greatest Muslim thinker, philosopher and poet of the 20th century, was neither a socialist nor was he under the sway of capitalism. He exposed both of them to be the two sides of same coin, with their unjust and cruel nature. He sees manipulation and exploitation a common thing in both of them. Iqbal was committed only to Islam, an unadulterated Islam, free of both rubbishes of Mullah and ignorance of those who want Islam to reflect traces of western civilization in it.

He thought the Quran incomparable as a true guidance and a source of salvation for mankind. He believed in the Quran to be a perfect manifesto. His mind was clear that Islam is a complete code and pertinent system of life. His evaluative and critical views about the western civilization, their economic, moral and social values are pervasively seen in his Urdu and Persian poetry. Here only some of the glimpses of that.

In one of his poems in ‘Zarb-e-Kalim’ titled ‘Ishterakiyat’ he clearly says:

Quran Mein Ho Ghotah Zan Ae Marde Musalman Allah Kare Tujh Ko Ata Jiddate Kirdar

(Go deep in the Quran, O Muslim. May Allah bless you with unspoiled moral character)

‘Iblees Ki Majlis-e-Shura’ is one of Iqbal’s greatest and ingenious imageries. Therein we find how Iblees delineated his evil plans and how he feels dismayed about sabotage of them only when Muslim Ummah get awakened from its deep sleep. In a meeting of his advisory council, he boastfully mentions his achievements how he has made the people satisfied in absolutism of the monarchies of the west and east and how successfully he has matured the natures of the people to repudiate the authority of the religious institutions and how easily the influence of religiosity has been wiped out. The poor have been made contented that their divesting the progress and prosperity was only due to their misfortune, while the rich get captivated by the Capitalism.

The members of the council, one by one give their views how to enhance their evil plans and what could be the impediments for them in moving ahead. The mischievous nature of the Jews and the rising of the socialism as a new and excessively charming slogan could prove obstacles for them reaching their goals. One of the advisors sees the democratic system a blockade for the satanic mission.

Iblees concludes with his remarks: “I fear not from the socialists (Ishteraki) vagabonds. They are themselves perplexed minded and distressed out of their own anxieties. What I am really scared of is this (Muslim) Ummah, which is aware of what is hidden behind the curtains of the times to come. Despite the fact that it is now reduced to the ashes but still I fear some sparks of hope and desire might have remained hidden in the ashes and cause burst of a blaze.”

Expressing his apprehensions, Iblees adds while saying: “The thought that keeps me persistently horrified with each of my breath is that this (Muslim) Ummah, with Islam as its Deen, has a great potential in it to make entire world accountable to it, may one day wake up in future. No other system, including communism has the capability to frustrate my future plans. Only Islam can make all of my designs subject to failure.

Lenin, the founder of the Russian Communist Party, leader of the Bolshevick revolution and architect and builder of the Soviet state, was no doubt an atheist. His struggle proved more fatal for belief in God than the Capitalism, a paralleling economic and social system prevalent in the Western Europe and North America.

In his poem: “Lenin (In the Presence of God)’ Iqbal, imaginatively, sees Lenin in the presence of Allah, SWT. There he admits his mistake of not having belief in Existence of Allah, the Most Exalted. It was because of irresolute changes in the theories. Science, particularly its two major branches, Botany and Astronomy, thought more likely to come up with clear evidence of actuality of the Creator of this universe, failed to do so. But still he expresses his dissatisfaction on the situation.

Lenin says: No doubt, Allah is Alone to be worshiped. But who is there steadfastly adoring Him? In the East, the people show their full submission for their white skinned European Imperialist masters, while in the West, under the capital system, wealth (gold and silver coins) has replaced the Lord of the worlds. Buildings of the banks are much more splendid than the churches. They gamble under the shadows of trade and small interest groups benefit from the money causing death to the millions. All the branches of knowledge, wisdom, reflection and the governments, all preaching the equality of all human beings are actually sucking their blood. Machines have left the subtlety and fineness of the feelings crushed under them.

In the last of the picture drawn by Lenin, he asks Allah, SWT: “You are All-Powerful, All-Just, but in your world the life of the laborer is tough and troublesome. When the ship of the capitalism is going to sink and when the day of the reparation is to come?”

This is the essence of Iqbal’s thoughts about the major theories which were wickedly made rife and the economic, political and social systems manipulated for the Devilish ends. In spite of all their material powerfulness these theories and systems could by no stretch of imagination seen victors and successful.

Iqbal was the banner holder of social justice, equality, human rights and welfare of entire humanity within the framework of the Quran and Sunnah. Pakistan is fulfillment of Iqbal’s dream, though his vision still waits here for getting truly materialized in a welfare state.

I Don't Know Why I Try

2011-11-08T18:42:00.001+04:00

Mon, 07 November 2011
Jihad el-Khazen (A Veteran and Seasoned Arab Columnist)

Mistake, mistake, mistake…
It is a mistake for Arab countries to ignore Israel's nuclear military program.
Our stance on the Iranian nuclear program is a mistake.
Military and political coordination with the United States is a mistake.
It is a series of mistakes, […] which do not stop with three, or 30; they are ongoing.

The secrecy was finally lifted on old FBI files that must be more than 50 years old. They revealed or confirmed what everyone knew. The Dimona nuclear reactors were French-made, and the enriched fuel came from the US.

The documents say that the Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation (NUMEC) was founded by David Lowenthal, whose earlier specialization was the smuggling of Jews to Palestine, with his partner was Zalman Shapiro, both extremist Zionists. The company, as if by magic, or by the agents of the Zionist lobby, received a contract to handle nuclear waste. It was a front, to smuggle the material to Israel.

For the last few decades, all of this and more has been well-known, but what is important is that declassified FBI documents confirm this absolutely. I noticed that the Zionist-owned firm violated US law time and time again, to the degree that it caused a leak of nuclear materials, and escaped punishment. The same thing happened with AIPAC, or the Israeli lobby. It grew out of the American Zionist Committee in 1963, without it or its predecessor registered as the agent of a foreign government. It remained a tax-free charitable association, even though it has spied on the US and seen a number of its agents caught.

Most of the spying for Israel cases have ended up in nothing. Either the courts ignore them or the US Justice Department is complicit in them. Stephen Rosen, the former director of AIPAC, escaped a guilty verdict in a case from 2004-2005; instead, he won a slander case, with $20 million in damages.

The case showed that AIPAC has engaged in spying a thousand times more than is known, and confirmed how successive American administrations have been complicit with Israel and its agents, who have escaped punishment each time.

Of course, Arab states did not try to follow the course outlined above; they were busy fighting the nuclear program of Iran, not Israel, and relying on the US against Tehran.

I support the Iranian nuclear program in the face of what Israel has. If I were in a position of power, I would have tried to secure a similar nuclear program. If there were such a program in three or four Arab countries, the US and the entire West would try to make the entire Middle East a WMD-free zone.

If this had happened, the Arab states would have killed two birds with one stone, or two military nuclear programs with one stone, and would have been free of the nuclear threat, whether Israeli or Iranian.

People, ask Dr. Mohammed El-Baradei about Iran's program. Dr. El-Baradei is above suspicion. He believes that Iran is seeking to acquire the know-how to make a nuclear bomb in the future, but does not have the capacity to do so now. The bomb requires 90 to 95 percent enriched uranium, and Iran can only enrich it to 5 percent. This means that it cannot operate a peaceful reactor, since it requires 19.5 percent enriched uranium.

Can a journalist like me know what Arab governments do not? All I am doing is reading, and I am confident that our governments can read. Why don't they do something?

I will not try to answer, but rather say that the recent stances by the White House in the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, to UNESCO in Paris, are completely hostile to Arabs and Muslims. We all know that the Arab states try to ask for assistance from America, but the latter's announced policy is one of seeing Israel retain its qualitative military edge over all Arab countries. Let us merely discuss Egypt and Saudi Arabia; they are allies of the US and buy weapons from her. Nonetheless, the US is openly committed to the survival of Israel, where there are six million refugees, orphans and settlers, who are stronger than 110 million Arabs and Muslims in two states, or 300 million Arabs and Muslims in our nation, happy with its people and its ignorance.

Has this column convinced anyone to change his stance on Israel, Iran and the US? I don't think so, and I don't know why I try.

(With Thanks To Mr Jehad al-Khazen and Esteemed Arabic Daily Al-Hayat)

Hajj

2011-11-06T00:03:00.001+04:00

The Past and Present of the Islamic Movements

2011-11-03T22:40:00.001+04:00

Those who hold the reins of power are in position to turn the nation on the direction of their interests. Power is a key fitting to all the doors. Whenever and whichever is needed this key works to open the lock of the required door. Once the fountains of power are degenerated all is spoilt, making entire system upset. When its fundamentals are set aright whole of the system becomes in order. The grandeur and dignity of Muslim Ummah was lost due to those who were in power. Keeping its marvelous sway in sight the thinkers of the Islamic Movements emerging around the third decade of the 20th century resolved to make power one of the objectives (not only goal) of their struggle. The Imperialists had very wickedly made the idea of separation of religion from the politics in the Muslim Ummah, so the power galleries had become out of bound for the religious elements. This thought had gained so big acceptance that very pious and deeply spiritual people themselves were bashful talking about the politics. So, the voice of the Islamic Movement was felt eccentric in the traditional religious circles and was regarded to be an ideological schism and innovation.

The intellectual class of the Islamic Movements was well acquainted with the modern dogmas and doctrines. They had gone deep in Quranic wisdom coupled with a substantial amount of insight, verve and courage. They were fully stocked with the weapon of sharp rejoinder and sound arguments in modern terms and also with the art of interpreting the categorical orders and basics of the Quran and Sunnah to satisfy the modern minds. They were intelligently in position to answer all the questions raised in the West, whether they were result of unawareness about Islam or mischievously hammered out.

The scholars in the Islamic Movements were cognizant of the fact that though there are some men with a magnetic appeal of their towering character, fighting for the freedom of their lands, the colonists had very foxily raised a lackey, unscrupulous and opportunist class from the Muslim communities, immensely impressed by the Western ideas and culture, for prolongation of their rule, counter activities against the freedom fighters and also to substitute for their masters, protecting the Western cultural traditions and economic interests, after they had to quit and decolonize the countries they has occupied.

The founders of the Islamic Movements placed extraordinary emphasis on the moral and spiritual training of their workers. The literature created in the light of the Quran and the Sunnah was an enormous feedback to understand the modern world and also sufficiently met the need of moulding the characters and shaping behavior patterns on the criterions of Islam. Their jumping in the arena of politics was not meant to all at once rising to the power, instead it could prove a hard journey mounting to the difficult heights of sufferings and trials. Basically what was in the minds was to introduce the lofty moral standards in the politics which had got completely secularized with the thought that religiosity has nothing to do with the politics and other fields thought special only to the politicians. Deen is the matter of Masjid and it should remain restricted to the Masjid. Most of the religious elements belonging to almost all the schools of thought had become convinced on this issue.

The most important thought, though not new but covered with the dust of ignorance for centuries, emanated from Islamic Movements was that while Islam is a complete code and a perfect system of life, the Muslims should make it the matter of their entire life. Politics, economy and all other realms of the life of a Muslim must be shaped in the light of Islamic principles. ‘Matter of Masjid’ should necessarily be the matter of politics and parliament. This was the thing enough for startling the Western world and also a peal of alarming bells in secular intellectual and political circles within the Muslim societies. Even the traditional religious groups did not lag behind joining their voices with the secular political forces against the stands and stances of the Islamic Movements. Islamic Movements not only had a tremendous ideological treasure in their literature, also had an enormous moral power of their spiritually and morally trained workers. These workers were their great asset, tested in all the critical moments of trials and tribulations.

In the cauldron of moral training they had developed the exquisite moral qualities of piety, honesty, devotion, contentment, sincerity, simple lifestyle, sacrifice, courage, rigor and activism blended with their had made them unrivalled examples for political and religious workers of all the parties. Books were their best companions and reading was not only a source of enlightening their mind but a matter of Ibadah, a sacred duty for them.

It was when politics was not all and everything, but only a part of their wise plan. Rectifying of the moral characters, developing the piety and the venture of calling the people to Allah and spreading the teachings of Islam (Dawa) used to be at the top of the priorities. Then they had unchallenged height of standards. But for last about a quarter of the century, an immense concourse and heat of the political activities have cast their shadows on the glittering morality and spirituality.

It is very strange that over three decades before when they fully got involved in the Jehadi activities in Afghanistan, instead they had made headway, the signs of decline in their moral strength rapidly started to become evident. The bookshelves either got empty or covered with dust and the grounds for dharnahs (sit in), rallies and public gatherings proved scanty because ‘this is the age of eloquence and oratory, not of the books’ became the popular slogan. Masters of rhetoric rose to the top and serious natures became used to commotions. The books no longer remained the friends and the habit of reading gradually diminished. The young men once had a chance of going to battlefield have been found abasing the seasoned and morally high old men who had been for last several decades very sincerely exhausting their energies and sacrificing most of their economic resources and precious moments of their lives in preaching and popularizing the lofty moral values.

In the Muslim countries, having electoral polity in vogue, particularly in Pakistan, an ugly game of denouncing, lies, mudslinging and character assassination is a common thing. The Islamic Movements themselves, from very beginning, were subject to all this from all sides, even from very ‘pious’ circles of different religious sectarian groups, but their leadership always remained very careful in the matter of react. Doing the same in retaliation, without substantiating their arguments with solid proofs, was out of question for them. Now the matter is different. Responding in the same language and the same way is thought the need of the time. Vulnerability of the leadership is exhibited in more bitter reaction, often regardless of the moral values. Even some very sincere and sympathizing voices in a bit critical tone about the Islamic Movements and their leaders arising from any corner are presumed to be hostile and are harshly silenced. I fear this write up may be treated unpalatably.

Though still the cloaks and robes of the men in the Islamic Movements have not any visible stains of corruption but as sickness catches, evil too catches. Most avaricious people are in front line in the politics. In Pakistan from president, prime minister, cabinet ministers to most of the bureaucratic but down at the clerical and office boys realms corruption is at its high. Even the cricket players have been plagued with the same virus are bringing disgrace for their nation and country. All starts when the moral traits to live in the limits of lawful earning fade away, contentment becomes the forgotten matter and all are hungry to amass maximum wealth through every means, no matter legal and illegal. Materialism has now replaced the Belief and Faith. In this condition penetration of the virus of greed remains not inconceivable. The natures are greatly tainted with rising materialism. The vehicles of the leaders of Islamic Movements are not less costly than of heavily corrupt politicians. Living standards are in rise.

Since the trait of reading came under eclipse the knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah and acquaintance with past history has gone at the lowest degree. Islamic movements actually rose from literary roots. The founding fathers and elders at the time of their formation were far behind the burst of IT revolution making the research work so easy. Very interestingly, their hand written letters which they wrote to their addressees both from their devotees and critics proved worth getting marked the classics. Replying the letters to them was a moral obligation. Now the leaders having enormous facilities of only moving their fingers on keyboards of the computers and just press the mouse on ‘send’ fail to fulfill this moral obligation. Perhaps it is out of their haughtyness.

In absence of present computer facilities the great founders and their learned companions had to dig their own well of searching out refences turning tens of thousands pages of the voluminous reference books, exploring the ideas and thoughts. They were the religious scholars of unrivalled caliber and had a deep insight in contemporary social sciences. Even in the second and third row of the leadership then there was a good number of excellent intellectuals. Now there is dearth of knowledge and intellect. The level of scholarship has immensely lowered, so no works of early degree are being and nor are likely to be produced in near future. It is commonly repeated that the trend of reading has died. I think, demise of intellectual creativity happened first and then the death of the trend of reading came about in the ranks of the contemporary Islamic Movements.

Agnostic and Ridiculous Attitudes of the Rulers against Islam, Judiciary and Democracy

2011-10-31T22:13:00.000+04:00

It is the justice, which once used to be the central pillar of the Muslim society, the Western communities are now proud of having established it in their societies. It is the pearl we lost and they have found it. And due to that they seem justified to claim their eminence over Asian and African and particularly on Muslim communities. Despite the fact that while dealing with people of the other countries how disaffected they are in the matter of justice and how much justice is done with the Third World countries, it has to be admitted that at home for their own people they assure providing justice to everyone. Judiciary itself protects the tradition of justice and strictly safeguards against any intrude of the governments in smooth running of the process of justice. Media, intellectuals and human rights organizations keep their vivid eyes lest any authoritative step is taken against the principles of justice. Judiciary is mostly free of any outer influence there and the judges give daring verdicts without any fear and interference.

Here, in the most of the Muslim countries, the despot rulers and their lackeys from so-called moderate and enlightened elite class, heavily tainted with corruption and unjust activities, are the biggest obstacles in the path of judiciary while delivering justice. Neither they are ready to bow to Islamic system guaranteeing pure justice nor even to existing courts. An ugly game of oppression and tyrannies continue and the wronged people keep longing for justice for decades. Smack of sarcasm is evident in their policies. Judiciary is the biggest target of their malicious attacks. Each and every vicious move they hit upon is for denial of justice with tactics of making it delayed.

Take example of Pakistan. The president and his retinues are sunk in corruption up to their necks. Plundered money is transferred in their secret accounts in Swiss banks or used in purchasing properties in London, New York, Paris and Dubai. Cessation of hostilities and reconciliation in politics to them means let the other greedy and corrupt political elements have their shares in hideous game of looting. The care is taken that the parties chosen as allies necessarily have same taints of shady dealings. They do have already sullied repute of their dishonesty, opportunism and lust for power. All are on one hand united in remaining in clash with judiciary, letting not the decisions of the courts get implemented and on the other hand they feel disgusted with Islam. Secular natured political party of the president in power now, not only remains loggerheads with the opposition, but shamelessly spurns the resolutions of the parliament which had elected them. Alliances come into existence keeping their vested interests in their sights. Getting heated and then cooling down is always on the basis of their personal and party benefits.

With the fair judiciary two other targets of chagrin of ruling forces in Pakistan, the leaders of the political parties, their tools in administration and law enforcing authorities are democracy and mainly Islam. We often find them singing the songs of democracy and sometime they exhibit some signs of their being Muslims but in fact they lack the spirit of democracy and are largely ignorant how much blissful the Islamic laws are and to what extent they assure of fair and expedite justice. Because of their corruption, bribery, intercessions, nepotism, undue favours, kickbacks and transgression of the laws, they fear to be definitely called to account for all these moral crimes. Turning their backs on Islamic laws with an intense feeling of allergy to them is actually because of their being timorous of impartial and genuine justice in Islam and not any deficiency in Islam. Justice is the central pillar in Islam. No sphere of life, public or private, individual or collective, is left out of access of justice. Islam allows polygamy with the condition of justice, puts great emphasis on justice in distribution of wealth, places stress on social justice and gives not any leave to take unjust steps or make decisions contrary to the values of justice even in case when the matters is of enemies of Islam. It makes necessary to deal equally with children without any gender discrimination.

“…If you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with more than one wife), then only one (is the limit to marry) or (slaves) that your right hands possess…) (An-Nisa: 3)

“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah as just witnesses; and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just, that is nearer to piety; and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Well-Acquainted with that you do.” (Al-Maidah: 8)

A very interesting and also unfortunate situation is that in spite of being immensely impressed by the Western political and cultural values and very anxiously sending their children to grow and get educated in that cultural environment, the things they try to evade from the Western traditions are the democratic and justice system in practice there. In entire Muslim world in general and in Pakistan an agnostic and ridiculous attitude of the rulers and most of the political leaders about Islam, judiciary and democracy awfully comes in view. And the present high tides of the anger are manifest against the same attitude.

Our Rolling Down From Exaltedness To Nether Position

2011-10-30T21:27:00.001+04:00

Holy Quran has emphatically counted some of the most important characteristics of Muslim Ummah, thought to be vital for its survival as a vibrant community and also for playing a dynamic role on the stage of history in the comity of the nations. About more than half of the first millennium of its past history when it was really vibrant, it possessed all these qualities and since it is void of these, it is in the state of a dismay and lifelessness. In fact these qualities were forerunners of astonishing achievement of this Ummah in almost every field of life, including the knowledge of science of which the Western nations are boastful today. It had transformed a magnificent civilization and gave birth to the Muslim Renaissance which many of the nations, including most advanced West today, tremendously benefitted from.

(1)
The very first of these characteristics is to maintain its state of being Ummat Wasat. Allah says:
“And thus We have made you a median (just) community that you will be witness over the people and the Messenger will be witness over you…” (Al-Baqarah: 143)

According to the definition of two of the famous Arabic linguistics, Feroz Abadi in his ‘Al-Qamus Al-Muheet’ and Raghib Asfahani in his ‘Mufredat Al-Quran’ the term ‘Wasat’ is the central point of a body, the middle point or line in many points and lines, the balanced position and the just policy between undue favoritism and prejudices. When the term is applied on a community, it explicitly manifests its moderation, fairness and reasonability. The quality of being ‘Wasat’ community required the Muslims to avoid all the shows of extremism, may they be in expression of their feelings and views or taking stances in the policies and actions.

(2)
The second of these was our status of Khaira Ummah (The best of people). The term ‘Khaira Ummah” encompasses all the good things which everyone is in need of and beneficial for all. Wisdom, justice, good, virtue and honour are some of them, this Ummah is necessarily supposed to have in it. Here in spite of the fact that the Quran has given it the name of ‘Kheir’ I have not included the wealth with other examples. That is because where we find the term kheir used for the wealth in the Quran, a clear contemptibility for it can easily be sensed there. As a refulgent quality of this Ummah the Holy Quran mentions it saying:
“You (the believers) are the best of the people ever raised…” (Ale-Imran: 110)

(3)
And the third salient feature of this Ummah was that the believers always kept themselves above from living only for their selves and their families. All that they wanted was not particular for them but bountifully for all around them. They were giver more than being the takers. They were raised for bringing good for whole of the mankind (Ukhrejat Linnas). No blessing from Allah was thought higher than the guidance. The Muslims were bound to ensure possibly making this greatest blessing reach every person and every corner of the earth through their missionary spirit of Dawat and Tabligh. They were the distributers of these boons and bounties the Divine gifts making them the first choice for others without any concept of being the monopolists of all that Allah had bestowed upon them as His gift. The Messenger, be peace and blessings upon him, is reported to have said:
‘The one who brings comfort and ease for the poor with his wealth and treats the people with justice and equality is the real believer.’ (Tahawi)

Our Holy Prophet, SAW, repudiated those who claim to be the believers but egocentrically keep their own selves at the top in preference, do not like for the others what they prefer and like for themselves. This behavior of selfishness is affront to civilized values set by Islam.
“You have been raised up for mankind…” (Ale-Imran: 110)

(4)
The fourth of these promising things, had been their dutifulness in the matter of Amr Bil Ma’ruf, Nahi Anil Munkar. This is the duty every Muslim is religiously obliged to do in his domain, in his family, at his work place, in the locality he lives and in the society he is a part of. Once we start brooking the moral epidemic, we can never be safe from getting tainted with them. For last several centuries our remaining indifferent in this case has proved much more dangerous than withstanding attacks of dengue mosquitoes, which cause a serious fever with a great loss of lives. Amr Bil Ma’ruf and Nahi Anil Munkar is actually a venture more important than chemical sprays to kill the mosquitoes long before stemming of plagues. All of us have to take part in eradicating the moral evils from the society according to our authority and influence. The wording Fa Illam Tastati’ (so if you don’t have the power or authority) in a Hadith indicates that for fulfilling this duty a Muslim is accountable in accordance with his power and social position. A basic reason for our being Khaeira Ummah was undertaking the responsibility of enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.
“You enjoin that is right and forbid that is wrong (and evil).” (Ale-Imran: 110)

The Messenger, be peace and blessings upon him, has said:
‘I swear by the One in Whose hand my life is, you will have to enjoin that is right and forbid that is wrong, if not then it is much probable you become subject to the punishment of Allah. In that case you will murmur your invocations but Allah will not accept your invocations.’ (Tirmidhi)

(5)
And last but not the least is their Firm Belief in Allah. Belief in Allah is the radiance and the light of the hearts and the inner power of men. One of the major grounds of our title of Kheira Ummah was Faith in Allah. Allah’s favours upon us are always proportional to the degree of our Iman (Belief). The Prophet of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, once said:
‘Any one of you, who wants to know about his rank in sight of Allah, should see what in his own sight the position of Allah is. Because, Allah gives the position to His servant proportionate to the position the servant keeps with him for Allah in his heart.’ (Al-Hakim)

In another a bit short Hadith the same fact has been told:
‘The one, who wants to know what is for him with Allah, should see what he has for Allah with him.’ (Ad-Darulqutni)
“And you believe in Allah.” (Ale-Imran: 110)

As the Muslims, how much benevolence, blessings and help of Allah we deserve, all depends on how much sincere we are in our claim to be Muslims, how much obedient and loyal we are to our Lord and how much firm and strong we are in our belief in Allah, the most Exalted, most Benevolent. Allah’s promise is:
“So, do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad. You will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers.” (Ale-Imran: 139)

Our state of distress and agony, our backwardness in every field of life and our failure to protect ourselves in face of the intrigues and aggressions of our enemies for last several centuries has been only because, as Ummah we have lost all the characteristics mentioned above. We are no more holders of the attribute of Ummat Wasat bearing witness over mankind of truth of the all truths, Islam, nor do we show any traits of Kheir Ummah. We are constantly in deficient in making just, wise and balanced policies. Our inaptitude to make progress in our worldly life and bravely and sagaciously face the challenges is for a long time open to our opponents. We are neither sincere with and sacrificing for each other nor faithful and obedient to our Lord. It was enough for our being made rolling down from the exaltedness to the lowest position.

Ennahda: The Lesson and the Challenge

2011-10-27T09:06:00.001+04:00

(We may not fully agree to the views expressed in this article. It is just a reflection of the thoughts of the Arab intellectuals about the Arab Spring)

Wed, 26 October 2011
Abdullah Iskandar
The surprise featured in the Constituent Assembly elections in Tunisia was not only at the level of the overwhelming victory for the Islamic Ennahda Party, but also included the crushing defeat of the Progressive Democratic Party, which was competing with the movement on the eve of the polls over the biggest number of seats.

If there is a lesson to be drawn by Ennahda from this electoral experience – after the end of the euphoria of victory and the negotiations to form the transitional government – it is the reason behind the resonating defeat of its main competitor in the first free and transparent elections in Tunisia in the post-Ben Ali era.

There is no doubt that the Democratic Party paid a hefty price for its opposition of Ben Ali’s regime, and that it relentlessly defended political and public freedoms, including the Islamists’ right to exercise political action. It also repeatedly called for the issuance of a general pardon in favor of all the political prisoners, while its history throughout the days of Ben Ali was unblemished by any accusations of collaboration with the former tyrannical rule. But despite all that and despite its electoral campaign which was open to all the sides, it was unable to draw the Tunisians’ votes and came in the last positions among the winning parties, although it was counting on occupying the first position, or the second at worst.

The party’s struggle against Ben Ali’s authority did not promote it in the ranks of the Tunisian people due to the fact that it operated under the former tyrannical regime, and maybe even its name’s connection to that regime. Hence, the votes went to Ennahda, i.e. the most persecuted movement by the tyrannical rule, and to two other movements (the Congress for the Republic and the Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties) which were formed following Ben Ali’s toppling.

In other words, the Tunisians conveyed their high sensitivity toward tyranny from which they suffered throughout decades, and their yearning for all that is opposed to that tyranny. This is the most important lesson to be drawn by Ennahda from the Constituent Assembly elections.

True, in light of this Assembly, the government that will be formed by Ennahda will be a transitional one while awaiting the adoption of the new constitution, while so far the Islamic movement has not shown any signs pointing to its intention to monopolize power. However, the way it will manage the transitional phase and translate its political positions in the new constitution will convey the extent of its respect for the Tunisians’ aspirations to get rid of all forms of tyranny, regardless of its justification and whether it is imposed in the name of religion, secularism or the fight against terrorism.

The movement acquired its credit thanks to its moderation and centrism. Its roots go back to the Muslim Brotherhood group, which means it shares common origins with two other Islamic experiences in two Arab and African countries. The first experience was seen in the victory of the Islamic Salvation Front in the municipal and legislative elections in Algeria, and its practices which introduced terror to the country and prompted the army’s interference to obstruct the results, thus triggering a decade of violence which claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. As for the second experience, it was seen in Sudan where the Islamic Movement reached power through a military coup and set the foundation for a failed authority on all levels, until the country’s eventual division.

Now, the question facing the Tunisian Ennahda is the following: Will it repeat the catastrophic Algerian and Sudanese experiences or present a new archetype for a regime led by an Islamic movement?

Leader of Ennahda Rached Ghannouchi does not conceal his admiration for the experience of the Turkish Justice and Development Party, especially at the level of its attempts to achieve concord between the Islamic values and the values of civil authority, political plurality and power transition. This admiration comes in favor of this man who confirmed - on the eve of the elections – his insistence on all the civil laws known in Tunisia, especially under its late President Habib Bourguiba and particularly the civil status law.

However, the challenge resides in Ennahda’s ability, after coming to power, to stand in the face of the extremist movements – whether those inside of it or those carrying outbidding on the Islamic level from outside of it – but also to found the civil and modern Tunisian state that would exclude all forms of tyranny, which the Tunisians hated and against which they rebelled.

(With Thanks to Arabic Daily Al-Hayat)

Arab Intellectuals in Doubt

2011-10-26T22:11:00.000+04:00

Note: Blogger may not agree to all the views expressed in the article. Its appearance on this page is just to make refelect what different Arab intellectuals think about the Arab Spring.

While the great earthquake of the Arab Spring continues, some Arab intellectuals cannot stop distrusting the Arab people.
Only democracy is legitimate Using Libya to abort the Arab Spring Tasks and difficulties ahead of the Arab revolution Many may wonder on the sharp division among some Arab intellectuals, between those who support the Arab regime dictatorships, especially the republican ones, and those who support not only pro-Western regimes, especially the kingdoms, but also support Western military intervention. Both positions are united in that they lack confidence that Arab people can build democratic regimes by themselves and for themselves. In reality, Arabs were never — not even for one day — more powerful than they are now. They have the rebel youth in all Arab countries. They have the economic potential that qualifies them to be among the leading nations in the world. And they have a human civilisation that is rarely matched by other civilisations. The existence of a class of intellectuals trusting their people is essential to make this potential a reality.

Some say that this sharp division is necessary because it will filter those who are patriots from those who are pro-Western. Arab dictatorships used this false argument for decades as a bulwark against criticism. They filtered people through repression and prisons. For our part, we do not understand why those who are against dictatorships and against foreign intervention are not patriots, and why Arab intellectuals cannot be against dictatorship and foreign intervention at the same time. To stand with dictatorships is standing against the youth of the nation aspiring to freedom and a better life, and it is the concept that the nation is sterile that produces but these regimes, which created the best conditions for foreign intervention because of the spread of injustice, sectarianism, oppression, poverty, unemployment, and divisions that have strangled the life of the youth, destroyed their energies and betrayed their dreams to live in freedom, wellbeing and creativity like the youth of other nations.

We did not ever believe that foreign armies, even internationalist ones, might have freed the Arab nation. A liberated nation is the nation that has control of its destiny, and so has been liberated by its own hands. But the scarecrow of foreign intervention will not prevent us from supporting the youths’ revolutions against dictatorships, whether republics or kingdoms. It is dictatorships, not democratic revolutions that beckon foreign interference. The youth should be prepared to struggle against both dictatorship and foreign intervention all over the Arab world.

The strength of the earthquake that the Arab revolutions created stems from the sufferings of the Arab nation and will not stop as long as the current circumstances of suffering continue as they are now. Therefore we think that democracy or democratic rights in Arab countries are not only necessary but also inevitable. And despite the complexity of alliances and conflicts between the regimes in the region, despite the diversity of conditions from one country to another, we think that the change towards more democratic regimes will affect all non-democratic regimes in the region, including Iran. It is the aspirations of young people for freedom, prosperity and individual and national dignity, on the one hand, and the impossibility of achieving any development without democracy, on the other, which is the motor of change.

Since before the invasion of Iraq, the Arab nation began to regain its self-confidence. This was reflected in the comprehensive and rigorous refusal of this invasion. It was reflected later in the rise of the Iraqi resistance — military, political and popular — and by its steadfastness despite the animosity of all surrounding regimes. The horrors of what happened in Iraq, on the one hand, and the United States’ military, political, financial and moral suicide in Iraq, on the other, spurred the Arab nation’s youth to realise that the repressive, heavily armed regimes that responded to imperial and Zionist demands as slaves are nothing but paper tigers. It has been proven so far. The youth were not scared when France threatened to intervene in Tunisia, nor when Israel threatened to occupy Sinai, or in the face of Mullen’s threats to occupy the Suez Canal during Egypt’s revolution. On the contrary, these threats led the army to join the revolution.

In Libya, the West stood at the side of the revolutionaries in order to abort and dominate the revolution and to prevent further unity between Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Will the West succeed in preventing the establishment of a free Libya in the final analysis? The West, especially Europe, is occupied more by selling its products than conquering lands. In oil, its aims are to keep the concessions given to them by the old regime. It is certain that there is competition between foreign powers to win the minds, hearts and money of the Libyan people. The issue depends on the consciousness and the will of Libyans. We do not think that the West in its current financial mess can engage in military battles against a united revolutionary people that defends its freedom and interests against dictatorship and imperial and Zionist plans. It is those who defend the falling dictatorship who undermine the revolution, creating conditions of weakness in the face of the West.

There is no doubt that the West and Zionism will try to thwart the earthquake of Arab revolutions, but the conditions of the global financial crisis do not allow the West to intervene with direct military force on all fronts, unless it faces a life or death situation, at least now. The Iraq war has proven that the US lost militarily and financially more than it had hoped to profit. Western countries use therefore indirect methods to create strife and division, throwing doubts on the integrity and intentions of the groups and participants in the Arab revolutions. These methods are not unknown to us. There are the same leaks by Zionist and Western agencies aimed at spreading the idea that these revolutions are a US plan. Do we forget the propaganda that Nasser, who led the nation against feudalism and colonialism and Zionism, is a US client? Some who now hail Nasser believed the sincerity of this Zionist propaganda in Nasser’s time, while the US’s real goal was to isolate Egypt’s revolution from the masses of the Arab nation.

With the revolution in Tunisia and Egypt, we are facing a unique and unprecedented revolution in the history of revolutions and rebellions. Any attempt to judge it with concepts belonging to previous revolutions will not lead to further understanding and discovery on its future, but rather to errors equalling political suicide by standing against progress.

The first characteristic of the current revolution is that it is a revolution of society against corruption and oppression and for a state of social justice. It is not a revolution of parties and revolutionary movements. There is no doubt that parties, revolutionary or not, want to jump into power and that they manoeuvre to this end, in both Tunisia and Egypt. However, with every individual having taken his own destiny into his or her hands, parties are unable to reach power except via elections and legislation. No doubt also, there are many splits and conflicts within political movements due to the unprecedented and sudden freedom of opinions and beliefs, be they just or not, flourishing in the Arab world. Democracy advances through pacific confrontation of programmes, demands and opinions. But this leads some supporters of Arab dictatorships to panic and be suspicious of the current atmosphere. Indeed, they are used to no one being allowed to say a word without the approval of the “leading party of the state and society”.

In reality, the theory that there is no revolution without a revolutionary leadership belongs to the museum. The flame of democracy will not be put out by words, or by force. The historic movement of the Arab nation towards new social contracts based on dignity, development, liberty and rights is evident and inexorable. It is a movement collectively and individually owned by all. Because a democratic revolution is a society that leads itself to build a democratic state, the absence of leadership is irrelevant. Society composes its leadership temporarily and on the ground. Arab intellectuals should accommodate themselves to this new reality of political life. Doubting the people will not roll back the force of the Arab Spring.

                                                (With Thanks to Egypsian Daily Ahram)
(Abdul Ilah Albayaty is an Iraqi political analyst. Hana Al Bayaty is an author and political activist. Ian Douglas holds a PhD in political    philosophy and is a specialist in the geopolitics of the Arab region.)

Tunisia's Election Sets High Bar For Arab Spring

2011-10-26T21:07:00.000+04:00

Tunisia's successful election experience, which saw a 90 per cent voter turnout and almost no violations, is not likely to be repeated in Morocco or Egypt AP , Wednesday 26 Oct 2011
RelatedTunisian Islamists take four of 10 seats reserved for France Programme points of the main Tunisian parties 'Natural' for Islamists to lead Tunisia, says party chief Tunisia Islamists send business-friendly message after victory Tunisia Islamists: no dress code for foreign tourists No matter what the results, Tunisia's landmark election was a monumental achievement in democracy that will be a tough act to follow in elections next month in Egypt and Morocco — and later, in Libya.
In just five months, an independent Tunisian commission organized the first free elections in this North African nation's history. The ballot attracted 80 parties offering candidates, drew a massive turnout by impassioned voters and was effusively praised by international observers.
"I have observed 59 elections in the last 15 years, many of them in old democracies ... and never have I seen a country able to realize such an election in a fair, free and dignified way," said Andreas Gross, a Swiss parliamentarian and the head of the observer delegation for the Council of Europe. "I was elected in Switzerland on the same day in elections that were not much better than here."
Tunisia's success, however hard to replicate, is a milestone for the Arab Spring, the wave of popular uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East that have overthrown long-serving leaders and are changing the face of the region.
Tiny, quiet Tunisia was the first country to rise up, overthrowing its longtime dictator in January. Its example inspired uprisings that overthrew leaders in Egypt and neighboring Libya, and sparked revolutions in Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and other Arab nations.
Tunisia was also the first to hold elections. Partial results showed a moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, emerged the leader after Sunday's voting, stressing its commitment to democratic methods and women's rights.
While a few scattered violations were reported, it was no mean feat to put together complicated elections involving 80 parties and drawing in more than 90 percent of registered voters in a country that had been nearly a one-party state since its independence from France in 1956.
The Tunisian success stemmed from an effective independent election commission that had the trust of the country's diverse parties and a fairly homogenous, peaceful population that believed in the process.
Observers say places like Egypt and Morocco — larger, complex countries with long-standing election procedures in place — won't necessarily be able to mimic the Tunisian experience.
Libya, expected to have elections for a constitutional assembly within about nine months, is bloodied and divided after months of civil war and decades under Moammar Gadhafi's all-controlling, quixotic rule.
Elections in Egypt have been organized by the Interior Ministry — the hated police force, which is not considered an honest broker — rather than an independent commission.
In Tunisia, the police and military were not allowed to vote so as to remain impartial in the process.
Anouar Ben Hassen of Tunisia's High Independent Authority for the Elections attributed the country's success to the hard work of the commission and the will of its people, and the fact that it was "a la Tunisienne," using the French that is the second language of the educated to suggest the country's uniqueness.
Tunisia also had the advantage of starting from scratch after a revolution that has motivated the population to make a clean break from the past.
In contrast, Morocco's Nov. 25 parliamentary elections — called early in response to protests demanding democratic reforms — are expected to follow the usual pattern of influence-buying and block voting by illiterate peasants.
Moroccan pro-democracy activist Abdilah Laayoune complained that the election process itself isn't the problem, but the fact that voting doesn't fundamentally alter the country's political landscape. The king always remains in power, choosing the same actors to form coalition governments.
"Even if we change the car, it's still the same trip," he said. "We still end up at the same destination."
Elections in Tunisia, which in the final years of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's 23-year rule included a few token opposition parties, were farcical affairs. Colored ballots representing the parties were placed in clear envelopes so officials could see who people voted for.
Confronted with out-of-date electoral rolls, the new administration went to the Interior Ministry and used their highly detailed surveillance records to draw up complete electoral lists.
An independent election commission was formed by May and rapidly gained the trust of the political parties as an impartial overseer.
"The first thing that strikes me is the number of political parties expressing confidence in the officials running the elections," said Les Campbell, the head of the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute observer delegation.
As befitting a revolution fueled by online social media like Facebook, there was a strong electronic component to Tunisia's elections.
Voters could send a text message from their mobile phones with their name and ID number, and receive back a text with the location of their polling station. The system did crash for a few hours on election day under the weight of requests.
"The small parties, and particularly female candidates, used Facebook to coordinate their campaigns, recruit supporters, and even train the observers they sent into polling stations," said Philip Howard of University of Washington, an expert on information technology who also served as an observer with NDI.
The election commission deployed 50,000 people to work in 8,000 polling stations. About 20,000 of them were unemployed university graduates — joblessness is one of the biggest problems in Tunisia and was at the heart of the uprising — and observers said they were highly motivated.
Their inexperience, however, was evident in the counting process and one reason for the drawn-out reporting of results.
Tight controls were put on campaign advertising so that wealthier parties did not have a significant advantage over smaller ones, but one party with access to satellite television did far outspend rivals.
Hachemi Hamdi's Areedha Chaabiya, or Popular Petition party, was in a surprise third place based on partial results. The owner of the Mustaqila satellite television channel based in London, Hamdi promised Tunisians free health care, new factories and thousands of jobs nightly on his channel.
Election officials say he is under investigation and have not ruled out invalidating the party's wins.
Ahmed Ragheb, director of Cairo's Hisham Mubarak Law Center, said he doesn't expect Egypt's first post-revolutionary elections to be as smooth as Tunisia's.
"Tunisia doesn't have the same complicated relations between different groups. The army is not really part of the equation there, and the elements of the old regime don't have the same power," he said. "Egypt is a big state and there are many more forces involved."
Ragheb said the biggest threat in Egypt is that violence could break out between candidates, voters, or the army and protesters.
Tunisia's army, which was key in convincing Ben Ali to flee the country on Jan. 14, has also been widely lauded for its standoffish attitude toward politics even as it protected polling stations.
"The Tunisian Revolution was the first and remains unique. With these elections, independently of the results, Tunisia won," said Gael Martin-Micallef, an elections expert for the Council of Europe.
(With Thanks to English edition Egypsian Daily Ahram)

A Difficult Dilemma

2011-10-25T10:50:00.000+04:00

The people in the Muslim countries are often put in a strange moral dilemma. They are charmed by some ‘heroes’ and under their spell they start expecting miraculous results in getting freed from not only psychological, cultural and economic hegemony of Imperialists but also getting released from under the yoke of tyranny of despotic rules at home. There rise some ‘ charismatic leaders’ from among our ranks and with a little sleight of their hands make the things agreeable for the people and deceitfully overpower the country. They quell all those about whom they are distrustful of creating any resistance against their rule in future. Almost 42 years before on September 1, 1969 the same happened in Libya when Muammar Qaddafi, a colonel rank army officer, belonging to a Bedouin tribe Qadhadhfah of Sirte town, snatched the power in a bloodless coup against Kind Idrees. He abolished the constitution, put the monarchy to its end and declared the country a republic (Libyan Arab Republic).

Qaddafi was greatly influenced by Jamal Abdul Nasir’s philosophy of Arab Nationalism. Nasir himself, as a junior military officer, used to attend the meetings of Ikhwanul Muslimon to give the impression of being a committed religious person. Actually he was a slick man and soon after he, very cunningly, started making Ikhwans victims of his spite, crushing the Islamic movement and hanging almost whole of its first line of their leadership. At home Qaddafi did the same what Nasir had done to quell all those whom he thought distrustful and likely to challenge his authority and check his wrongdoings. He ran a state sponsored terrorism policy of assassinations and detentions. He used to preside over the executions of his opponents, particularly the Islamist elements. He was notorious to have links with the global terrorist groups. He did not hesitate to recruit the criminals to assassin his critics living out of Libya.

But to spellbound the outer world, particularly the Muslim masses in the Arab world, he used many deceitful tricks and spread many of the fictitious stories about his being a devout Muslim, committed to reviving the lost dignity of the Muslim Ummah. We used to hear he lived in a tent and when the ambassadors of different countries came to visit him, first of all he preached sermons from the Holy Quran.

‘King of the kings’(title given to him by some traditional African leaders) in Africa, and ‘Man of the Green Book’ Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, posed himself as a champion of Palestinian cause but his loud words never got translated into any fruitful and practical step to help them. In the land of Omer Mukhtar, the Lion of the Libyan Desert and one of the greatest guerrilla fighters of the 20th century who fought against Italian colonization of Libya, captured and hanged in 1931, Qaddafi ‘colonized’ his own people depriving them of freedom and human rights. In Libya, one of the biggest oil rich countries, during the 42 years autocratic rule of Qaddafi, the wealth remained limited mostly for nepotism. Qaddafi family, an elite class and different tribes bribed for buying their loyalties for the regime benefited from this wealth. He was ‘a fondled and undisciplined child’ in the lap of the Soviet Union before its fall. He did many mischievous things keeping the international community vexed and angry, mostly kept the policies on many issues adverse to the stances taken by the Muslim Ummah.

Just after the fall of Saddam Hussain, another ruler in the Middle East enjoying arbitrary authorities in Iraq, Qaddafi, turning his back to his ‘Green Book’ and giving up his radical theories, started to behave like a ‘disciplined and well mannered child’. He not only agreed to abandon developing the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) but allowed the Americans to make away with everything in his nuclear plant, even removing scratch, not leaving the screws and nails used in the plant. Hence billions of dollars spent there, got wasted. Though Libya remained a debt free country but it made no tremendous progress that is seen in some tiny Gulf States having much less oil wealth than Libya. He also admitted his crimes and humiliatingly agreed to pay into compensation for the victims of Lockerbie bombing, American victims of UTA Flight 772 bombing.

Sword (weapon) was his means to come in power and same has proved to be the means to disgracefully remove him from power. After the waves of revolutions arose in the Arab world and the people of Tunisia and Egypt overthrew the ugly statues of despotic rule, Qaddafi must have read what was written for him on the wall but he made mistake to be able to change the direction of the winds of the ‘Arab Spring’. He was destined to meet his awful end. NATO war planes continued pouring bombs on his hideouts for a long time. If he had chosen to remain in power and defend himself and his country from NATO aggression, where was his Air Force, not having a single war plane flying in the air to retaliate the NATO attacks? If he did not develop the defense power of his country to face the foreign aggressions during his 42 years in power, then what for the oil wealth had been? Was it not only to defeat his people?

The people in Yemen and Syria too are out to oust their rulers from power, but because they have not as heavy oil resources as Libya has and secondly Israel thinks Bashar Al-Asad’s rule in its interest, so NATO forces are indifferent to the cries of the people who have their patience exhausted. But in Libya, due to its wealth of oil and other natural resources, there is a great charm for the Western countries, so NATO stepped forward to overthrow Qaddafi. And this has put many of us in a difficult dilemma, whether to show our pleasure on fall of one more crumbling pillar of dictatorship in the Muslim world or to express our sorrow on his ‘martyrdom’.? After all there is an old saying that the foe of our foe is our friend and the friend of our foe is our foe. The elements of Arab Spring in Libya who stood against Qaddafi have to practically answer this question whether they had been puppets of NATO countries or they really wanted to get rid of a cruel man who brought disgrace for them. If they defend their national interests and dignity, then we will be proud of them.

Root Cause of All the Troubles

2011-10-23T11:18:00.003+04:00

Ideology of Pakistan

2011-10-23T11:08:00.001+04:00

'Wahn': A Moral Disease of Muslim Ummah and the Rulers

2011-10-17T10:39:00.003+04:00

There was a time when the Children of Israel (the Jews) were the preferred people, given the task to hold the banner of virtue and eradicate vice and evil. But when they behaved antithetically, and started mixing the truth with falsehood, enjoining the others what was good but forgetting to follow the righteousness, concealing the truth and making the teachings of the Book, revealed to them a business for gaining the worldly benefits, they were deposed from the position of excellence. Then Muslim Ummah was entrusted with the same responsibility. According to the Quran, this Ummah is the best of all the human groups ever raised by the Creator.

“ You (true believers) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin what is right (Ma’ruf) and forbid what is wrong (Munkar) and believe in Allah…” (Ale-Imran: 110)

Allah, SWT, is not in need of any particular people to implement His Plan. It has been His test to judge who is eligible to qualify for His blessings by getting chosen for the Great Cause. The position of the best of the people ever raised up for mankind is with the conditions to maintain three qualities:

1) Enjoining what is good.

2) Forbidding what is wrong.

3) Persistence in belief in Allah

Umer bin Khattab (RA), is reported to have once said: “O people, who are pleased to be in this Ummah, fulfill the terms and stipulations set for you.” Mujahid, one of the famous commentators of the Quran said: “The Muslims are the best of the people only if they comply with the conditions mentioned in the verse; you carry on the duty of enjoining what is good, forbidding what is wrong and what is necessary for you in case of your belief in His Book, Messenger and what He has prescribed for you.” (Fathul Qadeer) As long as the Muslims continued to be up to the standard of the best people, they held the glory in the comity of nations. They were dominant and wielded power to defend themselves against the evil designs of their enemies. But when they lost their credit of honouring the Divine Matter, met the disgrace.

There is an inordinately cited Hadith of our Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him. It says: “The time is to come when the nations of the world will fall violently upon you as the hungry people fall upon the plates of food.” He was asked: “Will we be little in number?” He said: “No, you will be great in number, like scum on the surface of flood water. Allah will take away your fear from the hearts of your enemies and will cast ‘Wahn’ in your hearts. One of the companions asked: “What is this ‘Wahn’ O, Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “love of the worldly life and detesting for death” (Ahmed, Abu Naeem and, Abu Dawud)

It is now far more than five hundred years, the Muslims have been suffering vicissitudes. As mentioned in the previous writing, an ultimate impact of slumping down in the marsh of materialism is weakening of belief in Hereafter. The more love for worldly substances grows, the more man comes nearer to the point of obscurity and more the cover of heedlessness gets thickened. Man, basically proves to be intense in his love for wealth and thinks the wealth will make him last forever. It is only Iman (Faith/Belief) saves him from lowness of sticking to this worldly life, that he preferably makes his choice against Hereafter which is actually better and more lasting. Augmentation of the wealth, instead elevating the moral quality of generosity, increases stinginess; and having children grows timidity in man, as told in a saying told to be a Hadith: Al Malu Mabkhalah Wal Auladu Majbanah. Greed for the belongings in worldly life creates cowardliness. Exceeding love for worldliness hardens the hearts like stones, as told in case of the Jews, who are the greediest for life due to their inclination to the charms of material life. This love for earthly life develops a nature evasive from any sacrifice for lofty ideals and finding erroneous ways to fugitive from death. This is the thing the Messenger of Allah, termed it ‘Wahn’.

Worldliness and materialism causes a moral downfall. It gives way to the vested interests and generates rivalries and partisan politics. The feelings of tribalism, regionalism and racism grow making the unity of a community torn into pieces. It happened in the Muslim Ummah bringing about a state of weakness. There came a stage the rulers and upper classes of the Muslim societies got sunk in lusts and in the face of the dangers they showed only humiliating retreatment and blandishment, no matter how impervious their opponents had been to them. During the Crusades mutual disunity and betrayal to the noble cause of Jehad by the Amirs of different provinces and Sultans of the Seljuk Empire in Anatolia and Turkey was nothing but the result of the same ‘Wahn’. Even when Nurudin Zangi and Salahudin Ayyubi were holding out against the crusading forces with velour and courage, many of the Muslim rulers timorously avoided to come forward for their help and secretly established friendly ties with the crusaders.

It was treachery of Captain Firouz, an apostate who promised the crusaders he would betray the city of Antioch for a price. The fall of Baghdad to Halagu Khan was because of ‘Wahn’ of the Caliph, and also due to an ugly role of some treacherous chiefs of the Muslim community and rival Shia’ wazir, Ibn Alqami. All intrigued and invited Tatars to invade that greatest center of civilization and knowledge. It was nothing else but selfish betrayal of Mir Ja’far in Bengal and Sadiq in Dakan (South India) bringing the heroic chapter of resistance Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah and Tipu Sultan against the British Imperialism to its awful end. And even up today, ignominy and disgrace suffered by the Muslims is the result of ‘Wahn’ of the rulers in the Muslim countries, who are sycophant and servile to the big powers, ever ready to bargain over the interests of their people. Once they find ways of evading their duty of enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong and show their weakened Faith, they slide into obsession of 'Wahn' which gets infiltrated deep in the veins of entire Muslim society.

Actuality Of Being Successful Or Unsuccessful

2011-10-13T17:36:00.001+04:00

Arrogance and conceit on preconceived ignorant notions of the family, refusing to budge on stupid customs of ancestors and lust for power, wealth and luxuries are different exhibitions of materialism. They are not only high walls on the way of guidance and moral rehabilitation, also reasons for damaging the great values of justice and equality. They have been the root cause of contemptuous behavior towards mankind and disorder and corruption in the societies. When this type of materialism gets assimilated by entire nations and communities then it takes the whole world in grip. It ravages the peace and spreads restlessness.

If we look far back in the previous history, we find the same materialism working in the people of Nuh (AS) dividing the mankind on the basis of social status and material resources and disdaining those who were economically retarded:
“The chiefs who disbelieved among his (Nuh’s) people said: “We see you but a man like ourselves, and we do not see you followed without thinking, except by those who are the lowest of us. And we do not see in you any merit over us, in fact we think you are liars.” (Hud: 27)

The Prophets of Allah, contrary to covetousness, came to establish a balance between this worldly life and moral and spiritual values, letting not the scale dipped toward mundane life. If the Prophets had bowed to the demands of the materialists to disdain and drive the poor and wronged people away from them, humanity would have long ago been out of breath. So, NuH (AS) replied in a clear and facile way:
“I am not going to drive away those who have believed. Surely, they are going to meet their Lord, but I see that you are a people that are ignorant.” (Hud: 29)

The pagan chiefs of Makka, generally showed their obstinacy and haughtiness, turned deaf ears to the Message, that the Messenger, be peace and blessings upon him, wanted to convey to them only because they were in the marsh of the same materialism. The Call of Islam was odd and unacceptable for them because it was about to make them sit equal to the people whom they thought the lowest amongst them. Sometimes they used to put up some deluding pretences. They said that they, as the chiefs of their clan, felt it their insult to attend Muhammad, while the people of lower status, like Bilal, Suhaib, Ammar, Khabbab and Ibn Masud (May Allah be pleased with all of them) are with him. If they were made slink away from there, then they would be ready to attend what Muhammad, SAW, wanted to say.

This absurd demand, drawing the lines of inequality among the people, all progeny of Adam (AS), was against the nature of Islam, which has only virtue, piety and righteousness a criterion to judge the matter of importance and preeminence of the people. Allah, SWT, cautioned His Prophet saying:
“And do not send away those who call upon their Lord, morning and afternoon, seeking His countenance. You are not accountable for them in anything and they are not accountable for you in anything. You may turn them away and thus become of the unjust.” (Al-Anaam: 52)
“And keep yourself patient (by being) with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desires and whose affair is ever exceeding (the limits of Allah).” (Al-Kahf: 28)

As long as materialistic thinking goes surmounting, despite man still persists thinking about existence of God, the belief in life Hereafter, gets obscured. Sense of being called to account gradually fades and at last disappears. Man starts living in vain hopes of getting more than what has been gained in the earthly life, in case ‘something’ like resurrection happens. We find a fable about a man of two gardens, telling the same fact in Surah Al-Kahf. He did believe in God but about the Day of Resurrection his concept was:
“I think not the Hour will come, and if indeed I am brought back to my Lord, I surely shall find better than this when I return to Him.”

Though he did not show his disbelief in God but his companion, inferior to him in worldly possessions but having a strong Faith, counted the doubt about Akherah his incredulity in God and said:
“Have you disbelieved in He who created you from dust and then from a sperm-drop and then proportioned you as a men?”

The Holy Quran introduces God as Lord of the worlds, (Quran) itself as Guidance for entire mankind (Al-Baqarah: 185) and Muhammad, be peace and blessing upon him, as a giver of glad tidings and warner to all mankind, (Saba: 28) and also mercy and blessing for mankind and all that exists. (Al-Anbiya: 107) But the followers of the religions, obsessed by materialism developed a thinking of self-satisfaction of either being free of standing accountable in front of Allah, as the Jews have vainglorious behavior of being His chosen people. They think God had been at their back in their atrocities in Palestine during last over six decades. Hindu Brahmans being a special class, have the right to humiliate and crush not only the Muslim minority in India but the people of lower classes there also. The Crusaders as the pompous and conceited followers of Christianity, thought God and Jesus on their side in their heinous acts of ruthlessly massacring 40,000 Muslims only in two days when Jerusalem fell to them. Total number of slain then was much above 100 thousand. Why? Because the followers of these religions ‘materialized’ and ‘monopolized’ God, while He is the Creator and Lord of entire mankind and all other creatures.

Materialistic nature of Christianity was obvious and so deeply instilled in the minds of its followers that when in the mediaeval times Church and cruel feudal system were in evil alliance, they readily and happily became subject to the exploitations of both Church and feudal lords. And now for last several centuries Christianity has been supporting the capitalistic system, letting big powers, multi- national companies, organizations and wealthy people to take every unfair advantage and make selfish gains through this system.

Islam favors its followers to get easily accommodating houses to live, suitable conveyances to travel, good and healthy food to eat. It encourages working hardly and honestly for progress in worldly life. It neither dissuades from owning the property nor making savings through fair and Halal means to meet all necessities of life and also keep something for rainy seasons. Yet, Akherah, preferably remains high. Building the worldly life is not to be at the cost of Akherah (Life Hereafter). In a supplication in the Quran (one of the very favorite supplications of our Holy Prophet, SA), we find 2/3 weight goes to Akherah and 1/3 to this material life. Because those who will be losers on the Day of Judgment, in spite of huge of their amassed wealth and properties in this mundane life, will indeed be actual losers. The supplication is:
“Our Lord! Give us in this world which is good and in the Hereafter which is good and save us from the torment of the Fire.” (Al-Baqarah: 201)

We find the actuality of the loss in the light of the Quran:
“…The losers are those who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Verily, that will be a manifest loss.” (Az-Zumar: 15)

The Messenger of Allah, be peace and blessings upon him, very beautifully explained the same fact when he said: “It is very probable a man in this worldly life relishes the savoury foods and is accustomed to luxuries, when resurrected on the Day of Judgment, he will be hungry and naked, and on the contrary, it is most probable a man facing starvations in this world, when restored to life on the Day of Resurrection, will taste delicious foods. It is most probable, a man, self-deferential and self-respecting here, will rise in disgrace. It is more likely a man, sunk into eases and comforts with the wealth got through whatever was granted to the Prophet, SAW, as booty, and with Allah (on the Day of Resurrection) there will be nothing for him. Be aware! The efforts for gaining Jannah (paradise) are difficult as if mounting the heights and the deeds for Hell, are easy as if descending from a height. Be Aware! Immersing oneself in carnal appetites for only one hour may prove to be the sadness for a long time.” (Al-Beihaqi)

A Golden Moral Value Going Out Of Breath

2011-10-08T15:04:00.002+04:00

Merit, Yes Only Merit Works In Islam

2011-10-06T11:30:00.003+04:00

Man’s vainglory, motivated by a party-spirit, obsessive fanaticism, nationalism or racial and ancestral pride, is a great ‘fitnah’. Wherever and whenever this virus had its way in a community, it caused not only the aversions and tensions of a minor level, but created great mischief and disorder, sometime damaging the atmosphere of peace and harmony between the nations, as it did in the first half of the last century, becoming a reason for two World Wars. The Iranian president, Ahmedi Nejad persistently declares the holocaust merely a myth, not at home only but at the international forums, but if they are facts and not fabricated stories, then all happened in result of evil concept of highness of the German race and contemptibility of the Jews, fed by the thoughts of the philosophers like Nietzsche and other German theorizers, working behind the heinous acts of Hitler exterminating the Jews.

Very interestingly, when the Jews were the slang goats and subject to the prejudiced mind of the Westerners, right then they lived in the Muslim countries, during both the Arab and Turkish Empires with peace and harmony. Even when they were involved in intrigues to weaken the Usmani Caliphate at the end of the 19th and at the beginning of 20th century, they were a rich and prosperous ethnic group in Turkey, due to having a chance to make progress with their due merit and abilities. So far as in Europe, till long after the medieval times, contemptuous thinking about them was commonly found in the veins of the Western societies. Classical literature of the European languages also has the blazes of the same feelings. The great poets of the caliber of Shakespeare could not keep their masterpieces free of the smack of sarcasm about the Jews. ‘An Outline Of American History’ tells that when this country was getting its formation and people from almost all over the Europe were making it their home, the early settlers were looking askance at the flood of the Jews and Roman Catholics as new immigrants to America.

Islam sternly disapproves favoritism and discrimination on the ground of belonging to a particular faith, race, color, language or being son of a special soil. Justice, protection of lives, honor and property and opportunities to make progress are the equal rights of all the citizens of the state. There is an example in the life time of our Holy Prophet, be peace and blessings upon him, there occurred a dispute between a hypocrite and a Jew. The Hypocrite wanted to take the case to Ka’ab bin Ashraf, the chief of a Jew tribe, while the Jew preferred to go to Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, seeking justice. Once a case of a Jew, who was falsely accused of theft, was brought to the Holy Prophet, SAW. The allegation was fabricated to save a man of a Muslim tribe from the punishment, who actually committed the crime. Allah, SWT, Himself, interfered and through Divine Revelation the matter was made clear. A careful investigation also proved the innocence of the Jew and he was acquitted.

Within the Muslim Ummah, between the community members, only merit has to work. The Quran has made it clear that the criterion of man’s excellence and superiority over his fellow men is not through anything else but the quality of ‘Taqwa’, virtuous nature, nobility and moral character.
“O mankind, indeed We have created you from a male and a female, and made you nations and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Al-Hujurat: 13)

The Messenger, be peace and blessings upon him, explicated the same fact in his famous sermon on occasion of his Farewell Pilgrimage, when he said:
“O People, Your Lord is One, and you are progeny of one father (Adam), all of you are from Adam and Adam was (created) from clay. The most honorable among you in the sight of Allah, is the one who is the most righteous. No Arabian has on the Non-Arabian and no Non-Arabian has on the Arabian any superiority, but only because of his piety.”

No one is entitled to safeguard his personal interests and amass the wealth and make fortunes using his social status, personal influence and his access to the power galleries as the tools. Only the merit has to be the principle to be followed. Even the matters of admittance at court or having permission to attend someone require the merit. Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, himself was not allowed to ignore the merit. Once, during the heat of the resistance of the Islamic mission by the Makkan pagans, some of the chiefs of the Quraish came to visit the Prophet, SAW. Being immensely desirous for enhancing his Dawa’ Cause, he thought it a golden chance to convey the Message of Islam to them. While he was engaged in talk with them, one of his companions, Abdullah bin Umm Maktum (RA), a blind man, not knowing who were present there with the Prophet, happened to enter there and interrupted the talk by making some queries. Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, disliked the interruption and slightly rebuffed him. Within a moment Jibril ascended with the revelation of the opening verses of Surah Abasa in a hard tone:
“(The Prophet) frowned and turned away. Because there came to him the blind man. And how can you know that he might become purified (from sins), or he might receive admonition, and admonition might profit him. As for him who thinks himself without need (of Guidance), to him you attend.”

This rule of merit was strictly followed by the companions of our Holy Prophet, SAW, particularly by his first four Caliphs. Once, some of the prominent chiefs of Quraish, long after they had embraced Islam, went to Madinah to pay a visit to Omer (RA), the second Caliph. Those were the days when Muslim armies were engaged in wars against two super powers of that time. Omer’s (RA) mind was preoccupied with the serious situation on the borders. He had to make consultations with the Muslims present there in Madinah. Famous Makkan leaders like Suhail bin Amr and Harith bin Hesham were eager to meet with the Caliph, but ordinary people from Ansar and Muhajerun, for whom these Quraysh leaders used to feel disdain in the ignorance, were getting prominence and importance in the court of the Caliph, whom he called for consulting the matters.

The Makkan chiefs thought it their insult by getting ignored and when they were out for a little, Harith ibn Hesham disapprovingly gave some bemoaning remarks about what had happened to them. Suhail bin Amr, replied: “Omer is not to be blamed, but actually we are blame worthy. It was our failure to accept Dawat of Muhammad (SAW) while those whom we deemed to be the lowers of our society surpassed us in this matter.”

After a little while, they again entered to and after having a chance of talking to Omer, they complained about the treatment meted out to them and confessed their remissness in taking a lead in accepting Islam. They asked Omer (RA) how to make amends. Omer (RA), said nothing except only pointing out to the borders of Syria, where Muslims were engaged in battles with the Roman Empire. Which meant only deeds and performance is the criterion for gaining position.

None of the Messengers invented any notion for his people to be the 'Chosen People'. All the Prophets were adherents to the principle of merit. Allah, the Most Exalted, had established the standard of merit almost 4000 years ago. He tested the loyalty and obedience of his Prophet Irahim (AS) through some very serious trials. On proving his competence to the status of 'Khalil' he was made Imam of entire mankind. He was naturally eager for his children to inherit the legacy of Imamah. But it was made clear to him that only on coming up to the set standard is the touchstone for gaining a position in the sight of Allah:
"And (mention O Muhammad) when Ibrahim was tried by his Lord with words (commands) and he fulfilled them. (Allah) said: "Indeed I will make you Imam (leader) for the people." (Ibrahim) said: "And of my descendants?" (Allah) said: "My covenant does not include the wrongdoers." (Al-Baqarah: 124)

And this criterion of the merit was fully implemented by Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him. Bilal (RA), a Negro, flat-nosed, freed slave got a thousands, thousands time higher degree over Abu Lahab, the radiant faced uncle and a senior Quraishi leader by chosing to be the bitterest oppnents of Islam and the Prophet, SAW. Bilal (RA) enjoyed the position one of the closest companions, and in a modern term, private secretary of the Holy Prophet, SAW and one of the most honored citizens of the Islamic State of Madinah. Regerdless of his color and race through out the Muslim history Bilal (RA) has been enviously looked upon by the great Sultans, Emperors, kings and the heads of the Muslim states and their governments as the most revered personality, while Abu Lahab was cursed:
"Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab and perish he. His children and wealth will not benefit him. He will be burnt in a Fire of blazing flames. and his wife too, who carries wood (thorny bushes to put on the way of the Prophet and used to slander him). In her neck is a twisted rope of palm fiber." (Surah Abe Lahab)

Let Muhammad's (SAW) Doctrines Work For Peace And Justice

2011-10-03T11:25:00.001+04:00

All the Prophets had many characteristics common with each other, yet each one of them had a type of uniqueness making him distinct in the community of the Messengers. In Surah Ash-Shura we see five of the Prophets, Nuh, Hud, Salih, Lut, Shuaib, be Allah’s peace and blessings on all of them, making their people believe that they were the trustworthy prophets. In Surah Maryam, Ibrahim (AS) and Idris (AS) both were presented as the men of truth and also Ismail (AS) as a man true to his promise. Ibrahim (AS) had an individuality of being blessed with position of the leader (Imam) of mankind. Two more of his inner qualities, his forbearance and grief, are mentioned in Surah Hud (75).

As for the last and final Prophet, Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, long before his getting entrusted with the position of a Prophet, he was held in repute to be Sadiq (Truthful) and Amin (Trustworthy) in the Makkan society. His chastity and modesty was also a conceded quality in his surroundings. No more well-aware about man’s private life, his habits and nature and better substantiating source can be than of his own wife. When angel Jibrail, brought the first revelation to Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, he came under aghast and was extremely disturbed. When he came back to his home he told Khadeejah (RA) all what had happened to him and that he afraid for his life. His wife solaced him with the remarks:
“By God, He will not waste you. You join ties of the kin, speak the truth, you bear the burdens of others, you hospitably entertain the guests, you help the people in their needs.”

The Quran is the complete code of life and perfect system, encompassing all the spheres of human life. Social and economical justice, love, sympathy, tolerance, impartiality, harmlessness and cooperation are some of the salient features of its moral values and legal procedure enjoined by the Quran. Character of Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, as once his wife, Aishah (RA) had said, was a tremendous exhibition of the Quranic moral values. ‘Kana Khulqohu Al-Quran’ (his moral character was all as in the Quran).

We find a particular account of his kindness and mercifulness, his grief over sufferings of the believers and his concern about their Faith and other matters, separately touched upon in the second last verse of Surah At-Taubah, and his lenience and tender heartedness pointed at in verse 159 of Surah Al-Imran, all actually the integral parts of his high character. ‘Khulq’ (singular of Akhlaq, stands for the plural sense also), when used in positive form, means high morality in its entirety. In the opening verses of Surah Al-Qalam, Allah, the Exalted, has mentioned profundity and completeness of the character of His Messenger, be peace and blessings upon him.
“And verily, you (Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character.”

All the Prophets in past, with a bit exception of Ibrahim (AS), were commissioned to convey the Divine Message to only the localities where they lived and the communities they were part of. So their mission remained limited to only their people. But Muhammad’s prophethood is not bounded to his town nor his time.
“And We have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as a bringer of good tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most of the people do not know.” (Saba: 28)

The Messenger of Allah, explaining the singularity of his prophethood, is reported to have once said: “I have preference over the other Prophets by six points. I have comprehensiveness in my words, I have been helped with frightfulness in the hearts of my opponents, spoils of war have been made lawful for me, whole of the earth has been made pure for me as a place to prostrate ourselves on it, I have been sent to all the mankind and the chain of the Prophets has been closed with me.” (Muslim)

Thus, naturally Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, was the first greatest reformer of the history who had obliterated the differences and discrimination on the basis of Arab and Ajam and white and black. He was not the well wisher of his own clan or only the Arabs. His teachings totally refute the racial bigotry, now the greatest evil and a cause of international hostilities. The imperialistic designs and self- established right of the hegemony of the super powers has been a great cause of the destruction and miseries suffered by the weak nations. Satanic thought of their being superior on the base of their being white skinned has ruined the possibilities of the world peace. Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, had disavowed the race, colour, language and land as the basis of the precedence of some persons or the nations over the others. Only piety and righteousness was declared a reason of preference.

Not only the ordinary Westerns are accustomed to making the ‘Third World’ and particularly the Muslims the target of outrageous calumnies but the spiritualists, philosophers, historians and political theorists of the caliber of Ernest Renan (1823-1892) were of the views that ‘Man’s spiritual race is the Northern and the Western race.” The Westerns think the brain cells of the black man’s cortex are inferior to white’s cells. Late Dr. Ali Shari’ati, the real ideological founder of the Iranian revolution of 1979, was right in saying that ‘the fact is that the West, with her philosophy from Nietzsche, Hegel, to Freud and Sigfried, all have designed the issue of superior race inferior race, Western-Eastern race and black –white.” (Man and Islam)

Islam, from the very beginning, showed a solicitous and an affirmative thinking about Christianity. Is it not a fact that the man who first of all affirmed what had happened to Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, in Hira cave to be a Divine Revelation, was a Christian learned man, Waraqah bin Naufal, cousin of Prophet’s wife Khadeejah (RA). And it was Najjashi, the Christian king of Abyssinia who gave shelter to the migrants of the first Hijrah to live in his country with peace and protection, when due to the torturous treatment of Makkan pagans they were forced to migrate. In the wars between the Roman and Iranian Empowers in, moral support of the Muslims was with the Christian Romans.

But unfortunately there came the time the Western malice toward the East its bigotry and malice got masked with the Christianity. Crusades were actually that malicious phenomenon. When the Crusaders victoriously entered Antioch they made the streets of the city filled with dead bodies. Appallingly, their Western superiority complex made them ransack the houses of even Armenian Christians also, as Karen Armstrong, one of the most popular and best selling Western writer of this modern age gives detailed account of the tragedies in her book ‘Holy War, The Crusades And Their Impacts on Today’s World’. And when Jerosalem fell in the hands of the Crusaders, the compound of Masjid Aqsa’ was changed into a blood pool above the knees, with mutilated bodies floating in it. Piles of heads, hands and feet were seen in the streets of the city.

This was done with the followers of the Messenger, who came with the teachings:
“O you who have believed, be persistently firm for Allah, witness in justice, and let not the enmity and hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do.” (Al-Maidah: 8)

“…if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder or to spread mischief (and disorder) in the land, it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind…” (Al-Maidah: 32)

It was done with the followers of the Prophet who was very sensitive about the sacredness of human life, who made killing of noncombatants, children, women, patients and religious leaders unlawful, who forbad in the battle, cutting of the fruit giving trees, ravaging the crop fields and damaging the monasteries, churches and worship places of the non-Muslims. He once felt extremely distressed on knowing that the believers had killed in the battlefield an innocent child of the infidels. In the expedition of Bani Jazimah, Khalid bin Walid, in spite of objection of his companions, ordered to kill those who had been made captives. The Messenger, be peace and blessings upon him, was greatly sad on this incident and repeatedly said: “O Allah! I denounce what Khalid has done.”

What is known today as ‘Terrorism’, though never to be justified, but is in fact reaction of the Imperialistic tyranny of almost two centuries, which has changed its technique, now not colonizing a territory but keeping it in political, economic, cultural and economic dominance. Imperialism changes its masks, sometime purely religious cloak to wage crusading wars and sometime in military uniform, with the pretence of spreading democracy, ensuring human rights and eliminating the extremism. Mankind will never rest in peace as long as high morality, spiritual loftiness, an insight giving knowledge and power of argument, the doctrines and values introduced by Muhammad, be peace and blessings upon him, are not made source to win the hearts and not bow the heads. Disastrous wars in every case and at any rate will keep on filling the earth with the filth of mischief and disorder and even the people of the crusading nations will not feel in peace.

Is 9/11 Really a Turning Point of the History?

2011-09-26T09:22:00.002+04:00

An Arabic proverb says: Kullo Jadidun Lazeez, meaning every new thing proves to be more tasteful. To them two millenniums are enough for Jesus to having been the reference. They are now tired of him and want to invent a new referring point for occurrences of the history. To them start of the third millennium is proper stage to change BC and AD into something new and perhaps more tasteful to them. America is ‘No.1’ in many respects. It has 001 for country code. In many other areas, including military, industrial, and economic power and advancement in science and technology and worldly knowledge and remarkably, keeping and using the most deadly nuclear weapon it is No.1. One more No.1 of the Americans is their war mongering nature. The American people like their presidents who invent pretenses to kindle the flames of some unnecessary war. It is No.1 country great in size and power but very meekly meeting the desires and demands of Israel, a tiny state in size. It is No.1 country, really rich and immensely resourceful but its financial soul lies in a parrot, kept in a cage and that is in the tight grip of the Jews lobby there. And last and not the least; America is notoriously No.1 in socially, economically, politically and militarily destabilizing the countries and bringing there, tamed and toady persons and parties of its own choice through the conspiracies hatched by its secret agency, CIA.

With having 9/11, an unusual thing for measuring pre and post pace of history, some mysterious elements have helped it to be once again No.1. 9/11 is proved to be a turning point in human history. From 9/11/2001 onward significant happenings of the history are more likely to be counted not BC and AD but pre 9/11 or post 9/11.

But has the world forgotten how many hundred million people were slain in the First and Second World War? The number of the killed men from only armed forces of the principal countries engaged in the First World War was more than 9.9 millions. Number of the wounded military men went above 200 million. In the Second World War, total number of the people who lost their lives was 6o millions people. These figures do not include those half dead, blind, maimed and mentally deranged in result of the war. How many bustling towns were ruined and how much loss of thriving economies ended in zero and worth how much infrastructure was reduced to ashes and scrap in the Two Big Wars fought only within only 21 years of the first half of the 20th century? But it is too flavorless to be made a matter to hint.

No sensible and sensitive person was there who had not condemned what happened to the twin towers of New York reducing them to the heaps of debris with 3000 crushed human bodies under them, and making 9/11 a woeful historical adage. Terrorists are rightly said having no religion. How harsh and unpalatable facts may be behind its shaping, it is a sick mentality. Making innocent lives its victim, may it be through state terrorism or by some terrorist organizations, has to be denounced. But aftermath of this horrible incident proved hundred times more horrid and destructive. Even then enormousness of the tragedy is not so extraordinary to mournfully commemorate it as more horrible than the World Wars or American nuclear attack on two Japanese cities or the damage caused by American involvement in Vietnam or even the loss of the two time American aggression against Iraq and now in Afghanistan.

Was the tragedy of nuclear attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two important cities of Japan was a little misery to be easily disregarded? Around 80,000 people were direct target of atom bomb and up to 140,000 victims of radiation, injuries and deadly diseases spreading out in result of poisonous atmosphere in Hiroshima only. Almost 69% of the buildings were completely destroyed. On 8/11/1945 (mourners of 9/11 should bear in mind) the same ravaging act was repeated in Nagasaki. Within no time death toll rose to 73,884 while 74,909 were badly injured. Several hundred thousands were the quarry of diseases and radiation.

And what to say about the cost of the American involvement in Vietnam which was commonly regarded as a blunder? In spite of using Napalm bombs and increasing the casualties estimated a million communists together with 180,000 South Vietnamese and nearly 50,000 Americans and over 400,000 South Vietnamese civilians were perished, at last America had to leave disgracefully with zero achievements there.

Omit not unintentionally the genocide acts of Israel, brutally killing the Palestinians, demolishing their houses and forcefully grabbing their lands by the Zionist terrorists and regular Israeli forces. Was the holocaust of Sabra and Shatila, two refugee camps in Lebanon, in 1982, not enough to make the world weep over the massacre? And Gaza, a 360 square km largest jail on the earth, which has no precedent in Nazi Germany, nor behind the Iron Curtains of Communist Soviet Union. This strip is blockaded from three sides by merciless Israeli forces and fourth side heavily guarded by Egyptian army, not letting the food and commodities of basic needs go there on humanitarian ground. The conscience of the civilized world, UNO, International Criminal Court, fails to hear the cries of innocent children and patients longing for getting properly nurtured and provided with medicines to be properly cured. Impact of psychological loss of thousands of Palestinian children and youths caused by the barbaric steps of Israel is unimaginable. And fail not to reckon the Kashmiris, who became martyrs and subjected to the viciousness of the Indian forces during last about 63 years, since India used military power to subjugate this Muslim majority state.

And have the world communities any recall of the loss of lives in the result of Soviet Union’s expedition over Afghanistan in 1979? Really the dead and injured numbering several hundred thousand. How the comity of the nations closes its eyes from extremely burning issues, particularly Palestine, Kashmir and Afghanistan. Causing the bloody wars and violence, these issues are mostly of the Muslim world. The largest number of displaced people due to foreign aggressions is of the Muslims. The biggest number of the people, pushed out from their houses and lands and forced to live in the refugee camps in other countries, is of the Muslims. Gigantic number of the women becoming widows and the children made orphans and thousands of people left disabled during last about 65 years because of the flames of wars waged by the mischievous big powers is from the Muslim world. Is this all not lamentable and mournful?

America now seems intended to keep the wheel of the history turning around the incident of 9/11 because it has to justify its beastliness in Afghanistan and Iraq and make its people satisfied about ruinous state of affairs concocted by its political and military leadership.

Is 9/11 Really a Turning Point in Entire Human History

2011-09-24T10:01:00.000+04:00

ref: DawatOnline issue 22/09/11