Response of a Concerned Muslim to My
"An Appeal to the Conscience of Muslims"
I got a good, long and emotional response to my article “A challenge to the Conscience of Muslims” (copied hereunder). I would like to respond to him through this blog.
Dear Hasan,
AoA and thanks for responding. I agree with you and your assessment given out with great passion. I have a little different take on it, however. The present state of Muslims is very heartbreaking. But our response to this, in my humble opinion is worst. Instead of a real and good soul searching, most of us are inlined to morn and groan about our surroundings. Instead of even trying to light a candle, we ceaselessly curse the darkness. Yes, the media have a very dirty agenda of their own. But like every where else, the media also have sincere people conducting good and correct reporting. In this case the broad facts are clear and very disturbing. It involves a boy of eighteen, trying to air his views and organize protests for them which is illegal in Saudi Arabia; he is arrested and detained in a Police State Style, no due process of law, no trial and condemned to death and crucification. This is horrible and un-Islamic. It affects you and me, Hasan because it is shaping up under the watch of Khadimain Harman Sharifain in a land which is so dear to all of us. As such, it casts Islam in a very ugly shape. I feel, the great injustices (as you have pointed out) that “others” are doing to us should not have any bearing on our assessment of this case. This is wrong, very wrong and we should stop it with our hands, if not declare it openly as wrong and finally if not then at least consider it as completely wrong in our hearts as is incumbent on every Muslim by the famous hadith of our beloved Prophet.
A point or two about the current political climate around us which you have discussed very well and emotionally. The tyrannical and atrocious occupation of Palestine is a constant sore for more than three decades. One sided and totally biased and unprincipled American support of Israel plays a major role in the continued torture and torment of the Palestinians. Starting with Al Qaeda and Afghanistan spreading over to Iraq, Syria, Libya, appearance of ISIS on the scene, the attitude and interests of Western powers, the internecine, sectarian and ethnic fights of the local population (by the way 79 % of Iraqis - 62 % Shia and 17 % kurds - had approved and encouraged American intervention in Iraq for very obvious reasons) are collectively responsible for the inferno in the Middle East causing widespread death and destruction. You think they — the West — are dong it; I would like to think the same. And both of us will agree that most of our 1.6 billion Muslim brothers and sisters feel the same. However every actor on the stage thinks that he is right and that the other is responsible. What is the solution? The combined might of the Arab countries could not last for more than six days in 1967. Cursing them and vilifying them --the West -- in our discussions will not help. We must acknowledge that they will do what they think right and they have the strength and power to do that; unfortunately they are able to decide what is right even for us!
As you have pointed out very correctly, the solution is to charge and surround our own political and religious leadership and our Ulema, scholars and intellectuals to come out with a ten year plan — as the Japanese and later Chinese have done in the past— to organize the Ummah on a constructive plan; paranoia about Western excesses must simple stop. Out of our hostility towards the West we tend to make heroes out of Osama Bin Laden, Saddam, Gaddafi, Bashar al-Assad, ISIS and the likes. This is simply wrong. We should not have any hesitation to discard them completely; no ifs and buts. instead of being romantic about Ummah, we should be practical and start with working on individual administrative units of Ummah i.e. each country and design a long term plan for its development — social, educational, inancial, political. Hopefully these will grow and unite into a strong Ummah.
Copy of the letter from Hasan Chand:
Khalid Bhai, Salaam.
The World politics has gotten rotten & worst the past few decades, more rapidly in recent years. The Powerful continue to Rule and dictate as they find greedy politicians everywhere, sadly more easily in Muslim countries, ready to bend over & comply.
Surely, the KSA Court decision, as reported in western media, is one of those that could be called "Do as the King says". Islam (& all Abrahamic religions) values human life more than any other religion but look at what we all do! The King must rescind the Court decision & if the man is truly guilty of Treason (does not appear provable) then a Life sentence may be the answer, but to kill & hang the body? No, No & No.
The Wester Media & Politicians mostly look the other way when Israel's Gaza atrocities kill, maim & destroy Life, as Muslim States give it lesser lip-service than the western leadership; mentioning Israel's stockpile of nuclear arsenal is taboo as is mentioning the "holocaust". Let Palestinians (&Muslims) die, sending more troops to Iraq (after the totally unjustified Iraq affair of GWBush & Tony Blair, which the is now -- after hundreds of thousands of Iraqi & other human beings having been killed, claiming to have been a "mistake but worth getting rid of Saddam! BULL SHIT! Was Saddam that Dangerous for the World, & that too after his instigated attack on Iran & Kuwait? Today' news says Obama has reluctantly authorised sending less than 50 Special Operations troops and further say : "While the deployment was small in scale, it was large in importance for a president who had refused to commit American ground forces inside Syria beyond quick raids. White House officials said the troops would advise local forces fighting the Islamic State and not play a direct combat role, but they left open the possibility of sending more in the future."
Yes, we all need to make ISIS non-existent, if they cannot be trained to follow the Real Islam of the Quraan & Sunnah. However, look at the 4 year "WAR" raging in the area, the number of people killed, multiple thousands made homeless & Refugees many of whom, rather than be provided shelter in Muslim countries, are going thru dangerous means to reach Europe. Is there no real danger when they settle in non-Muslim European lands where there is already some resistance from locals and, besides, the possibilities of forced or unforced conversions?
Sorry, Khalid Bhai, I feel very disturbed sometime, more at our Muslim Leadership --- political, religious as well as "Educated" intellectuals. In Pakistan, I see more of a status quo to ensure a 2 class society where the Rich live in (un-earned) luxury not cognisant of their DUTY, & the poor class lost in making their daily needs come to fruition, willingly or un-willingly acquiescing to reality of poverty, to which they have been pushed in various ways like lack of proper education, health facilities, infrastructure etc.
This has become too long & I know nothing will come of it at the circles where it could at least get some attention.
Regards.
Hasan Chand
