September 9, 2003
9/11: Lessons for Muslims
Almost a year after September 11, our editorial note in these columns had this to say:
While the attack on the Twin Towers was a ghastly act which needs to be censured unreservedly by one and all, the unfolding events in the post-September 11 era make it manifestly clear that Muslims all over the world have suffered more grievously than those who perished in the collapse of the towers. The number of casualties in the war against terrorism on the Afghan front alone exceeds the number of those who died on September 11 in New York and Washington. Emboldened by, and intent on misinterpreting, the US response both India and Israel have acted adventurously to crush the popular uprising in Kashmir and Palestine.
Not surprisingly, with anti-Muslim sentiments raging high in the US and elsewhere the recent cold-blooded massacre of helpless Muslims in India’s Ahmedabad state went largely unnoticed. There was no admonishment and no chastisement to censure Delhi for burning young Muslim children alive. The agony and cries of grieving mothers evoked no response.
As this goes to the press, the casualties of helpless Palestinians continue to mount yet Tel Aviv is scot-free to engage in its adventurism. It is Iraq that is singled out instead as the next villain to be targeted! The refrain of Islamic terrorism is orchestrated as the teachings of Islam - a religion of peace - are distorted by a gleeful, biased media.
How could this paradox be explained? Simple. No individual, no group, no community, no nation, can hope to survive in today’s highly competitive and science-oriented world if it fails to pay due heed to education and science. The two catalysts of social development and essentials of assimilation with the West have been sadly ignored by the Muslims. True, the Arab world is rich but only in terms of resources - oil wealth. It is poor so far as educational pursuits and scientific advances are concerned. While the number of universities and colleges is inappreciable, research and development (R&D) undertakings - prime movers of change and prosperity - are non-existent and in some countries totally unheard of! It is in this vital sector that the chasm between the West and the Muslim world presents many disquieting features - the West sitting on the gleaming wings of science rejoices on its grandiose successes while the Muslim world provides a multiplying myriad of eyesores as its fledgling science remains precariously perched. No wonder, the Muslims have no answer to the sophisticated weaponry of the West whose lethal effectiveness is largely attributable to hefty R&D inputs. An apt example in this context: it is largely due to Pakistan’s march in the nuclear field that Indian forces have been kept at bay despite the current build-up of troops on Pakistan’s borders. Any miscalculated adventurism on the part of India, as President Musharraf recently warned, will be promptly neutralized thanks to Pakistan’s acquisition of nuclear weapons. Evenly matched combatants rarely go to war and this explains why terms such as ‘nuclear deterrence’ have been coined.
The performance of the Muslim media is also to be taken into account as one reviews the post-September 11fallout. In sharp contrast to the Western media which artfully paints the villain a hero and vice versa, The Muslim media is not fully schooled in the art of projecting the truth, what to say of calling a spade a spade. Slavish and cringing in outlook, it can neither mirror national feelings or failings nor counter adversarial comments. No wonder, the image of the Muslim world and the faith it professes suffers.
Blissfully, the Muslim America scene appears different and seems to provide a glimmer of hope. Most Muslims in the United States are highly educated and have made their mark in various fields. They belong to important professional groups and have studied at prestigious Ivy universities. They have the insight and erudition to bring about the much needed change in their respective countries. A forward surge. Sustained academic strivings. Whole-hog commitment to foster education and science. Research and Development breakthroughs. An articulate and vocal media.
Education and science can provide the Muslim world the opportunity to enjoy life in all its wondrous aspects as well as impart a feeling of pride in intellectual achievements to the Ummah. Endeavors of Muslim Americans in this respect could set off a chain reaction and precipitate a speedy diffusion of knowledge and higher technical skills in the Muslim world. In the United States, Muslim Americans could serve as a bridge of understanding between Muslims, Jews and Christians and help in mending fences and removing many misperceptions that mar inter-faith relations. Each one could be a public relations individual in his own right dispelling misgivings about the United States in the Muslim world and removing misperceptions about Islam in the US. They have the dash and the erudition to furnish proof that Islam and the West have a common cause and the two are by no means on a collision course. It is for them to seize the opportunity and pave the way for the eventual rehabilitation of the Muslim world.
The Muslim media too needs a fresh infusion of professional excellence, skills, talent and resources.
Today, almost a year after the above editorial comment appeared in print, the world scene appears little different save in one respect. There is growing realization in different quarters of the world that polarized views must give way to well-meaning and sincere words and deeds of conciliation to enable adherents of all creeds and faiths conserve a livable world. In his 31st October speech at the Mohamed University, Rabat, Morocco, H.E. Mr. Dominique de Villepin, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, observed:
“…Yes, let’s wake up to the fact that our world seems on rupture.
“Every day, neew crises are breaking our, from Kashmir to Afghanistan, from Iraq to Cote d’Ivoire. They are placing the world in a permanent state of emergency. They are coming one on top of each other and seem to be forming an arc-shaped fault line, from Eastern Mediterranean to Southern Asia.
“The Middle East is a focus for the great potential clashes in today’s world. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is fuelling the tensions and frustration of the Arab world and Muslim communities. We know the suffering the Palestinian people are enduring. We know the insecurity felt by the Israeli people, victims of the suicide bombings…
“The battle against terrorism must be implacable.
“It must be fought on every front: it must be waged relentlessly. Against this scourge, the United States and some European states, including France, have had to resort to force…But responding by force will not, on its won, providea long -term solution. Since there is another dimension to this battle: a moral, inner psychological one.
“Let’s not fall into the trap set for us.
“The terrorist threat is endeavoring to take over minds, striking throughout the world, seeking to globalize fear. Claiming to act in the name of Islam, the terrorists are warping what is most noble in man: the immaterial, spiritual part, be its religious or secular.
“The terrorists say they are attacking the West. In reality they are attacking every people . How many nationalities were represented in the Manhattan towers? Citizens of how many different nations met the same death on 11 September 2001?
“The terrorists want to get nations to rise up against each other, lead the world to paralysis, to a rigid closing of minds and civilizations.
“The terrorists are carrying in today’s world the tortured face of fundamentalism. Tortured, yes, because fundamentalism isn’t the purest fulfillment of religion, but on the contrary, its unrecognizable distortion….
“So I appeal here, in this place of culture, to all men of science, legal experts, theologians, poets, researchers. I appeal to your common conscience: Come together to defend a strong just vision of Islam. Put your hearts in to this task, speak out and use your knowledge indefatigably to explain the profound nature of Islam, its aspirations for peace, its desire for concord. Be the true face of your religion...”
Like Dominique de Villepin, the world should see the true face of Islam. - afaruqui@pakistanlink.com
