August 17, 2007

Unconquered

Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar composed his immortal paean to Imam Hussain a century ago, on the renewal of Islam, in the aftermath of Kerbala. This wisdom has been tested and proven by history.
When European Christendom, under the tutelage of Pope Urban II, declared holy war on Muslim lands in 1095, it unleashed carnage. Initially, the Muslim populace was devastated and bewildered by the savagery of the Crusaders’ onslaught, which was punctuated by mass manslaughter and even the evil of cannibalism. Crusaders in 1098 captured the Syrian town of Ma’arrat al-Numan, slaughtering its 20,000 inhabitants, and feeding on the dead bodies of the conquered, including children. Jerusalem fell on July 15, 1099, and in the great massacre of the city’s people that followed, Crusaders reportedly waded ankle-deep through blood at Al-Aqsa Mosque, where many had sought refuge in vain.
But then, slowly, out of disaster, the Muslims began to regroup and started rallying and uniting.
Almost a century after the fall of Jerusalem, Salahuddin rose and repelled the Crusaders, recapturing Jerusalem in October 1187. An effort to regain Jerusalem and other cities from Salahuddin was launched in 1189. Led by King Richard the Lion-Heart, this third and last Crusade is known as the Crusade of Kings, and also included King Philip of France and King Leopold of Austria. The legendary German king, Frederick Barbarossa, leading a massive force of German troops, drowned in 1190 while crossing a river in Anatolia. His death demoralized and scattered the German troops.
Mass terrorism was committed by King Richard when he had 2700 Muslim hostages systematically beheaded in a single day outside the captured city of Acre in August 1191, in full view of Salahuddin’s camp. The British historian, Geoffrey Hindley, called it an act of “barbarity”.
But Richard’s campaign to regain Jerusalem failed, and he signed a treaty with Salahuddin in September 1192, under which unarmed Christian pilgrims were permitted to visit, but Jerusalem would remain under Muslim control. Richard never set foot inside the city. After two centuries of warfare, the Crusades ended in the defeat of the European West.
Another catastrophic event in Muslim history was the sack of Baghdad in 1258 by the Mongol hordes of Halaku, the grandson of Genghis Khan. They destroyed a center of civilization known for its Grand Library and for contributions in science, math, medicine, philosophy, and other annals of thought. It was seen then as an irretrievable blow. Eventually, the Mongols converted to Islam. The conquerors became the conquered. Islamized Mongols spearheaded and spread Muslim influence to the far reaches of the world.
The cycle of history continues to repeat itself. Today, once more, occupation situations abound in Muslim lands. The lands may have been occupied but the land-dwellers have not been vanquished. Force – despite its massive use – has not proven to be a deterrent.
The combined military might of Israel, buttressed by unconditional US aid, and indirectly facilitated by an impotent Arab Establishment, have dismally failed to subdue the Palestinian resistance. So much so, that it has compelled the former chief of Israel’s Mossad, Efraim Halevy, to urge negotiations with Hamas. Terming defeat of Hamas unrealistic, he contends that if they are not engaged in talks and continue to be shut out “they will no longer feel constrained by anything, because there is nothing left for them to hope for.” (“What if Israel Talked to Hamas?” Wall Street Journal, August 1, 2007).
In striking contrast, the mindset of Muslim elites remains defensive. Instead of displaying leadership that can inspire and lead the nation out of its troubles, they convey a submissive image of pessimism and futility.
The bigger picture, however, reveals that the human spirit, despite difficulty, remains unconquered.