Page 4 - Pakistan Link - August 21, 2020

P4 – PAKISTAN LINK – AUGUST 21, 2020
Pakistan Link Muharram: A Month of Unity, Not a Month of Discord
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n By Dr Aslam Abdullah
A Fontana, CA
ugust 20, 2020, the 1442 of
the Hijra, will begin in the
Muslim world. People will
congratulate each other and cele-
brate little concern
about the plight
of Muslims in dif-
ferent parts of the
world.
Those who take
pride in calling them
Sunnis will focus on the migration of
Prophet Muhammad from Makkah
to Medina in 622 CE, and those who
describe them as supporters or Shia’s
of Ali will mourn the martyrdom of
Imam Hussein, the grandson of the
Prophet in Karbala.
There is an inherent link be-
tween the Hijra and the martyrdom
of the grandson of the Prophet. Yet,
the religious leaders, in cohort with
rulers, in general, have made every
effort to promote divisions within
the community.
Hijra was to protect religious
freedom, and dignity of humans for
a society that respects justice, equal-
ity, and fairness. The martyrdom
was to eliminate despotism, the law
of primogeniture, and fascism to
create a culture that values liberty,
balance, and freedom.
Imam Hussein lived the legacy
of his grandfather when he chal-
lenged the tyrant and established
the Qur’anic rule that life is sacred.
Still, when the objectives of life are
under threat, martyrdom becomes
essential to remind the generations
of the significance of justice, liberty, and Sunnis have adopted to ob-
and pursuit of happiness.
Among Shias, the first ten days
of Muharram are crucial. They hold
assemblies and retell the stories
of martyrdom of Imam Hussein,
describe the virtues of Prophet’s
families, and in some cases, curse
those who betrayed them and who
usurped the right of the Prophet’s
cousin and son-in-law to succeed
him. They reassert that Imam Ali
was the right political and spiri-
tual successor of the Prophet and
not Abu Bakr, the father-in-law of
the Prophet. In several parts of the
world, the Shias also hold passion
plays repeating the events that led
to the martyrdom of Imam Hussein.
Sunnis celebrate the new year
by taking out processions, distrib-
uting sweets, and holding confer-
ences on Hijra. In South Asia, and
the Caribbean, some communities
hold parades with Taziya, miniature
mausoleums of Karbala, generally
made of colored paper and bamboo.
For Sunnis, Muharram is the
month of celebration, and for Shias,
n By Arlene J. Schar and Dr
W David Leffler
e are currently living
through unprecedented
times of epic propor-
tions.
Against the backdrop of a
deadly relentless pandemic and its
resulting economic and societal col-
lapse, cities worldwide are under
siege from the backlash of peaceful
are challenging times for police.
They are tasked with quelling the
rising violence; often put in situa-
tions where split second decisions
must be made in the heat of the mo-
ment: decisions often questioned in
the aftermath by administrators and
it is a month of mourning.
As long as the two communities
do not reconcile their approach to
relate with the beginning of the new
year, their differences will continue
to create further separation among
them. Every Muharram will open
the old wounds, and every night will
escalate conflict because those who
killed Imam Hussein claimed to be
Muslims.
Imam Hussein is more
representative of the legacy
of the Prophet than anyone
else not because he was the
grandson of the Prophet,
but because he received
the Prophet’s guidance in
a manner no one else did.
The Prophet loved him. The
love of those loved by the
Prophet is part of our faith
Imam Hussein’s martyrdom is a
sad reflection on earlier Muslim rul-
ers and scholars, a silence that has
continued to prevail even after the
fourteenth century. Through their
support and quietness, the schol-
ars legitimized tyranny, despotism,
violation of the Qur’an, disrespect of tion. They have to state that the law
the Prophet’s legacy, and destruction
of human rights and justice. They
laid the tradition of oppression that
continues in the attitude of everyone
who claims to lead Muslims. They
killed the grandson of the Prophet
in the battlefield of Karbala and
killed Islam’s spirit to create a new
world based on justice and equality.
The divisive approach that Shia
Challenging Times for Police
the public with no understanding of
the conditions prompting those de-
cisions.
We are now collectively experi-
encing a severe time of moral test-
ing. We have an opportunity to rise
to the challenge with new and better
ways of solving our myriad societal
flaws. Our challenge is in knowing
what the most correct courses of ac-
tion would be and in having the in-
ner fortitude to carry out those cor-
rect courses of action. So — how can
we most effectively create positive
change during these troubling times
of extreme social discord?
When answers elude the mind,
those answers can be found within.
www.PakistanLink.com
serve the month of Muharram must
change to revive the essence of Hijra
and the martyrdom.
Shia’s should focus on the es-
sence of the martyrdom of Imam
Hussein. They should replace curs-
ing with a genuine critique of the
silence and support of scholars for
the oppression. Cursing and cussing
do not serve any purpose except for
heightening tensions and increasing
hostilities and open their assemblies
to Sunnis, inviting their scholars
and leaders to address the audience
on justice and equality issues.
On the other hand, Sunnis
should not view martyrdom in the
context of the clan politics of Arabs. the hostilities.
Imam Hussein is more represen-
tative of the legacy of the Prophet
than anyone else not because he was
the grandson of the Prophet, but
because he received the Prophet’s
guidance in a manner no one else
did. The Prophet loved him. The
love of those loved by the Prophet is
part of our faith. The Sunnis need to
recognize Imam Hussein’s struggle
for justice and against despotism
as a genuine understanding of the
Qur’an and not as a political ambi-
of primogeniture adopted by the
founder of the Ummayad dynasty
violated the Qur’anic principle of
governance. They must make a dif-
ference between the respect of a
companion of the Prophet and re-
spect of the policies the Prophet
lived. Muawiyas, as a companion,
is different than Muawiya as a ruler,
not upholding Islamic principles.
The Qur’an demands that the truth
must precede everything else.
Muawiya’s role in expanding the
Ummayad empire was at the cost of
the growth of genuine Islam.
Each one of us possesses the means
to elevate not only our own con-
sciousness but the collective con-
sciousness of our entire country.
With greater clarity of mind and a
broader perspective, we will then
see clearly the most positive courses
of action to take in any given situ-
ation. Transcendental Meditation
(TM) is a proven, effective way to
do that.
TM is a non-religious, power-
ful brain-based technology. Exten-
sive peer-reviewed research shows
that is an effective means not only to The paper neither shares
reduce individual stress but also to
effectively and efficiently reduce the should not be held responsi-
high levels of collective stress caus- ble for the views/opinions of
OPINION
They can make Muharram a
month dedicated to Hijra and mar-
tyrdom for justice, equality, and
liberty. In the first ten days of this
month, they, along with Shias, can
remember the sacrifice and the
movement to establish justice.
There is a lot of politics in the
Shia-Sunni conflict. Saudi Arabia,
with the help of Salafis, describes
Shias as a deviant and non-Islamic
group. With the support of its re-
ligious clergy, Iran denounces all
Sunnis as part of the conspiracy and
action against Imam Hussein. Their
prejudices, based on their tribalism,
politics, and ambitions to claim the
leadership of Islam, have promoted
As explained and defined by
rulers and their salaried clergy, Is-
lam and the Qur’an will never allow
Muslim masses to come together for
justice, equality, and liberty for all.
There is a need for an independent
initiative by Muslims at the grass-
roots level. The religious establish-
ment of Shias and Sunnis will not
allow this to happen. Their survival
depends on the conflict and hos-
tilities. Their livelihood comes from
hatred towards each other. Only
those who have the innocence of
love and respect for the Qur’an, its
eternal universal principles of jus-
tice, equality, and freedom and who
see the divine faith above their race,
sect, and politics can take this initia-
tive. Let us hope that we change our
paradigm of looking at this issue.
(Dr Aslam Abdullah is resident
scholar at islamicity.org. He is editor
in chief of Muslim Observer and a
trustee of American Federation of
Muslims of Indian Origin. He gives
Friday sermons at Islamic centers in
California and other states)
ing insurmountable societal prob-
lems, thereby creating lasting peace.
TIMES, P24
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