MMA Resignations
By Col. Riaz Jafri
(Retd)
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
The
Muttahida Majlise Amal (MMA) has decided to quit
the National Assembly in protest to its passing
the Women Protection Bill. MMA considers the bill
un-Islamic and as such has taken the extreme step.
All those voting for the bill are equally adamant
that there is nothing against the Qur’an
and Sunnah in the and Chaudhry Shujaat has even
offered to resign from the National Assembly if
proven wrong. The question arises as to who is
right and who is wrong. Does the MMA comprise
of the political parties or of the religious muftis
entitled to issuing religious edicts – fatawa?
If they are a conglomeration of political parties
– contesting elections, opposing a President
in uniform and upholding democracy - then they
should follow democratic norms of Assemblies.
And if they consider themselves to be religious
authorities then they should preach religion in
the madrassas and mosques. However, even there,
I do not think that they have the right to dictate
any one to order his/her life in accordance with
their particular line of thinking.
Islam allows no compulsion in the matter of Deen.
At best what they can do is to set a personal
example for others to emulate. At best what Qazi
Sahib and his colleagues have publicly pronounced
many a time that given the opportunity they would
Islamise the nation. They insist that as Pakistan
was created in the name of Islam, Isl am and Sharriah
have to be imposed in it. What is feared such
pronouncements might result in enforcement of
theocracy leading to the Talibanisation in Pakistan.
However, it is a different matter that almost
all the Muslim religious parties of the- then
India, to which the present lot of our religious
leaders belong, had opposed the creation of Pakistan.
So much so that Pakistan was called by them ‘Na-Pakistan’
and the Quaid-i-Azam as ‘Kafir-i-Azam’!!.
Ironically the political clerics of today who
are the heirs and descendants of the very same
anti-Pakistan elements consider it to be their
right to rule over the country begotten by the
Kafir-i-Azam and enforce their brand of Islam.
One wonders where from they would derive the authority
to enforce what they consider correct and good
for others.
They can certainly set the personal example of
conduct and concept by their words and deeds for
others to follow but cannot and should not be
allowed to enforce their thinking upon them. There
is no papaiyat in Islam or room for any one claiming
to be more religious than others. All are equal
before Allah (SWT) and answerable to HIM and HIM
alone. However, having surrendered their legislative
powers they seem to have designs to exploit the
street power in the name of Islam and the so-called
abolition of Hadood Allah by the present ‘secular’
rulers. Unfortunately, they know the art of oratory
to influence the minds of the naïve and gullible
simpletons, who can be orchestrated to the pitch
of even laying their lives for Islam.
The ordinary folks know not much of such religious
intricacies, and one sincerely hopes and prays
that they shall not be exploited in the name of
religion by our religious political leaders. I
think according to a Hadis, an aalim using deen
for his personal gains stands condemned before
Allah (SWT and His Rasool (SAW). I hope the learned
Qazis and Maulanas are aware of it. However, if
in their heart of hearts they are convinced that
what they are doing is right, and the Women Protection
Bill is un-Islamic and thereby they are not exploiting
the naïve masses then they are welcome to
it. At the same time all those who think it otherwise
must do all within their power to put across their
point of view to the masses. Masses must know
the truth and apprising them of the truth and
absolute truth is not only the domain of the maulvies
and ulemas alone. They are to be told if passing
of such a bill is un-Islamic or not. Whether the
God ordained Hadood Allah have been tampered with
or not. In this very serious matter it is the
duty of all to educate the masses absolutely correctly
without any fears or favours. Let’s in the
process open the doors to Ijtehad and not leave
it only to the Maulanas and Maulvies who have
their political axes to grind as well.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain is reported of having
plans to dissuade the MMA leaders from submitting
their resignations to the Speaker when the NA
meets around 6/7 December. My sincere advice to
him is not to do so. It will not work and the
Chaudhry Sahib will stand to lose face. The MMA
leadership has not taken such a big decision succumbing
to emotions just on the spur of the moment without
having given due consideration to all pros and
cons of it. Instead Chaudhry Sahib should concentrate
on the Bye Election for the sixty odd vacated
seats. He is likely to sail through easily with
his candidates as the MMA would not, and should
not, on principle, contest the seats and be again
part of the same NA. This way PML- (Q) and its
supporters could attain the much coveted two-third
majority in the house enabling them to usher in
any bills and amendments that they need. Even
if Chaudhry Sahib succeeds in dissuading the MMA
leaders from resigning, their Sword of Damocles
will remain hanging to be put to a crucial use
in any next eventuality by them. So, why not make
full use of the opportunity provided by the MMA
themselves?
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