The Muslim World: Hope in the New Millennium – I
By Dr. Prof. Mohammad Ahmed Qadri
Islamic Educational and Cultural Research Center
California
In Islam, the term Ummah is synonymous with the modern term of nation. But the difference between nation and Ummah is that a nation is based on color, cast, language, common culture and territory while Ummah is a single element identity based on faith. The Holy Qur’an exhorts the Muslims thus:
You are the best nation among the people [provided] you command to righteousness and prohibit from evil.
In this light, it is the duty of every Muslim to attempt to act as a catalyst for good and deterrent for evil.
However, upon sociological analysis, one can conclude that a millennium is over, and the Muslim world is back to where it was in 1918, notwithstanding the fact that there are 54 or so Muslim states which are theoretically sovereign, but practically slaves to their own political interests. The century opened with the demise of the sick man of Europe but has ended on an even bitter note for Muslims who at the moment are preoccupied with an intense feeling of frustration and failure. [Omar Qasim, Challenges before the Muslim World]
The disintegration of the USSR has resulted in a unipolar system. In addition, the chaos, instability and poor leadership in the Muslim countries have certainly made possible the development of the recent past. With the house in such a mess, and in the backdrop of this complex scenario the situational crises occurred everywhere in the Muslim world.
There are many areas of vulnerabilities and challenges for the Muslim world to be confronted with in the 21st century. However, we need to focus on some of the most important challenges:
• Geo-political and economic importance of the Muslim Ummah and challenges faced by it
• Need for technological and educational advancement
• Socio-cultural tradition as a tool for the re-orientation of the Muslim Ummah
• Revival of Pan-Islamism
Geo-political and Economic Importance of the Muslim World and Challenges Faced by it
Today there are actually 54 Muslim countries. They are very strategically located, flanked by the Christian / Secular West on one side, and the Hindu / Buddhist on the East. We see that all these countries are spread over in at least five regions of three mostly populated continents, rich in history and civilization, contiguous and bound with Islamic faith.
Region 1
North Africa, known as the Magreb, consists of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania – six African states.
Region 2
This region comprises 2,762.058 square miles of which only 4.5% land is arable. There are 24 African countries although very backward and at lowest land of poverty, but very rich in mineral wealth.
Region 3
Middle East up to Pakistan having Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Maldives, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen – 15 Asian states.
Except Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, all countries are linguistically and culturally linked. The total population of Arabic-speaking countries is 2.3 million. These countries have commercial links with almost all countries of the world, have proven oil and natural gas resources and are located in the Gulf region comprising almost 67% of the world’s total resources. Saudi Arabia alone has 25% of the world’s total resources. This region supplies 24.75 million barrels per day to the world market. Complete peace in the region is most important for the region, particularly Pakistan, since the central Asian countries are vigorously waiting for passage of their merchandise via Afghanistan to parts of Pakistan. This region has 16 countries and a total area of 2,681,804 sq miles.
Region 4
The South East Asia includes Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia – four states of Asia. Except Bangladesh all three countries have linguistic and central relations. Fertile lands have made this region exchange earning area. Malaysia’s development in various economic spheres is exemplary. These countries have vast commercial relations with many countries of the world since many centuries. Total area is 935,593 sq miles. Asia has 20 Muslim nations. Total area is 3,617,397 sq miles and the population is 764,171,571.
Region 5
Includes Muslim states of Europe and Central Asia – we name it as Eurasia. It contains 10 states namely Albania, Bosnia, Muslim Cyprus, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhistan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkemenistan and Uzbekistan. [Geo-political Academy, USA]
The Republics of former Soviet Union have freed themselves from the communist brutality and finally joined the Ummah, sharing the common religion of Islam. They are technologically self-sufficient. Turkey is another developed country of this region and is the only Muslim country which has membership in NATO and has cordial relations with USA, Russia, France, Germany and other European countries. Linguistically and culturally, these countries have good relations with one another. More important point among these countries is that they are socially, culturally, ethnically, and to an extent linguistically, also homogeneous since they come from the same stock.
To sum up, the total area of the Muslim world in these five regions covers 11,962,086 sq miles, average arable area of the world is 57,900,000 sq miles and its population is 5,972,000,000, growing with an average of 1.6% per annum. Politically speaking there are 37 republics and nine kingdoms. six countries are under military junta and two are under civil war. For name sake there are 37 republics governed under parliamentary system, but true democracy is in experimental stage only. In the nine kingdoms run by the rulers and the members of the royal family, democracy is obscure. However, in view of the God-given wealth of oil and gas, these rulers have the ambition to bring welfare to the citizens who could live a comfortable life without demanding their democratic rights. The six countries under military junta are run by dictators who lack tolerance for demands relating to democracy or human values.
As regards human values, we are sorry to say that no country could boast of its record in this regard. Afghanistan and Somalia are under civil war but hopefully whenever the civil war is over they may join the republic brotherhood. Every fourth man of the globe is a Muslim. According to the statistical projections in 2020 AD, every third man on the globe will be a Muslim. This is good only when the means of production also tend to increase at par with the growth rate of the population. Sixty-seven per cent of the world’s demand of oil is met by the Muslim world of which Saudi Arabia alone has a 30% share. Likewise 41.8% of the world’s demand for natural gas is being supplied by Muslim countries [Geo-political Academy, USA]. The Muslim states not only sustain the economies of the industrialized world, they are so located that they can either cripple or ensure the continued flow of oil to the industrialized countries where life without this resource will come to a grinding halt.
The industrialized West plays a vital role in the economies of the Muslim states. The wars of the 21st century will not be fought with weapons; they will be more of a conflict of ideologies and economic interests. [Brig. (retd.) Mazher Kizilbash, The Realities of a Uni-Polar World]
Whether we realize it or not, we now live in a uni-polar world where the United States reigns supreme. For better or for worse, the new world order will be a world of America’s making, as former President Bush said: “Among the nations of the world only the United States of America has both the moral standing and the means to back it up. We are the only nation in the world that could assemble the forces of peace.” [Directorate of Research and Analysis, The New World Order – A Special Report]
Thus, the US has achieved global leadership in almost all political, strategically cultural, social and economic spheres by gaining mastery over the latest 1990s invention of cyberspace. Having attained such a gigantic and dominating position in the world and its affairs, the US has to safeguard the interest of the Arab World by adopting proper procedures to make Israeli leaders come to terms with the Arabs on lines dictated by the UN Security Council. Once this Arab-Israeli conflict is over, global politics shall determine the global economy, which is necessary for US determination to become the leader of the world and to reap the benefits of the ensuing boom. Otherwise there is every possibility for the Arabs to use oil as a weapon to settle all disputes once for all.
True and lasting peace in the world cannot materialize until the Muslim Ummah steps forward for its economic and political reformation.
Technological and Educational Advancement in the Muslim World
The 19th and 20th century has witnessed spectacular technological advancement by the Western countries. The period of ten years from the discovery of radium by Marie Curie in 1895 to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in 1905, brought a significant change in the notions and applications of science and thereby emerged the modern technology and electronics in the domain of scientific activities [Geo-political Academy, USA]. In the last decade of the 20th century the introduction of the microprocessor by the USA finally converted the world into a small village.
On the other hand, Muslim regions that claim some of the most modern and advanced refineries and petrochemical factories, have not designed or made a machine that could produce needles and pins. And in other regions, which can do so, the emphasis has been mostly on light industry which is generally oriented towards an import situation. Not a single Muslim state can claim to be an industrial nation in the accepted sense of the world today [Dr. Afzal Iqbal, Contemporary Muslim World]. Worst of all, the Muslim world is totally dependant on others for sophisticated weapons of defense. Consequently, spending should be carried out on technology oriented, enlightened education [Omar Qasim, Challenges before the Muslim World].
In the contemporary socio-cultural era, technology is the key to economic development and education is the engine of technology. It is one of the requirements of socio-economic change. [Prof. Ahmed Sheikh, Top Priority to Education]. Education should be given the same priority as the defense of the country and revival of economy, because the very foundation of the Islamic Society is based on education.
Socio-Cultural Tradition as a Tool for the Re-Orientation of the Ummah
Islam is a strong monotheistic faith based on the Holy Qur’an and Prophethood and is a way of life, with every activity, social, down to the smallest detail regulated by the Qur’anic perception. It is because Islam is a religion of peace and justice.
In this regard, a well-known writer Samuel P. Huntington in his famous work, “The Clash of Civilization”, identifies two significant points:
- For the purpose of self-identity, civilization, inclusive of cultural roots, is more important than national states in which people live and are seemingly divided.
- That among the civilization divide of the world, Islam presents the most serious challenge to communism.
The conflicts of the 21st century will be more of ideologies and social values [Brig. (retd.) Mazher Kizilbash, The Realities of a Uni-Polar World]. The real competition would be at the land of two cultures and civilizations, one based upon Islamic values, and the other on values of materialism, nationalism and liberalism, both economic and political [Prof. Khurshid Ahmed, Islam and the New World Order.]
(Part 2: Revival of Pan-Islamism/Suggested measures to Promote World Peace)
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