Benazir Bhutto’s Vision
By Air Marshal (Retd) Ayaz Ahmed Khan
Los Angeles, CA
On our fiftieth wedding anniversary in February 2008, my son Asad gave us a priceless gift - Benazir Bhutto’s book "Reconciliation, Islam, Democracy and the West" with this note, "I hope you enjoy this book that captures the memory and ideas of a great leader that we lost". As I started reading the book, I was startled and deeply moved that not only Pakistan, but the world of Islam had been deprived of a visionary leader and a scholar with rare vision. She could have done so much to regenerate hope and a new spirit in the 1.4 billion Muslims of the world.
She writes, "The Muslim world’s decline is not due simply to the injustices of colonialism or the global distribution of power. At some point Muslim societies must be responsible and accountable. There is abundance of riches in Muslim countries. The Muslim countries could draw up an agenda to reduce poverty, and rekindle Islamic nations as centers of knowledge. Muslims have the power to change the direction of history by adhering to the Islamic teaching of sharing wealth. Such collective action is a challenge that we must face and act upon. By creating a Muslim response through a Muslim fund, our generation can raise revenues for the benefit of generations of Muslim children yet unborn". Her vision of Muslim future in sharing, needs to be understood.
"The clash within Islam is but a part of the problem threatening world stability. There is another element of international disruption that some call ‘the global war on terror,’ that others hyper-ventilate into ‘World War IV’. Even if the Islamic nations were to do everything that I suggest, we would still be left with a significant chasm between the Islamic countries and the West. There is a strong sense in the Muslim world that the West wishes to impose its values on Muslim societies and these often are inappropriate and undermine Islamic values of family life. It doesn’t matter if it is true or not. If it is believed, it becomes self-fulfilling because perception often shapes reality". This perception is everywhere, and Western leaders need to comprehend the lack of trust, and do something to bridge it. "The question is two-fold; first the West should look inside, determine and understand the extent of Muslim perceptions. Just as I urge my fellow Muslims not to blame others for problems that we are responsible for, I urge the West not to blame Muslims for problems that have arisen from West’s culpability. And second, the West must open up in considering what steps can be taken to bridge the chasm between societies and cultures.
"The West must acknowledge the residual damage of colonialism and its support for dictatorships during the cold war. The West, especially the United States of America, must be ready to revisit the rippling impact of the so-called war on terror, which is perceived by hundreds of millions of Muslims as a ‘global war on Islam’. Many Muslims believe that Islam is under attack and Muslims are under siege. That conflict in Iraq is part of a much broader and nefarious Western agenda."
She is not talking to a wall. This is not a book which should be read and put away. This book is a best-seller. It should be read, re-read and absorbed. Bhutto is a widely respected leader and intellectual of international stature. The Muslims of the world should comprehend her message of tolerance and democracy. She is emphatic that "a period of introspection by the West is necessary. It is critical for the West - and most importantly for the United States to examine the extent to which Islamic concerns and criticisms are justified, and then commit to addressing these concerns substantively. I am not condoning terrorism and hatred … But a problem existed before September 11, 2001, and the problem will continue to exist after Al-Qaeda is a painful memory. There is confusion between the West and the Islamic world, and there is distrust .The confusion can be clarified. The distrust can be overcome. But a plan of action is needed".
Benazir was aware that poverty, ignorance, frustration and despair lead to extremism, militancy and terrorism. But extremism in Muslim societies has led to a culture of violence and intolerance, and Benazir’s thoughts to humanize extremism are vital to Islamic resurgence: "The extremism and militancy of Muslim to Muslim violence is a long battle for the heart and soul of Islamic religion, and the one billion Muslims. It is about whether Muslim people can survive and prosper in the modern era, or whether linkages with the traditional interpretations of the sixteenth century will freeze them in the past. If Muslims can adjust to changes in the political, social, and economic environment, we will not only survive but flourish. If modernity is dogmatically resisted, the existence of Muslims as a viable community will become vulnerable. In the extreme, Muslims will attempt to impose themselves in a messianic union of Muslim states that would provoke the external clash between Islam and the West; which the world is afraid of."
There is much the Muslims can do to reconcile the internal contradictions that divide Muslims in the 21st century. By charting a proper course Muslims can become a central force shaping the course of humanity. Benazir believed in the potential of the Muslim Ummah for a better world. She advised the West "to bridge the gap between itself and the Muslim community by taking specific and concrete steps. The widening gap of perception, values and compatibility threatens to explode into the epic battle of the 21st century. The Islamic states can accommodate and reconcile with one another and with the West. It is a challenging and ambitious undertaking, but it can be done". Benazir was a leader with vision, optimism, dynamism and energy. She could have led the Islamic world towards progress and reconciliation with the West.
Benazir’s passion for democracy was deep and sincere. She writes, "Conventional wisdom would have us believe that democracy has failed to develop in the Muslim world because of Islam itself. According to this theory Islam and democracy are mutually exclusive. Islam is rooted in an authoritarianism that promotes dictatorship. I reject this thinking as simplistic, grounded in neither theology nor experience. The so called incompatibility of Islam and democratic governance is used to divert attention from the sad history of Western political intervention in the Muslim world. And this has been a major impediment to the growth of democracy in Islamic nations. Western imperialism, which she calls the actions of the West in the 19th and 20th centuries blocked democratic development in Muslim majority countries. Western policies preserved authoritarianism and crushed the growth of nascent democratic movements in the Islamic world. West’s efforts to disrupt democratic tides, initially for economic interests and then for political motives, have fueled and exacerbated tensions between the West and Islam. There has been no support for indigenous democratic movements in Islamic countries. Indeed too often there has been outright support for dictatorships. Both during the Cold War, and now in the current battle with international terrorism, the shadow between Western rhetoric and actions has sowed the seeds of Muslim disillusionment and cynicism. Western double standards have fueled extremism and fanaticism. The drop in respect for the West in the Muslim world is for this reason. This trend is true even in pro-Western Muslim countries like Turkey. In countries that are viewed as strategically important for economic and geopolitical factors, the West’s commitment to democracy is more platitude than policy. This strategic inconsistency is a moral dilemma for the United States. West preaches democracy as a God-given right, but its application is selective, which is inherently immoral.
If dictatorship is bad, then dictators cannot be good, even when they are powerful allies in fighting common enemies. Washington supported Pakistan’s military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf , whom it considered a key ally in the war against terrorism, even as it supported democracy in neighboring Afghanistan and in Iraq.
She quotes Noah Feldman who wrote in New York Times, "President Bush’s recent speech at the United Nations assailed seven repressive regimes, but was silent about other countries where the United States colludes with dictators of varying degrees of nastiness."
Benazir Bhutto fought for democracy in Pakistan and won. The Pakistani nation owes her a debt of gratitude for the February 18 victory for democracy. She will be remembered by generations as a great leader, who sacrificed her life for democracy and peoples’ rights. Her book "Reconciliation- Islam, Democracy and the West" is a lasting tribute to her wisdom, courage and resolve to usher democracy and rid dictatorship.
