Arab Summer, Western World and Islam
By Dr Basheer Ahmed Khan
Garden Grove, CA
To say that what is happening in the Arab world is a Western conspiracy to destabilize the Islamic world is only a partial truth. There can be no blame if one takes advantage of the stupidity of others.
The problem that we see in the Muslim world is the mindset of the Muslims. We have leaders who aspire to occupy position of power without any grassroots following on the support of foreign governments and NGOs. We have countries whose leaders aspire to become leaders of the Muslim world with no ideas, no organizations, and no material sympathy for the people of the Muslim world except crocodile tears. The West which is dragged into this hopeless situation for energy and maritime security does not have sincere advisers who are knowledgeable. Sycophants with personal agendas and scare mongers dominate the media, the think tanks and even the bureaucracy to complicate matters both for the West and the Muslim world.
This situation has brought some natural leaders to the fore in the Muslim countries who have very little idea about how the system works in their country and internationally. These novices think that everything that is being done by the ruling class in their country is wrong and that they have the intellectual acumen and public support to change everything overnight. These are the type of people who are needed by the powers who are managing the affairs of the world to pass on the baggage of the misdeeds of the existing ruling class and start the old game with a fresh slate.
This game of musical chairs in Muslim politics which started with the assassination of Usman RA is continuing till today. The prophesy of Nabi SA that the sword unsheathed once will not be sheathed again till the day of Qiyamah (Tirmizi 3256), and that his (SA) Ummah will not be subdued by the foreign forces but will suffer from infighting (Tirmizi 2175) is proving correct.
The Western world with all the resources at its command has been struggling hard for the past five years to come out of the morass of the economic debacle of 2008. To think that Islamists with all the sanctions on them can change the fortune of their countries in months is an illusion. PM Nawaz Sharif has correctly alluded to this dilemma when he said, “Even those who did not vote for us are happy at our coming to power.”
In all this game of the political chess board, Islam is only a pawn which is being sacrificed by “friends” and foes alike to sub-serve their agendas. Unknown and untested characters are brought on stage under the banner of old Islamic movements of reform and education to carry on personal agendas. Under these circumstances it is good that President Morsy has agreed to home imprisonment instead of putting the name of Islam and its brotherhood to shame because of the desire of a few of its participants to occupy the seat of power for their personal gains.
Taking lessons from the fate of FSI in the Mukhabirath system of Algeria, it is better that the Brotherhood goes back to the service of the suffering people of Egypt as they were doing before during the time of Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak till the pharaoh sends his bartender to look out for Joseph to get an understanding of his nightmare (Ch 12 V 43-57).
Islam surely has a solution but for that people must be prepared. That is why the Qur’an teaches us to pray for the pious leadership of a pious people (Ch 25 V 74). When masses have been brainwashed with anti-Islamic sentiments no Islamic leader can meet anything other than prison or gallows. That is why Jesus, peace be upon him, is not being sent by Merciful Allah despite our immense suffering and long wait.
Prophesies and prognostication made in Qur’an and hadith are not a decree by Allah swt and his messenger to condemn people to the vagaries of destiny over which they have no control but a caution in the light of their infinite knowledge to warn people and motivate them to change their attitudes and actions. Allah SWT does not change the fate of a nation until it makes effort to change itself (Ch 13 V 11). Qur’an has outlined this course of change by commanding Muslims to adhere to Qur’an and follow the prophet (Ch 3 V 103). Qur’an asks Muslims to be obedient to rulers, and if they have dispute with them they should resolve it according to it (Ch 4 V 59). Nabi SA has commanded us to break our bows, cut their strings and stick to the depth of our houses in time of Fitnah (Tirmizi 2204).
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