Should We Defend the Saudis?
By Syed Kamran Hashmi
Westfield, IN
Although Saudi Arabia (KSA) does not pose a direct threat to the integrity of Pakistan, but in many ways we stand so close to be declared as a failed state because of the Kingdom’s ruthless agenda to transform our society into an Arab one and turn its accommodative attitude towards religion upside down. The rigid Islamic doctrine, as implemented (not practiced) by the Saudi Royal,s may suit their culture and may very well represent their basic understanding of religion, however, in the Subcontinent, it harms the interests of the Muslims, threatening their peaceful coexistence with people of other faiths.
For centuries, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians have lived together - Muslims being a minority - in this region. Had we tried to abide by the rules of the Saudis here, our own survival would have been endangered. Thus, it was in our interest to get along with everyone else, accept the inter-religious differences and respect each other’s personal choices. So ingrained is this attitude in our daily lives that we still find Sunnis who attend the Ashura rallies during Muharram, Hindus who visit the shrines of Sufi saints, Muslims who celebrate Holi with their Hindu counterparts and Christians who stitch new clothes on Eid after Ramadan.
In Pakistan today, where the society is overwhelmingly Muslim, Salafi ideology continues to split the nation into smaller fragments creating animosity between Shias and Sunnis, Sunnis and Wahabis and Sunnis (Deobandis) and Sunnis (Beralvis). True, we cannot solely blame the Saudis for this mess. Pakistan’s insatiable appetite for free dollars and its establishment's unreal foreign policy objectives have contributed as much, if not more, in throwing ourselves in front of this demon of religious extremism, a devil with multiple heads.
And terrorism, which the whole world including the KSA is trying to wipe out, represents only one of those heads. However, more dangerous than terrorism is the radical ideology itself, a system of belief that has penetrated the educated middle class who now thinks that calling Muslims belonging to other sects as Kafirs (infidels) or killing minorities under certain circumstances is justified and may even be warranted, a trend if not quickly reversed can be detrimental for our existence.
Knowing all this, I am opposed to consider a threat to Saudi Arabia from Iran or Yemen as ‘a threat to Pakistan.’ Why should we look for trouble when we have so many of our own? So far, we have not even caught our own ‘arch-terrorist,’ Mullah Fazlullah, who hides in our backyard and is free to plan and launch more attacks. Should we compromise on his search jeopardizing the lives of our kids to protect someone else’s by sending troops in the Arabian peninsula? No way. Furthermore, whether the conflict between KSA and Yemen is described in sectarian terms or explained as a power struggle between the various tribes, it will always be coated with a religious color. Would it not stir up sectarianism in Pakistan? Moreover, no matter what we do in bringing ‘peace,’ we will be considered as mercenaries, and degraded as an Army of an over-populated, poor country which sends its troops in harm's way to protect the wealth of its rich financier. Don’t we already enjoy that reputation? It makes me think it is even more important this time to do just the opposite and reclaim our autonomy.
Let me put it another way: what would happen in Pakistan if Egypt waged a war against Libya? Nothing, even though both of them are Muslim countries. Or a conflict erupted between Sudan and Chad? Again, my response would be the same. Sure, we do not want them to clash, but in no way we should help or offer support to either one of them. We must stay away, as we would, from the areas of trouble as far as we can and for as long as we can.
Of course, neither one of them - Egypt, Libya, Chad or Sudan -provide financial assistance to Pakistan; and none of them can be considered as sacred as the Kingdom. Nonetheless, the security of the Holy places, the Makkah and the Medina, is the combined responsibility of all the Muslims, not only ours, and it must be shared with everyone. We cannot stand alone as the savior of Islam among all other countries. Why? The above statement is based on a false premise. Do you think Islam needs a savior? Then, we do not have the means or the expertise to perform this job even if we want to; and last, we cannot afford it - end of discussion.
Regarding the financial assistance, I believe we have to first learn the universal lesson that there is no free lunch. So, we must focus on securing financial independence, a hard rock to climb for a country that is always desperate for money. And second, there is no dollar amount that can justify Pakistan Army’s soldiers killing other Muslims or getting killed by them in a regional conflict that is not ours to begin with. What if a Shia officer does not want to hit a Yemeni or get involved in this dispute? Rules aside, what will be the moral or religious ground to fire him? Are we going to declare our military as a Sunni Army alone?
I can understand that the current administration, led by Mian Nawaz Sharif, cherishes the House of Saud. We all know why, don’t we? I can also understand that the Army Generals also keep close contact with the Royals. We know their reasons as well. Ordinary Pakistani people too look up to their Arab brothers with reverence; however, securing their borders is their responsibility - and theirs alone. For us it should not matter who is ruling the Arabian Peninsula. Was Makkah less important for us when Hijaz fell from the control of the Ottoman Empire? No. Or did it lose its importance once the current rulers shot the previous ones dead?
