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Current Affairs in the Muslim World
M. Arif Iqbal Khan
[email protected]
2011 uprisings in Arab countries referred to as the Arab Spring started in
Tunisia when a man called Bou Aziza burned himself to death in protest
against his government. His death brought young Tunisians to demonstrate
against Ben Ali, who fled to Jeddah as his regime collapsed. The fall of Ben
Ali inspired demonstrators to revolt against dictators in Egypt, Libya, Yemen,
Syria and Jordan.
Mubarak of Egypt resigned after heavy demonstrations in Cairo’s famous
Tahrir Square. Ghaddafi of Libya tried to stop the Libyan revolt militarily, but
unsuccessfully. NATO intervened in the public uprising by bombing, toppling
the Libyan regime. Ghaddafi was captured in his hometown Sitre while trying
to escape the wrath of militias. After ruling his country for 42 years Ghaddafi
was humiliated in the most inhuman manner at his execution in the desert.
With the fall of leaders Arab Spring marked its importance in Middle East
history as the turning point in the new century. Leaders of Syria, Yemen,
Jordan, Algeria and Saudi Arabia are watching events unfold before them,
with a lot of anxiety. The entire world has been taken aback by the speed of
changes in countries where change is not a familiar concept.
Lets go back in time. 100 years ago, in 1911, what was the condition of
Muslims? There were 3 regions of Islamic sphere. Uthmani khilafah ruled
from Morocco to Yemen. It was one big Islamic state, a super power which
was respected and feared. It was weakening due to many reasons but at its
weakest stage Ottomans commanded an army of 2 million mujahideen. Iran
was under the Safavid khanaete and Timurid India had been colonized by the
British.
All 3 spheres of the Islamic world paid homage to the global head of the
Muslim Millat, which was the legitimate Caliph in Istanbul. In early 1900’s
Turks had ordered 2 modern war ships from Britain to modernize their naval
power in addition to their fleet of ships being produced in Chittagong and
Karachi. Istanbul was being connected to the holy cities by commissioning
Hejaz Railway going through Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo later on.
Hindustani Muslims had formed the Muslim League in 1905 and successfully
lobbied for the partition of Bengal and establishment of Dhaka University. A
resurgent Islamic movement was taking root in Bengal and Punjab, largely
due to the efforts of Ali Brothers, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Kazi Nazrul and Sir
Allama Iqbal.
Just as Muslims were beginning to catch up with their mission Europeans
started a bloody conflict that soon engulfed the world into WWI. Ottomans
chose to join Germany because Russia would not allow Ottoman entry into
the allied team. Ottoman khilafah was a power amongst powers and they had
to take a position to safeguard their interests in 3 continents. Ottomans also
feared that if allies won, Russia would severely damage Ottoman holdings in
Eastern Europe. Turkey fatally joined Germany, who promised to modernize
Ottoman forces. Eventually however Germany and Ottoman Caliphate lost
the war. 1300 years of Islamic Caliphate would be abolished. The long and
unbroken chain of rulers from Abu Bakr ended with Sulatn Abdul Majed
Effendi in 1924.
Shortly thereafter, Muslims in different regions proposed creative ways to
regain their control over their territories. Jamaluddin Afghani, Muhammad
Abduh, Muhammad Iqbal, Kazi Nazrul were only few of those thinkers who
searched for a political method to rise above nationalism by uniting the
Ummah. Mustafa Kemal of newly created Turkish Republic set in motion a
political theory which became the focal point for other Muslim politicians. He
showed the way to move out from the rule of shareeah, adopt western
politics, secular law, and still be happy to be called a Muslim. Mustafa Kemal
wanted to prove that modernization is possible only by rejecting Islamic
culture. Modernization, according to Kemal meant to be more like western
countries in habits, culture, language, religion and politics. Westernization,
he argued, would take Turkey out from backwardness and into
modernization.
Jinnah of Pakistan and the Shah of Iran realized Kemalist technique quickly
and capitalized on it politically, although religiously they favored a more
conservative attitude. Europeans started another bloody conflict WWII, which
weakened British power but brought in US imperialism and Russian
Communism. By 1950’s Pakistan emerged as the most important Muslim
state in the world after Turkey. Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and
other Muslim countries gained independence from colonial masters.
Independence came with a condition, they had to accept their status as a
sovereign independent nation state and comply with the UN charter for
human rights, democracy and the supremacy of international community (UN
Security Council). This was very much against the creed of Islam, but still
Muslim rulers surrendered.
To counter de-islamization of Muslim lands, Muslim political parties were
formed to restore Islamic rule as per shareeah. A political party based on
Islamic Aqeedah was a new concept for Muslims, and it still continues to be
new for many. During the khilafah time there were no Islamic political parties
since rulers did not represent political ideologies except Islamic ideology.
Political climate in Khilafah was for reform, jihad and Islamic law, and as
such there was no need at that time for a political activism.
Was the creation of Islamic political parties an innovation in Islam, a bidah,
haram, asked most scholars. They could not come up with any credible
response when governments banned most Islamic political parties. Scholars
remain till today unconvinced about how to deal with such bizarre situation,
secular rulers do not implement Islam on one hand, and on the other political
parties wish to re-establish the Islamic Khilafah by removing secular rulers.
Support for Islamists (politicians) threatens imprisonment, torture, ban and
persecution at home and abroad. Silence however provides room for study,
scholarship, authorship, journalism and propagation of (non-existent) Islamic
Shareeah. Scholars chose the second of the two options. Islamic uprising of
the 1950’s was brutally crushed, by use of force and torture, by secularists.
Hassan al-Bannah, Syed Qutub and Izzedin al Qassam, who were foremost in
campaigning for revival. They were murdered by Muslim regimes. Almost all
the scholars remained silent at these killings.
Common people continued to suffer in both Deen and Duniya. In Deen, they
were forced to obey kaafir’s ruling system, in Duniyah they had to choose
between capitalism and communism, both of which violate Islamic law.
Ummah was caught between a rock and a hard place. They could not openly
support Islamic political parties without being persecuted, neither could they
go back to Dar al Islam. At best, some Muslim scholars could flee from their
lands to settle down in western secular and democratic countries. But
common Muslims suffered at the hands of ruthless dictators.
Shii Iran threw the Shah out and instituted the vilayate Faqih (rule of
fuqaha), a theocratic state for Iranian shias only. Pakistan Islamized its laws
and implemented hudood (on the poor only). Saudi Arabia pumped in money
for Egypt to face Israel, created by the US in Palestine after WWII. Sadat
made peace with Israel throwing Arab world into a rage. Sadat was
assassinated by the Brotherhood. King Faisal used oil as a political weapon
against the US. He too was murdered. Bhutto initiated the nuclear program
of Pakistan against US warnings. Bhutto was hanged. Islamic movement was
coming to halt altogether except for the next wave, which changed the
course of history.
Taliban established the first Sunni Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan sandwiched
between Iran and Pakistan. In the North, Turkey’s Islamist AKP party had a
firm grip on power after repeated election victories. The new Islamic belt
comprising of Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan created a formidable
Muslim crescent, able to strike at the very heart of any superpower. They
had oil (Iran), nuclear weapons (Pakistan), warriors (Afghanistan) and a
gateway to Europe (Turkey). Between them they had 3 international sea
ports connecting with all the major trade routes of the world. The return of
new Islamic Caliphate became too real a possibility.
Things had to change. There had to be another war. 9/11 was the answer.
First Afghanistan, not to take out a bogey man, but to gain a foothold next to
nuclear armed Pakistan. They could not invade Pakistan from India without
igniting a nuclear war, so they had to enter through Afghanistan, there was
no other choice. Next stop Iraq. That was lot easier as they already had
bases in Pakistan and Kuwait. Iran and Turkey did not pose any imminent
threat without Afghanistan and Pakistan as military allies. Turkey being a
member of NATO would not risk being attacked by Europe. Iran is seen as a
bulwark against Sunni uprisings.
Socialist leaders of Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen continued to keep their
people in the dark. They provided lots of subsidies, like low cost housing,
cheap fuel, jobs, scholarships, and other social benefits to keep people at
peace. But something kept bothering Muslims. They were not satisfied with
petty social benefits. They saw the unjust shedding of Muslim blood in
Palestine, Kashmir, Gujarat, Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechnya and Bosnia as an
insult to their faith.
Muslims from different backgrounds did not forget that the Holy Quran was
revealed for the Muttaqeen so that they can enjoin good and forbid evil. They
had been told that their ummah is one ummah. They have the same articles
of faith running from Morocco to Indonesia. How come their rulers did not
understand these simple concepts?
Mubarak, Ben Ali, Saleh, Ghaddafi and Assad failed to uphold Islamic values
and principles for their Muslim citizens, like so many other rulers. They have
Muslim names, build masjids and madrassahs, but they fail in that one thing
which Muslims want so badly. Rulers do not stand up to injustices. This is a
disgrace for Muslims. They were the best nation ever raised amongst
mankind, commanding good and forbidding evil.
The destruction of the Islamic State caused very damaging consequences.
The rise of secular independent nation states was not the answer for
Muslims. At best, they got a mix between democracy, imperialism,
capitalism, socialism and Hudud laws. Islam is pure, not a mish-mash baby
food. Some brave scholars of the past left for Muslims their wise sayings
about the importance of politics, khilafah and the khalifah.
Imam Hambal said, ‘Fitnah occurs when there is no Imam over the affairs of
the people….Imam is the one around whom all the people unite….”.
Al Mawardi said, “Imamate is prescribed to succeed Prophethood as a means
of protecting the Deen and managing the affairs of the world…”
Imam al-Baghdadi said, “the companions of the Prophet (s) have agreed on
the obligation of the Khilafah, and there is no significance to its opposition…”
Al Juwayni said, “Muslims must have an Imam to lead them and that is the
consensus of the Ummah and of imams”.
Imam Ghazzali, “You should know that the obligation of appointing a khailfah
is from the necessities of the shareeah, which we can not abandon”.
Imam Ghazzali, “In the absence of the khailfah, judges will be suspended,
willayats will be nullified, …the decrees of those in authority will not be
executed, and all the people will be on the verge of haram”.
Ibn Hazm stated, “All of Ahle Sunnah, all of Murjia, all of shia, all of khawarij,
have agreed on the obligation of Imamah. And that the Ummah is obliged to
appoint an Imam who will apply the rules of Allah swt and will look after their
affairs with the rules of the shareeah which the Prophet Muhammad swm
brought……”
Ibn Khaldun, “Imamah is wajib, and its obligation is known by the consensus
of the opinion by the companions of the Sahaba and the Tabien”.
Shah Waliullah Dehlavi said, “the collective reason of mankind says that a
khaleefah should be there to look after the interests which can not be
achieved without a khilafah”.
Today, Muslim world is in chaos because its body and spirit are not aligned
properly. We are the children of Hamza, Hussein Musab and other lions of
Allah swt. We cant be subjugated like lambs to a wolf. It is not in our nature
to submit to anyone.
Hypocrites who carry Muslim name only to steal our resources and sell our
lands, are waiting for the fate of Ghaddafi and Mubarak. They can’t bribe
Muslim ummah with stones (coins) and papers (money). We already traded
our wealth and children for the pleasure of Allah swt. They do not see what
we see and we don’t see what we should see.
We are disunited today because we don’t have one ruler to unite us all. If we
were united we could repel shaitan from our lands. Our unity is on the
platform of Khilafah Rashida minhaj Nubuwah. This is our dalil from Quran,
Sunnah, Ijma sahabah and Qiyas.
Khilafah activism is not an innovation, it is what the sahabas did while the
holy body of Prophet Muhammad (swm) remained to be buried. All the
sahabas were unanimous about the office of khalifah, there was no ikhtilaf
between sahabas, scholars, mujahideen or fuqahah. Therefore, according to
the laws of shareeah, khilafah is the most authentic evidence for Islamic
governance. Current Arab Spring is making mountains (authoritarian leaders)
like carded wool. People will ask each other, what is happening to this world.
It will be an earth shattering revolution, al Zilzal.
Peace and Blessings be upon the exalted, sublime and honored Holy Prophet
Muhammad sallillahu alaihi wa sallam.