I have a strong belief that if Islamic societies want to regain its past glory then all Islamic nations must form a military alliance like NATO so that the attack on one Islamic country is regarded as an attack on all the Islamic nations.
Apart from this all Islamic nations must also form an Economic Alliance like the one formed in Europe (European Economic Union) and in North America (NAFTA). This is the only way to regain the past glory.
They should also form a U.N. like structure where disputes among Islamic nations are resolved through diplomacy and dialogue and not allow the situation like the one which happened in 1991 when Saddam invaded Iraq. If Saddam would have avoided 1991 blunder then Iraq would have been a powerful and prosperous country. Today he is paying the price for his crimes of invading Kuwait.
Also modern education must be given high priority and laws should be enacted which empower women at equal footing and scrap the death sentences. The most attractive part of Islam is that it builds a very high moral standard which will eventually give the Islamic societies an edge over other cultures.
One of the most important aspect is that the religious fanatics who encourage suicide attacks and violence on innocent people should have absolutely no place in the Islamic society.
I wonder why no leaders from any Islamic country has ever taken initiative in this direction.
Re: How Islamic Societies Can Regain Its Past Glory
firstly by past glories i hope you dont mean the Umayyads,Abbassids and fatamid etc. empires.
The greatness of Islam is in the simplicity and piety of men like Ali(A.S) and Umar(R.A)
first on an individual level we should try to follow their examples only then we can form a truly islamic society.
It will be really tough to form a NATO like alliance for the following reasons
Existing disputes between the muslim nations
2)dependence on foreign aid for weapons/weak manufacturing base
Weak economies
4)Self-serving leaders
5)Failure to discard those pagan customs that we inherited from the pre-islamic times
Re: How Islamic Societies Can Regain Its Past Glory
Such initiatives must come from the top rather than from the bottom. Unfortunately the Islamic world doesn’t have a leader with a great vision and ideas and commitments.
It is the leaders who bring profound changes in the society.
Re: How Islamic Societies Can Regain Its Past Glory
There cannot be a NATO like alliance. The ideological (Shia, Sunni, and sectarian), ethnic/cultural/civilizational (Arab, Persian, Turkish, Hindustani Muslim, and Far-Eastern Muslim ), and political contradictions and identities are too deep to let such an alliance to materialize. Believe me, a Muslim Arab feels more association with a Christain Arab than with a poor non-Arab Muslim. In the war between Azerbiajan and Georgia in 1992, Iran was siding with Christain Georgia against Shia Muslim Azerbaijan.
Then we have global players, particularly the West, with their strategic interests who would consider it a threat and try to thwart it.
Also this Muslim NATO and Muslim Umma are imperialistic slogan used by Arabs, Persians, Turks, Punjabis etc. to undermine the sovereignty of Sindhis, Baluchis, Kurds, Bangalis, etc. and plunder their resources. These nations (Sindhis, Baluchis, etc.) should work for their own prosperity rather than wasting time on utopian and imperiakistic notions like Muslim Umma and Muslim NATO.
Alternative is let first there be Sindhistan, Baluchistan, Tajakistan, etc. and then let these nations come together, voluntarily like NATO nations, into regional political and/or military alliances (e,g. alliance of Arab Muslim nations, alliance of Central-South-Asian Muslim nations, etc.). The present Muslim countries are colonial creation and are therefore unnatural and unstable. Let there be stable states based on one ethnicity per state and then let the alliance to occur. And for this to occur, parasitic bureaucracies imposed by Western colonialists, fuedal culture started by Mughals and perfected by Western imperialists, and Mullaism would have to be eliminated.
And for God's sake keep Punjab out of such alliance (if it ever be) because it is ureliable and doesn't have the tradition/history/psyche of giving sacrifice and standing up for principles. Just like in the past it collaborated with British against fellow Muslims and fellow country-men, in future it can do the same.
Re: How Islamic Societies Can Regain Its Past Glory
I would love for that to happen, political unity and alleigances shouldn't be based on useless, temporary and racist identities such as skin color, language, nationality, tribe or caste/status but rather only on a religion and ideology (Islam) which can unite the whole world so there is peace and bliss.
Sadly the West will not let this happen anytime soon unless God plans otherwise, let me remind you what the British foreign secretary said after toppling the Caliphate prior to World War II.
“We must put an end to anything which brings about any Islamic unity between the sons of the Muslims. As we have already succeeded in finishing off the Khilafah, so we must ensure that there will never arise again unity for the Muslims, whether it be intellectual or cultural unity.”
Re: How Islamic Societies Can Regain Its Past Glory
Why do you always try and downplay Muslim unity? For the vast majoirty of us Muslims religious bonds are stronger than racial, linguistic, national or tribal.
After the initial fascination of meeting a Jew, Sikh or Zoroastrian who speaks our language wears of there’s just friction because religion for us isn’t just a weekly trip to the church and that’s that or ringing as few bells infront of Elephant Ji but rather it influences our culture, there’s the secular national/ethnic aspect of culture and there’s the religious, for Muslims the religious side has more importance, speaking for myself I may never wear a turban and pattu in this country or eat mantu but i’ll make sure not to drink or wear speedos.
Re: How Islamic Societies Can Regain Its Past Glory
Yes I am in total agreement with you that Punjabis, Pathans, Gorkhas and Jats sided with British during first freedom struggle of 1857 when the beautiful opportunity to reinstall the Mughal Emperor by Muslim and Hindu kings was sadly foiled. The British rewarded these groups by giving maximum representation in the British Indian army. But the political and military equations are never static. Let me clarify my point below to make you understand what I really mean.
British and French were arch rivals during the ealy period of colonisation. There was a continuous 100 year war between these two military powers. But this rivalry disappeared in the 20th century and in both the world wars British and French were allies.
So Punjabis to be considered as unreliable is unjustified.
Again considering the idea to be unimplementable is like saying half filled glass of water as half empty. Those who wants to see problems in an idea will say that the glass is half empty while those who are looking for opportunities to implementation will always say that the glass is half filled.
Re: How Islamic Societies Can Regain Its Past Glory
Speaking about Pashtuns, let me admit that we have our traitors e.g. Shah Shuja, who assisted British invade Pashtun Land or Khan Bahadar Ali Quli Khan, father of Aslam Khattak, one of the founding fathers of Muslim League in NWFP, who is blamed to have poisened Mullah Powinda, the Pashtun freedom fighter. But then our list of heroes is very long that include Mullah Powinda, Haji Sahib Turanzai, Faqir of Epi, Umara Khan Janduli, Wazir Akbar Khan, and Abdul Ghafar Khan to mention a few. True, some Pashtuns might have collaborated with British in queling the freedom war of 1857 but then who can ignore the role of Bakhth Khan Rohila in 1857 and the stiffest resistence offered by Rohila Pashtuns of Rohilkand to British colonialism? Worth mentioning is also the fact that during the World War I, our people deserted British forces because they were not willing to fight Turkish Muslim brethern.
Believe me every group has a national character and syche. Just like it is in our nature not to bow to imposition, coercion, and force and to fight for our freedom and honor (because slavery is an indignity and a curse that degrades you to a subhuman level and ultimately makes you extinct), similarly other groups have other tendencies and attributes as a part of their national psyche and character.
Are you sure Punjab can resist the temptations of a secure, safe, propsperous and comfortable life? Has “defiance, resistence, and sacrifice” ever been a part of its character and rebelion against oppression, coercion, and imposition an element of its national psyche? Has it ever stood for abstract but exalted and noblest virtues like freedom (from slavery/subservience), liberty, equality, self-esteem, and democracy—when in its history has it done so if you would say yes (Don’t mention Sikhs–they are really a valient people…Baba Goro Nanak invented that religion-sikhism-and gave Sikh Punjabis values and abstract notions to uphold, fight for, and defend).
Believe me friend, it is not the glory of the hay-days but sacrifices during hard time that gives people pride, high-moral ground, and the spirit to not to perish and to survive in history with dignity. All great nations are not great because they once had power, glory, and influence but becuse they had the moral courage, integrity, zeal and commitment to stand for freedom and honor when they were in trouble and when oppression and destruction had befallen them.. Herein lies the greatest weakness of Pakistan. If some day, some power threatens to bomb Faisal Abad, Lahore, and Sialkot, Punjab wouldn’t make effort to defend notions like freedom but its affluence and idustrialized cities beging the invader to leave these cities undamaged and to take away what it wants to.
Sindhis have immense inner strength and the fighting spirit-not of voilent type though but the non-voilent, mystic, profound, and latent type-that finds expression in its lore, tradions, and literary and religious movements. Baluchis have the same strength and moral power and so have the Urdu-speakers, the descendants of valient Mulana Mohammad Ali, Mualana Shaukat Ali, Shiekhul Hind Mahmudul Hassan, Mulana Abul Kalam Azad, Azeemullah Khan, Bakhth Khan Rohila, and a large number of others. I hope the present and next generations of Punjab do away with the traditions and making a new turn in history by standing for democracy, freedom (from oppression), equality, and liberty. Only then can we hope for a prideful future for Pakistan and a broader Muslim unity.
Re: How Islamic Societies Can Regain Its Past Glory
I admit that Pashtuns are really brave people. They didn’t allow British to capture Afghanistan, Russian invasion was also fiercely resisted. But why they couldn’t instill confidence in other ethnic groups to make Afghanistan a truly united and prosperous country?
Re: How Islamic Societies Can Regain Its Past Glory
correction! It was Z A Bhutto not Zia who leaded such an attempt with Shah faisal and Qaddafi - but USA destroyed the attempt leading to fall of these 2 leaders.. Zia was just a puppet - where did he attempt a thing like muslim group ? The west never want such a group to exist..
Coming back to the post muslim nations are not geographically as coherent as european union and are haeded by a diverse group of people like kings, dictators, political leaders etc. Most of them have their own interests are try to build relationships where they profit..
The closest thing at this time should be an economic or educational alliance or collaboration..