Wonderful article from Irfan Hussain. I’ve always respected this gentleman for his rationale, unbiased views and humanitrian approach.
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/mazdak.htm
When will we ever learn?
When Hashem Aghajari, a Muslim radical intellectual with impeccable revolutionary credentials, was condemned to death for his opposition to the hardliners in Tehran, why weren’t there any protests from Istanbul to Islamabad?
When a Nigerian woman was sentenced to death by stoning for becoming pregnant by a man not her husband, why were there no demonstrations in her support outside Nigerian embassies in the entire Muslim world? Why were hundreds of innocent Christians killed by enraged Muslim mobs in Nigeria over a silly, albeit blasphemous article, and why has the journalist, Isioma Daniel, had to flee the country?
There are times it seems that our outrage is reserved for incidents in which the West is involved either actively or passively. Thus, our (justified) anger against European inaction over the Serb killing of Muslims in Bosnia, and against Russian atrocities in Chechnya. But when the Americans led a reluctant Europe to act in Bosnia and Kosovo, saving countless Muslim lives, One doesn’t recall hearing too many cheers from mosques in the Muslim world.
Another reason why Muslims have double standards when it comes to human rights and common decency is that we are an intolerant people and rarely brook dissenting voices or differing opinions. Indeed, the public expression of other beliefs is strictly prohibited. Pakistanis feel there is nothing wrong in proselytizing abroad, but will not allow foreigners the same religious freedom here.
Muslim leaders respond to western criticism by claiming that their societies have the right to behave as they do because they have ‘different values’. This claim covers a multitude of sins ranging from repulsive dictatorships to the subjugation of women and minorities to brutal punishments. The fact is that each era has its own prevailing norms and standards of behaviour, and current attitudes are at odds with the actions and positions of many Muslim nations and individuals.
Another reality Muslims have a hard time coming to terms with is that the balance of power today is such that they cannot impose their views on the rest of the world. On the contrary, it is they who have to conform to the behaviour pattern of the outside world.
Until the 18th century when the Ottoman empire was still a major force in world affairs, very few Muslims travelled to the West for fear of physical and spiritual contamination. Instead, Europeans went east to study Islam and Muslim societies. Three centuries later, the tables have turned and millions of Muslims have made their homes in the West. Nevertheless, very few of them have attempted to understand and internalize the ethos and values of their host societies. Unless this attitude changes, the Muslim world will continue to stagnate.
