when will we learn

[Guest guest]

http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/mazdak.htmWhen will we ever learn? By Irfan

Husain Perhaps Salman Rushdie is not the right person to cite here, but in a

recent article in the New York Times, he has asked a very pertinent question:

why aren't Muslims more critical of the many awful things that happen with such

dreadful frequency in the Islamic world? 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?

The answer to Rushdie's question, of course, is that most of these things happen

on our own doorsteps far too often for us to get worked up over them. In

Pakistan just a few months ago, a doctor was accused of blasphemy and condemned

to death for the 'crime' of telling his students that before the advent of

Islam, Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] and his family did not observe the Muslim code

of hygiene because obviously, it simply did not exist. This poor man appealed

against the death penalty and was shot dead in jail by another prisoner who was

mysteriously supplied with a pistol. There are far too many protests against the

barbaric events leading to his death to recall here. 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 institutions and

groups will freely use (and abuse) all the freedoms allowed to them in the

West, but hate and despise the liberal civilization that has produced these

very liberties. Listen to a Muslim intellectual, mulla or politician and you

will hear a litany of complaints and criticism against western sins of omission

and commission, past and present. Ask him where he wants to send his children to

university, and if he is honest, he will reel off the names of the top American

universities. And if he is well placed in his own country, he will move heaven

and earth to try and get the American mission to intercede to get his child a

college place and a student visa. Indeed, he will perjure himself to get

financial assistance for his offspring by declaring his insolvency. Some of the

top leaders of Pakistan's religious parties have children living and studying in

America; at home they declare they will not permit the Americans to hunt for Al

Qaeda operatives in Pakistan. This blatant hypocrisy has begun to rankle in the

West. More and more people are beginning to question why potential enemies are

being allowed to live in their midst, enjoy the benefits of liberalism, and yet

plan the downfall of their societies. This feeling of being taken for suckers

has become specially acute after the 9/11 attacks in which terrorists had

entered America on student visas. And after other anti-West attacks in

different parts of the world, a backlash is building up. It is important to

emphasize here that the vast majority of the Muslims living in the West are

decent, peaceful and hard-working people who want nothing but to live their

version of the good life with their families. Most of them are religious

without being fanatical and are deeply offended at being lumped together with

Osama bin Laden and his ilk by ignorant westerners. But unfortunately, people

tend to view outsiders through the prism of prejudice, and Muslims are at least

as guilty of this human failing as any American or European. The regrettable

fact is that as a result of the current wave of Islamic militancy and

terrorism, all Muslims living in the West are currently viewed with deep

suspicion and distrust, and will be increasingly discriminated against. Perhaps

no other single difference in attitudes sets the two civilizations apart as does

the treatment of women in most Muslim societies. Despite the protestations of

Islamic scholars, few people in the West are willing to believe that women want

to be bundled up in all-enveloping burqas, kept locked up at home, and then

married off without having a say in the matter. The media in the UK often

carries horror stories about Muslim girls being mistreated and even murdered by

their families for insisting on marrying the men they had chosen for themselves.

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. Discover your Indian Roots at -

http://www.esamskriti.comTo mail - exploreindia (AT) vsnl (DOT) net.Long Live

Sanatan / Kshatriya Dharam. Become an Intellectual KshatriyaGenerate Positive

Vibrations lifelong worldwide.Aap ka din mangalmaya rahe or Shubh dinam astu or

Have a Nice DayUnity preceedes Strength Synchronize your efforts, avoid

duplication.THINK, ACT, INFLUENCE, to Un write back.Create Positive

Karmas by being Focussed, controlling senses, will power & determinationNever

boasts about yr victory and successKnowledge, Wealth, Happiness are meant to be

sharedBe Open Minded, pick up what yu like from the world

 

Stop cribbing, ACTION is what the Indian scriptures talk aboutTake the battle

into the enemy camp, SET THE AGENDA, be proactiveIn an argument, no emotions,

be detached, get yr facts right, then attack with the precision of a missile