How bad have things become for Muslims in the West can only be gauged from first hand observation in the US and the UK. One happened to be in US in the recent past and was fortunate to meet a large number of US citizens of Pakistani origin at National Association of Pakistani Americans,(NAPA) dinner in Baltimore.
About 150 people had turned up. The proceedings started with recitation from the Holy Quran followed by usual speeches. What was interesting was the brevity of speeches and lack of office-bearers. This Association is supposed to reflect a new policy of leaderless group of people to overcome the envy of someone holding office.
Most of the questions from the gathering related to this missing element of leader sans office-bearers. Point of contact was missing. It is only human to look for lodestar for guidance. Most of the Pakistanis had done well for themselves and this showed in their demeanour. Also present were members of APSENA and its President. This stands for Association of Pakistani Scientists and Engineers of North America.
Then there was representation from Pakistan American League (PAL), which had last organised a luncheon seminar in Brookings Institute in Washington. And the topic for discussion was future of sustainable democracy in Pakistan, not in the US. Former US Ambassador to Pakistan William Milam and former No 2 in the Embassy, Michelle Sisson, were amongst the participants.
The purpose of the Baltimore meeting was to organise a band of committed US citizens of Pakistani origin in each senatorial district to be able to link up with various candidates so as to ensure future influence. It was also decided that progress would be monitored regularly by NAPA to ensure that the volunteers were taking interest in the prospective candidates for the US Senate.
The opening speech by the speaker ended with the slogan Pakistan Zindabad. A keen desire was expressed by a number of speakers to counter the influence of American citizens of Indian origin over the US Govt particularly its legislative bodies. Although most of the speakers were American citizens and had taken oath of allegiance to the United States Constitution their overt loyalty to the country of origin reflected their divided emotional attachment.
When there was a break for Maghrib prayers, surprisingly, with the exception of a very few, everyone rushed to one small bathroom for ablution. That was a spiritually uplifting experience. Since there was a long queue for the only bathroom, they trespassed into women's bathroom to an utter disappointment of the females. Both the bathrooms became unusable after the first gentleman had finished the process of ablution.
Back-biting amongst the people present was pronounced. Everyone was trying to score points at the expense of other members of the community. It seems that prolonged stay in the United States had not inured them to the local biases of the sub-continent or opened their minds to globalised thinking. They continued to be mired in old prejudices held rather more tenaciously on account of absence from their country of origin.
Their integration into American society seems a distant possibility, at least for the first and the second generation. This opportunity of taking stock of ones position in a hostile environment was missed. No issues confronting the Pakistani expatriates were discussed.
Hopefully, the third generation born and brought up in the US and schooled there might be able to shed some of their sub-continental prejudices. Until that happens, the post 9/11 environment in the US, presents serious difficulties for the Americans of Pakistani origin. Needless to say, the Americans fed on TV networks have imbibed prejudices against Muslims of Middle Eastern origin as well as South Asians.
A re-think is in order, which the leadership of Pakistani community must undertake in right earnest to protect the community from facing serious consequences if they stood apart. Distinctiveness in culture or religion should be a private matter best confined to home and mosque. Wearing the religion or ones culture on the sleeve is not a sensible option.
A friend from NWFP painted an equally pathetic picture in the UK, which he recently visited. He visited Bradford, which is located in the West Yorkshire. Inner city is Muslim dominated.
The people there showed marked divisions along racial, ethnic, religious and social lines. The Muslims had converted a cinema into a Dini Madarasa. This friend did not see a single Muslim woman out on the street walking or shopping. They do not accept the meat sold at the grocery shops as Hilal because it has not been slaughtered in the traditional fashion like it was 14 centuries back. They do not know that the substantial part of such meat is fake. Wouldn't it be better to buy healthy, hygienic, non-hilal meat from honest non-Muslims? The Muslims pride themselves in building mosques close to the church and find it amusing to harass the churchgoers.
The British are frightened of Muslims separateness and avoid living in areas occupied by them. Villages and Towns in periphery of the city are reluctant to have anything to do with them. According to this friend the majority of Muslims were trapped in ritualistic practices of Islam. No one ever discussed the problems of current significance, political, social or legal or economic.
Evading taxes and committing minor frauds are considered great achievement. Pakistanis enjoy the reputation of being dishonest and frauds. Arabs take a second position.
9/11 is a watershed and it has changed the thinking in Western World. The Muslims continue to live in the past. While they enjoy the freedoms granted to the minority in the West they are reluctant to grant the same rights to their minorities living back home. It is all very well to blame crusaders and their conquests. They refuse to look at their economic, social or political underdevelopment. They have suffered under colonial rules. Imperial powers divided them, mistreated them, subjugated them and as a part of deliberate policy kept them under developed. But, a time comes when a society has to take stock of things and assume charge of its affairs, and stop blaming the past or others. Muslims have been independent for quite sometime now and it is time they sat up to think.
Major responsibility for failure of the Muslim societies obviously rests with their leaders, who are autocratic, incompetent and dishonest. They are the darlings of the West. Muslim militancy is a direct outcome of absence of democracy. It is in the interest of the West to ensure a change. Long-term positive change can only come about when genuine democracy is not only allowed but instituted and nourished.
Armies and territories have become totally irrelevant. Now is the time for social progress. Religious and secular issues should be handled separately. The religious scholars should stop meddling with secular affairs and stop pretending that God gave them the right to interfere.
They neither have the training nor the understanding of the complex issues confronting the modern world. Not that the non-religious leaders have done any better. They can't do worse. The silent majority, which does not support the Mullas, should show greater courage of coming out of the closet and assert their views publicly. They should stop showing fear of the Mullas. After all the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had declared Sunday as a weekly holiday and contrary to the fears heavens did not fall.
We have to stand up to be counted. Pronouncements against progressive measures, like land reform, equal opportunity, gender equality etc must be treated Islamic. It is true that crusade and conquests proved a big blow to reformation in Islam but the autocratic rulers leave very little room to wait for the silent majority to assert its role. The space occupied by enlightened obscurantists has to be recovered.
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