“The highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country.”—General George S. Patton. Patton was a WW II hero. This is one of his best quotes. A Pakistani General also said; “Every country needs an Army better if it is its own.”

Unfortunately, we live in a world full of conflict and turmoil, for which armed men are needed. There is another famous quote; “If you want peace, be prepared for war.” Despite human miseries, the world spends trillions on building strong defences.

Winston Churchill strongly believed that “War is too serious a business to be left to the Generals.” Countries like Israel and Switzerland have introduced the concept of ‘Citizen Soldiers’; there are no professional standing Armies. Every able-bodied citizen is trained to serve in the Armed Forces. They have never experienced Martial Laws like Pakistan, Burma and several African countries.

Several Islamic countries like Turkey, Indonesia and Iran had large standing armies that did not operate under the civilian authority of their own country. Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, instituted a constitutional role for the armed forces who could take control of the country at will.

Indonesia under General Suharto and Iran ruled by the Shah were all touts of the West. Egypt under Hosni Mubarak and General Sissi operates under the same external manipulation. The OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) session held in Lahore in February 1974 was a special event in which Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto talked about the unity of the Ummah.

He said “together we will enter Bait-el-Muqaddas. The Army of Pakistan is the Army of Islam; we are brothers in arms, we are a poor nation with limited resources, but we will shed our blood for Islam”. Pakistan clearly emerged as leader of the Ummah under the popular civilian leadership.

Turkey under the leadership of Tayyib Erdogan has emerged as the strongest Islamic State. Its once dominant Armed Forces are confined to the barracks only. Indonesia after the fall of General Suharto has emerged as a prosperous republic where elections are regularly held to elect a President.

After the fall of Shah, Iran is no longer a Policeman of the West. After his death, no country was willing to bury the King of Kings of the world. Finally, Reza Shah Pahlavi was buried in Cairo, as his first wife came from there.

After the Arab Spring of early 2012, General Abdel Fattah el-Sissi managed to take control of the country. He overthrew the government of elected Islamist President Muhammad Morsi. Despite its large Army, Egypt no longer stands for the Arab unity against Israel. Syria has been weakened with the deadly civil war. No neighbouring Muslim country is willing to spill blood for the liberation of Bait-e-Muqaddas. Only the Islamic Republic of Iran is standing by their Palestinian brethren in need.

These large standing Armies of the Muslim World on which billions are spent act like Malatia’s totally disconnected with their own citizens. OIC was once a force to be reckoned with when leaders like Bhutto, Shah Faisal, Moamar Qadhafi, Hafez el-Assad, Houri Boumediene were at the helm.

I have personally observed the rise of three Muslim Countries (Turkiye, Iran, Malaysia) under civilian leadership away from the control of externally influenced forces. When I first went to Turkiye in 1981, the country was under Martial Law and in a serious trouble.

The infra-structure was dilapidated with load shedding of all kinds (power, gas, water). By my next visit in the mid-nineties, Erdogan had been elected as Mayor of Istanbul. He transformed the city. Next as Prime Minister (PM) he managed to develop his country.

Once the ‘sick man of Europe’ emerged as an economic powerhouse. The spiral of growth continues despite externally created obstacles. In October 2023 I attended the Pittsburgh Coal Conference, which was held in Istanbul. The country has a very vibrant Coal-based energy system that we can replicate. In 1981 Iran was still in transition after the revolution.

Despite the imposed Iran-Iraq war, the country managed to bounce back as a major Islamic power in the region which can see eye to eye with Israel. Malaysia under the visionary leadership of Mahathir Muhammad is an ‘Asian Tiger’ today. Other Muslim states await leaders like Imam Ruhollah Khomeini, Mahathir Muhammad and Tayyib Erdogan, who emerged as symbols of civilian authority in the Muslim world.

In 1974, Bhutto talked about the miseries of the Muslim world. He promoted unity of the Ummah to overcome the obstacles to growth. Civilian leaders who tried to build their nations were cornered and punished. Like Switzerland and Israel, the Muslim world should also introduce the concept of ‘Citizen Soldiers’. We must build nations as the most effective force to combat external threats. External influences and dictations will get us nowhere; these were the parting words of Moamar Qadhafi before he was annihilated. Imposed leaders like Reza Pahlavi, General Suharto, and Hosni Mubarak have long been forgotten.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024