Speech by Anwar Ibrahim at “Business Opportunities in the Muslim World” Conference in Washington DC, June 26 2009.
Ladies and Gentleman, respected guests, friends and colleagues from the United States and throughout the Muslim world.
I must apologize to the organizers, US Chamber of Commerce, CIPE, US Muslim World Engagement Project and to the guests attending today that I cannot be with you in person.
I have fond memories of the time I spent in Washington DC. This visit would have offered a much anticipated opportunity to visit friends and colleagues. However, as you may know, I have a rather difficult time dealing with the Malaysian Courts. No matter how we demonstrate their inadequacies in trying to prosecute against me they remain relentless in their resolve to inconvenience me. Consequently, I must make a series of previously unscheduled appearances in Court this week.
The stakes are high, so high indeed that we are once again witnessing the emasculation of the judiciary at the hands of the Executive. It is clear that the strategy is to have me incarcerated in order to stem the tide for greater freedom and democracy but I can say for sure that they are mistaken.
May I begin by saying that commerce and enterprise have been one of the primary mechanisms through which the Muslim world has engaged its neighbors to the East and West. Muslim traders and businessmen were among the primary agents of what we can accurately describe as globalization in the early centuries of the advent of Islam. While these early Muslims were possessed of a certain zeal to spread their newfound faith, one cannot deny the skill with which new trade routes were established to connect the rapidly growing empire. Ibn Saghir observed that as early as the middle of the 8th century faraway outposts on the edge of the Sahara were trading regularly with merchants from Basra, Kufa and Khorasan – at that time this distance was nothing short of epic. I would mention further that Ibn Saghir also noticed the regular interactions between Muslim and Jewish traders at the time. Southeast Asia is a telling example of a faraway land populated with diverse religions that was transformed into a major hub of Islamic civilization, not by military confrontation but rather through trade, commerce and the peaceful proselytizing of sufi saints.
The great European trading cities like Venice were frequent ports of call for traders from the Muslim world and great cities like Cairo and Istanbul were places of frequent mixing and intermingling. The focal point of the Muslim world and its spiritual center, Mecca, was as much a place of spiritual repose and retreat as it was the meeting point for caravans from East and West. Once a year this gathering would become the locus of exchange of goods and ideas and news and information from all points in the Muslim world and beyond.
Amidst the commercial activity were profound exchanges of philosophy and metaphysics and debates that cross and intersected religious divides. President Obama, in his historic Cairo speech earlier this month, alluded to the intellectual indebtedness of Europe to the Muslim world. There is no doubt that Renaissance Europe owes much of its antecedents to the transmission of knowledge in Muslim Spain and North Africa in the cities of Toledo, Granada and Fes – which themselves represented a thriving economy as well as a pre-Columbian conduit for exploration to the New World.
This historical legacy underscores the need for a forum such as this in which views can be expressed with forthrightness and sincerity. Our goal is in clear sight. Our objective today is to consider the historical moment in which we live – a global recession of epic proportions; a Muslim world in transition and flux, and an American administration truly committed to engagement and understanding.
Credit is due to President Obama for his efforts to begin a rapprochement with the Muslim world. His initial pronouncements to close Guantanamo Bay, end the war in Iraq and assert his administration’s efforts towards a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict were received with cautious optimism. The address in Cairo along with his visit to Turkey in April asserted his belief that America and the Muslim world can be partners not only in ensuring greater security but also in pursuing a common agenda.
We are not talking about merely tolerating the differences in culture and religion or merely respecting the divergent views and perspectives but this is a common agenda defined by common and shared values of freedom, human rights and the pursuit of a meaningful and purposeful livelihood. In this agenda, there should be no color bars, no geographical boundaries and no linguistic and religious divide.
Nevertheless, reality does bite hard – and the administration has faced obstacles in each of these major endeavors. Skeptics will be quick to point out that thus far everything has been mere rhetoric. They say this administration won’t be much different from the previous. However, we say that it is premature to draw conclusions on eventual outcomes.
As a matter of fact, I remain optimistic that if America can find credible partners in the Muslim world with which to pursue this agenda the possibilities for charting a new course are immense.
The recession which has spread around the world has highlighted the fundamental weaknesses inherent in our traditional financial systems. The ripple effect of the collapse on Wall Street last fall with economies around the world has also laid waste to the notion of firewalls protecting certain areas. It is true that the decoupling school of thought was fast becoming the new mantra of progress particularly for the emerging markets until of course the financial meltdown jolted everyone back to their senses. But we should not look at this financial crisis only in a negative light. On the contrary, it is abundantly clear that the ties that bind people around the world are strong and can be harnessed even during these contractionary times.
Promoting stronger commercial relationships between these two worlds must be punctuated with an unrelenting commitment to good governance and transparency. It is not simply the realm of government to achieve these objectives. In fact, no matter how much governments impose legislation on ethical practices, these rules only have a transformative impact on the way business is done if there is a competitive advantage to be gained.
Rather it is increasingly part of the competitive forces driving investment and strengthening shareholder value to engage in responsible business practices.
Saudi Arabia and Jordan have taken a lead in this respect, commissioning intensive research into responsible competitiveness within their own kingdoms. Other Muslim countries ought to consider similar strategies in their efforts to attract investment from abroad that is increasingly concerned with issues such as climate change, sustainability and fair labour practices.
Underlying these responsible practices are credible institutions which adhere to the rule of law and nurture the development of healthy and vibrant civil societies. For businesses to operate efficiently courts must only be impartial and fair but must also be seen to be so in their adjudication of disputes. For corruption and the abuse of power, be it corporate or government, the media must be free to report and analyse the actions of those who wield power. Free and fair elections are only the starting point for democracy; as fundamental as they are, they are just one piece in a larger puzzle. This means that governments in the end must reflect the hopes and aspirations of their people.
Thank you.
Salam Dato’
we really hope that you would link your blog to
http://dominiqueng.co.cc/blog/
to support us and more issue to go.
Thnks.
Reply
Salam.I as the Malaysia people agreed with D.Seri Anwar Ibrahium said.Reformation!
Reply
A very commendable address both pleasing and reassuring to the US and Arab countries.A key suggestion is that the US should have inside connections with the Muslim countries to pursue the objective of promoting greater understanding and cooperation. But are the US representatives in the Muslim countries sending the right signals? Are the embassies quite transparent in their operations or do they operate more in a ‘cloak and dagger’ fashion? There are years of bad memories generated by the Bush’s administration to be wiped out and replaced by President Obama’s
open-minded approach.
Reply
Kini Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berada di Amerika Syarikat bagi menghadiri persidangan dunia . Anwar dipercayai akan bertemu dangan beberapa tokoh dan pemimpin dunia disana. Anwar juga adalah salah seorang panel tetamu khas pada Persidangan Berkaitan Islam dan dunia perdagangan .
Oleh kerana terlalu bimbang pengaruh Anwar di Malaysia, Amerika Syarikat dan seluruh dunia, semalam Datuk Seri Najib Razak telah membuat panggilan telefon Presiden Amireka Syarikat ,Barack Obama. Perbualan telefon tersebut hanya membincangkan dua tahanan Malaysia di Teluk Guantanamo sahaja.
Mengulas tentang perbualan telefon, Najib berkata, “Saya telah nyatakan kita akan tahan tapi melayan mengikut norma-norma antarabangsa dan perikemanusiaan.”
Sementara itu Anwar menulis didalam blognya, beliau akan ke Mahkamah pada 1 Julai ini untuk menghadiri perbicaraan kes liwat yang didakwa oleh Mohd. Saiful Bukhari pada oktober tahun lepas. Anwar berkata lagi, perancangannya untuk ke Washinton terpaksa dibatalakan kerana bimbang ia dijadikkan isu politik oleh Barisan Nasional.
Johor Daily percaya panggilan telefon dihadapan wartawan hanya publisiti kepada rakyat Malaysia bagi menunjukkan beliau juga ada berhubung dengan Berek Obama. Pengaruh Anwar lebih terserlah selepas Anwar hampir berjaya merampas kerajaan Malaysia walaupun ditindas secara politik dengan kejam oleh Barisan Nasional.
Johor Daily diberitahu oleh beberapa penyokng Pakatan Rakyat dan Barisan Nasional, menjelang PRU-13 nanti , tidak mustahil ramai ahli BN yang berpaling tadah dan menyokong Anwar.
Reply
HOLLYWOOD
I was wondering…perhaps you should consider a gig in Hollywood. Ever considered? Collaborate on a movie or make a cameo (guess star) appearance or even appear as a guess on American Idol. It’s would be easier for you because you are already well-known. You won’t have to audition.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Pada 98 Mahathir dikecam sebagai diktator dan diseru undur, seolah ingin duduk jawatan PM sampai ajal.
Namun hanya 5 tahun kemudian Mahathir undur, dan tampuk pemerintahan diserah kepada Abdullah.
If only…Kalaulah saja Saudara Anwar telah sabar lama sikit sahaja, mungkin sudah jadi PM dah…
Mahathir, dalam perkataannya sendiri (in his own words)…diktator pertama letak jawatan.
(Sekarang semua Naib Presiden zaman Anwar sudah jadi PM/DPM – Abdullah, Najib and Muhyiddin…Zahid pun tengah naik, dah jadi VP…)
Reply
BEYOND PM
Why just PM of Malaysia, apart from the reform agenda that is. What’s so important about being this PM of Malaysia?
You are already established internationally including in the west; why not opt for a higher, international position like the UN secretary general or special envoy or something like that? Say you have already become PM, and after 12 years or so you retire; then what? What’s next? What you actually need is an international platform.
What about an advisory or executive position in the White House, perhaps on Muslim affairs?
MASUK BALIK UMNO
Mungkin Saudara Anwar patut timbang masuk balik UMNO. Peluang jadi PM mungkin lebih cerah. Lagipun sebab keluar ialah Dr.M bukannya masalah dengan Umno ataupun pucuk pimpinannya.
HISTORY-TWO WAYS
History can go two ways.
Scenario 1
Anwar will be remembered as a truly international icon and beacon of freedom, democracy and human right (as well as this great bridge between the East and West), whereas Mahathir will be remembered as the lesser Asian/Malaysian strongman who defamed Anwar and threw this great man into jail, true to all his authoritarian ways.
Scenario 2
Mahathir will be remembered as this great Statesman and national hero of Malaysia, as well as a champion of the Islam and the 3rd world, whereas Anwar will be the infamous power-crazy deputy who tried to topple this great man for his own selfish ends.
Which scenario will it be? How will history play out and play back these two figures? Who will prevail?
EUROPE
Being friendly with the US, Anwar should also consider friends in Europe, and I mean all of Europe. Europe might currently be made up of 30 or so small countries which have lost influence after the world war. However, individually they are very rich (with GDP per capita some above $40,000), are embarked on many high-level field esp. science and technology, and are very advanced. They are constantly sought after by the United States as strong allies and each contributes significant monetary as well as military help to the US. And of course collectively they form the very powerful EU (and perhaps NATO). Together with the United States Europe influences the world. Countries like Romania or Slovakia or even Latvia shouldn’t be written off
LEGACY AND LEGENDS: SELF-PROMOTION
Even singers, actors and other artists have their managers and promoters do their promotion. They conduct surveys and market studies to counter competition and find the right music genre or market niche for their artists. Life is a constant battle. There is nothing wrong planning and charting one’s own popularity, success and ultimately legacy.
HITS/VIEWS – i’m not too sure if this is an accurate measurement as some might be repeat viewers. Remember, the world has 6 billion people! What is a few million.
Reply
We the people in this world should respects and support the leader such as DS Anwar Ibrahim. His thinking, knowledge, values, capability and performances are always in the highest standard and accepted by most of the top leaders in the world. His speech are inspired for the world and always become a references for the political, traders, entrepreners or for the whole businees world.
But, unfortunately in his own country some peoples don’t see this opportunity. The executives in Malaysia just think how to purnish him for his brilliant thinking. How to make sure his ability and world class knowledged will nor reach to the peoples mind. The mainstream media will try not to publish his idea, speech or knowledge. Finally the other peoples in the world use his mind and valuable thinking but the peoples in his own country rejected his ideas and knowledge without even do the thinking.
For me the TV3 leaders are stupid, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian or who ever rejected DS Anwar Ibrahim capability are so stupid and should’nt be there for the people of Malaysia.
The politician in Malaysia are so stupid if don’t realize the huge capability of Mr Anwar Ibrahim. They can develop this country by using this kind of thinking. But we are so unfortunate to have a leaders which are so stupid such as Najib, Hishamuddin and a lots more in the the parliments but they all are so stupids. No extraordinaries idea, not capable to bring Malaysia for futute but yet the peoples can’t see this becaouse of they are totally make the Malaysian a stupid citizen with their system.
Finally, this system will collapse this nation from time to time because of the weak basic fundamental of our political thinking.
So, all Malaysian should change now before its too late.
Reply
Am sure the court has been pressured to act so that Anwar cant proceed with his trip to Washington DC. Najib is clearly scared that Obama or his key staff will made an unofficial invitation to meet Anwar.
Deeply regreted in this malaysia land.
We are behind you Anwar.
Reply
kenapa tvantara xboleh nk excess eh…ckp ada virus attack…ada sapa2 tau address baru tvantara ker
Reply
“Memang terharu dan tribute for our true HERO. Semoga segala diberkati Allah & judge with:
3K:
~Kebenaran
~Kebebasan
~Keadilan!
http://anwaribrahimblog.com/2009/06/27/ucaptama-dsai-lintas-langsung-dari-studio-tv-antara/
and felt sad (cry for Malaysia) after: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B1ni1UYVkk
Reply
By Maulana Manzur Nu’mani Rahimahullah
Government and politics exercise a profound influence on the life of a people. It could, therefore, not be that God excluded a subject of this magnitude from the range of his guidance and gave men a free hand to conduct themselves as they pleased in the organization and control of their political and administrative needs.
As Islam has prescribed for our benefit a precisecode of behaviour in all other domains of our existence, in the sphere of government and politics, too, it has furnished us with full guidance and enjoined on us to pursue the correct and the godly course in affairs relating to it as well. It is as much our duty to abide by the constructions laid down by God and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in respect of political matters as in matters of belief and worship, social intercourse and practical and monetary dealings, and the service and assistance of the Faith.
It was quite natural for communities that did not possess a complete program of individual and social existence like Islam which could show them the way, or, at least, march hand in hand with them in the highly advanced and complicated business of modern politics to draw a destinction between religion and the management of political affairs. They had no other choice open to them. But if the Muslims, too, are getting increasingly inclined towards that mode of thinking, it is not because they have honestly come to the conclusion, after examining the political teachings and principels of Islam in the light of the current needs and conditions, that the processes of government and politics now be ordered according to the guidance of God. The truth is that they could not being themselves to accept the restrictions imposed by Islam in the political field on the sefish pursuit of power and on yielding to the temptations of ease and comfort; they felt that they did not have the moral strength to live up to the Islamic ideals of selfless service and sacrifice; they took refuge behind the slogan that religion and politics were two separate things and devorced Islam from the science and art of the management of the affairs of the state. Otherwise, even today if the rulers of any of the Muslim States can have the spiritual courage to chose for themselves a life of piety and dedication, in the footsteps of Omar bin Abdul Aziz, (and God may also have blessed them with insight into the faith or they may be enjoying the confidence and support of men of religious vision and insight ), they can prove to the world that the political structure inspired and regulated by the ideals of islam is still the best among all the political systems and ideologies and it is through it alone that the different problems plaguing the existing tmes, both at the national and the international levels, can be happily resolved.The greatest misfortune with Islam in the contemporary world is that its followers, more specially those that make the top layers of the society, are, on the whole, more faithful to their personal ambitions and sensual appetites than to the precepts of their faith.
We will restrict ourselves here, as in the previous chepters, only to an examination of the basic principles. For a wider study of the subject, the reader will have to turn to books written specifically on Islamic theocracy. The cornerstone of the political philosophy of Islam is the principle, or rather, the belief, that sovereignty belongs exclusively to God, the Lord Creator and the Cherisher of the universe, and all men, everywhere, are his subjects.
“To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth.” (Quran : Fath’,2)
“To him belongs the dominion of the Heavens and the earth.” (Quran : Hadid,1)
“For the earth is God’s to give as the heritage to such of his servants as he Pleaseth.” (Quran : Airaf, 15)
In Islamic Polity, the Head of the State is called the Caliph (meaning, successor, deputy representative), and the Govenment, the Caliphate and those are no empty terms. They derive their origin from the fact that in Islam that position of the ruler is nothing more than that of a superintendent or an administrator. He cannot rule according to his sweet will, but in compliance with the obligations placed upon him by God. He is compelled to function, as the successor of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and of his true successors and deputies of the former days, within the limits of the Divine law. He is not above reproach; he is answerable for his actions to fellow-men in this life, and to God in the Hereafter.
Furthermore, these terms help to remind us of the truth that the scope of governmental activity in Islam is not confind only to political and administrative matters. The real duty of an Islamic Government lies, as we have stated a few pages earlier, in the promotion of the work of human reform and guidance that was entrested by God to the Prophet (Peace be upon him). The more will a Caliph depart from the way of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), the more will he be considered to have failed in the discharge of the duties of his office.
The office of the Caliph is not a hereditary one, going down from father to son. The Caliph is chosen by the people; its procedure may, however, very with the changing pattern of time.
The Caliph does not act independently but through mutual discussion, consultation and advice. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) himself was required to seek the advice of his Companions in matter in respect of which no guidance was available to him in the form of a Divine revelation.
“And consult them in affairs (of moment)” (Quran : Aal-i-Imran, 17)
The Quran indicates as a characteristic feature of Islamic polity and the Muslim method of conducting business that the Muslims are the people.
“Who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation.” (Quran : Shura, 4)
(In exceptional circumstances, however, if the Caliph honestly feels that he is in the right he can insist on his own judgement as against the advice by the popular assembly).
Power, in Islam, is desirable solely for the reason that it can be of great help in the establishment of God-worship and righteous living in the world. We have just seen how in sura-i-Haj it was said of the Companions while they were granted the permission to take up aims against the pagan oppressors that:
“(They are) those (of our servants) who, if we establishment them in the land, will establish regular prayer and give regular charity and enjointhe right and forbid the wrong. With God rests the end (and decision) of (all affairs). (Quran : Haj, 6)
This verse, as one would say, constitutes the political manifesto of Islam. The Caliphat is expected to make it its foremost duty to take all possible steps for the furtherance of the aims enunciated in it. All its policies and activities should be addressed to these ends. Its edicational program must, for instance be pressed in the same direction; it should have a permanent ministry of moral and spiritual guidance and suprintendance: If the need arose it should have to hesitation in proclaiming Jehad with in the conditions prescribed for it. As an institution of Divine trusteeship, the Caliphate, further, is responsibile for providing all the citizens irrespective of their race or religion with the necessities of life and with peace and security of person, honor and property. It has to assure that no undue burden tax, duty, charge or obligation is imposed on any section of the people. Justice, under it, should be within the reach of everyone. It should be just and impartial and be administered without fear or favour. The Quran says:
God doth command you to be just.
And :
God do’h command you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due: and when he judge between man and man that yeh judge with justice: verily, how excellent is the teaching which he giveth you. (Quran : Nissa, 8) In the foregoing verse, a part from the dispensation of justice, fairly and impartially, it is also ordained that the trusts should be rendered back honestly and to whom they rightfully belong. In the Arabic language, specially in the usage of the Quran, the term “Trust” conveys a wide range of meaning. Here, in this verse, the command: “Render back your trusts to whom they are due”. also implies that a charge or responsibility should be entrusted only to a person who is most worthy of it. It, thus, becomes a major obligation with an Islamic government that public offices are granted to alone who are deserving of them, also from the point of view of piety and righteousness.
Yet another Quranic proclamation on the subject of justice, fairness and equity reads:
“Oh ye who believe! stand out firmly for God, as witness to fair dealing. and let not the hatred of others you make you swerve to wrong and apart from justice. Be just: that is next to Piety : and fear God. For God is well-acquainted with all ye do.” (Quran : Maida, 2)
It is related by Abu Saeed Khudri (Razi Allah-o-Ta’Ala) that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) once observed: “On the day of Reckoning, nearer to God and more cordially beloved of him will the just ruler, and, on that day, the most detested and the recipient of the severest chastisement will be the ruler who ruled with oppression and injustice.
Hazrat Omar bin Khattab (Razi Allah-o-Ta’Ala) has related from the Prophet (Peace be upon him) that :
“On the LAST Day the most eminent among men will be the just ruler (or officer) who was also kind and compassionate, and the worst among men on that day will be the ruler (or officer) who ruled with tyrany and injustice”. It follows, therefore, that justice should also be sympathtically alive to the needs of the people and activity solicitous of their welfare.
Hazrat Anas (Razi Allah-o-Ta’Ala) reports that when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) appointed a Companion as a governor and sent him off to the place of this duty, he used to advise him to act as the harbinger of hope and good cheer to the people (arousing in them sentiments of courage and confidence) and refrain from things that may be hateful to them and cause public resentment, and to create comforts and facilities for them and refrain from putting up difficulties and impediments in their path.
It is, thus, a part of duty of the government to the people to see that its officers are not there to boss over them, flaunting masterful and over-gearing airs and making things harder for them. The officer should strive to strengthen the moral of the people and provide opportunities for their betterment and progress. The Purpose of the law is not to be an instrument of harassment of the people. It is instrument for the removal of hindrance to good life and the creation of conditions favorable to the peace and prosperity of the land. Thus, it is said of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in the Quran that:
“He release them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them.” (Quran : Airaf)
The real sources of legislation in Islam are God and the Prophet (Peace be upon him), or, in other words, the book and the Sunnah. The laws that have been permanently enumerated in them are absolute and cannot be repealed or amended. But there are various needs and situations arising of life concerning which no clear instructions are found in the Quran and the Sunnah. For these, fresh legislation has to be brought out from time to time, but here, too, the guidance principle will be the path shown by the twin sources of law-making indicated above and the practice of Khulafa-i-Rashideen togather with the considerations of public welfare.
Another prominent feature of Islamic theocracy is that solicitation for an office of the state is a positive disqualification. Abu Moosa Ashari relates that two of his relations had approached the Prophet (Peace be upon him) for some post in the government upon which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) exclaimed, “By God, we do not appoint a person to a public office who makes a request for it, or shows his longing for it in any other way, ”
The officers are required to live simply. During the Caliphate of Hazrat Omar (Razi Allah-o-Ta’Ala), when an officer was appointed he was warned to shun luxury and ostentation or he would be dismissed. The exact words of the warning were: “Do not keep a Tarkish horse or eat fine bread or wear and expensive dress made of delicately woven fabric or shut your doors on the petitioners; should you indulge in any of these, you will have to bear the penalty.” Austerity for the government officers was. thus, not a matter of persuasion or moral exhortation in the days of that renowned Caliph but a part of their service regulations.
The cardinal responsibility for putting in the practice the doctrines of Islamic polity rests naturally with Muslims who are in power in countries in which they live. So far a Muslims living in non-Muslim countries are concerned, they can only make a sincere and well-meaning effort, within the limits of practicability, of course, to persuade the ruling community or communities there to incorporate as many teachings of Islam as possibile in their political systems.
The first step in the revival of Islamic theocratic structure in the so-called Muslim States will have to be a religious reorientation of the lives of their Muslim inhabitants. By this we mean the Subordination of worldly interests to the interests of the life hereafter in order that it may become easy for them to forego material pleasures for the higher ideal of winning the approbation of God. There can simply be no other way. History underlines this truth and the innate spirit of Islam also demands it. Unless a religious reawakening is worked up among the Muslims the elevation of Muslim countries into genuine Islamic political societies will remain, at leas t in our present age, an empty dream. This is a hard and painstaking process, but there is no help to it. There is no alternative route, no short-cut to an Islamic government. And, even if, by a stroke of good lick. The Islamic system came in to being somewhere, it would be impossibile for it to function successfully unless the intellectual and emotional mechanism of the Muslims living under it and their practical behaviour were dominated by considerations of high piety and moral rectitude. It would be torn into shreds by the Muslims themselves.
So much for Muslims living in their own independent countries. Now we will address ourselves to the problem of Muslims who belong to countries where they are in a minority, as in India and China. Since the conditions in these very greatly from one to the other a single code of conduct cannot possibly be evolved in the light of Islamic teachings for the political guidance of their Muslim citizens. We can only enumerate the board principles that can be taken recourse to the circumstances permit or require.
(1) A time was that when the truth of Moses was revealed to the prestidigitators of Egypt and they bowed in obedience to the Divine faith and entered into its fold, the pharaoh felt so greatly outreged that he immediately pronounced a most brutal death on all of them. The tyrant did not spare even his wife the consequences of his wrath.
In the same way, the pagans of Mecca practiced such ghastly atrocities on the poor, weak people who were the first to respond to the call of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and embrace Islam that a recounting of them can even today make the eyes of the most stout-hearted among us well up with moisture.
That age of savage cruelty and bestial oppress on is now perhaps, a thing of the past, It is not likely to return before the appearance of the imposter, Dajjal. But, should the situation in any country become, by any chance, so flagrantly unbearable for Muslims, it will be open to them to migrate to another land, even though it be a non-Muslim one, where they can live peace-
fully as Muslims, as their co-religionists had done by moving away to Abyssinia at the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) advice, or, if it be not possible, to tread the path of the martyrs and lay down their lives gallantly in the cause of Allah every drop of their blood will Insha Allah lend new life and vitality to the faith and be the cause of its resurgence in that very land and for those to whom this too should not be possibile due to want of sufficient courage, there is the permission to concern their faith and continue to live in that country, hoping for a happier turn of events and making humble entreaties to God.
“Our Lord; rescue, us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from these one who will protect, one who will help.” (Quran : Nissa, 10 )
(2) To the best of our knowledge, a situation as grievously dismal as that does not obtain anywhere in the world today. There are, nevertheless, states which aspire not through the crude methods of old but through newer and more subtle ways to the Muslims away from Islam (or, rather, all God-abiding peoples from their spiritual moorings) without placing a legal ban on religion or God-worship.
The Muslim citizens of these states should resolve to make undivided allegiance to God and the Holy faith and constancy of purpose and patient perseverance the spearheads of their policy and do whatever lies in their power to keep the spirit of Islam warm in their homes by imparting to them an aver-all atmosphere of religiousness. They should leave nothing undone on their part to arrange for the religious instruction and training of their rising generations. (It is our considered opinion that all this can be done if the right and the will to do it be there). Judicious and well-meant steps may also be taken. As far as they are possible, to make the powers that be realise the folly of their ways. these steps can be of a political as well as a non-political nature and they can produce results beyond all expectations. The might of the Lord is supreme: His way are beyond our understanding, and it is an unchanging habit of his and a firm, definite promise that he will make his aid available to those of the faithful who will remain steadfast in his cause dating times of trial and suffering, and instead of giving way to despair, persevere in their efforts as they can in the circumstances. Situations will arise and factors will emerge, as if from nowhere, that will alter the course of things and remove the difficulties in their path.
With most of the non-Muslim countries the position is that they are not antagonistic to Islam or harbor a fundamental prejudice against God or religion. Their Muslim inhabitants enjoy full freedom of religious belief and practice under the constitution along with the other communities. But since the ideological climate and the sociopolitical structure there are un-Islamic and wholly materialistic, some of their laws come into conflict with the tenets of Islam, or it becomes very difficult to fashion one’s life according to the teachings of Islam in their presence. In some of these countries the population of Muslims runs into several crores. Take our own homeland, India, the Muslim population lies between four to five crores. These Muslims, naturally, have got to live in the countries of their birth. The question of migration does not at all arise for them as no Muslim country can afford to accommodate so many people within its frontiers. In these circumstances, it is absurd to suppose that they can live permanently in isolation from the governments of their lands nor does the Shariat require them to adopt such an impossibile and unnatural course. At the same time, it is impossibile for them to participate freely in the government and politics of their countries like any other community, telling themselves that religion had nothing to do with politics and that they could render to God the things that are God’s and to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and still remain good Muslims. that would entirely be opend to the purpose and meaning of Islam. It would mean that althought God was the Lord and sovereign of the universe, government and politics did not fall within his jurisdiction,
Such being the case, what the Muslims of these countries can and should do is to chalk out a positive program of action for themselves with reference to their particular needs and conditions. This program must, however, be inspired by a twofold conviction: firstly that they have to stay Muslims first and last, unflinching in their loyalty to the commands of Godand the Prophet (Peace be upon him) as far as the circumstances allow and valuing that loyalty above everything else; and, secondly, that they have to confirm to the best standards of citizenship and render unstinted allegiance to their homelands. But it can be achived only when the Muslims are absolutely clear and their minds on these two points and it is their collective decision. To produce the requisite collective consciousness, it may be necessary for them to launch an educative campaign among themselves so that once the decision is taken it may hold good for the entire community functioning as a unit.
Another matter of crucial importance to the Muslim minorities in non-Muslim states is that, togather with their coreligionists in all other parts of the world, it is a question of faith for them too to believe in Islam as the Ideal program of life, both individual and collective. As against it, all other programs are false and worthless. In consequence of this convction, as from the humanitarian point of view also, It should be their sincerest desire to see that the other communities also adopted it as their own. and the Holy law, as revealed by God in his infinite Mercy, reigned supreme all over the world. But, with all this, that cannot manage to ignore the realities of the situation as prevailing in their countries. They will have to determine their attitude after giving the most careful thought to all the aspects of the problem and with this dictum of the Shariat as their guiding principle: “Wherein lies most of good and least of evil. ” In the light of this dictum they can also decide whatever to offer loyal support and co-operation to the governments of their lands in a particular situation or not.
Aliving faith in God and a life wedded to the ideals of virtue and service to mankind are equally necessary for all Muslims irrespective of the lands to which they belong. The real reward for these high moral and spiritual qualities lies in the Hereafter, but for Muslims living in non-Muslim countries they are of the greatest advantage in this world as well. They are the safest surest and the most universally effective means for the covercoming of their difficulties and for ensuring for them a place of honor in society. It is absolutely imperative for them to strive to their utmost to cultivate these qualities and to propagate them in the circle in which they move. If they can bring themselves to it, they will see that sccess beyond their fondest dreams will kiss their feet. God has held out a promise to this effect at various places in the Quran, as in this verse:
“Those who believe and (constantly) guard against evil; for them are glad tidings in the present and in the Hereafter : No change can their be in the Words of God. This is indeed the Supreme Felicity.” (Quran : Yunus, 7)
Muslims, who in the modern world, are feeling despondent and frustrated at their lot of being placed in the positionof a weak minority in the countries of their birth have for them a special message of courage and hope in Sura-i-Yusuf in the Quran.
The story of Hazrat Yousuf (Alai-hi-Salam) teaches us the moral that however weak be the numerical or political position of Muslims in a country they may even be in the minority of one and isolated completely from the rest of the people, religiously as well as racially, if they are true in their faith and righteous in their habits and are also ready to render whatever service they can to fellow citizens and to the State, they are bound to carve out a position of honor and trust for themselves and win the respect and admiration of its inhabitants for their religion. On being questioned by his brothers how a person whom they had pushed into the well could come to rise to such great heights, Hazrat Yusuf (Alai-hi-Salam) offers this explanation:
“Behold, he that is righteous and patient, never will God suffer the reward to be lost, of those who do good. (Quran : Yusuf, 10)
So, this is the unfailing Law of God never to suffer the reward of one who believes and does good to be last and that we have said in the preceding paragraph was only an elucidation of this truth. It may not be very easy be convinced logically of its effectiveness in the political field, yet it should also not prove so very difficult, specially in the modern world of democracy and liberalism. But, alas, the aspectacle that Muslims are presenting is that while they are eager to take recourse to all sorts of agitational methods for the solution of their political difficulties methods which are totally the product of the materialistic frame of mind and from which no good has ever accrued or can ever accrue, they are not prepared to give a trial to the remedy prescribed by the Quran. Indeed, it would seem that their state of mind today was identical to that of the unenlightened group among the Israelites of old as portrayed in the Quran in these words:
“And if they see the way of the right conduct, they will not accept it as the Way; but if they see the way of error, that is the Way they will adopted.” (Quran:Airaf,17)
Muslim minorities in non-Muslim lands can also draw a most valuable lesson from the episode of Hudaibiyah in the life of the holy Prophet. The treaty of Hudaibiyah had apparently been contracted by the Prophet (Peace be upon him) on such weak and humiliating terms that it had become impossibile even for a Companion of the unbounded devotion and loyalty of Hazrat Omar (Razi Allah-o-Ta’Ala) to suppress his disappointment and resentment against it. But the point is, why had the Prophet (Peace be upon him) agreed to a humiliating arrangement like that? It was because the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had wanted channels to contact of be established between the Muslims and the people of Mecca who were then in the fore-front of the compaign of war and hatred against Islam so that the Meccan polytheists could get an opportunity to observe the Muslims and their their religion at close qurters and to ponder, in a peaceful atmosphere, over the all-important question of faith he had posed before them. History records that it was this very treaty, shameful and degrading as it looked at first sigt, that paved the way for the Meccans to embrace Islam. It was as a consequence of it that out standing leaders of the Quraish of the caliber Khalid bin Valeed and Amr bin el-Aas (Razi Allah-o-Ta’Ala), entered into the foldof the Divine faith the biographers of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and the early historians of Islam are agreed that far more persons accepted the Faith of their own choice and voilation within a few years of the singing of the Treaty than during the whole of the preceding 19 or 20 years of the minstry of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). That is why, the Quran has spoken of it as a “Manifest Victory.”
“Verily, We have granted thee a manifest Victory.”
The unique advantage to which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had turned the seemingly hopeless treaty of Hudaibiyah is today within the reach of the Muslims populations of most of the non-Muslim countries. But the Muslims themselves are so utterly laking in that life of faith, Islamic morality and devotion to mankind, and that unselfish religious enthusiasm and solicitude for the Hereafter without which they can have no complaint if they fell forlorn and abandoned. If they want to seek an answer to their ills and problems in Islam and the Quran, it is this: “Become Muslims : produce in yourselves the fire of conviction and adopt a life or faith and virtue and an earnest love for humanity and paths will be opened up for you that you cannot conceive of.”
Besides this fundamental principle, a passing reference may also be made to certain question of detail. as we have said before, it is essential for Muslim minorities everywhere to get it into their heads, clearly and once for all, that they have to live and die in the lands of their birth, and, at the same time, stay true to their faith. This is a matter about which a government, in spite of its being a non-Muslim one, can be most sensible and co-operative if it just and liberal, but if it is otherwise, it can also put all sorts of impediments. Should it, therefore, be possible for Muslims to be helpful in bringing more enlightened and broadminded sections of the possibilities that may be open to them. In a democratic set-up, at the time of elections, for instence, there should be nothing to prevent them from offering support to a political party that may be expected to safeguard their religious and other interests more justly and fruitfully than the other contesting parties. They can also participate in the government of it is felt that they can server their interests better that way.
This is the verdict of common sense as well as that of the Shariat. In our support we can cite an instance from the conduct of the Holy Companions who had migrated to Abyssinia at the time of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). During the period of the stay of the Companions in the country, Abyssinia was attacked by a foreign invader, and the Companions prayed more earnestly to God for the victory of the Negus. Their leader, Zubair (Razi Allah-o-Ta’Ala) is also reported to have performed some highly meritorious service for the emperor on the battlefield. explaining their conduct, one of the immigrant Companions, Umm-i-Salama, has stated that it was because they felt that if the enemy won he would not treat them as generously as the Negus had been doing.
Finally, Muslim personal law is a part of the religious structure of Islam and no non-Muslim government has the right to interfere with it. Muslims living under non-Muslim system are, as such, required to make every possible effort for the recognition of this principle by their governments. They may also take steps to setup, under the aegis of the Shariat, a separate arrangement of their own for the management of such problems of their individual and social concern as cannot otherwise be taken care of adequately in a non-Muslim State.
Before concluding, we would like to repeat that the Muslims falling in the category of a minority in a country should keep before them for their guidance the Story of Hazrat Yusuf (Alai-hi-Salam) which has been narrated in the Quran in proper detail. There is not an iota of doubt that Muslims cannot fail to secure a position of honor and trust for themselves and their religion my country they live in provided that they possess real faith, and lead a clean life a life illumined with God-consciousness and show proper discretion and prove their usefulness to their countrymen and the State. This is the way of God, and ” No change can there be in the way of God.”
Reply
Win-win winner Reply:
June 30th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Sdr ALI.
Wa setuju ini semua sokong 101%….tapi,
kalau nak commen tu biarlah pendek 30sec-1min,meluaklah baca,
ringkas padat,ni mcm nak buat surat wasiat je…..so renung2..
Reply