East and west: a dialogue

DK: Islam teaches that man was created by Allah for a definite purpose – to realise their inner potential and to fashion themselves along the pattern of is moral vision. This vision was revealed to his prophets down the ages – and we believe in all the prophets mentioned in the Bible – the last one being the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

The Quran contains a summary of all previous books and confirms their genuineness, though they have been changed by human hands. All moral values are defined for us in absolute terms in the Quran. It does contain limitations on human conduct to save man from his baser instincts. Man is born innocent and his pursuit of virtue and piety must be by personal choice. This brings us to the western misunderstanding that anyone can be converted to Islam by force.

The Quran clearly states that there can be no compulsion in religion. Had this not been the case, all those areas of the world that were under Muslim rule for centuries would have had their populations converted – India being the most prominent example.

Muslims ruled India for 1000 years, yet non-Muslims remained in the overwhelming majority throughout. After visiting India in 1835, Lord Macaulay said in a speech to British parliamentarians, “I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief – such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre that I do not think we would ever conquer this country unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, the native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.” The British did succeed in destroying this beautiful rich, civilised country. There has never been any incident in Muslim history comparable to the Inquisition.

BS: If Muslims are so generous, why is Pakistan so poor? Why don’t all your children go to school? Why are Pakistani Muslims so unfriendly to the rest of the world, particularly those who may be a different religion than they, or a different colour, or a different race?

DK: Let me put a counter question. Why is the American state so hostile towards anyone who doesn’t toe their line while the average American man and woman are peace-loving and friendly? Poverty is a tragedy not only for us but also for many other Muslim countries. There are many reasons, one of them being foreign intervention. Perhaps if foreign military, economic and political interventions ceased, we would be able to be self-sufficient and develop our real potential.

Pakistanis have proved their worth outside the country, earning respect and recognition. Within the country we proved that, left to our own devices, we were able to bring to fruition the enormous enterprise of nuclear development, which saved the Indo-Pak Subcontinent from further full-scale wars.

As far as generosity goes, a number of empirical surveys have revealed that Muslims are far more generous than others and the highest proportion of charitable spending by individuals is done in Pakistan. It is God who has given us certain bounties and of these we are to share. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “He who does not show gratitude to human beings could never be truly grateful to God”. We are grateful to the help we have received during times natural disasters and we never failed to acknowledge this support. However, acts of charity do not wipe a slate clean of other misdeeds.

Why is the Pakistani state so uncharitable to its own citizens? According to analysis, apparently again foreign interference plays a major role. Many incidents are on record where brutal force, arm twisting and financial and political pressures have been exerted to support candidates/dictators who toe the line of foreign powers and prevent states from standing on their own feet. In this way Iraqis have been reduced to paupers by destroying their country under the pretext of their possessing weapons of mass destruction.

The destruction of the newly elected democratic order in Egypt, by means of a foreign supported military coup, is another example. Some states remain poor because of the policies forced upon them by puppet governments put in place by foreign interests. A recently published book, ‘Saints and Sinners’ by Ali Mahmood, reveals how relentless the bid is to secure economic advantages at the expense of 80 percent of the world population.

This book undertakes an objective inquiry into the causes of continued poverty of some nations. It also indicates that there is an awakening awareness in your own country and there are some who are challenging wall-street monopoly. The victory of the free market, capitalism and laissez-faire was celebrated only two decades ago when the soviet system crumbled thanks to the valiant struggle of the Afghans. But what is happening now? Current policies are a negation of the whole philosophy of laissez-faire and an attempt to impose, by force, American will on the economic dynamics of the world.

BS: Westerners see everyone as their family regardless of religion, race, sex or belief. We don’t generally kill those around us, or steal from them, or bully them, or threaten them. We mostly treat everyone as equal, men and women. Most of us attend school together, work together, play together. We respect the rights of others to believe what they want, to pick the religion they want and to change their minds, if they want to.

DK: Let us clearly distinguish here between government policies and personal behaviour. Did your government not discriminate against your African-American population for decades? Didn’t your government allow Israel loose on mostly unarmed, homeless Palestinians? It took President Bush only minutes to blame the death of 3,000 Americans on the Afghans, without providing any substantiated evidence, but it was enough for the combined lethal war machine of the allies to destroy three whole countries.

Yet you say you see everyone as family. Are those being killed by aggressive stooge leaders who enjoy full American backing not then your family too? Here I would like to quote from an unidentified source sent to me by email; the answer of a German Muslim scholar to terrorism and Islam.

He said: “Who started the First World War? Who started the Second World War? Who killed about 20 million Aborigines in Australia? Who dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Who killed more than 100 million Indians in North America? Who killed more than 50 million Indians in South America? Who took about 180 million African people as slaves, 88 percent of whom died and were thrown into the Atlantic Ocean? Not Muslims. First you have to define terrorism properly. If a non-Muslim does something bad, it is a crime. If a Muslim commits the same crime he is dubbed a terrorist. So first remove this double standard, then come to the point…” To be continued

Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com