The only Roadmap for a Better Muslim Future
I don’t subscribe to conspiracy theories and have always maintained that there is neither a planned anti-Muslim movement in the West nor a forthcoming clash of civilisations. However, there has, for long, been a perception among Muslims that an anti-Muslim feeling exists in the US-led West. The perception per se was sufficient cause for concern, but since the events of 9/11 it has been strengthened by the US policies that, among other things, have resulted in aggression against two weak Muslim-majority countries while two more — Syria and Iran — have been put on notice. Whether this is solely due to United States’ conflict of interests with countries that happen to be Muslim or is part of a deliberate policy to target Muslim countries has become immaterial.
I have also never subscribed to the idea of a ‘Muslim ummah’ for a number of reasons, primary among them being that countries come together on the basis of commonality of interests, not religion. However, if the first premise is true, that Muslim-majority countries are now threatened by the US because of being Muslim then there is a common threat and, therefore, a common interest. The question then arises: Can the Muslim-majority countries unite, and if they can, how can they combat the US threat? But before addressing these questions it is essential to understand why they feel individually and collectively threatened, and what do they lack.
While the principal US concern is the energy resources of the world, which, it so happens, lie in Muslim-majority countries, we must acknowledge that we, too, have been responsible for isolating ourselves: firstly, by declaring ourselves the ‘Islamic’ Republic or the ‘Islamic’ Kingdom, we, in effect, have lowered the status of our minorities, since the religious identification appears to denote that the country belongs to the Muslims and others merely live there. Secondly, Muslim-majority countries have (and still do) resorted to violence to seek a political solution, acts which are referred to as terrorism. While it is true that their grievances have been long and unheeded and that in places like the Middle East, Bosnia, and even Kashmir, they have been subjected to state-sponsored terrorism, it must be acknowledged that such acts only help in isolating the Muslim countries, particularly when they use the religious slogan of jihad as the justification to commit these acts. Those in the West who may have studied Islam realise that this slogan is actually un-Islamic, but the vast majority remains unaware of this and views Islam as a religion of violence rather than peace. Consequently, they find reason to discriminate against Muslims.
Finally, the Muslim-majority countries are weak. They are weak economically, militarily, but most of all intellectually. Those countries that are oil-rich have taken no trouble to develop themselves economically, build multi-national conglomerates, or educate themselves; instead, they have invested in dollars and are dependant on imports for virtually every kind of thing, from a needle to cars to aeroplane. Other Muslim counties are poor and facing myriad economic problems, including unemployment. Most try to seek employment outside, the process we are familiar with as ‘brain-drain’. Thus Muslim countries have left themselves individually vulnerable. If Pakistan is the only nuclear power in the Muslim majority countries, it has a very weak and vulnerable economic base. Consequently even its sovereignty is vulnerable. If Saudi Arabia has vast resources of money, they lie invested in dollars, strengthening the US and, since it has not built an industrial infrastructure, dependant on import for virtually everything. Finally, the internecine sectarian, ethnic, racial and cultural rivalries have frayed the moral and political fibre of these countries.
Is there a case for considering a change? Yes. If there is a genuine threat, then there is certainly a case for rising above the internally divisive factors among the Muslim countries in order for them to pool their resources and acquire collective strength. Everything that is required for this is in fact available. The oil-rich countries can provide the monies, the developing countries can provide the brain and the manpower to industrialise and utilise these monies for the collective good of all, the militarily stronger countries can undertake development of the weaker ones, the better educated countries can undertake improving the education of those that are less well-educated. If the so-called Muslim world is being isolated, whether or not due to its own fault, it is time it began to look inward to draw its strength from within, for there is strength not only in numbers, but also in the pooling of resources.
If such a dream becomes reality, for dreams must be dreamed before they can reach fruition, the path will be long and arduous. And all countries will have to begin thinking collectively instead of individually; sacrifices will have to be made in the short-term for a better future. While these improvements must attack all fields, it must be realised that the secret of power lies in modern education, research and development, the one field that Muslims once excelled in, but where they and conspicuous by their absence today. Without improving our individual and collective knowledge, we are going nowhere.
An Eco Military Pact
Now, I would offer a possible roadmap to that end. The military aspect of such cooperation being the easiest to outline, I will kick off with that.
There is little doubt that with the exception of Turkey, Pakistan, and perhaps Iran, the military potential of Muslim countries is nothing to write home about. Even the top three countries do not possess the technological capability essential for waging modern warfare; nor do they match some of the better trained, and equipped, militaries of the world. Obviously, what they can offer to other states presently is nothing like what we want to get to. Yet, a beginning has to be made.
These three countries can undertake to train the militaries of all other Muslim countries. The technologically advanced countries of the west are also reluctant to provide state-of-the-art weapons systems to most Muslim countries. Consequently, the few states that might be able to get some such systems from the US and other sources may share the know-how with others.
The richer Muslim countries should patronise and assist those in the Muslim world that have developed conventional weapons programmes and purchase the weapons from those states. However, weapons programmes cannot remain static. Developing weapons systems is the function of research and development. The R&D needs technologically advanced manpower and is capital-intensive. While the capital will have to be pooled, enough scientists and technologically trained labour at all levels is available in the employment starved Muslim countries of former USSR, as well as among Muslims employed in the western world. While the former are starved for employment, the latter are also likely to join such a venture if the assignment is sufficiently challenging and well paid. Once started, such a venture is likely to acquire its own life and will become self-sustaining over time.
But developing conventional military capabilities is not the full story in modern warfare even as it is important in its own right. There is need also to build unconventional capabilities. (I must unhappily admit to this cynical fact, despite my personal opposition to nuclear weapons.) However, I would strongly urge the Muslim countries not to proliferate. Even Iran, more than half way to a nuclear capability, should freeze its programme. Not only would proliferation be unacceptable to the US-led West, it would provide them the excuse they need to proceed in their anti-Muslim drive — a clash of civilizations, if you will. In due course Pakistan may have to undertake to provide extended deterrence to the Muslim world, the kind the US provides Japan, but without further proliferation.
The next issue relates to economy. It is important to understand that while the US economy is indeed the largest in the world, revolving around an annual budget of $7500 billion, it was growing at the rate of slightly under 2% annually until 2000. It is likely to have a negative growth rate from now on. The US is also the world’s largest borrower, with an approximate 25% deficit budget annually. However, so long as most countries of the world insist on retaining foreign exchange reserves in US dollars, the US can afford to continue borrowing. All it needs to do is to print dollars for us to save, which it borrows to run its economy. In other words, we save in dollars for the US to borrow and live at our expense (this statement is a technical oversimplification of economics, but essentially accurate).
My first advice to the Muslim countries would be to, slowly but steadily, shift to a euro-based foreign-exchange savings programme. Not only would this damage the US economy rendering it incapable of building the military strength it needs, it will also strengthen the euro and Europe, giving the latter an even greater incentive to sympathise with the Muslim world. This would expand our support base.
As in the case of developing a military potential, there are nascent industrial programmes in many of the under-developed and developing Muslim countries. These can be further developed. The richer countries should form international companies harnessing these capabilities with the understanding that initially the Muslim countries will trade with one another until these industries begin to reach their potential. Thereafter, trade could be expanded to include other countries of the world. By doing so, the Muslim countries would provide the impetus necessary for these industries to become competitive in the world, before they are exposed to the competition.
The Central Asian Muslim countries have the largest reserves of untapped energy resources in the world. There are also some relatively small oil companies owned by Muslims, though they are based in Canada and the US. If we could finance them by pooling our resources together, the Muslim countries could have a stranglehold on the world’s energy resources, despite the loss of Iraq. Even the relatively poorer countries could afford to invest their reserves in these ventures; not only in the expectation of massive returns in the future, but also secure in the knowledge that, in the interim, they would be trading with each other without the need for foreign exchange. One state providing energy would be able to receive goods and services, even labour, in return from another. Imagine the impact of cheap energy available close to its source, cheap raw material available in abundance, with cheap labour, backed by the technological advancement we can muster. We could be collectively independent and, given time, could compete in any market of the world!
A dream: yes indeed it is, but well worth dreaming for. Like I stated earlier, dreams must be dreamt before they reach fruition. Ironically, it is being dreamt by one who never subscribed to the concept of ummah.
Importance of Education
It is a truism that education forms the backbone of any society and thus holds the key to progress. The US is the world leader, particularly in know-how relating to physical sciences. Consequently all other countries are dependant on the United States’ major contribution to knowledge. If future US policies are going to be dictated by the desire to control the energy resources of the world, thus targeting Muslim countries, one of the first things it is likely to do is to deny Muslim countries access to advanced technological information and knowledge. The problem is that physical sciences hold the key to advanced technology for developing military capability, industry, medicine and just about every field necessary for our collective progress. Science and technology keep their relentless pace. The nations and communities that get outpaced, fall behind, lending the baton of power and progress to others. Once the rivals get empowered, their main concern shifts to denying the weapons of empowerment and science and technology to those who have fallen behind. So Arabs and Muslims are denied the cryogenic engines, nuclear fuels, reactors, remote sensing satellites etal. But at the same time, the same West is too willing to sell them air conditioners, colas, mobiles, TV transponders, credit cards, McDonald burgers, Raybans, Guccis, Reeboks, Christian Diors, Hollywood films and all other luxuries the sick West is ready to spit out and can be used to rake in some moolah. These do make the Arabs appear rich, but add nothing to their arsenal that could take them forward.
This must encapsulate the tragic saga of the Muslim world lost in the wilderness of ignorance and illiteracy. The way forward lies in modernizing the attitude to knowledge, altering its world vision, and imparting to itself a new course whereby we could reject the tools of cultural degeneration and choose the ones of empowerment. The goal should lie even beyond this. It should envision empowerment of all, the black nations of Africa, the underdogs of South Asia, the Dalits of India, the subaltern classes of the Latin and North America. It should develop technologies that dilute monopolies, undermine concentration of power, evolve methods of sustainable development, knock out coteries at the United Nations and ensure equi-distribution of the Planet Earth's riches among nations of the world. The current pathetic plight is compounded when Muslims confuse the richness with progress, imitation as invention, borrowing of technology as scientific development and winning a few converts for its faith in the West as genuine dawah. The reality is that slavery of the ummah to the West was never more critically grave than today.
So what should we do? Once again the secret lies in pooling resources. I suggest that such Muslim countries as might possess advanced knowledge in a particular field should set up centres for study in that field. These centres should be open to students from all Muslim countries. In the case of the physical sciences, there is also enough expertise available in the erstwhile USSR Muslim-majority countries. There might also be many Muslims presently employed in the west who would be willing to join such a programme. I am aware of some very talented young people who are not returning, despite the changed US policies towards Muslim citizens, merely because they do not expect to find sufficiently challenging assignments, though not necessarily high-paid ones. These centres would be multi-purpose; they would run graduate, post-graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral study programmes for students from all Muslim countries to enhance human resource development in all fields. And they would hold conferences and workshops to bring together developed human resource personnel to support exchange of views and improvement.
Finally, these centres will provide the research and development (R&D) base for all projects, whether related to industry, military, economics, or any other field, thus pooling not only resources but also functions. Instead of exclusive R&D facilities for each programme, these teachers and students could, while researching their respective subjects of study, could be given specific assignments which target problems being faced in any field of development.
While all this targets our progress towards a collectively modern progressive society, we must not lose sight of the fact that there are forces within us that would retard us, one such being the religious bigots. Since conceptually there was no clergy in Islam and each individual was supposed to study the Holy Quran to understand the injunctions of Allah, which we have ceased to do, the clergy is our creation. Unfortunately, since we still do not trouble to educate ourselves on religion, we are enslaved to their interpretations, which have caused our stigmatisation in the developed world. Simultaneously, the perception of the US-led west as being anti-Islam has given these forces a rallying cause for a certain segment of our society.
While seeking advancement, we need, therefore, to guard against this threat as well, both as an internal threat and as an external destruction of our image. To do so, I suggest that our Centre for Islamic Studies be located in Egypt, probably the most progressive of the Muslim countries with regard to religion. Once again we should pool all our resources to provide them our best scholars from all Muslim countries. That should enhance our collective understanding of Islamic injunctions. Education is not merely the acquisition of degrees. It is an effort to broaden the perspective, an understanding that knowledge is indeed infinite and, therefore, no single human being can be the last word on any subject. If education is the key to progress, let it be comprehensive. Another dream? Yes, indeed.
