The plight of the Muslim world

Israel’s recent savage and heartless retaliation of Hamas’ thoughtless and revengeful assault on Israel should awaken the conscience of the Muslim leadership which seems to be in deep slumber. The hundreds of lives lost, thousands injured and millions displaced with ensuing consequences is no ordinary occurrence. It was the result of festering cumulative injustices imposed upon a hapless community overlooked not only by the West but equally by the Muslim leadership. One need not have to remind the readers of what the over 2 million people crammed in space less than that of Karachi were going through merely to conduct their ordinary chores. The humiliation they faced every time they stepped out of their homes with limited opportunities of employment and education of their children and a bleak future had deep impact on their psyche.

This is also an opportune time to take a broader look at Muslim countries and the people where they stand with respect to the fast-changing world. A large number of Muslim countries are clearly in the bottom of the ladder in terms of education, science, innovation and broader technological progress, democratic evolution and several other key drivers of progress.

There are of course a number of Muslim countries that are democratic and many amongst them are secular democracies, but they will take a few more years to develop a strong democratic culture. Although it is fact, as aptly described by an author, that “Islam as a religion and the traditional Islamic notions such as ‘shura’ (consultation), ‘maslaha’ (public interest) and ‘adl’ (justice) justify representative government institutions which are similar to western democracy, but reflect Islamic rather than Western liberal values.” There are others who have advanced liberal democratic models of Islamic politics based on pluralism and freedom of thought. So, similar parallels have been drawn with other major religions of Abraham lineage.

The most encouraging aspect is that the vast majority of Muslims like the rest of the free world aspire to exercise their choice in electing their leaders. And look for leaders and a system of governance that is based on equity and fair play — the tenants of Islam. It is a different matter that leaders in several Muslim countries deliberately flout or overlook this fundamental principle when it clashes with their parochial interests.

Indonesia and Malaysia, having been ruled by dictators and monarchies for decades, are now fairly successful democracies and play an important role in the region. Joko Widodo, elected in July 2014 as the first Indonesian president who did not have a military background or hailed from an elite family, has been a fairly successful leader that has improved the lives of the Indonesians and consolidated democracy. Malaysia is another success story. Its politics is relatively stable and it is a fast-growing economy. There was a peaceful transfer of power after the 14^th general elections despite a few hiccups as Mahathir Mohamad was reluctant to cede power.

Since coming to power in 2002, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has overseen a radical transformation of Turkey. He was able to break the political power of the military and establish a democratic system of governance. It is, however, unfortunate that democracy to an extent has been compromised by Erdogan’s tendency toward a one-man rule. Despite this it is encouraging as recent referendum on the Presidential Election was closely demonstrating Turkey’s strong democratic dispositions. Turkey’s close ties with the West are another contributing factor in consolidating its democracy.

The weak state of democracy in Pakistan continues to remain a matter of serious concern. It is highly personalised with democratic institutions dominated by families. Moreover, the hold and oversight of the army leadership — instead of it residing in the cabinet and parliament besides thwarting democratic institutions and culture — creates ambiguity in pinpointing responsibility for failures of policy and its implementation.

In Bangladesh, democracy has been mutilated by one person’s domination and stifling of the main opposition party. PM Sheikh Hasina Wajid has been the longest serving prime minster, in the saddle since 2009. She implicated Mohammed Younus in multiple, mostly fake, corruption cases once he entered politics to challenge her, even though Younus was a renowned social entrepreneur, economist and recipient of Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concept of micro credit and micro financing.

In the Middle East, democracy is conspicuous by its absence. Monarchies hold tight control over their people. Blessed with oil and minerals they use the money very cleverly to keep their democratic aspirations at bay. Or it is the tight control of military and security organisations as in Egypt that has facilitated the hold of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. And much worse by the stranglehold of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria since July 2000. However, the growing influence of media and opening up of societies will build pressure for change in the near future. How well the Middle East and Central Asian Muslim states adapt to these changes will determine the future course and stability of the region.

Another weakness is that several major Muslim countries overlook and stay silent over the atrocities on Muslims. A classic example of this indifference is evident by their lukewarm support for the Palestinian freedom struggle and subdued criticism of Israel’s brutalities in Gaza. The BJP government’s prejudice and open hostility towards Muslims is seldom addressed seriously by Muslim leaders. Obviously, this gives a free hand to Modi and his top influential Yogi Adityanath to deny Muslims opportunities of education and personal and collective development that has serious long-term implications.

A key factor that could trigger a significant change in the fortune of Muslims is a serious focus and priority to be accorded by the state toward education with a major bias towards science and technology. The general belief is that monarchies fear an educated and enlightened polity lest it may turn against them. This is partly true as the collective consciousness and urge for change would be stimulated. This complex relationship between the standard of education, democratic development and economic growth should not be overlooked. In fact, it should be the central concept for catching up with the fast-moving world.

This would be greatly facilitated provided the leaders are willing and equipped to squarely deal with the major national and personal shortcomings. Putting it simply, the leadership has to come to grips with the fast-changing world and confront their weaknesses and mobilise their strengths.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2023.

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