Islamic Politics and Culture - Assignment Example

Islamic Politics and Culture A: At this critical period in the Islamic history what issues should be explored or followed by the Muslim societies to bring programmatic changes. The word ‘Islam’ literally means submission to the almighty Allah. The five major pillars, on which Islam is based, include; i. That Allah alone is worthy of worship and Prophet Muhammad is the messenger of Allah ii. That everyone should perform five prayers to God everyday as per the prescribed rituals iii. That anybody who is earning above a prescribed limit, should donate 2.5 percent of his/her wealth to charity iv. That a devout Muslim must observe the month of Ramadan as a daily fasting month v. That one should perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad, once in his/her lifetime provided the financial resources and health conditions permit. Well, going by these principles, it is not very difficult to think that Islam is a very tolerant religion, which takes into account the larger interests of the society in general and the poor segments in particular. But, if we take a look at some of the terror related incidents happening around the world in recent past, the images of 9/11 in US, the daily bomb blasts in Iraq, the bombings in London, the killings and bomb blasts in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Pakistan, 26/11 incidents in India etc. immediately crop up in front of us. What is shocking for the world community is that many of the ‘so-called’ hardcore followers and saviors of Islam are behind all these incidents. Those behind these acts claim that they are doing this to protect the interest of Islam. This has certainly not helped the cause of Islam. In fact this has made the life difficult for many of those following the religion. Incidents when leading personalities from many countries having Muslim names are harassed in the name of frisking at airports in US, UK and Germany highlight the kind of suspicions that has arisen in the western nations about those following Islam. Investigating agencies have been pointing towards organizations like Al-Qaeda and people like Osama Bin Laden for carrying out major terror acts happening around the world. Such revelations have in a sense brought the western nations on a collision course with Islam in general. But it is equally true that majority of the Muslims around the world not only denounce such heinous acts, but they are the worst sufferers. Therefore, why is it that the despite being at the receiving end the followers of Islam get labeled as intolerant. Therefore, it is a critical period for the Islamic world and they need to take on the menace head on in order to bring about some pragmatic changes in the attitude of the Western nations towards Islam. Some such steps could be; i. Gradually dissociating themselves from terror related groups: As of now the general impression is that, even if not many nations are supporting the terror groups, they are not coming out openly against those groups either. The silence could be because of some antipathy towards some of the policies of the western nations, but it is indirectly helping the cause of the terrorist outfits. This certainly cannot be done overnight and it has to be a gradual process, because in case of sudden announcements, those making such announcements will themselves become targets of terror outfits. ii. The terrorist activities cannot be carried out without substantial logistic and financial support from the sympathizers in different countries. As of now, not much is publically known about how these outfits seek funding, but it is widely believed in the western world that the terror outfits get their support from different Islamic nations. The well-off regimes in countries like Saudi Arabia are known to be modern in their approach and many western companies have made investments in projects in these countries. Therefore, it will prove very effective, if the respective governments in these countries could investigate about the possible supply lines leading towards the terror outfits and gradually start taking definitive action against such outfits. iii. The governments of Islamic nations must try to come over their differences and take up awareness programs in some important cities in western nations, highlighting the features of Islam. This can be in the form of seminars, conferences, cultural programs etc. This would not only help in more interaction amongst the people of different religious beliefs, but it will also provide favorable media mileage to the Islamic community in general. It needs to be emphasized here that unfavorable media coverage in the mainstream media is primarily responsible for setting the stage for collision course between Western nations and the Islamic world. While the terror related news items continued to hog limelight in major dailies, the saner voices and the good work done by the Islamic community gets trapped to inside pages. Therefore, favorable media coverage is of vital importance for tilting the balance. B. Explain in your own perspective of whether the Islamic world is at the surge of clashes with the West or otherwise. If we take a look around us to figure out the locations and reasons of clashes with the western world, we find that; i. Iraq and Afghanistan have been proving to be tough battlegrounds for the western nations with almost daily incidents of bomb blasts and shootings. Well, it can be debatable as to the necessity and the circumstances leading to the campaign of western nations in Afghanistan. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan brought the issue of terrorism in the forefront of world politics. Till 9/11 happened, apparently US didn’t really catch up with the seriousness of the issue. There had been instances like the US embassy bombings in different parts of the world. But such instances were considered mainly as failure of those nations in safeguarding the interests of USA, and nobody actually thought that one day, two US commercial flights full of passengers will collide with its own twin towers and result in killing around 3000 citizens of the world. Those killed included office workers, waiters, police, firemen, moms, dads, friends and neighbors. They had no involvement in any way with the military campaigns being carried out against the terror outfits. This brought the issue in sharp focus. Thereafter began an era of hunting for the terrorists and their links. The campaign in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001 when the coalition forces launched the aerial attacks, followed by ground forces advancements. At that time it was thought be a short and swift campaign and the western forces were supposed to return back to their countries after destroying the terror network in Afghanistan. But, even after eight years, there’s no trace of that happening. On the contrary as per the recent announcement of President Barak Obama, the US is preparing to send 30,000 additional forces to the war zone in Afghanistan. This ensures, by default that an Islamic nation like Afghanistan remains regularly associated with bombings and terror related incidents. ii. Pakistan, the neighboring country of Afghanistan has also been in the news, most of the time for all the wrong reasons. Though, there is a democratically elected government in place in Pakistan, but these days the country is passing through an extremely difficult phase in its history. US and allied forces are carrying out the campaigns against terror in Afghanistan with tacit understanding and support of Pakistani regimes since the beginning. In fact, analysts point out that, had it not been the support of Pakistan, it would have been extremely difficult for the Western Nations to carry out the campaigns in Afghanistan. But, this support has resulted in ensuring that the terror outfits have now turned their ire towards the Pakistani establishments. If we go through the news reports of recent months, it become abundantly clear that Pakistan is in a difficult position. Daily reports about the bomb blasts in different cities of Pakistan have resulted in ensuring that this important Islamic country too is seen as hotbed of terror elements. iii. Iraq is another country where the people are suffering at the hands of the security forces as wells as the terror network. Allied forces led by the US attacked Iraq with the stated objective of destroying the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), but it is now no secret that so far no such WMDs have been found in Iraq. After hanging President Saddam Husain, the Western nations were of the view that they will be in a position to get out Iraq soon, but that is not to be. Instead the country is another proving to be another routine battleground. Media is full of reports related to terror acts in Iraq. iv. Iran is another Islamic nation which has been hogging the limelight for different reasons. Iran is stated to be in possession of the nuclear power technology. Despite pressure from world bodies, Iran is not allowing the team of IAEA experts to visit its nuclear installations, which can certify whether the nuclear power is being used for peaceful purposes or not. This is again resulting is showcasing the Islamic nation in somewhat bad light. Though Iran is a peaceful country with decent developmental figures and trade activities. But the western world seems to know only about its passion for nuclear bombs. Therefore taking a look at these instances it is quite apparent that the Islamic world itself has shaped the circumstances in such a manner that a heady image of the Islamic community is projected in the western nations. Read More