Ideally nationalism doesn't exist in Islam. Muslims controlled land should be home for all Muslim. How do you think SA was Islamized? However, we do not live in ideal world.
United Pakistan had a lot of issues but still doesn't justify the separation, islamically.
As a kid, I read a story about a dying old wise man, his sons and his last wish. It used to be thought in primary school: While the old man was dying, he called for all of his sons(5) and gave them one stick each, he told them to break the stick, each son broke the stick easily. The old man gave them another five stick and told them to bind all the stick together and then break it. Sons couldn't broke the binded sticks. Wise old man message to his was that stay together and united thus you will be strong and no one hurt you but if the you go your separate ways then you will be weak and vulnerable.
Story of united Pakistan and then bloody separation, and the old wise man message is just that. Dada India doing what ever it wants with Bd because it's knows it well that Bd can not retaliate against it's aggression however united Pakistan would have been different all together.
Genghis Khan.
One arrow alone can be easily broken but many arrows are indestructible.
Ideally? Saudi Arabia was named after a family. It was the Arabs who sided with the British against the Ottoman empire. There was no Syria, no Lebanon, no Iraq, no Saudi Arabia, etc.
And now we see all those little guys flying their own flags along with their national anthems. That and American spoon feeding with big toys. Iran got under Uncle Sam's nerves pretty quick
And just how are those guys any better?
They, along with countries like Malaysia and Indonesia do not see us Bengali Muslims well. This is from my experience.
A culture based on religion alone is never sufficient. A culture is always necessary.
We are Muslim and we have a Bengali culture. We are neither Arab, Chinese or South East Asian. Perhaps to India, but there are many sub-cultures there.
We are unique. Too unique. And does it matter if we are actually Bengalis in the eyes of others? To them, yes. Because that's how it is!
You see, in places like the UK and the US, Bangladeshis have done well compared to living in the brethren lands. Those Syhetis in the UK are tremendously successful. And I am not just talking about those curry houses. Did you know that those Sylheti curry houses are literally changing the eating habits of the English people? It's happening!
Some people like Konnie Huq are even celebrities. And ironically, they all came from religious family backgrounds.
British Bangladeshi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Many Bangladeshis work in highly intellectual fields in the US. And I think you already know that.
Surely, both you and I will be proud and happy for them.
And success as a Bengali Muslim. The thing is, they never would have been that successful in their own countries and let alone doing so in Muslim-majority countries. Why? The others simply do not see us as equal even though it contradicts with their own religion.
And ironically, all that in the infidel West!
This just shows that the Western World are far more tolerant than the Muslims and the entire South Asia combined. I am not even going to mention those Middle Easterners! They are as slippery as eels!
I understand the issue of the Ummah. But then, would they respect the commitments? And honor that commitment? Our forefathers did agree to be with Pakistan in order to avoid Hindu domination. And yet the mainland was over 1000 miles away!
The Bengalis never got a fair share of the GDP, and the East Pakistan front wasn't particularly well defended. Very few Bengalis actually spoke Urdu. Of-course, India would want to smash Pakistan into two, but that is a different issue.
What we failed back then is to have a united stand. And neither did the West Pakistani leadership did the job properly.
Was the breakup Islamically justified? Perhaps not. Was it culturally and practically justified? Considering the factors present and the dangerous compromises made to suit West Pakistani leadership desires back then; yes.
Yaha Khan and Bhutto should have shared power with Mujib. The latter would have fallen in a month anyways. And there was absolutely nothing the Bhartis could have done to actually control the balance of power in Pakistan.
India's grand plan, Bengali sentiments, combined with the stupidity of the West Pakistani leadership only spell doom on the nation of Pakistan.
Perhaps it would have been better if we had our very own Muslim Bengal, living in peace with both India and Pakistan in the first place.
I do not agree with the AL's misuse of history. They merely misusing the past for their own benefit. And frankly, I cannot say anything better about Jamaat. The BNP has now merely become a shadow of the great Zia Rahman.
The sad fact is, Bangladesh never actually got that freedom it fought for. We are not living under just one dictator. We are in fact living under two of them. The Liberation War was an unfinished revolution. Of that, I have no doubt. We have to remove the two ruling family dynasties to actually have any change. The only persons who actually did some work were Zia and Ershad.
Perhaps that's why there's nationalism among various Muslim groups based on ethnicity and culture. So my friend, culture is a huge part of one's identity, along with religion. Because that's just how it is in the physical realm.
