Dawood Ibrahim
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If in 1400 years the two major sects of our religion have been unable to reconcile their differences, how on earth can an imaginary concept of Muslim Ummah ever exist?
By:
D Asghar
24-Dec-16
535
535
The political conflicts of the Middle East are so confusing and convoluted that even the most knowledgeable people are often found scratching their heads. We all know that Iran and Saudi Arabia are the major players who are at odds with one another. The rest of the influential players in the world are there as well, at times openly and often behind the scenes; either trying to reduce the hostilities, or in most cases to fan the flames, and so it rages on.
I have touched on this issue, here at this forum, a few times in the past. Here we are at the end of 2016, and the Middle East is a war zone as usual, with most people still trying to figure out who is fighting with whom and why. The Bush Administration’s wish to remove Saddam Hussein from Iraq by launching the "Operation Enduring Freedom" has been a sheer disaster for the region.
A situation, which could have been handled perhaps in a covert operation, was sold as the "game changer" for the Middle East. The idea was to make Iraq a model for the rest of the Middle East so it could witness the American values of "freedom and democracy." Someone can make a long winded argument that such paradigm shifts take decades to show signs of real change and improvements. But I would very humbly disagree with that line of argument.
A militant group, formerly known and identified as "Al Qaeda" in Iraq emerged as a lethal force that soon renamed itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or (ISIS). From that point onwards, there has been an ongoing battle to get rid of this particular group of the Western world. Let’s not forget the rebels who are fighting the Assad regime in Syria. In this conflict, who is aligned with whom is quite mind numbing.
Similarly, Yemen has its own share of Houthi rebels, and Saudi Arabia is involved in quelling the resistance there with the pretext of protecting its own borders. Russia is trying to protect the Assad regime in Syria. There has been a chaos of epic proportions in Syria, as reported by most credible news sources in the world. As a result, the city of Aleppo is in ruins. Whether it’s the Syrian rebels and the Assad regime, or Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni rebels, these are just some glaring examples of Muslim on Muslim violence.
Thousands of people have lost their lives; thousands have lost their homes and have been forced to migrate to other countries. The so-called Islamic State (ISIS) is in the mix as well, to exert their influence by the exercise of terror. If you turn on your favourite western TV news channels, the newscasters, analysts and panellists debate endlessly on what the potential outcome(s) would be. The complexities of the entire situation are quite nerve wrecking.
Growing up, we were sold the fantasy of a concept called "Muslim Ummah (community)." We were also told that it is the cunning and jealous Non-Muslims who prevent the Ummah to remain united. As a child, I struggled with this fantasy, because most Muslim countries are clustered together and mostly share common boundaries and/or a common language.
As a full blown adult, I totally discredit such an absurd concept. I certainly am not a subscriber of the baseless conspiracy theories either. There never was a Muslim Ummah, to begin with, and there will be no such entity at least in my lifetime. We kill our own coreligionists without any remorse or shame. The really wishful naive believe that all the Muslims should sit on a table and resolve their differences. As if Chad, Niger or Somalia have any say in the happenings of their so called Muslim brethren. Stretching the same argument, I certainly do not see a Caliphate that can ever rule a highly diverse group of Muslim countries in the form that most televangelists try to peddle.
My argument is that we the Muslims as a whole are quite materialistic, often very ruthless and practically averse to the concept of brotherhood. After listening to hours of commentaries from various so-called experts and glancing through many write-ups, one can quickly sum up that we are hopeless beyond any repair.
Before the readers take the strong exception to my highly pessimistic viewpoint, let me ask the readers, a very simple question. If in 1400 years, the two major sects of our religion have been unable to reconcile their differences, how on earth can an imaginary concept of Muslim Ummah ever exist? You do not need to be a PhD in Political Science to figure out that the two giants of the Muslim world can fight with one another because they have the power and will to do so. Simply put, the battle between the two is about power and influence. And please for heaven's sake do not try to convince me that it is all a conspiracy by that wicked, evil West to make these two juvenile schoolboys continue their petty recess squabble, so they can munch their snacks while waiting for the school bell to ring.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/24-Dec-16/the-imaginary-concept
@tps77 @war&peace @BATMAN @PaklovesTurkiye @Moonlight
By:
D Asghar
24-Dec-16
535
535
The political conflicts of the Middle East are so confusing and convoluted that even the most knowledgeable people are often found scratching their heads. We all know that Iran and Saudi Arabia are the major players who are at odds with one another. The rest of the influential players in the world are there as well, at times openly and often behind the scenes; either trying to reduce the hostilities, or in most cases to fan the flames, and so it rages on.
I have touched on this issue, here at this forum, a few times in the past. Here we are at the end of 2016, and the Middle East is a war zone as usual, with most people still trying to figure out who is fighting with whom and why. The Bush Administration’s wish to remove Saddam Hussein from Iraq by launching the "Operation Enduring Freedom" has been a sheer disaster for the region.
A situation, which could have been handled perhaps in a covert operation, was sold as the "game changer" for the Middle East. The idea was to make Iraq a model for the rest of the Middle East so it could witness the American values of "freedom and democracy." Someone can make a long winded argument that such paradigm shifts take decades to show signs of real change and improvements. But I would very humbly disagree with that line of argument.
A militant group, formerly known and identified as "Al Qaeda" in Iraq emerged as a lethal force that soon renamed itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or (ISIS). From that point onwards, there has been an ongoing battle to get rid of this particular group of the Western world. Let’s not forget the rebels who are fighting the Assad regime in Syria. In this conflict, who is aligned with whom is quite mind numbing.
Similarly, Yemen has its own share of Houthi rebels, and Saudi Arabia is involved in quelling the resistance there with the pretext of protecting its own borders. Russia is trying to protect the Assad regime in Syria. There has been a chaos of epic proportions in Syria, as reported by most credible news sources in the world. As a result, the city of Aleppo is in ruins. Whether it’s the Syrian rebels and the Assad regime, or Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni rebels, these are just some glaring examples of Muslim on Muslim violence.
Thousands of people have lost their lives; thousands have lost their homes and have been forced to migrate to other countries. The so-called Islamic State (ISIS) is in the mix as well, to exert their influence by the exercise of terror. If you turn on your favourite western TV news channels, the newscasters, analysts and panellists debate endlessly on what the potential outcome(s) would be. The complexities of the entire situation are quite nerve wrecking.
Growing up, we were sold the fantasy of a concept called "Muslim Ummah (community)." We were also told that it is the cunning and jealous Non-Muslims who prevent the Ummah to remain united. As a child, I struggled with this fantasy, because most Muslim countries are clustered together and mostly share common boundaries and/or a common language.
As a full blown adult, I totally discredit such an absurd concept. I certainly am not a subscriber of the baseless conspiracy theories either. There never was a Muslim Ummah, to begin with, and there will be no such entity at least in my lifetime. We kill our own coreligionists without any remorse or shame. The really wishful naive believe that all the Muslims should sit on a table and resolve their differences. As if Chad, Niger or Somalia have any say in the happenings of their so called Muslim brethren. Stretching the same argument, I certainly do not see a Caliphate that can ever rule a highly diverse group of Muslim countries in the form that most televangelists try to peddle.
My argument is that we the Muslims as a whole are quite materialistic, often very ruthless and practically averse to the concept of brotherhood. After listening to hours of commentaries from various so-called experts and glancing through many write-ups, one can quickly sum up that we are hopeless beyond any repair.
Before the readers take the strong exception to my highly pessimistic viewpoint, let me ask the readers, a very simple question. If in 1400 years, the two major sects of our religion have been unable to reconcile their differences, how on earth can an imaginary concept of Muslim Ummah ever exist? You do not need to be a PhD in Political Science to figure out that the two giants of the Muslim world can fight with one another because they have the power and will to do so. Simply put, the battle between the two is about power and influence. And please for heaven's sake do not try to convince me that it is all a conspiracy by that wicked, evil West to make these two juvenile schoolboys continue their petty recess squabble, so they can munch their snacks while waiting for the school bell to ring.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/24-Dec-16/the-imaginary-concept
@tps77 @war&peace @BATMAN @PaklovesTurkiye @Moonlight
