The Muslim World | Medusa's Wreck!

[Kompromat]

The Muslim world: Medusa’s wreck

By Shamshad Ahmad
Published: July 19, 2014

The story of the Medusa begins in Paris in the year 1816. The French monarchy had been restored to the throne by the English after they had defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. In a show of support for the newly instated king, they offered the French the port of Saint-Louis in Senegal on the West African coast. King Louis XVIII appointed a personal friend, Hugues Duroy de Chaumareys, as a frigate captain and tasked him to lead the fleet to take possession of the gifted port. He had never commanded a ship, to say nothing of a fleet. Throughout his career, Hugues Duroy de Chaumareys had worked only as a customs officer.

Woefully, the Muslim world today represents the tragic story of the Medusa, the ill-piloted French naval ship that ran aground because of its captain’s blunders and his dependence on others for navigational guidance, leaving behind a tale of helplessness, desperation and death. The Medusa’s wreck is still out there, lying stuck on the West African coast, and isn’t going anywhere. The Muslim world today is in no better shape. Like the Medusa’s wreck, it is just lying out there, aimlessly floating like a stricken ship, with no one to steer it out of troubled waters.

Representing one-fifth of humanity as well as of the global land mass spreading over 57 countries, and possessing 70 per cent of the world’s energy resources and nearly 50 per cent of the world’s raw materials, the Muslim world should have been a global giant, economically as well as politically. Instead, rich in everything and weak in all respects, it represents only five per cent of the world’s GDP. As a non-consequential entity, it has no role in global decision-making or even in addressing its own problems.

Poor and dispossessed, Muslim nations emerging from long colonial rule may have become sovereign states but are without genuine political and economic independence. Their trade, their oil revenues, their investible funds, their banking, their savings, every thing that the affluent countries in the Muslim world have is concentrated in the West. Though some of them are sitting on the world’s largest oil and gas reserves, the majority of Muslim countries are among the poorest and most backward in the world. With rare exceptions, they are all politically bankrupt with no institutions other than authoritarian rule.


They have no established tradition of systemic governance or institutional approach in their policies and priorities. Every ingredient of political life in these so-called sovereign states has been faked; sovereignty is not sovereignty, parliament is not parliament, law is not law, and the opposition parties are as corrupt and wasted as the ruling parties. Even the independence following the colonial powers’ handing over of the reins of government to local rulers was not true independence. Other than being members of the United Nations, they remain virtual colonies of the West with no sense of freedom or dignity.

Since the 9/11 attacks, the religion itself is being demonised by its detractors with obsessive focus on the religion of individuals and groups accused of complicity or involvement in terrorist activities. Religion is being blamed for everything that goes wrong in any part of the world. With violence and extremism becoming anathema to the world’s high and mighty, Muslim freedom struggles are being projected as the primary source of ‘militancy and terrorism’. Global terrorism is now being used to justify military occupations and to curb the legitimate freedom struggles of the Muslim peoples. The tragedies in Palestine, Kashmir, Iraq and Afghanistan represent the continuing helplessness of the world’s Muslims.

Muslim issues remain unaddressed for decades. Palestine is tired and has given up. Iraq is still burning. Afghanistan has yet to breathe peace. Kashmir stands disillusioned. Lebanon is simmering. Libya has been tamed. Egypt is once again the bastion of authoritarianism. Syria is on notice for regime change. Iran is being coerced to give up on its legitimate rights. And Pakistan is on ICU resuscitation. These are all a dreary phenomenon for which the rulers of the Muslim world alone are responsible. They have mortgaged to the West not only the security and sovereignty of their states, but also the political and economic futures of their nations.

What aggravates this dismal scenario is the inability of the Muslim world as a bloc to take care of its problems or to overcome its weaknesses. We cannot entirely blame the West for the Muslim world’s institutional bankruptcy and its deficiency in education and science and technology. It makes no sense in dwelling nostalgically over the past and ‘lost’ glory. For us, the steady erosion of polity and power, and the Muslim world’s stumbling lurch into Western colonialism, and now, with total industrial and technological backwardness, our political, economic and military subservience to the West should be stark reminders of the historical magnitude of the failures of the world’s Muslim leadership.

Things will not change unless the Muslim world itself fixes its fundamentals and puts its house in order. Angels will not descend to help or salvage it. They are busy helping the West and others in the non-Muslim world. It must take control of its own destiny through unity, mutuality and cohesion within its ranks. Its wealth and resources, now being exploited by the West, should be used to build its own strength and for its own socio-economic well-being.

The key to reshaping the future of the Muslim world lies in its political and economic independence and military strength, with each Muslim nation opting for peace and for knowledge and technology as top strategic priorities. Each one of them at the national level will have to revamp its existing mindset to opt for peace, and for good and accountable governance. Ultimately, governments alone bear the responsibility for a turnaround in the Muslim world and for recovering from its political, institutional and intellectual morbidity.

The salvation of the Muslim world lies in the policies and priorities of each Muslim nation, for which the ownership lies with the leaders and governments alone to ensure not only their state’s security and independence, but also their political, economic and social stability and strength.

On its part, Pakistan has a pivotal role to play in reinforcing the solidarity of the Muslim world. In doing so, it must focus on cohesive rather than divisive strategies by promoting greater political, economic and strategic cooperation among Muslim countries and also by serving as a beacon of good quality education, scientific and technical knowledge and modernism.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19th, 2014.

The Muslim world: Medusa’s wreck – The Express Tribune


The message for us is simple - EVOLVE OR DIE!

@Icarus @Xeric @Hyperion @Arabian Legend @JUBA @1000 @Kaan @Casus Belli @Indos @TheOccupiedKashmir @Bubblegum Crisis - Tag others please - Must read

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Representing one-fifth of humanity as well as of the global land mass spreading over 57 countries, and possessing 70 per cent of the world’s energy resources and nearly 50 per cent of the world’s raw materials, the Muslim world should have been a global giant, economically as well as politically.

I've been saying this for years. The Islamic world combined has more geopolitical and diplomatic power and influence than anyone else in the world, maybe apart from the sole superpower America. Not only do they control the vast majority of the world's energy resources, but they also have control over the most important geostrategic regions in the world (the Middle East and Central Asia).

It is such a shame that all this power goes wasted, due to disunity and infighting.

And it doesn't have to be that way. Look at China during our Century of Humiliation, or during our Warlord era... nobody back then believed that we had a chance to be anything except the "Sick man of Asia". Hundreds of millions of Chinese died during this period, not just to foreign invasion but also due to our own Civil wars.

But we are now in the information era, and thus the Muslim world has the tools and ability to avoid our fate. Like China, the Islamic world is a "sleeping giant", but I do not think it will take two centuries for them to wake up. It might only take a few decades, if the will is there.

And unlike China, the Islamic world already has the power. The power is already there, it is just waiting for someone to come along and realize it.

 

[Kompromat]

I've been saying this for years. The Islamic world combined has more geopolitical and diplomatic power and influence than anyone else in the world, maybe apart from the sole superpower America. Not only do they control the vast majority of the world's energy resources, but they also have control over the most important geostrategic regions in the world (the Middle East and Central Asia).

It is such a shame that all this power goes wasted, due to disunity and infighting.

And it doesn't have to be that way. Look at China during our Century of Humiliation, or during our Warlord era... nobody back then believed that we had a chance to be anything except the "Sick man of Asia". Hundreds of millions of Chinese died during this period, not just to foreign invasion but also due to our own Civil wars.

But we are now in the information era, and thus the Muslim world has the tools and ability to avoid our fate. Like China, the Islamic world is a "sleeping giant", but I do not think it will take two centuries for them to wake up. It might only take a few decades, if the will is there.

Unlike China, the Islamic world already has the power. The power is already there, it is just waiting for someone to come along and realize it.

We need a lot of ground work, we need to get our citizens interests, most of all we need to know that we share a common destiny. Even if we do not integrate into a single country, greater cooperation, free border trade, visa free travel will be very good options and would lead to greater economic and cultural links. On the govt and military level, not much can be achieved until people of our nations are aware that our shared humiliation can only be defeated through sticking together.

 

[VCheng]

The message for us is simple - EVOLVE OR DIE!

The whole article is based on the premise that there is such an entity as the "Muslim World". There is NO such thing!

 

[Hashshāshīn]

Not true. Muslims are more worried about what sect the next person belongs to instead of working together.

 

[Kompromat]

The whole article is based on the premise that there is such an entity as the "Muslim World". There is NO such thing!

Brilliant anti hypothesis. I stand enlightened. Thank you very much.

Not true. Muslims are more worried about what sect the next person belongs to instead of working together.

There has to be a solution to that problem, don't you think?

 

[VCheng]

Brilliant anti hypothesis. I stand enlightened. Thank you very much.

It is high time to let go of this romanticized concept. Pakistan needs to identify itself as a country first, not defined by its religion. Only then can it muster the changes needed to flourish.

 

[Hashshāshīn]

We need a lot of ground work, we need to get our citizens interests, most of all we need to know that we share a common destiny. Even if we do not integrate into a single country, greater cooperation, free border trade, visa free travel will be very good options and would lead to greater economic and cultural links.

Wishful thinking, sir.

Why would Turkey, or KSA, both developed nations open their borders to people from, say Nigeria or Bangladesh? It would be an immense drain on their social status, economy etc.

 

[MadeintheUSA]

IMO there is no Muslim "world" when all that we see is them reliving others and themselves from it .

And there is no hope as the article prescribes, because it is a religion that is shocking aggressive and violent towards 'non believers'. This does NOT mean every Muslim is looking to behead you or prescribes to violence.

I attended a conference a few years ago where there was serious and honest debate on this subject.

 

[Hashshāshīn]

There has to be a solution to that problem, don't you think?

First major thing is to control overpopulation. People need to become civilised, and not chant for death because a person of a different sect entered their mosque.

Closing of religious schools, keeping imam speeches in check, more open education system is essential.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Not true. Muslims are more worried about what sect the next person belongs to instead of working together.

Muslim sectarian violence is no worse than a Chinese killing other Chinese for labels like "KMT" or "CCP".

And eventually we got over that, the Muslim world will too.

Wishful thinking, sir.

Why would Turkey, or KSA, both developed nations open their borders to people from, say Nigeria or Bangladesh? It would be an immense drain on their social status, economy etc.

The less developed Muslim nations are actually the ones with the greatest growth potential and population sizes, the demographics there are primed for an economic boom, if someone was willing to take that opportunity.

 

[Kompromat]

IMO there is no Muslim "world" when all that we see is them reliving others and themselves from it .

And there is no hope as the article prescribes, because it is a religion that is shocking aggressive and violent towards 'non believers'. This does NOT mean every Muslim is looking to behead you or prescribes to violence.

I attended a conference a few years ago where there was serious and honest debate on this subject.

1: We don't need an American to tell us what exists and what doesn't. We existed from a 1000 years before you did!
2: Your view is not different from a typical American. Muslims are bad, Islam is evil - end of story.
3: That Somali chick is one of many 'media faces', used to malign Islam and Muslims. We are almost 2 Billion people from 57 countries and 100s of languages, no 'conference' by a western paid cheerleader can sum up the diversity of our world
4: We will govern ourselves by our laws, by our way of life for our people.

 

[Hashshāshīn]

Muslim sectarian violence is no worse than a Chinese killing other Chinese for labels like "KMT" or "CCP".

And eventually we got over that, the Muslim world will too.

Political affiliation is much easier to get over than religion, which for most people is ingrained to their heads as soon as they are born. Looking at the current state of Islamic world, I would say it'll take a minimum of 3 generations to get over this. Meaning nothing for a century.

 

[Kompromat]

Wishful thinking, sir.

Why would Turkey, or KSA, both developed nations open their borders to people from, say Nigeria or Bangladesh? It would be an immense drain on their social status, economy etc.

Weather we like it not, eventually that is going to happen. Developing countries offer more promise of growth in the long term.

 

[MadeintheUSA]

1: We don't need an American to tell us what exists and what doesn't. We existed from a 1000 years before you did!
2: Your view is not different from a typical American. Muslims are bad, Islam is evil - end of story.
3: That Somali chick is one of many 'media faces', used to malign Islam and Muslims. We are almost 2 Billion people, no 'conference' by a western paid cheerleader can sum up the diversity of our world
4: We will govern ourselves by our laws, by our way of life for our people.

I don't hate nor love you. I base my opinion on facts and more than happy to be corrected. However, your reply did not challenge me on the assertions, rather it had you talk about how old and how many you have in your ranks. Things I never disputed.

I would have preferred you to refute the " Somali" chicks assertions. I never heard her challenge that the religion did not have billions and was not thousands of years old.