...[T]he reason that I bring up Syria is that in Pakistan, I have seen people to be the first on the streets whenever anything goes wrong in any part of the Muslim world irrespective of conditions at home.
Source/Credit: Ahmadiyya Times
By Dur-e-Aden | June 25, 2013
For the past two weeks, a lot is being written and discussed about the condition in Syria in the international media. Though the conflict is now over two years old and Syria has been dominating the news for one reason after the other, mainly because of an escalating civil war inside its borders and the threat that it poses not only for regional but also international stability; the reason for a sudden refocus was the announcement by President Barack Obama that US has finally decided to provide military support to the rebels, especially after obtaining “evidence” that Assad has used chemical weapons against its own people.
However, what I have noticed and what surprised me the most was the relative silence of the religious leaders and politicians, as well as the people in Pakistan regarding the condition in Syria. As a result of the conflict that started in the wake of Arab Spring in 2011, close to a 100,000 people are reported to have lost their lives and approximately 2.5 million are reported to have become refugees. (It is important to keep in mind however, that during such bloody conflicts, real numbers are always higher than the official figures since not every death gets reported nor every refugee gets registered). Moreover, some of the most beautiful and historical infrastructure which included mosques, churches, shrines and other religious places sacred to millions of people belonging to a multitude of faiths have been destroyed. In other words, Syria just unravelled into a catastrophe right in front of our eyes.
Now one can and should argue that Pakistan is itself going through the worst of times, and is not really able to solve other people’s problems. After all, if your own house is on fire, how can you help save someone else’s? To those people I say, you are absolutely and 100% right. Pakistanis themselves are dying every day. There are those who die just because they happen to belong to the “wrong” ethnicity or sect. Women are targeted on the basis of their gender just for practicing their basic right to education. And then there is the scourge of terrorism and extremism that targets everyone irrespective of their personal identity.
But the reason that I bring up Syria is that in Pakistan, I have seen people to be the first on the streets whenever anything goes wrong in any part of the Muslim world irrespective of conditions at home. I remember in 2008-2009 when Shia blood was flowing like a river in Parachinar, Pakistanis were protesting Israeli attacks on Gaza during Operation “Cast Lead” which resulted in the horrific and brutal deaths of 1400 Palestinians. People protested France’s ban on niqab or Switzerland’s ban on minarets (not necessarily in mass protests but sometimes on TV, print media or general discussions) when Christians inside Pakistan were burned down by mobs. Moreover most recently, the condition of Muslims in Burma was the topic of interest to a lot of people inside Pakistan so much so that even President Zardari wrote a letter to the President of Myanmar voicing his concerns on behalf of Pakistanis. So it’s not like Pakistani religious leaders (and people to some extent) have kept the difference of problems at home vs. problems abroad in mind, especially when it has concerned “our Muslim brothers and sisters” in other countries.
Yet in the case of Syria, which escalated right in front of our eyes and wasn’t a result of any US or Israel invasion when it started or escalated, there was such a deafening silence about the atrocities committed by both sides as well as about the death toll which was resulting in the deaths of Muslims that one wonders the following questions: Are these people not “our brothers and sisters?” Is there oppression not worth protesting over? Should the religious leaders not be condemning the people responsible for this conflict and call on them to show maturity and restraint instead of wasting valuable lives over a senseless conflict?
I would predict that in coming weeks, especially as the US has stepped up support for the rebels, we might hear about Syrian conflict from these religious leaders only to learn how US always messes up in Middle East, how it has some grand design of imperialistically controlling the region due to its oil reserves and as a result of its support, it will only install those people in power which it wants. Now even if all of that is true, one can ask the question that what it is that you or your country did to stop the conflict instead of just pointing fingers? For the past two years, did Muslim countries in the Arab League or OIC formulate a strategy to do something for Syria? Instead, they themselves were divided and supplied arms to their chosen side which only resulted in increasing the conflict. Qatar and Saudi Arabia were accused of supporting the rebels while Iran and Hezbollah are openly supporting Assad. So the concept of one and unified Ummah was proven wrong right there, before US had intervened militarily. Not to mention that rebels themselves have always called and looked for support mainly from US and western countries, instead of asking any of their “brother” Muslim countries which also shows that they also know who is the real player in international politics and who merely talks (and sometimes doesn’t even do that).
Asking the religious leaders to condemn atrocities committed by fellow co-religionists is always a lot to ask, especially in Pakistan. Otherwise, there won’t be so much confusion regarding sectarian and terrorist organization within the country. However, when sectarianism starts playing out at the international arena, it is very hard and dishonest to deny it or to blame it on others especially when it has the potential to set the whole region on fire. Only God knows which way the Syrian conflict would go as not only Muslim countries but international powers also seem divided about their approach towards a solution. One can only hope that in the world of nuclear and chemical weapons, some sanity prevails and a political settlement is reached at the earliest. Still while we pray for it, just ask if the concept of Ummah is a concrete reality? And if not, is it really worth to think of Pakistan as a vanguard of Islam and Muslim Ummah as opposed to just a state which should be striving towards betterment of its people along with playing a more constructive role in issues of international politics, whether they affect Muslims or non-Muslims?
-- Point of view: Syria-The failure of the Muslim Ummah
-- Ahmadiyya Times
-- By Dur-e-Aden
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