[B]eing a Muslim American of Pakistani origin, I would like to share a short history lesson with Trump to help him solidify his vision of a “great” America.
Source/Credit: Duluth News Tribune
By M. Imran Hayee | December 3, 2016
Only time will reveal which road Trump takes.
After a surprise election win, President-elect Donald J. Trump acknowledged the need to “bind the wounds of division” and pledged to be “the president for all Americans” in his short victory speech. This was a refreshing detour from his earlier campaign rhetoric of building walls and banning Muslims in the name of making America “great” again.
Trump’s vision of a “great” America will remain uncertain until he shapes his administration and formulates his policies.
In the meantime, being a Muslim American of Pakistani origin, I would like to share a short history lesson with Trump to help him solidify his vision of a “great” America.
There are striking similarities in the origins of America and Pakistan. Both countries obtained their independence from a long British colonial rule in the name of freedom and equality. There’s a common perception that Pakistan was established in the name of religion; in fact, its founding principle was no different than that of America’s. After the announcement of independence from British rule, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, proclaimed in his landmark speech of Aug. 11, 1947, “We are all citizens and equal citizens of one state. You are free. You are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or cast or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the state.”
Jinnah’s vision of Pakistan paved its way toward a great start. During the 1960s, Pakistan’s economic growth was at its highest level ever, and it was seen as a model of economic development around the world. Many countries sought to emulate Pakistan’s economic-planning strategy. South Korea adopted the second “Five-Year Plan” of Pakistan’s largest industrial city, Karachi, to implement in Seoul, which has now become a world financial center.
What went wrong with Pakistan?
Soon after the creation of Pakistan in 1947 and the demise of Jinnah a year later, religious extremists started their demands to convert Pakistan into a puritanical fundamentalist state. Early Pakistani rulers squashed all such attempts and stayed the course of Jinnah’s vision. In 1974, however, the Pakistani government succumbed to the demands of religious fanatics committing an unprecedented act of religious intolerance by constitutionally defining who is Muslim. The successive governments allowed this religious bigotry to flourish, distracting people from the real issues of governance. In 1984, Ordinance XX and subsequent anti-blasphemy laws institutionalized the persecution of minorities and religious dissidents with severe punishments, including the death penalty.
Today, hatred and intolerance have crept into the fabric of Pakistani society. The extremist clerics define their own obscurantist version of Islam, allowing no tolerance for divergent views. Temples, churches and mosques not ascribing to their distorted version of Islam are routinely attacked. The monster of religious fundamentalism in Pakistan has grown large enough to devour Jinnah’s philosophy of freedom and equality.
This short history lesson of the rise and descent of Pakistan should be an eye-opener for Trump to stand firmly on America’s founding principles of freedom and equality, regardless of how hard it gets. Any small deviation can cost “bigly.”
Trump’s initial moves have been somewhat discouraging, however. Soon after the election results were known, Trump announced Steve Bannon as his chief strategist. White nationalists see Bannon as their advocate to hold Trump to his campaign promises. Later, Trump chose the retired lieutenant general, Michael Flynn, as his national security adviser. Flynn is known to air unfounded news stories maligning Muslims and to interact with far-right and anti-Semitic organizations on social media. Trump’s transition team also indicated the new administration is considering a national registry for immigrants from Muslim-majority countries.
These steps could lead toward a slippery road, the one the Pakistani government started to march in 1974.
Only time will reveal which road Trump takes. He can either risk unleashing bigotry and hatred by constructing walls using the bricks of gender, race and religion; or he can make America really great by strengthening its founding principles of freedom and equality, healing the wounds of division.
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M. Imran Hayee is a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He belongs to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of USA and is a regular contributor to the News Tribune Opinion page.
Read original post here: Perspective: America must cling to its founding principles of freedom and equality | M. Imran Hayee
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