The participation of Muslim women in current UK elections caught the attention of press and BBC started saying that Muslim women are more confident in West than Muslim women in Muslim world. Really!!!!!! For a moment I was thinking the Muslims women in West and I couldn't come up with good numbers of muslim women with big achievements in West. When I looked back, I found the Myrtyre Banzir Bhutto who elected twice as prime minister of Pakistan, Fahmida Mirza, current Speak of National Assembly and National assembly of Pakistan with 30% women representative. If we look back when find Muslim women like Fatima Jinnah (Mother of Pakistani nation) and Rana Liqat Ali Khan (the wife of first Pakistani Prime minister) struggling for Independance of Muslims of India. If we look to neighboring Iran which is blamed for restricting rights of women, you will find women in every sphere of life with highest rates of education in region. From parliment to medical science to businesses everywhere woem are crowded. When I met an Iranian girl at Dubai airport who was going to Shanghai and she was alone and sole representative of his company for business talks. I was amazed of differences of pictures that we get from media about Iranian women and actual Iranian women that we met.
Let's go to the most backward and war torn country of the region, Afghanistan which is famous for its harsh Taliban culture. We find women like Habiba Sarabi the governer of Bamiyan Province of Hazarajat who struggle and voice for her ignored people and Dr. Seema samara the head of human rights who voice for human rights especailly rights of women.
Though these are bright pictures from Muslim world that we see no comparison in West but still the majority of Muslim women in majority of muslim world have no voice as they are not exist. Sure! here the Muslim women lack confidece. This lack of confidece is defect of their essence but the systems that have enslaved them.
More important than this issue is the lack of confidence in Muslim intellectuals that I clearly observe. The lack of confidece in Muslim intellectuals are not only limited in Muslim world but also clearly observable in West. They cann't express themselves. It is not because they don't beleive in their ideas or in integrity of their ideas but because of lack of commitment that knowledge ask for.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The craze for popularism or change?
United States is a country which is truly leading the world in terms of global culture. In a digital world where education, business and even friendship and relations went digital, google, yahoo, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, e-bay, Twitter, facebook, Wordpress, blogger and tons of other digital products alongside of the hollywood is shaping the global thinking and mindset of the people. The grasp of the local cultures and traditions are loosening and people are becoming American by the spirit and soul though not nationality.
American dominance in feeding the global thinking have got a new turn recently after the 2008 presidential election. The Obama's famous phrase, "Yes, we can", "Yes, we did" and "Change" have created a new craze for popularism in politics. People around the world is following this new craze. While I call this craze? Politics, unlike fashion, novels, shows and movies are not only for personal enjoyments but they decide the fate of people and future generations. A craze for popularism may degrade some values and meanings that are decisive in directions of society.
Once, not very far, just in previous century the rebellion was very popular in politics and it was attracting youths. Che had a symbolic personality that was fueling that craze. Youth without understanding socialism and communism were joining parites with such had such menifesto.
The popularism is back in politics. Conservative Party of UK is copying, Obama's presidential compaign by announcing their manifesto as "CHANGE" and by adapting the phrase, "The change in believe in". Surely, the conservative party of UK will not be the last party as other parties around the world will jump in to benefit from current craze among people, especailly youth.
We make jokes with our friends, "Yes! You can". "There is nothing that you can't" "You can jump out of windows from third floor". "You can run drink the whole gallon of milk" and so on and the reply comes, "If you want to succeed in USA, swim against the stream" "If you really want to succeed don't do what others do". "Don't breathe because others breathe" "Dont eat, because others eat" and we laugh. Though these are jokes but these are real desires that people in politics show some real change so popularism do not fall from face.
Popularism is not limited to politics only but also in plays and arts. When soccer matches turns in tense realtions between two countries (Egypt and Algeria, for example) and marriage of two sportsmen the most deabted topics in every sphere of life (The marriage of Indian Tennis star, Sania Mirza and Pakistan's Cricket team's Captain, Shoaib Malik). These things looks illogical and it is what is called craze.
Craze are necessary from time to time to put some thrill and fascination in lives of people who get tired of serious politics though.
American dominance in feeding the global thinking have got a new turn recently after the 2008 presidential election. The Obama's famous phrase, "Yes, we can", "Yes, we did" and "Change" have created a new craze for popularism in politics. People around the world is following this new craze. While I call this craze? Politics, unlike fashion, novels, shows and movies are not only for personal enjoyments but they decide the fate of people and future generations. A craze for popularism may degrade some values and meanings that are decisive in directions of society.
Once, not very far, just in previous century the rebellion was very popular in politics and it was attracting youths. Che had a symbolic personality that was fueling that craze. Youth without understanding socialism and communism were joining parites with such had such menifesto.
The popularism is back in politics. Conservative Party of UK is copying, Obama's presidential compaign by announcing their manifesto as "CHANGE" and by adapting the phrase, "The change in believe in". Surely, the conservative party of UK will not be the last party as other parties around the world will jump in to benefit from current craze among people, especailly youth.
We make jokes with our friends, "Yes! You can". "There is nothing that you can't" "You can jump out of windows from third floor". "You can run drink the whole gallon of milk" and so on and the reply comes, "If you want to succeed in USA, swim against the stream" "If you really want to succeed don't do what others do". "Don't breathe because others breathe" "Dont eat, because others eat" and we laugh. Though these are jokes but these are real desires that people in politics show some real change so popularism do not fall from face.
Popularism is not limited to politics only but also in plays and arts. When soccer matches turns in tense realtions between two countries (Egypt and Algeria, for example) and marriage of two sportsmen the most deabted topics in every sphere of life (The marriage of Indian Tennis star, Sania Mirza and Pakistan's Cricket team's Captain, Shoaib Malik). These things looks illogical and it is what is called craze.
Craze are necessary from time to time to put some thrill and fascination in lives of people who get tired of serious politics though.
The Fall of Muslim World
The easiest way to escape of one's failure is to blame the system. You will find crying faces everywhere that do not tire of complaining and blaming others for their failures. Politicians are famous of their escape reasoning. However listening to an intellectual using the same level of superficial reasoning is really astonishing.
In a dinner, we were debating the fall and rise of nations. I asked a Muslim professor who is teaching about the Middle East. He started blaming the West for the failures of the Muslim world. He was contradicting with his previous argument in which he blamed Mongol invasion of the Muslim world as the reason for fall of the Muslim world.
It was simply misinterpretation of the history. The Mongolian invasion and following Mongolian empire led globalization and to renaissance. European colonization led to democratization and creation of the nation states. Today's globalized world is the fruit of the all these developments.
Yes, Mongolian invasions, colonization, WWI, WWII, cold war, War on terror, all have destructive consequences. But no nation in the world has escaped war. Every single nation on the earth has faced invasions, destructions, economical, political and social crises. What about Germany and Japan who faced defeat and massive destruction in WWII? Are these two nations struggling among third world countries or among economical and technological powers of the world?
If Mongolian invasion was the cause of failure then what about China and India? Both China and India faced Mongolian invasions and were proud part of the Mongolian empire. If colonization is the cause of fall then what about the India, Singapore? What about Malaysia that is a Muslim country?
Some argue that most of the post colonial nation states are failures. I accept the fact but Israel is also a post colonial nation that was created. She has established herself as a successful nation, despite of the sensitivity, likes and dislikes related to this nation state?
Some of the nations succeeded to rise up again out of the destructions, invasions and colonization and others failed. Why? There should be some solid reasons that we have to look. Unless the causes of the illness are not diagnosed the blame game and complaining won’t solve the problems.
A lot of Muslim scholars have pointed out the causes but I would like to add my opinion. To me, the conscious participation of the masses in the affairs of the nation is key to success of a nation. When I say conscious, it means that people understand their role and have the ability to serve their roles. Both understanding and ability comes from a purpose education. The second way of the conscious participation of people is the spirit of the free thinking in the intellectuals and their willingness to lead their nations.
As it comes in Muslim world, the public education system was absent in the Muslim world during all Muslim kingdoms and caliphates and free thinking was oppressed especially after Al-Ghazali’s refutation of the philosophers (You can read it in Wikipedia under title of the “The Incoherence of the Philosophers,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incoherence_of_the_Philosophers ). The Al-Ghazali’s works and influences on kings led an end to free thinking in the Muslim world and the results were catastrophic as Muslim world went out of the list of nations who were contributing to Human knowledge. The misuse of Fatwa and killings of Muslim thinkers snatched the spirit of the conscious participation of the Muslim masses. It is the real fall of the Muslim world.
The only way to free Muslims from extremist is the revival of the free spirits that earlier Muslim scientists have whose contributions are the source of the pride for Muslims. This sense of pride needs translations. Muslims intellectuals need not to escape of the real weaknesses that historically there have inherited. They have a golden era and need to revive the same spirit, Reasoning and free thinking which the core of generation of knowledge is.
In a dinner, we were debating the fall and rise of nations. I asked a Muslim professor who is teaching about the Middle East. He started blaming the West for the failures of the Muslim world. He was contradicting with his previous argument in which he blamed Mongol invasion of the Muslim world as the reason for fall of the Muslim world.
It was simply misinterpretation of the history. The Mongolian invasion and following Mongolian empire led globalization and to renaissance. European colonization led to democratization and creation of the nation states. Today's globalized world is the fruit of the all these developments.
Yes, Mongolian invasions, colonization, WWI, WWII, cold war, War on terror, all have destructive consequences. But no nation in the world has escaped war. Every single nation on the earth has faced invasions, destructions, economical, political and social crises. What about Germany and Japan who faced defeat and massive destruction in WWII? Are these two nations struggling among third world countries or among economical and technological powers of the world?
If Mongolian invasion was the cause of failure then what about China and India? Both China and India faced Mongolian invasions and were proud part of the Mongolian empire. If colonization is the cause of fall then what about the India, Singapore? What about Malaysia that is a Muslim country?
Some argue that most of the post colonial nation states are failures. I accept the fact but Israel is also a post colonial nation that was created. She has established herself as a successful nation, despite of the sensitivity, likes and dislikes related to this nation state?
Some of the nations succeeded to rise up again out of the destructions, invasions and colonization and others failed. Why? There should be some solid reasons that we have to look. Unless the causes of the illness are not diagnosed the blame game and complaining won’t solve the problems.
A lot of Muslim scholars have pointed out the causes but I would like to add my opinion. To me, the conscious participation of the masses in the affairs of the nation is key to success of a nation. When I say conscious, it means that people understand their role and have the ability to serve their roles. Both understanding and ability comes from a purpose education. The second way of the conscious participation of people is the spirit of the free thinking in the intellectuals and their willingness to lead their nations.
As it comes in Muslim world, the public education system was absent in the Muslim world during all Muslim kingdoms and caliphates and free thinking was oppressed especially after Al-Ghazali’s refutation of the philosophers (You can read it in Wikipedia under title of the “The Incoherence of the Philosophers,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incoherence_of_the_Philosophers ). The Al-Ghazali’s works and influences on kings led an end to free thinking in the Muslim world and the results were catastrophic as Muslim world went out of the list of nations who were contributing to Human knowledge. The misuse of Fatwa and killings of Muslim thinkers snatched the spirit of the conscious participation of the Muslim masses. It is the real fall of the Muslim world.
The only way to free Muslims from extremist is the revival of the free spirits that earlier Muslim scientists have whose contributions are the source of the pride for Muslims. This sense of pride needs translations. Muslims intellectuals need not to escape of the real weaknesses that historically there have inherited. They have a golden era and need to revive the same spirit, Reasoning and free thinking which the core of generation of knowledge is.
Individualism and change
With president Barack obama's presidential campaign the word change and the phrase "Yes we can" became very famous worldwide. The whole world was expecting big changes and the impacts of those changes on the whole world. But we really saw major changes. I was looking for reasons that despite a great desire for change all over the world we do not see the changes.
During my quest I saw a strage contrast between the West and East in the people's response to events. Large demostrations and massive participation of people in huge demonstrations in East, especailly in Middle East and South Asia is eye catching. You may think that people are politically aware, responsible and active but the rsult is nil. Why?
On other hand, it is really hard tast to pull people togather and much difficult to pull them out on the street in the West. In conference rooms only tens of people and with some success hundreds but if you call these people on the street, even lesser people. You may think, people are politically unaware, irresponsible and inactive. But it is not true. Perhaps people don't want change. It is not true either.
The real difference between massive demonstrations in East and far less participation of people in the rellies in West is due the socail structures. In East people are more social and the population is well divided on the ethnic, lingual and religious basis. Identities have deeply embedded into lives of people so a call for demonstration get more response than in West where neighbors are strangers and people live thier individualistic lives. Pulling people on the street requires a tremendous efforts and appeals to people.
But both these issues and differences are not much related to change. Change comes from intellectuals. In both East and West the layers of intellectuals who have desires, willingness to appeal and lead the change is missing. Without presence of this layer in a society the demostration of people is no more than a mob and slogans of the change is nothing more than business of poiltics.
During my quest I saw a strage contrast between the West and East in the people's response to events. Large demostrations and massive participation of people in huge demonstrations in East, especailly in Middle East and South Asia is eye catching. You may think that people are politically aware, responsible and active but the rsult is nil. Why?
On other hand, it is really hard tast to pull people togather and much difficult to pull them out on the street in the West. In conference rooms only tens of people and with some success hundreds but if you call these people on the street, even lesser people. You may think, people are politically unaware, irresponsible and inactive. But it is not true. Perhaps people don't want change. It is not true either.
The real difference between massive demonstrations in East and far less participation of people in the rellies in West is due the socail structures. In East people are more social and the population is well divided on the ethnic, lingual and religious basis. Identities have deeply embedded into lives of people so a call for demonstration get more response than in West where neighbors are strangers and people live thier individualistic lives. Pulling people on the street requires a tremendous efforts and appeals to people.
But both these issues and differences are not much related to change. Change comes from intellectuals. In both East and West the layers of intellectuals who have desires, willingness to appeal and lead the change is missing. Without presence of this layer in a society the demostration of people is no more than a mob and slogans of the change is nothing more than business of poiltics.
What is needed most?
One thing does not change much when you across cultures and nations. And that is all need continuous inspiration and motivation. It doesn't make difference what is your level of education, what is your job and circumstances. Whenever you get some difficult task or hard times you try to delay it by spending more times on easy works or unncessary works. You lose concentration, time and energy and it affects your performance. An inspiration or motivation make you energetic and more focused with amazing results. It is why people always look for motivation and inspiration. As it is not only increases productivity but also make life interesting and satisfying.
A few weeks ago I was talking with my friend and I asked about the general level of hope in our community. "Overall people have lost hope and they try to leave the country because other countries give thme a hope for a better life." My reply was one of the reason that people have lost hope because people with successful lives do not come out to share their stories, skills and opinons to people. So people could learn and inspired to how, harness their potentials. And also people could learn the opportunities that have to excel."
To me, the contribution of the successful people is really necessary and it is what every society and community needs most. "If you give fish you are feeding for one day but if you are teaching how to fish then you are feeding for life time" It is a close meaning of a Chinese proverb.
A few weeks ago I was talking with my friend and I asked about the general level of hope in our community. "Overall people have lost hope and they try to leave the country because other countries give thme a hope for a better life." My reply was one of the reason that people have lost hope because people with successful lives do not come out to share their stories, skills and opinons to people. So people could learn and inspired to how, harness their potentials. And also people could learn the opportunities that have to excel."
To me, the contribution of the successful people is really necessary and it is what every society and community needs most. "If you give fish you are feeding for one day but if you are teaching how to fish then you are feeding for life time" It is a close meaning of a Chinese proverb.
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