‘United’ Jerusalem Is Divided And Divisive

By Yossi Mekelberg

1 October 2015

In a week in which two of the holiest dates in the Muslim and Jewish calendars coincided (Eid al-Adha and Yom Kippur, respectively), the city of Jerusalem, which should bring all people together, is more divided than ever, ridden by hatred and violence. The recent flare-up in violence is a reflection of the unsustainable pretence of a united Jerusalem under Israeli ‘sovereignty.’

Moreover, Israeli decision-makers frequently fail to internalize that what happens in Jerusalem has a great impact on relations with the rest of the Palestinians, the Arab and Muslim worlds, and with large parts of the international community. This dire situation was reflected in Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday.

Once again, the Netanyahu government’s short-sighted approach may end up exacerbating already tense relations.

Yossi Mekelberg

He chose, in his opening remarks, to warn the international community about the “grave dangers of what is happening in Jerusalem, where extremist Israeli groups are committing repeated, systematic incursions upon Al-Aqsa mosque.”

The situation in Jerusalem, combined with what Abbas outlined in his speech as Israeli violations of the Oslo Accords, led him to declare that Palestinians are no longer bound by this agreement that was signed 22 years ago.

Violence

Regrettably, Jerusalem endures periodical surges of violence. Images of Palestinian youths hurling stones and firebombs at Israeli security forces, and civilians facing excessive force - even brutality - from Israeli military and police is all too familiar. In one tragic incident two weeks ago, an Israeli motorist lost control of his car due to stone-throwing, and was killed in the resulting crash.

Violence cannot be condoned, nor is it the solution for the predicament of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem. However, only those who are naïve or choose to play innocent would expect for a moment that constant deprivation of the basic rights of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, as well as Israeli religious-political provocations on one of the holiest places for Islam, Haram al-Sharif, would not eventually be met with resistance.

Even if youth anger is at times manipulated by politically-vested interests, it is a genuine response that also represents anger by older Palestinians, who are for obvious reasons more reluctant to take to the streets.

Crackdown

Last week, the Israeli security cabinet approved much tougher measures to crack down on rock-throwing and firebomb attacks. The new draconian measures include a mandatory four-year minimum sentence for adult stone- or firebomb-throwers.

The setting of minimum sentence by politicians is always a grievous encroachment of the executive branch into both the legislative and judicial ones. This unequivocally undermines democracy within Israel proper, and marginalizes courts’ power to exercise judgement. Even the efficiency of this new directive is questionable. If stone-throwers are ready to face potential death or severe injury, why would a lengthy prison sentence serve as a deterrence?

Israel and Jordan need each other in order to deal with the enormous challenges both face.

The cabinet decision not only allocated long sentences for those who oppose the occupation, but also relaxed restrictions on using live ammunition against demonstrators. Under the new procedures, police forces are now authorized to use Ruger rifles that fire 22-caliber bullets at demonstrators, not only when their lives are under threat, but when they judge the situation as posing “an immediate and concrete danger to civilians.”

This type of ammunition is not as lethal as others available to the Israelis, but it can still cause fatalities or at least severe injuries. It is not only the morality of this measure that is questionable, but more than anything it is likely to be counterproductive, particularly in the absence of a genuine peace process to present an alternative to violent resistance.

Provocation

The anger among Palestinians directed at Israelis in Jerusalem is mainly the product of conditions in the city. High levels of poverty and unemployment among the 300,000 Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, the feeling of urban suffocation due to the building of Jewish settlements around Arab East Jerusalem, and constant discrimination against the Palestinian population add to the ever-growing discontent.

Many of the clashes take place around and on Temple Mount. Israel is right to demand that stones are not thrown at Jewish worshippers praying in front of the Wailing Wall. However, constant provocation, including that by members of the government about the right of Jews to pray close to Al-Aqsa mosque, only fuels tensions and subsequent violent clashes.

Jordan

In addition, violating the status quo on Temple Mount has implications for Israeli-Jordanian relations - it is critical for King Abdullah, especially at this very uncertain moment in the kingdom’s history. Israel and Jordan need each other in order to deal with the enormous challenges both face.

Jordan faces threatening instability close to its borders, as well as internal challenges posed by the country’s demography. The king cannot afford to be seen as cooperating with Israel when Palestinians are killed and arrested in increasing numbers, and when the sovereignty of Islam over Haram al-Sharif is questioned by Israeli politicians. His widely-reported refusal to meet with the Israeli prime minister is a clear indication of his growing frustration with Benjamin Netanyahu.

Once again, the Netanyahu government’s short-sighted approach may end up exacerbating already tense relations. This might lead to increasing bloodshed at home, and growing tensions with countries in the region that despite a commonality of interests with Israel, would have to distance themselves from it.

Yossi Mekelberg is an Associate Fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, where he is involved with projects and advisory work on conflict resolution, including Track II negotiations. He is also the Director of the International Relations and Social Sciences Program at Regent’s University in London, where he has taught since 1996. Previously, he was teaching at King’s College London and Tel Aviv University. Mekelberg’s fields of interest are international relations theory, international politics of the Middle East, human rights, and international relations and revolutions. He is a member of the London Committee of Human Rights Watch, serving on the Advocacy and Outreach committee. Mekelberg is a regular contributor to the international media on a wide range of international issues and you can find him on Twitter @YMekelberg.

english.alarabiya.net/en/views/2015/10/01/-United-Jerusalem-is-divided-and-divisive.html

URL: http://newageislam.com/the-war-within-islam/by-yossi-mekelberg/%E2%80%98united%E2%80%99-jerusalem-is-divided-and-divisive/d/104779

The Importance of Rendering Justice in Islam

By Naseer Ahmed, New Age Islam

2 October 2015

Is there any other duty of greater importance in the sight of Allah than rendering perfect (secular) justice in all matters? Let us examine the evidence.

(3:18) There is no god but He: That is the witness of Allah (Shahedullah), His angels, and those endued with knowledge, standing firm on justice. There is no god but He, the Exalted in Power, the Wise.

The above verse can also be read as: Those endued with knowledge about God, His Oneness, His Exalted Power and Wisdom, provide proof or evidence of such knowledge (witness) by standing firm on justice.

Also consider:

(4:135) O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah (Shuhadalillah),  even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.

What is stressed in the verse above is perfect secular justice disregarding every other consideration as witnesses to Allah from whom nothing is hidden – not even the innermost thoughts, desires, prejudices, rancour, love or hatred for those being judged.

There is a slight variation in 5:8 where the term could easily have been Shuhadalillah but the term Shuhadabilqist has been used and the context is again rendering exemplary justice standing out firmly for Allah.

(5:8) O ye who believe! stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing (Shuhadabilqist), and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.

It is made amply clear that justice cannot be comprised for any extraneous consideration and must be rendered in a manner that can be justified to Allah from whom nothing is hidden regarding your motives or the facts of the case and in turn providing evidence (witness) of your submission to Allah and His divine attributes of Oneness, Exalted Power and Wisdom.

The attribute of Oneness make all equal in the sight of Allah which must be reflected while rendering justice. The reminder of Allah’s attribute of Absolute Power helps to resist the pull of every other extraneous consideration. ‘Justice’ rendered by allowing extraneous consideration to influence is oppression.  The opposite of justice is oppression and an oppressor witnesses or provides evidence of evil or Iblis/Satan. Rendering perfect justice provides evidence of Allah and His attributes as well as of the judge’s submission to such a deity.

The attribute of Wisdom requires rendering justice tempered with compassion since Allah has inscribed for Himself the rule of mercy. The rule of mercy makes the objective of justice promoting the greater good of the society while protecting the rights of the individual. 

The word Shuhada (witness) has been used in the normal sense of witness otherwise in the rest of the Quran except in one other verse:

(3:140) If a wound hath touched you, be sure a similar wound hath touched the others. Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns: that Allah may know those that believe, and that He may take to Himself from your ranks Shuhada (witnesses to Truth). And Allah loveth not those that do wrong.

We understand from the verse that apart from rendering exemplary secular justice, a person provides proof of being a true believer by remaining constant in his devotion and dedication all through the days of varying fortunes which test his faith to the limit. Many of the translators have translated Shuhada in this verse to mean a “martyr” but clearly this is not what is meant. A wounded person’s faith is tested to a greater degree than that of the slain. The verse only talks about how a true believer gets separated from those who are found to waver when trouble afflicts them.

What about the "martyrs" then? The Quran does not use the word "shaheed" or a grammatical variation for the martyrs. There are other verses that explicitly talk about those killed in the cause of Allah but the word Shuhada or Shaheed has not been used and may not be used since such usage distorts the meaning of the Quran.

Those who fight in the cause of Allah and are slain are rewarded, but they have not been called either Shaheed or Shuhada. This may be because fighting is not a normal state but a duty only under exceptional circumstances. Also, there could be other reasons for which people fight such as the love of booty or women, glory, hatred or an escape from the tribulations of life. Thus being slain even in a just war does not by itself provide proof of the person’s intention and motives. In any case, contrary to popular usage and perceptions, the Quran does not use the term “Shaheed” for the slain.

A true believer, worthy of being called a witness to Allah and a witness to the people about the attributes of Allah is therefore a person who renders perfect secular justice and one who remains constant through all his trials and tribulations. These are therefore the defining characteristics of a Muslim.

If the highest virtue that provides evidence of being a Muslim (witness submission to Allah) is standing firm for secular justice, then what is its opposite that provides proof of a contumacious rejecter of the “truth” (kafir)?  The opposite of standing firm for justice is the oppression of people in any form.

Fighting is ordained against the oppressors until justice and faith in Allah prevail, for tumult and oppression is worse than slaughter. But if they cease their oppression cease your fighting against them. (2:191 to 193)

The highest virtue or act of faith in Allah and His divine attributes is rendering perfect justice and the most obvious sign of a contumacious rejecter of Allah is an oppressor.

Again, contrary to popular perception, fighting in the cause of Allah is restricted to ending oppression in any form where the faith of the oppressor and the oppressed are irrelevant. This is covered in greater detail in my article:

The Much Discussed and Debated Medinian Verses Relating To Fighting

http://www.newageislam.com/ijtihad,-rethinking-islam/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/the-much-discussed-and-debated-medinian-verses-relating-to-fighting/d/102351

So shouldn’t rendering justice be called the central pillar or pole of Islam and the remaining five pillars, the outer pillars or the outer poles of the tent? Remove the central pole and the tent collapses taking down the remaining five poles also. The five pillars of Islam are no less important because the central pole cannot stand by itself either. The five pillars however only provide the necessary hygiene factors and what is central to Islam that defines a true Muslim who is both a witness to Allah and witness to the people of the divine attributes of Allah to whom he submits, is the quality of justice he renders and upholds. An oppressor is simply a contumacious rejecter of Allah and His attributes and a representative of Iblis.

Naseer Ahmed is an Engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur and is an independent IT consultant after having served in both the Public and Private sector in responsible positions for over three decades. He is a frequent contributor to NewAgeIslam.com.

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/naseer-ahmed,-new-age-islam/the-importance-of-rendering-justice-in-islam/d/104770

UN Farce: Saudi Arabia To Head Human Rights Council

By Felicity Arbuthnot

October 2, 2015

All victims of human rights abuses should be able to look to the Human Rights Council as a forum and a springboard for action.

— Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, 12 March 2007, Opening of the 4th Human Rights Council Session.

Article 55 of United Nations Charter includes:

Universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

IN DIAMETRICAL opposition to these fine founding aspirations, the UN has appointed Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the United Nations Human Rights Council to head (or should that be ‘behead’) an influential human rights panel. The appointment was seemingly made in June, but only came to light on September 17, due to documents obtained by UN Watch.

‘… Mr Faisal Bin Hassan Trad, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador at the UN in Geneva, was elected as chair of a panel of independent experts on the UN Human Rights Council.

As head of a five-strong group of diplomats, the influential role would give Mr Trad the power to select applicants from around the world for scores of expert roles in countries where the UN has a mandate on human rights.’

Such experts are often described as the ‘crown jewels’ of the HRC, according to UN Watch.

The ‘crown jewels’ have been handed to a country with one of the worst human rights records in the world. Saudi Arabia will head a Consultative Group of five Ambassadors empowered to select applicants globally for more than seventy-seven positions to deal with human rights violations and mandates.

In a spectacular new low for even a UN whose former secretary general, Kofi Annan, took eighteen months to admit publicly that the 2003 invasion of, bombardment and near destruction of, Iraq was illegal, UN Watch points out that the UN has chosen ‘a country that has beheaded more people this year than ISIS to be head of a key Human Rights panel…’

In May, just prior to the appointment, the Saudi government advertised for eight extra executioners to ‘… carry out an increasing number of death sentences, which are usually beheadings, carried out in public’.

Seemingly ‘no special qualifications are needed.’ The main function would be executing, but job description ‘also involves performing amputations…’

The advert was posted on the website of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of the Civil Service.

By June 15th this year executions reached 100, ‘far exceeding last year’s tally and putting (the country) on course for a new record’ according to The Independent (June 15.) The paper adds that the Kingdom is set to beat its own grisly, primitive record of 192 executions in 1995.

The paper notes that ‘…the rise in executions can be directly linked to the new King Salman and his recently-appointed inner circle …’

In August 2014, Human Rights Watch reported nineteen executions in seventeen days — including one for ‘sorcery.’ Adultery and apostasy can also be punished by death.

In a supreme irony, on the death of King Salman’s head-chopping predecessor, Salman’s half bother King Abdullah, in January (still current decapitation record holder) UK prime minister David Cameron ordered flags flown at half mast, including at the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, leading one MP to question: ‘On the day that flags at Whitehall are flying at half-mast for King Abdullah, how many public executions will there be?’

Cameron apparently had not read his own Foreign and Commonwealth Office Report citing Saudi as ‘a country of concern.’

Reacting to a swathe of criticism, a spokesperson for Westminster Abbey responded:

‘For us not to fly at half-mast would be to make a noticeably aggressive comment on the death of the King of a country to which the UK is allied in the fight against Islamic terrorism.’

The Abbey’s representative appears to have been either breathtakingly ignorant or stunningly uninformed. In December 2009 in a US Embassy cable the then US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, wrote that:

‘While the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) takes seriously the threat of terrorism within Saudi Arabia, it has been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority.’

Moreover:

‘… donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide … engagement is needed to … encourage the Saudi government to take more steps to stem the flow of funds from Saudi Arabia-based sources to terrorists and extremists worldwide.’

At home women are forbidden ‘from obtaining a passport, marrying, travelling, accessing higher education without the approval of a male guardian.’ (HRW Report, 2014.)

Saudi is also, of course, the only country in the world where women are forbidden to drive.

The country is currently preparing to behead twenty-one year old Ali Mohammed al-Nimr. He was arrested aged seventeen for participating in anti-government protests and possessing firearms — the latter charge has been consistently denied. Human rights groups are appalled at the sentence and the flimsy case against him, but pointing out that neither ‘factors are unusual in today’s Saudi Arabia.’

Following the beheading, al-Nimr’s headless body will be allegedly mounted ‘on to a crucifix for public viewing.’

What was that mantra issued unceasingly from US and UK government Departments in justification for blitzkriegs, invasions and slaughters in countries who ‘kill their own people’?

Numerous reports cite torture as being widespread, despite Saudi having subscribed to the UN Convention Against Torture.

There are protests at Saudi embassies across the world highlighting the case of blogger Raif Badawi, sentenced to a thousand lashes — fifty lashes a week after Friday prayers — and ten years in prison for blogging about free speech.

Since March, Saudi Arabia has been bombing Yemen — with no UN mandate — destroying schools, hospitals, homes, a hotel, public buildings, an Internally Displaced Persons camp, historical jewels, generating ‘a trail of civilian death and destruction’ which may have amounted to war crimes, according to Amnesty International. ‘Unlawful airstrikes’ have failed to distinguish between military targets and civilian objects. ‘Nowhere safe for civilians’, states Amnesty.

Further, the conflict … has killed close to 4,000 people, half of them civilians including hundreds of children, and displaced over one million since 25 March 2015. There has been:

‘… a flagrant disregard for civilian lives and fundamental principles of international humanitarian law (killing and injuring) hundreds of civilians not involved in the conflict, many of them children and women, in unlawful (disproportionate and indiscriminate) ground and air attacks.’

It is alleged that US-supplied cluster bombs have also been used. One hundred and seventeen states have joined the Convention to ban these lethal, indiscriminate munitions since December 2008. Saudi Arabia, of course, is not amongst them.

Saudi was also one of the countries which bombed Iraq in 2003, an action now widely accepted as illegal. It is perhaps indicative of their closeness to the US that the bombardment of Yemen is mirror-named from the Pentagon’s Silly Titles for Killing People lexicon: ‘Operation Decisive Storm.’ Iraq 1991 was, of course, ‘Operation Desert Storm’.

Saudi is also ranked 164th out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. All in all, Saudi leading the Human Rights Council at the UN is straight out of another of George Orwell’s most nightmarish political fantasies.

Oh, and, of course, we are told that nineteen of the hijackers of the ‘plane that hit the World Trade Centre were Saudis — for which swathes of Afghanistan and region, Middle East and North Africa are still paying the bloodiest, genocidal price for the ‘War on Terror’ — whilst Saudi’s representatives stroll into the sunlight of the UN Human Rights body.

On the UN Human Right’s Council’s website is stated:

‘The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) represents the world’s commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. We have a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect all human rights.’

Way to go, folks!

DissidentVoice.org, September 23. Felicity Arbuthnot is a journalist with special knowledge of Iraq. Author, with Nikki van der Gaag, of Baghdad in the Great City series for World Almanac books, she has also been Senior Researcher for two Award winning documentaries on Iraq, John Pilger’s Paying the Price: Killing the Children of Iraq and Denis Halliday Returns for RTE (Ireland.)

Source: newagebd.net/162156/un-farce-saudi-arabia-to-head-human-rights-council/#sthash.3xRdHowM.dpuf

URL: http://newageislam.com/islamic-history/felicity-arbuthnot/un-farce--saudi-arabia-to-head-human-rights-council/d/104780

Islam, Faith And Climate Change

 By Noor Al Hussein

2 October 2015

The Islamic Declaration on Climate Change, endorsed in August by Islamic scholars from around the world, calls on countries to phase out greenhouse-gas emissions and switch to 100% renewable energy. With 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, the collective statement sends a strong signal ahead of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit later this month, and the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December.

Released during a two-day symposium on Islam and climate change in Istanbul, the Declaration explains why Muslims should be responsible activists for the welfare of the planet, and sets out a series of demands to world leaders and the business community.

First, the Declaration calls on policymakers responsible for crafting the comprehensive climate agreement to be adopted in Paris to come to “an equitable and binding conclusion.” The agreement should set clear targets and establish ways to monitor them. Additionally, prosperous countries and oil-producing states should phase out their carbon-dioxide emissions no later than the middle of the century; turn away from “unethical profit from the environment”; and invest in a green economy.

Second, the Declaration asks people and leaders from all countries to commit to 100% renewable energy and a zero-emissions strategy as soon as possible, and to recognize that unlimited economic growth is not a viable option. Moreover, adaptation should be a high priority, particularly for the most vulnerable groups. Notably, the business sector is asked to take a more active role to reduce its carbon footprint, commit to 100% renewable energy and zero emissions, shift investments into renewable energy, adopt more sustainable business models, and assist in the divestment from fossil fuels.

Finally, the Declaration issues an appeal to “all Muslims wherever they may be” that is underpinned by quotes from the Holy Qur’an. Care for creation is a fundamental part of the Islamic message, the Declaration notes, and humans are currently responsible for squandering gifts bestowed by Allah. The Qur’anic ayah 24:45 tells us how Allah created every living creature from water, and the Hadith instructs us that we are “stewards of the Earth:”

“The Earth is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you his stewards over it. The whole Earth has been created a place of worship, pure and clean. Whoever plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded. If a Muslim plants a tree or sowed a field and humans and beasts and birds eat from it, all of it is love on his part.”

This message echoes and affirms examples found in the doctrines of many faiths, which call on us to be kinder and wiser in how we use this planet, and to advocate for all creatures. As the Buddhist Za Choeje Rinpoche, the 6th incarnation of ZaChoeje Rinpoche, teaches: “By injuring any part of the world’s system, you injure yourself. Think of life on this planet in terms of systems and not detached elements. See that the environment does not belong to any single country to exploit and then disregard.”

The Islamic Declaration on Climate Change, like Pope Francis’s recent encyclical Laudato Si', is a call to humanity, regardless of faith, to work together to protect the planet upon which we depend. I hope that they will indeed provide an impetus for shifts in policies, allowing for deeper and broader reductions in CO2 emissions.

These statements of faith are both historic and timely, as the world’s countries seek to implement global agreements in areas ranging from climate change to the Sustainable Development Goals and the establishment of marine reserves on the high seas. Indeed, it is important to remember that the earth’s surface is primarily ocean, which plays a critical role as both a carbon sink and a regulator of the climate. The oceans annually absorb approximately 25% of all human-caused CO2 emissions, and we are now overtaxing this capacity.

The carbon dissolved in the ocean has altered its chemistry, driving up acidity by 30% since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The ocean’s health is now largely dependent upon lowering CO2 emissions within the next few decades, before runaway ocean acidification occurs and sea levels change radically. As an Ocean Elder, I was also heartened by Francis’s emphasis in Laudato Si' on the need for strict mechanisms of regulation and control on the open seas – a real step forward in this regard. The high seas are the earth’s last great global commons, representing nearly 50% of the planet’s surface, and the multiple threats they face require universal solidarity and action.

Just this past June, UN member states unanimously supported a General Assembly resolution to negotiate a new international agreement to protect marine life in the high seas. Restoring and regenerating the abundance and diversity of species across one of our planet’s critical life-support systems is essential to building the entire earth’s resilience to climate change.

Many have pointed out that we are the first generation to have hard evidence of the enormous damage that humanity is causing to natural ecosystems, and probably the last that can truly do something about it. Now is the critical time for multi-lateralism, multi-faith dialogues, and, perhaps most important, active engagement.

We are all humans who live on Earth and from it. We have all been entrusted to care for the planet. We can and must do this by forging bold climate and protective ocean agreements together – regardless of belief, circumstance, or status. Science tells us we have to act; our faith and humanity compel us to do so.

— Queen Noor Al Hussein of Jordan is an Ocean Elder.

Copyright: Project Syndicate

Source: arabnews.com/columns/news/814231

URL: http://newageislam.com/islam-and-environment/noor-al-hussein/islam,-faith-and-climate-change/d/104775

Pleasure Is All Mine: Italian Citizen's Murder, A Rude Awakening

 By Shah Husain Imam

THE antennae of some Western diplomatic missions in Dhaka had received a signal that 'Western interests' might be targeted in a terrorist attack. But why didn't we have a clue of it? This brings to the fore an information sharing gap, a matter that comes along downstream along the article.

What, however, followed is common knowledge. Yet, a recap is necessary for a coherent understanding of the chain of events girdling the threat signal and the premeditated, professionally executed murder of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella.

Australia and Great Britain were the first to blow the whistle on the threat perception. Australia did it by postponing, one hopes not abandoning, the Aussies' cricket series with Bangladesh, citing security risks. In parallel, Britain had advised its citizens to remain cautious in their movements in Bangladesh.

Some conspiracy theorists couldn't let go of an opportunity for publicity sniffing at a prospective setback to Bangladesh's cricket calendar. They promptly gave a twist to the story saying that some quarters, having grown impatient with the rising star of the national cricket side, may have just played a trick on us!  Never mind the souring bit of an admittedly under-strength Bangladesh A team's pathetic 3-1 performance in India, the Australian encounter was eagerly awaited as a measuring rod for our consistency and strength against a stronger side.

The Glitter Party scheduled for Friday (today) by the Australia-New Zealand expatriate community to host 400 foreign and local guests couldn't be risked in the face of an 'impending' threat. The party, organised almost without a break since 1980, had to be called off.

The barbaric assassination of Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella, who had been serving the poorest of poor in Bangladesh, evoked shock and consternation on a scale not witnessed so far. It marked a rude awakening to the fault lines in law enforcement and vigilance coverage. Not surprisingly, the United States of America (USA), Canada and New Zealand joined Great Britain and Australia in issuing travel alerts for their citizens in Bangladesh.

Two questions emanate from the narrative above: First, if the foreign missions' radars had beeped a warning signal about a threat to 'Western interests', how couldn't our antenna, in whatever shape and form it exists, catch an inkling of it? It begs an answer and one knows too well what it would be! Well, our surveillance system is not sophisticated enough to pick such signals. There you come to the second question: What are we to make of the much hyped goal of attaining effective levels of intelligence gathering, sharing and cooperation between nations, particularly in sensitive areas of mutual concerns? A few countries would be privy to some valuable information while others would be denied them even though they have a stake in them; this is not helping either party when it comes to dealing with terror and security threats.

On the specific case of Cesare Tavella's murder, two deficiencies fly in the face of any serious observer. First, he was shot dead in a diplomatic zone, that too surrounded by important foreign missions. The location was supposed to be highly protected with security details. The failure to prevent such a dastardly murder is itself gnawing, let alone the easy escape of the killers. Not even one could be apprehended to track down the rest or the mastermind by way of getting to the bottom of the crime and meting out deterrent punishment to the killers. Apart from the lack of police or civic reflexes, gaps in human intelligence and those in mechanised intelligence capabilities are starkly revealed.

The IS has claimed that it has killed Cesare Tavella, according to US-based Site Intelligence Group, a website monitoring extremist activities. But there is no confirmation yet from the Italian government of the IS' hand in it. The authenticity of the IS' claim of responsibility is being verified by that government.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh police intelligence setup found no mention of the purported claim in the IS' website itself.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in his briefing to the press immediately following the murder stated, “We have only heard about the IS presence in Bangladesh but we haven't found any of them.” Rather than giving an apparently knee-jerk reaction, we could perhaps say, “We are looking into the authenticity of the claim, as indeed we are, and would reveal our findings when ready.” We should seek focused international cooperation to fathom any IS involvement because the spectre needs to be faced head-on, no question about it.

The issue of fighting mindless extremism would be better addressed if we were to avoid political wrangling, blame game and attempted points scoring. The point to, however, seriously ponder is the likelihood of some quarters trying to harm Bangladesh.

For now, principally, we should transfix our gaze entirely on the agenda of ferreting out the culprits and punishing them exemplarily.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson, the late 19th century American philosopher, journalist and poet, put it timelessly, “There is no den in the wide world to hide a rogue. Commit a crime and the earth is made of glass.”

The writer is Associate Editor, The Daily Star.

Source: thedailystar.net/op-ed/politics/italian-citizens-murder-rude-awakening-150256

URL: http://newageislam.com/islam,terrorism-and-jihad/shah-husain-imam/pleasure-is-all-mine--italian-citizen-s-murder,-a-rude-awakening/d/104773

Afghan Forces on the Run: One Cannot Help But Feel Horror and Déjà Vu As the Battle over the Northern Afghan City of Kunduz Unfolds

By The Editorial Board

OCT. 1, 2015

One cannot help but feel horror and déjà vu as the battle over the northern Afghan city of Kunduz unfolds. On Monday, the Taliban seized the city, the first provincial capital to fall to the militants since they were routed by the United States in the war after September 2001.

On Wednesday, American warplanes were back conducting airstrikes, while Special Operations Forces were on the ground helping the Afghan government’s struggling security forces reclaim Kunduz. But Afghan troops were blocked by the Taliban from even reaching the besieged city, while the security of the nearby capital of Baghlan Province appeared under threat.

Nearly a year after the official end of NATO’s combat mission in Afghanistan, this military failure confirms the worst fears about the weaknesses of the Afghan forces. Some 7,000 government forces and militiamen were overcome by far fewer Taliban in Kunduz. This victory could embolden those insurgents, as well as radicals like the Islamic State that have made serious gains in Iraq and Syria, and undermine an Afghan unity government that, however flawed, still offers some chance of stabilizing the country.

For the United States to provide emergency assistance in the fight for Kunduz is one thing. But it must not be drawn back into a war that cannot be ended except by the Afghan government itself. Yet there are signs this is happening, as the security situation has deteriorated. Gen. John Campbell, who commands NATO and American forces in Afghanistan, now exerts so much influence at the top levels of the Afghan government that some Afghans refer to him as the country’s de facto defense minister.

Whether tactical airstrikes will help in retaking Kunduz or other areas under attack is questionable without having trained ground forces willing to take the field. Pakistan’s continuing support for the Taliban and its refusal to press the militants to engage in serious peace talks is a major reason the war continues.

While that and other challenges may be beyond the government’s control, the reality remains that the Afghan security forces have a very high attrition rate, have suffered a 50 percent increase in casualties in the first six months of this year compared with last year and have been spread thin as the Taliban opened new fronts in all parts of the country. Afghan officials have known for some time the Taliban were infiltrating Kunduz, and it’s unclear why adequate defensive steps weren’t taken.

A recent report on lessons learned in Afghanistan and Iraq by the National Defense University cites many problems with America’s strategy of trying to train and equip local forces to defend their own countries. But the bottom line is that it is virtually impossible to establish reliable armies, willing to fight for something bigger than themselves in countries without effective government.

Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, The Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world.

In an interview with The Times on Wednesday, Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan’s chief executive, the government’s second highest official, acknowledged that Afghans are losing patience with the government and want it to function better. But he insisted that the Afghan people “don’t see the Taliban as saviors” and the government can still deliver a better future.

Mr. Abdullah said Mr. Obama should keep American forces at the current level of about 10,000 troops indefinitely to help fight the Taliban threat. But even if that were to happen, there is little reason to believe that an indefinite American military presence is the answer.

Source: http://goo.gl/Eg8l89

URL: http://newageislam.com/islam,terrorism-and-jihad/e-editorial-board(the-new-york-times)/afghan-forces-on-the-run--one-cannot-help-but-feel-horror-and-d%C3%A9j%C3%A0-vu-as-the-battle-over-the-northern-afghan-city-of-kunduz-unfolds/d/104777

Instead Of Inclusiveness and Unity, Afghanistan Has an Isolated Government

 By Ershad Ahmadi

OCT. 1, 2015

ON Monday, Taliban forces took the northern city of Kunduz. In Kabul, the mood was grim. The Parliament summoned security chiefs for questioning and accused the government of incompetence. Meanwhile, news photos show Taliban commanders raising their flag in the center of Kunduz, posing triumphantly.

This is not what our country was supposed to look like a year after the formation of the national unity government, an agreement the United States helped broker. Afghanistan is on a regressive path. The political arrangement between President Ashraf Ghani and his chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, has metamorphosed into the opposite of everything it was designed to deliver.

Instead of inclusiveness and unity, we have an isolated government at odds with its own constituency. Countering corruption and making government more responsive now appear to be extravagant hopes. The leadership has failed to agree on very basic key appointments, such as an attorney general and governors. Increased attacks and disputed territories stymie the prospects for better security. Ungoverned spaces and the emergence of terrorist groups like the Islamic State pose a graver threat today than they did a year ago.

Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, The Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world.

The plight of Afghanistan and its uncertain future can be seen globally by the mass exodus of its youth. According to United Nations figures, we are ranked No. 2, after Syria, in the number of refugees fleeing the country. On the streets here in Kabul, families are selling all their household goods in order to escape — a scene reminiscent of our recent dark past. I am deeply disturbed by images of young Afghans on dangerous voyages in search of refuge and better economic prospects.

The national unity government was grudgingly welcomed by Afghans as a stopgap measure, but it has lost time and opportunity to consolidate itself in its first year.

With bruised constitutional legitimacy, Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullah needed to focus promptly on the issues that matter most to the Afghan population: the economy, security and governance. Instead, the leaders had a naïve or perhaps delusional belief that they had a strong mandate from the Afghan population. They decided to take on one of the most sensitive issues facing the country: resetting ties with Pakistan. The failure to achieve improved relations cost President Ghani an immense amount of political capital. His eroding credibility has even raised populist questions about his political loyalties.

The two teams constituting the national unity government have engaged in a bitter power-sharing fight that has led to a loss of public confidence. Leaders bargain for influence with divisive undertones around ethnicity; in some cases it becomes a question of the westernized elite versus traditional loyalties. The tug of war over distribution of key government positions has led to institutional paralysis.

And the leadership has proved unable to communicate to its domestic audience. Rather than provide a vision for the country, they have tried to exonerate themselves by saying they inherited a bad legacy.

In their telling, failure to implement campaign promises isn’t their fault; it’s the fault of reduced international military presence and aid. But upon what foresight were these promises based? Just when the political and military transition of 2014 was supposed to build a sense that the country could turn inward for solutions, this scapegoating is costly to morale and the prospects that Afghanistan can ever stand firmly on its own feet.

The challenges to the national unity government formula will not vanish miraculously. However, the government can correct the course, by acknowledging the gravity of the situation and prioritizing the following steps.

First, the government needs to shift focus to domestic politics. Internal cohesion can improve national morale, underpin the government’s legitimacy and build resilience. The national unity government leaders must show a strong commitment to implementing the key milestones under the political agreement of Sept. 20, 2014, including convening of a loya jirga, or grand council, a year from now. Pragmatism must guide the government’s approach here — both in preparing for the council, and in garnering widespread support for a common political agenda. Leaders must not invoke convenient excuses to avoid or delay their commitments under the political agreement. There is a real risk that the national unity government could succumb to security challenges by the Taliban, foreign militant groups or a political insurgence.

Second, the government must become inclusive in its approach to governance. And it needs to act with confidence and tact. The protracted wrangling on issues such as postponing parliamentary elections, the distribution of electronic identity cards, the signing of a cooperation agreement with Pakistan’s intelligence agency and the appointment of an electoral reform commission greatly undermined the credibility of a voiceless government. Our leaders must quickly figure out how to instill a sense of hope and confidence in the country. Our security forces must know and believe in what they are defending and dying for.

Third, our leaders, and other influential voices in the country, must protect the integrity of the Afghan democratic and constitutional polity. From the chaos of 2001, we have built the foundations of a democratic system over the past 14 years. We have to nurture, not stifle, political opposition, within the framework of our constitutional system.

Continued and enhanced economic and political support to Afghanistan is crucial for the viability of the government. Afghanistan is faring better than Syria and Iraq in many ways, but it appears to have exhausted its stay on top of the American and international community agendas. If Afghanistan is to have the chance to become a success story because of the United States and NATO intervention, it cannot be abandoned halfway.

Ershad Ahmadi was deputy foreign minister for political affairs in Afghanistan from 2013 to 2014 and is the president of Kabul Compass, a strategic analysis firm.

Source: http://goo.gl/NgMkQf

URL: http://newageislam.com/the-war-within-islam/by-ershad-ahmadi/instead-of-inclusiveness-and-unity,-afghanistan-has-an-isolated-government/d/104771

Dangerous Transformations in Prostitution

By  Zeeba T Hashmi

October 02, 2015

Marred with negative connotations and considered to be outside the domains of ‘respectability’ in a society, prostitution is as old as human societies when they first started taking shape in history, even before the advent of moral dos and don’ts that organised religions introduced. Many anthropologists believe prostitution to be an inevitable part of society. It is, in fact, the world’s oldest trade. Prostitution, as generally believed, started off as a sacred practice. The temple prostitutes in ancient Greek history, for example, were symbols of sanctimony for many. In matriarchal societies, prostitutes were fiercely independent women who enjoyed high social status while their business was socially, politically and religiously acceptable. Besides its sacredness in history, prostitution also became an important tool during wartime, especially when it came to spying on the enemy side. Having easy access because of their trade, information portals relied on prostitutes who provided firsthand accounts on the positions of the enemy line. Prostitution and spying is a very useful tool even in modern times, a common practice for spy agencies around the world to use their services.

Prostitution was degraded and dehumanised generally with the advent of organised religions, which considered prostitution to be unholy in society. The concept of free women was easily diminished when women were tied to the possession of property, and hence were taken as material and sex objects more than humans. They lost their say in matters pertaining to themselves and were subjugated under the concept of male guardianship. This brought a radical change in society, shifting from its pre-existing matriarchal values to the less compromising and authoritarian patriarchal norms. With the degradation of prostitution, the status and acceptability prostitutes once enjoyed was robbed from them and they were accorded banal levels of the class structure. Another reason for the contempt against prostitution was that it was, and still is, considered an affront to the institution of traditional marriage where a wife’s value is the total worth of wealth and property acquired through matrimony in a household from which she cannot break free easily, unlike a prostitute who is not bound by property.

With the successions of Muslim rule in India came a hybrid version of sexual services influenced by the maintenance of harems in the Muslim world and the sacred devdasis, the Hindu temple prostitutes who had rich experiences in arts and culture. The courtesans in the harem were given lessons in literature and performing arts; they were the masters in poetry and songs, and also became well known tutors for the children of noblemen who would send them to be trained in rich Urdu. The tawaif, or a concubine, was in fact a woman of higher rank. She was highly credited for her knowledge and was very polished in her mannerisms. What was most remarkable about a tawaif was that she would mainly choose the suitors herself and was not coerced into sex.

The tawaif culture saw a decline with the fall of the Muslim dynasty, and many women of high nobility were branded as low class prostitutes and sent away from the protected walls of harems into society where they suffered exploitation and insults. However, they managed to maintain their significance in their participatory role towards arts and literature, and their successive generations inherited this legacy from their elders. However, with religious and political transformations in both Pakistan and India, the role of the tawaif changed to mere commercial sex, especially in the times when General Ziaul Haq, who attempted to Islamise society, stalling the progress of art. This limited prostitution to just flesh selling and its role in rich Urdu literature and performing arts died out easily. With the breakdown of the traditional structure of the courtesan community here, middlemen, or pimps, took hold of the reigns of the trade. Because there are no laws that can protect and regulate red light activities, pimps freely exploit the prostitutes who cannot register complaints against rape crimes for the fear of getting legally prosecuted themselves. A lack of regulation is perhaps the main reason why child trafficking and forced prostitution are rampant today.

It has existed in many forms, where it may have been justified in religion by giving it different names, as we notice in the concept of contract marriages (mu’tah and misyar), which according to most scholars is permitted in Islam. Even in strict religious societies, such as Saudi Arabia, prostitution and sex slavery are not something surprising despite the sermons about piety given by men of faith around the globe. The hypocrisy of society, which lives off it and condemns it at the same time, gives us a reality check of the extent of exploitation prostitutes feel in the absence of social security and recognition. Because of the moral attitudes and condemnation coming from religious and societal precedents the stigma of prostitution will follow a woman wherever she goes. She lacks the opportunity to live a free, independent life. Nor is it easy for her to find another way of living, as society does not let her chose for herself and throws her back to where she exited.

Because of the sheer dehumanisation of prostitutes, they remain devoid of the basic rights that can ensure their safety and security against rape and sexual exploitation. There is a dire need to recognise their needs, which include a legal cover, proper counselling on self-defence, health and safe sex. Unless a sex worker is treated like an independent worker, as is the nature of a worker in any other business, her exploitation will not end. Misogyny against women, whether a free woman, a prostitute or a wife, must end and their misery must be seen in realistic terms, and not moralistic ideals.

The main essence is freedom for woman to choose for herself without any compulsion by religion, adverse circumstances or male authoritarianism. If a woman wants to work freely as a prostitute, she should not be criminalised for it and if she wants to exit this profession, then she should be facilitated to find other means to support herself. This can only be ensured if prostitution is recognised as a legal entity. There is no other way.

Zeeba T Hashmi is a freelance columnist and may be contacted at zeeba.hashmi@gmail.com

Source: dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/02-Oct-2015/dangerous-transformations-in-prostitution

URL: http://newageislam.com/islam,-women-and-feminism/zeeba-t-hashmi/dangerous-transformations-in-prostitution/d/104772

Turkey Can’t Be Europe’s Gatekeeper

 By SINAN ULGEN

OCT. 1, 2015

Next week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey will visit Brussels and tell his European Union counterparts that Europe must act decisively if it wants to stop the massive flow of refugees leaving his country and entering the European Union by land and sea. Turkey is willing to help halt the exodus, but the union cannot expect it to do so if European governments offer Turkey little in return.

Unlike Europe, Turkey decided to adopt an open-door policy for refugees at the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011. It did so out of humanitarian concern and a misplaced optimism about the weakness of the Assad regime. But now the refugee population in Turkey has grown to approximately two million.

Turkey’s ability and willingness to accept this huge number seems to have lulled European policy makers into complacency. Their vision for dealing with the tragic consequences of the Syrian war has, it seems, been limited to hoping that Turkey will act as an eternal buffer zone for Europe. That is a pipe dream.

Turkey cannot be the solution for the European Union’s inability to act collectively to address the enormity of this humanitarian tragedy and develop policies to share the burden. Nor can Europe continue to benefit from having Turkey serve as a buffer zone while Ankara shoulders the massive financial and social cost of hosting millions of Syrians.

Last week, President François Hollande of France met the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, and declared that Europe must work with Turkey to ensure the refugees can stay there, find jobs and wait for the situation in Syria to improve. This is a fantasy. European leaders need to abandon such thinking immediately if Europe and Turkey are ever going to tackle this crisis together.

Turkey cannot forever act as the gatekeeper of Europe. Building a genuine partnership between the European Union and Turkey to address the long-term challenge of the refugee crisis will require overhauling not only Europe’s approach to migration but also its approach to eventual Turkish membership in the union.

First, Europe must accept the inevitability of resettlement. Recent efforts by the European Commission, with the backing of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, are a step in the right direction. A plan to distribute incoming refugees among member states is inevitable, not only for ethical reasons but also in order to protect the hard-fought gains of European integration such as the visa-free Schengen zone.

Second, Turkey and the European Union should develop a joint long-term strategy for the integration of Syrian migrants. So far, the Turkish approach has focused on the management of 27 refugee camps, catering to the needs of almost 300,000 people in the country’s southeast. But the rest of the Syrian population in Turkey, more than 1.7 million, is spread across the country. They enjoy little support and their living conditions are deteriorating. The real challenge is to provide these people with prospects for a decent life and protection. Failing to do so would not only increase the outflow toward Europe but could also lead to radicalization within this distressed population, with detrimental consequences for both Turkish and European security.

Given the large-scale demand for health, education and skill-and-language training, the European Union should invest much more heavily to help Turkey scale up its institutional capacity to deliver these services. At the same time, Turkey should finally acknowledge the severity of the challenge that it is facing and accept the international community’s offer to provide assistance.

Finally, resolving this crisis will require an overhaul of the European Union’s approach to Turkey. The Turkish government’s response to the refugee crisis — and its willingness to absorb huge numbers of Syrians — has proved that Turkey’s help can be invaluable for Europe. But acrimony over Turkey’s stalled E.U. accession process remains an impediment to genuine cooperation. As long as Turks do not believe that, one day, they too can be part of the E.U. family, cooperation between Ankara and Brussels is bound to remain shallow and vulnerable to political cycles. The ball is now in Europe’s court; European leaders should decide whether they are willing to gradually lift the obstacles to eventual Turkish accession.

As Mr. Erdogan goes to Brussels, one major question will be whether Turks could soon start to enjoy visa-free travel to Europe. Turkey is the last European country eligible for E.U. accession that remains constrained by onerous visa requirements. Although a process for the lifting of visa restrictions was initiated a year ago, it is doubtful whether European leaders, caught in a wave of Islamophobic anti-immigration sentiment, will ever come to terms with the idea of offering visa-free travel to 75 million Turks.

But before these European leaders once again refuse Turkey’s minimal demands on visa restrictions, they should consider what Turkey has already been providing them. For Europe to carry out its plan for the resettlement of limited numbers of refugees, it desperately needs Turkey to improve its border security in order to stem the further outflow of refugees. The only incentive that will ensure Turkey’s long-term cooperation is visa-free travel for its own citizens. To put it bluntly, European leaders must now choose between allowing Turkish citizens to travel legally to the European Union, or face the prospect of hundreds of thousands more refugees and migrants leaving Turkey and illegally entering Europe.

Sinan Ulgen is the chairman of the Istanbul-based EDAM think tank and a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe.

Source: http://goo.gl/MUCllN

URL: http://newageislam.com/islam-and-the-west/sinan-ulgen/turkey-can%E2%80%99t-be-europe%E2%80%99s-gatekeeper/d/104774

Misconceptions About Manto

  

Photo: Saadat Hasan Manto

By Taha Kehar

October 2, 2015

Saadat Hasan Manto’s final days open a vista onto the creative struggle and state of chaos that plagued the short story writer. However, a touching tribute can do little to make a martyr of a man who is termed an anti-hero, even decades after his demise.

The truth is, Manto’s work has been constantly dressed up to serve a range of disparate purposes. A literary genius, who was laid to rest in 1955, has been brought back to life only to have the true essence of his work tarnished by misconceptions and personal agendas. Manto has been forced to die a million deaths at the hands of those who have forcibly tried to graft their own perceptions onto his work. The practice of using the short story writer as an icon for various ideologies is now in danger of turning stale. In this day and age, everyone professes to recognise the scope and range of Manto’s writing. It has almost become immaterial for people to have read Thanda Ghosht or Toba Tek Singh to understand the hidden manifestations of the author’s work. Manto’s craftsmanship and his character were shrouded in political meaning.

It is difficult to raise questions over this trend. Even a dispassionate observer would commend Manto’s ability to document the turbulence of his times. After all, the short story writer was among the privileged few who had carefully listened to the music that surrounded a period of wrenching change. However, a large number of people have been drawn to his work, owing to the controversy that it generated. Manto was, therefore, the perfect iconoclast whose worldview could be easily moulded to provide a suitable counter-narrative.

Until recently, Manto’s literary genius was considered an integral ingredient to create an anti-state narrative. His poignant stories about the human tragedy in the wake of Partition pointed towards such subversive tendencies. It was only after the government recognised his contributions some years ago that the hype began to lose ground. Nevertheless, it was the flawed interpretation of these stories that produced these misconceptions. Manto’s attempts to offer a shrewd commentary on the human condition were relegated into political questions that demanded radical answers.

The short story writer has also been summoned from the dead to champion the cause for stable relations between India and Pakistan. Non-governmental organisations have cashed in on their own interpretation of Manto’s work to raise the slogan of peace. However, the outcome has been far from favourable.

I recently attended an event in Karachi that was conducted on similar lines and realised how we have shamelessly butchered Manto’s work to serve our own agenda. Various speakers at this session made a reference to Toba Tek Singh to show that boundaries cannot alter human relationships. However, the name of the protagonist was constantly misquoted and little or no attempt was made to correct this error.

Through his writing, Manto put a mirror to society and hoped that we would look into it and search for answers. Unfortunately, we have only used this mirror to see what we want to see rather than what meets the eye. There is no greater offence that can be committed against a writer than losing the essence of his work to an ulterior motive.

Source: tribune.com.pk/story/965779/misconceptions-about-manto/

URL: http://newageislam.com/current-affairs/taha-kehar/misconceptions-about-manto/d/104776

Mecca Belongs To All Muslims, and Saudi Arabia Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Run It مكة المكرمة نعمة لجميع المسلمين فلا يسمح للسعودية بإدارتها وحكمها

 

هارون مغول

02 أكتوبر عام 2015

(ترجمه من الإنجلزية: نيو إيج إسلام)

النفط والحج كليهما يعطي المملكة العربية السعودية فرصة استخدام الكم الأعلى بكثير من وزنه، ويعطي إحدى أكثر الأنظمة رجعية في العالم فرصة لوضع تأثير شنيع على الإسلام. لقد حان الوقت للتفكير في ترتيبات بديلة لها.

قد يبدو واضحا لك لماذا المملكة العربية السعودية سيئة لمصالح الإسلام، لأن آل سعود يسيطرون على مكة المكرمة، والكعبة لصلوات المسلمين، والمكان لموسم الحج، والمدينة المنورة التي بنى فيها النبي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم أول المجتمع الإسلامي وتوفي ودفن فيها، فإن المملكة تنتمي إلى الإسلام. والعكس بالعكس. على الرغم من وجود دولة واحدة ذات أغلبية مسلمة في العالم حيث لا تستطيع المرأة القيادة للسيارة، لأنها هي الدولة التي تسيطر على الأراضي المقدسة في الإسلام، فمن المفترض أن الإسلام لا يريد أن تقود المرأة للسيارة. ولأنها هي دولة واحدة من عدد قليل من البلدان ذات الأغلبية المسلمة التي تعاني من ملكية مطلقة، ومن المفترض أن الإسلام يفضل حكومة غير خاضعة للمساءلة أيضا.

وفي نواح كثيرة، تشوه المملكة العربية السعودية سمعة الإسلام. ولكن السعودية لديها نوع آخر من التأثير على الإسلام. إن الملايين من الحجاج يأتون ، كل عام ، إلى مكة المكرمة لطواف الكعبة ، العمل الذي بدأه سيدنا إبراهيم عليه السلام لتكريم الله سبحانه وتعالى، كما أمر سيدنا وحبيبنا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم أمته بذالك. كثير من الناس هم من البلدان الفقيرة، ويتم صدهم واضحا من قبل الاستهلاك السعودي، وروعة الثروة على العرض، والذهول والضخامة التي يمكن وصفها من المساجد الكبيرة التي تم بناؤها لاستيعاب أعدادهم.

أنا أعرف أنه كثير من الناس يشعرون بذالك. وقد أعطى الله تعلى أموال كثيرة للسعوديين بما لا يقاس، والسلطة على الأرض المقدسة. هذا يجب أن يعني أن الله تعالى يوافق على إسلامهم.

وأي نوع من الإسلام معها. التفسير السعودي الرسمي للإسلام أي الوهابية التي ولدت في ثورة عنيفة ليس فقط ضد الشيعة وتقاليد قوية من الروحانية التي هي جزء لا يتجزأ من الشيعة وأهل السنة و الجماعة، ولكن حتى ضد الخليفة العثمانية السنية. بعيدا عن كونها الرائدة في قوة السنة في العالم، فإن المملكة العربية السعودية قد اغتصبت عباءة الإسلام السني، وساعدت في إسقاط السلطة من قبل سكانها الصغير والثروة الكبيرة، وانهيار منافسيها السابقين. (أي العثمانيين الذين بعد كل شيء قد انتهوا منذ فترة طويلة). وتستخدم السعودية أموال النفط لنشر الوهابية في العالم الإسلامي، ولتغيير مكة المكرمة والمدينة المنورة أيضا.

في العقود الأخيرة، تم إعادة بناء أجزاء كثيرة من مكة والمدينة من قبل الحكومة السعودية. وكانت بعضها ضرورية. وكانت بعضها جيدة جدا. ولكن بعضها كانت بتكلفة كبيرة لأعز التراث الإسلامي والآثار والمعالم وأقدم المساجد التي تم تجريفها دون أدنى قلق.

لكي نكون منصفين، فإن بعض الانتقادات الموجهة إلى المملكة العربية السعودية لهذه التحولات الحضرية غير معقولة. علينا أن نفكر في الأمر بهذه الطريقة: بفضل التكنولوجيا الحديثة، وارتفاع مستويات المعيشة، فإن الملايين من الناس يريدون الذهاب إلى مكة المكرمة على قدر المستطاع. إنها لم تعد رحلة تستغرق أشهر بل في غضون الأيام، حتى في ساعات. يتحدثون بلغات مختلفة، يمثلون عادات مختلفة، ويريدون جميعا أن يعبدوا ليس فقط في نفس المسجد، ولكنهم يصلون إلى الكعبة في مركزها. في حين أنه جيد أن نتخيل أن مكة المكرمة والمدينة المنورة يمكن أن تبقي المزايا والهندسة المعمارية للمدن القديمة، كما أنها خيالية. عندما كنتم تتعاملون مع تدفق حركة المرور في مئات الآلاف من الناس فإن الأحجار الزلقة والأزقة الضيقة ليست مجرد إشكالية ، بل يمكن أن تكون قاتلة.

كما أن ناطحات السحاب قد تدمر الفيبي المزعوم للمدينة القديمة، ولكن كما يعرف كل الحضري الحديث، فإن بناء العمارة غالبا ما يكون الخيار الواقعي الوحيد. لذلك ليس من المستغرب، أو الرهيب، أن المملكة العربية السعودية قد قامت ببناء ثالث أطول ناطحة سحاب في العالم خارج المسجد الكبير في مكة المكرمة. ولكن السؤال الأكبر هو: لماذا هو أول أقبح المبنى في العالم؟ في عصر الهواتف المحمولة ، وكان الله في عوننا، فإن الدين الذي له الأذان العادي للصلاة، فما هو الغرض من ربط الساعة المبهرجة إلى الأعلى؟ السؤال الأكبر: هذه الأبراج العالية هي جزء من الطبقات ذات الدخل التدريجي من المدينة المخصصة لدين التسوية. نحن جميعا متساوون في الحج، ونرتدي نفس الجلباب، ونؤدي الصلوات جنبا إلى جنب، ولكن عندما نصل إلى الفنادق، تستأنف الطبقية. هناك كثير من الأموال في مكة المكرمة التي تفرز من الحجاج العاديين ، وأسوأ من ذلك، أنه تم إدخال هذه الأموال بينما يتم القضاء على التاريخ المقدس. وذلك في حين، نعم، فإن احتياجات الحياة الدينية الحديثة قد تعني المساجد القديمة والأضرحة والمواقع التاريخية في الطريق، فلا نطالب تدميرها.

ومع تدفق الأموال الوافرة، فإن السعودية قد يمكن أن تعيد بناء التراث المقدس للإسلام في مكان آخر.

لم تحاول حتى الآن. يبدو أنها تسير إلى الحرب مع التاريخ الإسلامي، وربما حتى لا يتبقى منه شيء قد يتحدى فكرة أن الوهابية هي التي تقتحم التاريخ الإسلامي، وليس لها الإيمان بها.

هناك كثير من الأموال في مكة المكرمة التي تفرز من الحجاج العاديين ، وأسوأ من ذلك، أنه تم إدخال هذه الأموال بينما يتم القضاء على التاريخ المقدس للإسلام. 

إذا كنت تعتقد أن حرب الدولة الإسلامية على الآثار هي مرعبة، كنت على الحق. ولكنها ليست استثنائية. لها جذورها في المروق الضار والمفرط الذي شهد ولاة الوهابية السعودية يسحقون ويهدمون ويمحون ويدمرون المواقع ذاتها والمناظر الطبيعية التي يعرفها المسلمون في جميع أنحاء العالم معرفة كاملة. إذا كنت تعتقد أنني أبالغ، فلا تفعل هكذا. قبل عدة سنوات، ذهبت مع مجموعة صغيرة من المسلمين الأميركيين على الحج إلى مكة المكرمة والمدينة المنورة. كان دليل سعودي معنا من خلال جولة حافلة لنا في جميع أنحاء مكة المكرمة والمدينة المنورة، فرفض السماح بتوقف سائقنا في المساجد ذات الأهمية التاريخية، لأنه كان يعتقد أننا قد نعبر الخط ونعبد بطريقة غير لائقة وغير وهابية. وكان يعاملنا مثل الأطفال.

وهذا، بالطبع، لم نكن الوهابيين ولا الأطفال. (في الرد على ذالك، كنت قد أنفقت على الرحلة ولكنني صرت على رحلة العودة توا بسعادة لافتا إلى المواقع ذات الأهمية العثمانية، في حين وصف البيت من تحالف السعود غير اللائق مع القوى غير الإسلامية ضد إخوانهم المسلمين). وقد غضب رفقائي الحجاج. كانوا قد دفعوا،  وكانوا في مدينتهم المقدسة، لم يسمح لهم بالتوقف عند المسجد حيث أمر الله سبحانه وتعالى محمد المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم ليتحول بعيدا عن الاتجاه الأول للصلاة أي عن القدس، إلى الاتجاه الحالي للصلاة أي إلى مكة المكرمة. (وذالك يهم إذا كنت مسلما). شعروا بالغضب. شعروا أنهم حرموا من فرصة لتجربة إسلامهم لأن الشخص الآخر قد قرر أن مثل هذا التفسير للإسلام مهم جدا.

وهذا هو بالضبط نقطة. ويتم حكم مكة المكرمة والمدينة المنورة من قبل المملكة العربية السعودية، ولكن كليهما تنتمي إلى العالم الإسلامي. هم قدسيتنا الجماعية. لا ينبغي أن تكون ملك الفرد. الإسلام هو دين المساواة جدا. (كما بعض المسلمين يجعلون نكتة، أن الناس الذين يكرهون الدين المنظم يجب أن ينضم إلى الإسلام، لأننا نتقن الفوضى.) الإسلام له عدد قليل من التسلسلات الهرمية، وتلك التي لم تكن موجودة تشترك على نطاق واسع. ثم لماذا النظام الذي يمثل شريحة المسلمين ويصدر ويفرض أيديولوجية متناقضة تاريخيا لتقاليد الإسلام الغنية التعددية والروحانية والكونية، تسمح للسيطرة على مدننا المقدسة؟ لماذا لا يقول المسلمون مثل ذالك كل يوم؟

تحكم المملكة العربية السعودية مكة المكرمة والمدينة المدينة المنورة لكنهما تنتمي إلى العالم  الإسلامي.

وهذا ، في الوقت الراهن، أمر التخمين والتفكر. ويضم الاتحاد الأوروبي بعض أغنى المجتمعات التقدمية والآمنة في العالم. رغم ذالك فإن بالنسبة لأزمة اللاجئين، ينقسم ميؤوسا، ودفع تعاونهم إلى الوراء. إذا كانت أوروبا الآن لا تستطيع أن تفعل ذلك، فكيف يمكن للعالم الإسلامي الحالي يتمكن من التوصل إلى أي نوع من الترتيبات البديلة، الإدارة المشتركة الأكثر شمولا من الخصائص المشتركة لها؟ ينقسم العالم الإسلامي بعمق وبشدة. فمن الصعب أن نتصور كيف يمكن التوصل إلى أي نوع من الاتفاق التعاوني، وكذلك، ليس من الصعب أن نتصور من الحكومات ذات الأغلبية المسلمة الأخرى التي من شأنها أن تجعل نوعا مختلفا من الفوضى من مكة المكرمة والمدينة المنورة.

كما هو الحال في المملكة العربية السعودية فإن لديها ثروة لتصب في دعم الحج، وتقوى المسلمين في الأرض المقدسة، بطريقة لا تصلح إلا لقليل من البلدان الأخرى.

ولكن إلى متى؟

وقبل سنوات، كان الحج حكرا على القلة المحظوظة. كان بعيدا جدا، ومخاطرا كبيرا جدا، ومكلفة جدا. بدأ أب جدي كتاب الرحلات واصفا رحلته الخاصة من شمال الهند إلى مكة المكرمة، لكنه توفي في رحلة العودة. اليوم، لدينا قنوات سناب شات للحج. الطائرات تجعل العالم أصغر بكثير. الأخبار تنتقل بسرعة. يعيش المسلمون في جميع أنحاء العالم. ما أعنيه أن أقول هو أنه في الماضي، فكرة انتماء مكة المكرمة والمدينة المنورة ينتمي إلى كل واحد منا كانت شعورا عميقا فينا، ولكن في أحسن الأحوال فكرة مجردة. في السنوات القادمة، سوف يكون من الصعب بالنسبة للمملكة العربية السعودية لإنكار رغبة المسلمين في العالم لرؤية مدنهم المقدسة تعكس التقوى و تكف عن فرض وجهة نظر الإسلام الذي يبتعد بعمق عن بقية العالم، وحتى يكون غير معروف داخل العالم الإسلامي.

كيف يحدث في تخمين. ولكنه سيحدث. وأود أن أقول الجحيم أو المياه العالية، ولكن في حالة وجود الصحراء المقدسة لا يبدو صحيحا تماما. ولكن ليس من الخطأ بقدر ما يحدث مع مركز بلدي المقدس.

URL for English: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-society/haroon-moghul/mecca-belongs-to-all-muslims,-and-saudi-arabia-shouldn’t-be-allowed-to-run-it/d/104727

URL for Arabic Translation:  http://www.newageislam.com/arabic-section/haroon-mughal/mecca-belongs-to-all-muslims,-and-saudi-arabia-shouldn’t-be-allowed-to-run-it--مكة-المكرمة-نعمة-لجميع-المسلمين-فلا-يسمح-للسعودية-بإدارتها-وحكمها/d/104769