ARAB SPRING:IS IT REAL OR AL TAQUIEA IN ACTION
Dr. Babu Suseelan
Recently I have traveled all over the
Islamic Arab world. I have studied Islamic culture, their life style, Arab
Spring, Islamic fervor, Jihad Terrorism, and political turmoil in the Islamic
world. I have witnessed the rebellion of the Muslims against the hypocrisy of
the brutal Islamic rulers and the estrangement from Islamic culture and the
system of the Islamic rulers. Phony Western liberals, pseudo secularists and
the gutless media call it Arab spring. But I think the present political
turmoil in the Islamic Arab world is Al- Taquiea in action.
I have witnessed misery, distress,
discrimination and agony of Muslims in the Middle East. The present generation
of Muslims long for a new political existence. They are craving not for Islamic
reformation or renaissance but of the wholeness of Islamic life. Again the
revolutionaries have shown the world the deficiencies of the existing rulers,
corruption, and industrial ugliness. The world has witnessed the political
upheaval in Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, Pakistan, Iran,
Iraq, and Kuwait.
In spite of rapid technological and
digital development, Muslims cannot slough off their all exclusive, rigid and
closed dogma. Mullahs and Islamic rulers brutally repress real freedom,
democracy, pluralism, secularism, religious tolerance and the transcendental
quest of Muslims. Although in many ways identical with the traditional revolution
in the Islamic Arab world, the outcry this time was linked to a vague the
leftist political expression of the bourgeois life style and corruption of the
existing rulers. The political crisis we
witness in the Islamic world is actually Al Taquiea in action. The political
revolution is not for democracy, secularism, pluralism, coexistence, religious
tolerance or for real democracy. The political revolution and mass killing is
against the existing regimes. The political protest has frozen into a new
Islamic orthodoxy. I have noticed that the political protest would have become
much more pragmatic if the protesters were interested in reforming Islam,
revisiting the Koran and cultural hostility against other religions.
I heard voices for Islam, speeches
denigrating reason, hostility against democratic Israel, secularism, religious
tolerance as they have made periodically in Islamic countries. Paradoxically,
Muslims were highlighting their cultural grievances against Jews, Hindus, and
Christians and against modern technology. Islamic countries have undergone
revolution and social crisis before; Muslims were successful in changing
regimes in Libya, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
in the past decades. But unfortunately, the new regimes championed a new form
Islamization. The new administration and the Islamic public took the notion
that Islamic cultural factors alone are capable of overcoming their economic,
political and social decline. To me, the so called Arab spring is a
psychodrama, a projection of Islamic principles and its irrational ingredients
in to politics. Muslim Brother Hood may gain more strength and they may propose
Islamic idealism without accountability for solutions to their problems.
It is surprising that the educated
have been moved by the Islamic ideology; it is strange that they continued to
believe in it. They never understand that Islam is the root cause of hostility
and terrorism. Even in this digital era, Arabs clung all the more desperately
to the outdated Islamism. To them, the appeal of the Mullahs and their
interpretation of Islam are immense. In turn, they emphasized that the appeal
of Islam and admit the cultural rottenness and political irresponsibility of
their rulers. They blame western technology, Israel and Jews for their social,
political and economic problems. They fail to make social and political turmoil
in Arab countries today to outdated Islamic practices. It may seem correct to make a connection
between the political crisis and the ideas of Islamism.
It is a dangerous time in the
Islamic world. Islamic world need sensible thinkers, social reformers and
social leaders to speak up and finding support for Islamic reform and a social renaissance.
The Islamic world is facing a dangerous period, as deep hatred against Jews and
other non Muslims are encouraged. There is also a rush to wipe out Israel from
the earth. Muslims all over the world should eliminate sectarian thinking, and
hatred against non Muslims. Islam is not a political solution for all ills
created by Muslims. Arab Muslims cannot
or will not win by confrontation with Israel or the powerful west. The current state
of social and political crisis has a great to deal with the west’s
misunderstanding and ignorance of Islam. America and the west deal with Jihad terrorism
as committed by certain disgruntled Muslims. Muslims want to create a
Dar-Ul-Islam where there will be no more democracy or pluralism. Muslims want
to impose Sharia law rather than educational reform, coexistence or reformation.
Muslims rich or poor, educated or uneducated never reach for knowledge or
ethics or social responsibility that may exceed their grasp. For Muslims, Islam
is the final answer to all social-political-psychological problems. For
Muslims, Islam is a closed and pure religion which needs no reformation or
revision. Those who criticize Mullahs are called apostate and beheaded. Instead
of reform they preach Islamic virtues of Islamic fighters and Jihad warriors.
It is important that western rulers,
instead providing grants and military assistance must insist on educational
change and Islamic reformation.
In the United Arab Emirates, I saw
the marvels of western technology. Western technology and foreign professionals
have elevated the standards of life of Muslims in UAE. Yet, people in UAE are
confronted by a number of psycho-social-political problems. There is no democracy,
pluralism, independent judiciary, secularism, religious tolerance in UAE. Indigenous
Islamic population and foreign workers are confronted by number of problems and
face discrimination and face stress, alcoholism, drug abuse, suicide, divorce,,
homicide, terrorism violence and other form of deviant crime Statistics and
simple observation inform us that there is hardly an individual, family, group,
or community that is untouched by the rules of the Sheiks and Sharia law in
UAE. The Islamic rulers use modern technology and the media for sophisticated
mans and manipulation including brutal Sharia judges to oppress the public into
receptive, passive consumer of unwanted ideas of the Islamic rulers. Islamic
dogma is used instead of democracy. People in all Islamic countries spend more
time not for introspection and think critically and creatively. Mullahs and
ruling Sheiks impose strict censorship. Any news critical of Islam and several
websites are banned in UAE and all Islamic countries. For Muslims, ignorance of
liberalism, democracy, empiricism and western thought is bliss.
There is growing tendency to find
simplistic solution to issues in Islam. It is dangerous. The cultural pessimism
and western technology have been recognized as an important factor by Muslims
Brotherhood to propagate and converting Muslims for jihad. Failure to
understand the deeply rooted Islamism in Arab culture will have disastrous
consequences for the free world. Elite western political leaders and
administrators are restrained from recognizing the root cause of social-political
crisis the Islamic world. This aspect of the rise of jihad has been over looked
by our liberal/Marxist educators and misunderstood by our political/intellectual
leaders.
Oil money from Saudi Arabia and
other Islamic countries have made our intellectuals and academicians either
abashed or apologetic. It is about time to speak against the brutal verses of
Islam and facing up to Jihad terrorism. Or else we will face terrible dangers
to our life, liberty and life style. It is hoped that the current political
turmoil in Islamic countries may serve to put the era of ad hominem of
tolerance, commerce and profit making behind us. With the weight of evidence of
worldwide Jihad terrorism now clear, may be fake liberals and phony secularists
will give up their addictive thinking and cognitive disorder. Free world must
face Islamic reality, overcome denial and escapism. IF not, Islamism will
destroy more lives, and will rob us our liberty and free thinking.
It is our duty, responsibility and
obligation to preserve our freedom, protest peace by forcing Muslims to reform
Islam.