SECRET BEHIND THE PROGRESS OF A COUNTRY

ACADEMIC SESSION FOR THE MEMBERS OF MQM
RAHIMYAR KHAN AND BAHAWALPUR DISTRICT

February 15, 2007  

Training Sessions (Tarbiati Nishist): The formal sittings for discipline and training are required to acquaint the individuals associated with the movement about the Movement’s manifesto and the purpose of the movement; its philosophy and mission; the procedures required to fulfil the movements obligations, maintenance of order and discipline, the social etiquettes and decorum, how to carry the message forward, how to communicate socially, character building and every other aspect with regard to the movement and its organizational responsibilities be it principles, rules and regulations and for the fulfilment of all those essential requirements which are need for the association with the movement.

Thought Provoking Academic Sessions (Fikri Nishist): The formal sittings which are so captioned are meant to provoke the process of thinking which calls for meditation, deliberation and concentration. In these sittings the topics, which come under discussion motivate the individuals to exercise their intellectual faculties, creates profundity and broadens their intellectual horizons to reflect seriously. The indoctrination refreshes the intellect and constant meditation / deliberation and concentration revitalizes the brain cells by means of which inactive brain cells become vitalized and activated and the hidden intellectual treasures and talents of individuals are unveiled and advantageously exhibited. The process undoubtedly gives birth to new thoughts and ideas, knowledge, wisdom and philosophy.

The process of reflecting and deliberating in the light of progress and development in the western countries: It is the unflagging practice of reflecting and deliberating that awakens or rejuvenates the enervated or depleted brain cells in such a manner that the entire treasure trove of knowledge stored and hidden in these cells was exploited. And such gifted individuals introduced and enlightened the entire world with new knowledge, sciences and disciplines. The western and European countries are known as developed countries; because they are extremely developed and rich in their wisdom such that they are flowing with the wealth of technological and scientific knowledge. In comparison to other countries the developed countries are far advanced in sciences and disciplines of modern technology, computers, electronics, physics, chemistry, physiology, medical sciences, nuclear technology, information technology and in several other areas of education and knowledgeable sciences.

One wonders why it is so. How has it been possible for these developed countries to become so advanced and innovative and are still taking unfathomable strides in their inventions and in areas of modern technology and in such diversified disciplines? Has all this development been offered to them from the heavens or have these countries continuously practiced the principle of reflecting and deliberating to practically use their intellectual abilities? Has the process helped in the awakening and rejuvenating the enervated brain cells, which have helped exploit the treasure trove of knowledge and talents hidden these cells? For as long as these western countries were in the clutches of their religious clerics and were under the influence of the churches they were so helpless that the process of reflecting and deliberating just could not commence. Whenever new scientific discoveries and modern disciplines were witnessed on the horizon during those periods the clerics would preach against them and make them into such contentious and controversial issues taking refuge under the umbrella of religion in advancing their motives that many a wise men and scholars were put to death in the name of religion for having the impudence to float modern scientific knowledge, thought and ideas. The abovementioned dark era of the western world is akin to the Taliban era in Afghanistan. When the Taliban rule was established they destroyed radios, TVs and other electronic devices and hung the destroyed TVs from electric poles declaring their use as un-Islamic. The logical argument that holds validity is, which verse of the Quran or which ‘Hadith’, i.e. saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), declares the use of TV and radio as forbidden? Lo! It is the Taliban, who declared these scientific inventions as un-Islamic and forbidden in the name of religion.

A similar stance has come to light on the issue of women rights; nowhere does the Quran mention that females cannot adopt the profession of becoming a teacher, doctor or nurse and are in any way prohibited from receiving education. The so called mullahs in the name of religion preach that it is un-Islamic and unlawful under the tenets of Islam for females to receive education to seek employment to teach or for that matter even to treat patients. They interpret Islam in an unethical, tortuous, distorted manner and thereby obstructing and restraining the process of reflecting and deliberating. Innumerable teachings and sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in ‘Hadith’ are available as narrated by Hazrat Ayesha (RA). One is compelled to think that if there is prohibition on females to teach then how was it possible for Hazrat Ayesha (RA) to teach and preach the sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)? During the times of war and battle where the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) himself participated, the females accompanied them and performed duties such as serving water to the injured and carried out the dressing of their wounded thereby serving as doctors and nurses.

Secret Behind the Success of the West: For as long as the western world was a pawn in the hands of the so called clerics they were far removed from the process of deliberation and reflecting and Europe was groping in the dark. As soon as they broke free from the shackles of the influence of the clerics and the strong domination of the churches they started focusing on their intellectual capabilities and abilities provided by the Almighty Allah. Their intelligence came into play and the process of reflecting and deliberating commenced and it was this process that made them march forward on the road to success and progress reaching to such heights that they started ruling the world.

The so called Mullahs and their Interpretation & Philosophy of Religion: If we do not start the process of reflecting and deliberating to search and research to achieve newer and modern technologies and sciences then we can do nothing but make tall claims. What has been achieved by vilifying India and the western world, day in and day out on our TV Channels and have we considered that in what way does this attitude dent these countries or benefit us? If we want to exist as a live nation and look other nations in the eye we will have to make progress by leaps and bounds in the fields of knowledge, technology and various other sciences. When we exhaust all our time and energies in damning others where will we find the time to vie other nations of the world in areas of scientific knowledge, new inventions and in the educating of our nation and its masses.

When I draw attention on these issues, it is said that Altaf Hussain promotes India and is a sympathizer of the west or else he is an agent of India or the west. The factual situation is that anywhere and at any stage when truth is voiced such charges are common practice but it is the intelligent and aware masses who become cognizant of serious issues and they deliberate. It is this class which very soon becomes enlightened with the fact that it is the critics themselves who are the uneducated and an ill informed lot.

Our so called Mullahs talk of Islamic beliefs only in the light of sins and rewards and they never publicly and openly reveal to the masses the true knowledge and the real philosophy of our religion; even though Islam is a religion which provides a complete code of conduct for mankind so that he can deliberate and think about managing his life in this world and also reap the rewards in the hereafter. Islam commands us to gain religious knowledge and the knowledge of the worldly sciences to emerge as strong disciplined nations.  For example, the matter of the call for prayer or Aazan, whereby, the so-called mullahs only emphasize that one should attentively listen to the call for prayers because it is rewarding but fail to explain the philosophy and wisdom behind it. The Fajar or dawn call for prayers decrees that prayer is better than sleep and the so-called mullahs’ explanation is merely restricted to getup and offer prayers as it is necessary for reward but fail to elucidate the concealed wisdom in this call. The decree in the dawn call for prayers caries such profound wisdom that when an individual answers to the call he performs ablution early in the morning, he washes and cleanses himself, offers prayers and in the process he exercises his body which makes him active and alert resulting in actively starting his day and routing much earlier as compared to others who prefer sleep to prayer.

By not conveying the proper message of the wisdom of the decree, it is perceived that only a handful of our people bother to start their day and routine at dawn, whereas it is the developed countries which captured the wisdom of this philosophy. They have made it their practice to rise early and get started with their businesses and routine much earlier, thus devoting more hours to their occupations. Whereas, it is our general practice and especially in government organizations that only a few personnel reach their offices before 9am to 10am. Can we even think of competing with the developed countries with such attitudes?

Our so-called mullahs and clerics very vocally advocate the construction of mosques because in their opinion it is the most virtuous of all deeds and the highest from of veneration. They simply illegally encroach a vacant plot, occupy it, place a few blocks, a signboard and a moneybox appealing for charity for its construction. Within no time the adjacent vacant space is also illegally encroached and there crops up a ‘Madarasa’, i.e. a religious school, and this yet is just not enough, so the next immediate move is the construction of shops and so starts their flourishing virtuous business. Imagine the plight when they illegally encroach the land for businesses in the grab of constructing a mosque and when legal action is taken to demolish such constructions then these so called mullahs start agitating and playing with the sentiments of the masses in the name o f religion and Islam as has just been witnessed in Islamabad. These so called mullahs claim that land is the property of Allah, hence construction of a mosque is legal and Islamic wherever they deem fit but Islam does not permit any such violations; even when the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) constructed “Masjid-e-Nabvi”, i.e. the “Mosque of the Prophet (peace be upon him)”, he purchased the land for its construction and later for its extension.  

The practice of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was to purchase the land for the construction of a mosque and on the other hand how do these so called mullahs conduct themselves? Merely encroach and occupy, no purchasing hence not paying the cost, only illegal occupancy and constructing a mosque. Is their conduct and practice in accordance with the teachings of Islam and in correspondence to the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) or is it contrary to what is expectable in Islam?

What is a Movement? / How do you define a Movement? MQM is a movement which is named Muttahida Quami Movement that is unity on a national level that moves in such unison that it spreads in the form of a movement or for the unity of the nation to spread the message, manifesto, philosophy and ideology of the Movement in a disciplined way. The word ‘movement’ originates from the word ‘move’; for example if a patient is in a deep coma he is not declared dead because of the signs of life such as the heartbeat, the pulse and the flow of blood. But if the heart stops to function, the pulse ceases and the blood pressure drops to zero then patient will be declared dead. Coming to the point where there is movement there is life and when things don’t move or there is no movement it is death. Similarly when one continues to move and struggle for the enhancement of the philosophy and vision of Movement then it keeps the Movement alive but when members of the Movement stop their struggle for the ideology then the Movement dies. To keep the movement alive it is incumbent that the associates of the movement are united at all times, they put in effort and labour, sacrifice their selfish and egoistic desires and devote quality time in the spread of the purpose, mission vision and philosophy of the movement.

Difference between Political Party and Movement: The prime aim and purpose of a political party revolves round its personal interests and in the achievement of power; where as a movement is totally different as regards its aims and purpose. The gaining of power is never the sole aim of a movement because a movement is launched for the acquisition of the collective rights of its peoples and the achievement and aim of a movement is to succeed in the attainment of its purpose and aim. In the joining of political parties personal interests and selfish motives take priority. There are egocentric desires to become MPA’s & MNA’s, to gain popularity and to be called a leader is each individual’s uppermost craving. On the contrary, when an individual associates himself with a Movement his desires, aspirations and attitudes are totally different. The individuals who join a movement have no personal aims and goals because their attitudes are such that they have no desire to gain from the Movement but to give. They willingly give quality time, they sacrifice their wants, desires and self-interests for the benefit of the movement and their foremost goal lies in the achievement of the collective rights of its people and in the promotion of the collective interests, purpose, mission and vision of the movement and not of the self. In a Movement, the basis of merit is not the social status and wealth but it is the attitude and practical performance.

What is Order & Discipline: Order means arrangement; sequence etc, i.e. one and all stand in the same file expunging all distinctions. Aik hee saf main kharay ho gaye Mahmood-o-Ayaz, Na koi banda raha na koi banda nawaz. To offer our prayers in a mosque or congregation we fall into files and stand shoulder to shoulder displaying order. Hundreds and thousands of individuals congregate at a time to offer prayers but each gets to offer his prayers comfortably. If the aspect of being trained to remain orderly were not present then what could we witness except complete disarray, upheaval and a ‘crowd’ pushing and tugging at each other. When we see the army parade all march in formation and in case there is disorder it would end in total chaos. To maintain order it is essential to observe tolerance. For example you enter a mosque to offer prayers and everyone is falling in files and you see that the person right next to you is your arch enemy. Now to maintain the order and discipline of prayers you must tolerate his presence. In case you decide otherwise and try to push him out or disrupt the sequence by changing your own place you will destroy the discipline of prayers and the order of the files. This means that to maintain order you simply have to tolerate such things which may be totally against your liking. Thus, where there is tolerance, discipline is certainly maintained and where there is no tolerance, discipline is bound to be disrupted. For example, you have to attend a meeting at 5:00 p.m. sharp called at the office of the movement but you are tempted to watch a movie; in that case to maintain order suppress your desire and attend the meeting thus maintaining the order of attendance.

As regards order and discipline the Holy Quran states “by (the token of) time, (through the ages) verily Man is in loss, Except such as have faith, And do righteous deeds, And (join together) In the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.”[1] When the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions (R.A.) spread the righteous message they had to face a lot of resistance and atrocities but they continued to preach of truth and facts, enduring the hardships and showing great tolerance and patience in response to all oppression against them.

Another example of tolerance can be so perceived when the Movement requests names for nominations for some responsible position – and amongst these names select an individual on merit to take on the position. The test of order and discipline demands that the decision of the movement be wholeheartedly accepted by all the members and observe tolerance. Wherever there is order and discipline, the ego needs to be crushed and self-interests need to be sacrificed for collective interests. Those associates in the movement who whole heartedly believe and practice the abovementioned facts always abide by the principles of order and discipline and never divide themselves into groups and factions.

Philosophy of Realism and Practicalism: MQM’s philosophy is “Realism and Practicalism”, i.e. acknowledge facts or ground realities and we struggle for them practically. For example, we unanimously agree that the two percent feudal lords, waderas, sardars and a few investors have ruled the country generation after generation for the past 60 years. The 98% of our population, which comprises of the poor and middle class and the downtrodden do not even posses the basic facilities of life leave alone to rule the country. This is a situation of great concern and it is essential to rid ourselves of this medieval feudal system and help the masses to acquire their legitimate rights and establish an impartial and even-handed system. To acknowledge this fact and ground reality is “Realism”. Now “realism” alone does not solve the predicament until and unless “practicalism” is not shown and exercised. Can we rid ourselves of the medieval feudal system just by dint of sheer reiteration? Will this help us to bring an end to it? To rid ourselves of this oppressive and cruel system and replace this with a just and even-handed system we will certainly have to demonstrate “practicalism”. Great thought will be required to find ways and means to put up a practical struggle making an all out effort to achieve this goal. This effort and practical struggle is called “Practicalism”. If an individual has a sweet tooth to acknowledge this is “realism” and if he is diabetic to acknowledge that he is a diabetic patient is also “realism” but now “practicalism” demands to avoid sweets. The same holds true for an individual who is fond of savoury food but is suffering from high blood pressure and is therefore required to refrain from salt, his “practicalism” would be to shun such eatables. There can be an individual fond of spicy food but his medical reports confirm that he has developed ulcers; to acknowledge this medical report would be “realism” and in light of his reports he gives up eating hot spicy food would reflect “practicalism”. Another example of “realism and practicalism” is that you are at home and have a strong urge for a cup of tea but there is no milk at home and don’t like black tea. So, to accept the fact that there is no milk is “realism” and “practicalism” would be that irrespective of hail, rain storm or heat you have to run the errand to fetch milk. In the same way if a function or gathering is scheduled by the movement and information has been sent out but it starts raining, “practicalism” demands that in spite of the down pour we make the necessary arrangements at the venue of the gathering with patience and tolerance. Yet, in another instance you are required to attend a meeting called by the movement it may be harsh weather but you will have to brave its harshness and reach the venue for the meeting. Your effort to be present at the meeting demonstrates belief in “practicalism”.

The Governing Mafia and its Modus operandi: A governing / ruling mafia to maintain its hegemony invariably follows the policy of divide and rule. The same holds true for Pakistan and it has been practiced in the past and is being practiced even now. The 98% of the population comprising of the poor and middle class and downtrodden people are made to pit against each other on issues as regards religion, faith, fiqah, language, cultural difference, differences in schools of thought like Shia, Sunni, Barelvi etc. The pitting against each other is carried on to the extent of creating disharmony and agitation even between Muslims, Christians, Hindus and sometimes rioting between Muhajirs and Punjabis, Muhajir and Pathans, Muhajir and Sindhis. On the pretext of the abovementioned scenario propaganda campaigns are launched that Altaf Hussain and the MQM are the enemies of the Punjabis, Pathans and Sindhis. These agitations, rioting and disturbances had an ulterior motive which was to stop the spread of MQM’s message to Punjab and the other provinces of Pakistan. Even though the governing mafia comprises of individuals who speak different languages and come from different schools of though they themselves unite to enjoy the lucrative gains. Their policies for the middle and lower middle class are such that they keep this class occupied and busy pitted against each other on issues of language, religion, cast, creed and beliefs but they keep themselves blossoming with the financial benefits. It is for the masses to stand steadfast to bring about a revolutionary change to establish a judicious democratic system and rid themselves of the corrupt and medieval feudal system.

Conclusion: My job is to preach. I don’t opt for personal gains. My companions in the movement have been getting elected to the provincial and national assembly seats and have served and are serving as ministers but I have never desired for any positions or gains for my own personal self. My only motive and aim is struggle for the achievement of legitimate rights of the masses where each individual is treated with equality and a level playing field is available; a society where the implementation of the constitution and rule of law for the rich and the poor is alike. Whatever has been said in this sitting needs to be taken seriously and as food for thought. You need to discuss the matter, which has been put forward among yourselves as well, to give it practical reality and carry this message forward. May Allah Almighty help us gain more knowledge and wisdom and may you all stay steadfast and loyal to the movement.