ISLAMABAD, 10 June 2004 — Absolute power often leads to a conviction that one knows everything. Pakistanis have seen this happen to Gen. Musharraf whose passion for giving long, all-knowing style speeches is only increasing with time.
Starting from being an authority on what is best for Pakistan, since the last OIC submit Gen. Musharraf seems to know all that is best for the Muslims too. He is keen to sell his vision of “enlightened moderation” as a solution to problems of the Muslim world. The opening of the OIC meeting in Islamabad this week has been followed by massive attempt to again promote this vision of Gen. Musharraf.
Musharraf has published an article titled “Plea for Enlightened Moderation” not only in the Pakistani press but also in Washington Post (reprinted in the Arab News on June 3). Given that the article deals with a vision for the entire Muslim world, it is important to unpack it and see who it blames, who is addresses, and what solution it processes.
There are many issues with this article that raise serious concerns. To begin with, winning pity from the rest of the world is what this article achieves for the Muslim world. The article shows an extremely apologetic mindset. It draws an extremely bleak picture of the current state of the Muslims. “When I think of the role of Muslims in today’s world, my heart weeps” is one of the lines from the article. It paints Muslims as the poorest, the most uneducated, the most powerless and the most disunited people in the world.
True, Muslim countries are not leading the world today, but at the same time the Muslim world is by no means as deprived and miserable as Gen. Musharraf views this world to be. The article just completely sidelines the educated, intelligent Muslims that do still exist in huge numbers. Also, it gives no credit to the rich traditions and culture of the Muslim world that still remain intact.
There are two key problems with painting such a hopeless and demoralizing picture of the Muslims. One, the situation does not reflect the diversity of the Muslim world. It reduces the entire Muslim world to this helpless, powerless nation. Apart from everything else, what about the oil wealth of the Muslim countries alone which, if controlled, can send shudders down the Western world. Two, it automatically, puts the West in the superior position, and Muslims in a subordinate position. Why Gen. Musharraf should want to publish this article in a leading US daily is beyond comprehension. All it does is tell the American audience that yes you people are right, the Muslims are a hopeless case and to be held responsible for the problems of today’s world.
The article accepts completely that Muslim groups are responsible for terrorism. It refers briefly to the politics of the Western world that has led to the resistance within the Muslim world but in terms of today it holds only the Muslims extremist groups responsible for the current tension in the world. The differentiation between freedom fighters and terrorists has no space in his analysis. Nor does he have any thoughts on how US continued “war on terrorism” is not the solution to bridge the perceived gap between the Muslims and the rest of the world.
His solution to the current state of the Muslims rests in what he calls “enlightened moderation” which is a very simplistic two-pronged strategy. The first step of this strategy is that “Muslims should shun militancy and extremism and adopt the path of socioeconomic uplift”. The second step is for “the West, and the United States in particular, to seek to resolve all political disputes with justice and to aid in the socioeconomic betterment of the deprived Muslim world”.
What an amazingly enlightening solution! So for the Muslims the direction is that from today stop all militancy and think only of winning more bread and butter. But, is life that simple? What about the militant suicide bombers in Palestine for whom there is no way to resist the oppression of US-supported Israel but to kill themselves? Who is going to provide them the weaponry to match sophisticated Israeli arsenal that will remove the need for them to blow themselves up. When the Israeli forces humiliate and check every Palestinian at checkpoints, are we to tell the young men: Only think of socioeconomic uplift, don’t feel humiliated and angry that you are being treated like this on your own land.
What about the self-imposed dictators in Muslim world, including our own, who have never invested in education, health and establishment of a society that is run on the basis of a constitution rather than one man’s orders. Are they suddenly going to disappear or are they going to suddenly have such a big change of heart that they will from today start investing in the people of their country? Since Gen. Musharraf is the one proposing this vision of socioeconomic uplift that the Muslim countries should focus on then let’s just look at one socioeconomic factor of Pakistan, forget all the other issues — be it education or poverty: 32 people, mainly children, have already died due to supply of contaminated water in Hyderabad and Dadu over the past two weeks. What has the government done?
Now to come to the second step of the two-pronged strategy proposed, what makes us think that suddenly US will become all benevolent that it would “resolve all political disputes with justice”. Miracles do happen but there is a limit to those too. How can we expect a reform strategy to work when it is based on expecting massive altruism from a nation whose entire foreign policy is based on a simple rule: Self-interest. Do we actually think that one day US will suddenly get up and say that India stop killing Kashmiris; it is not just or Israel stop butchering Palestinians; it is not just? To propose such a thing is to show what a simplistic view of the world.
Gen. Musharraf “Enlightened Moderation” is not a two-step process; it is one and only one thing: All Muslims obey unquestioningly what US demands, the few crumbs that US will throw out as rewards for obeying these demands is where the salvation of Muslims lies. Once unpacked, this is what the Pakistan president’s view of “Enlightened Moderation” boils down to. But, after all that is exactly the message he wanted to convey by publishing this article in Washington Post. Have we not just recently heard Colin Powells’ statement that “We would not be supportive of any effort to change the government of Pakistan in a way that is not part of the political process”?
Since when did the US start to care about political process and constitutionality? Gen. Musharraf did not come in power through a political process nor is he protected by the original constitution.
But, because US wants Gen. Musharraf so for right now it is clear that US won’t support any change in government in Pakistan whether the current regime is democratic or not. From a nation like this to expect benevolence and justice in political disputes, as Gen. Musharraf does, speaks of either complete ignorance or vested interests. One can only hope that at least some leaders in the rest of the Muslim world can think of better solutions for the Muslims than Gen. Musharraf can.
— Masooda Bano is a commentator on Pakistan’s political and development situation.
