I'm continuously surprised by the number of Muslims who are unaware of the tragic plight of Anwar Ibrahim. Most don't know that he was an up-and-coming internationally-renowned Muslim leader in the 90's (reaching as high as deputy-PM of Malaysia), whose star was suddenly shot down by his mentor, a jealous Mahathir Mohammad (then-PM of Malaysia).
The outlandish charges back in 1998 against Ibrahim were of engaging in sodomy with his driver as well as corruption. That eventually landed him in jail, resulting in the infamous picture where he sported a black eye after only a few days under police custody. (charges were eventually dropped, but only after 6 years in jail)
History surely repeats itself.
The charge of sodomy has once again reared its ugly head in an attempt to again slander Ibrahim.
On the heels of a major upset against the ruling National Front in the March elections, opposition parties were looking to make serious waves in Malaysia, with Ibrahim as a strong candidate for the next Prime Minister.
Until now.
"Not again" was the reply by Ibrahim when he spoke from the Turkish Embassy, where has taken refuge for his safety from the Malaysian government.
But I must admit, that after my initial shock and disappointment upon reading this news, I'm beginning to get a better sense of Allah's Wisdom.
I fear that Muslims would have gotten a false sense of hope that the submarine of the Ummah, having sunken to unbelievable depths over the past few centuries, is finally making its long-awaited resurfacing.
With a charismatic leader at the helm of a pluralistic Muslim nation, enjoying financial success as well as political stability, many Muslims would have rejoiced at our collective turn of fortune.
But that would have caused us to overlook the fundamental sickness plaguing the Ummah – our broken relationship with our Lord.
I'm convinced that the Muslim world simply isn't ready for a strong, upright leader (as Anwar Ibrahim seems to be). The problem has never been about electing or appointing a worthy leader. The problem has never been about locating the next Salahuddin.
The problem has always been about us, not our leadership. We just aren't worthy of any mantle of authority.
No matter how politically active Muslims become, their efforts will keep getting thwarted. Musharraf has done it. Mubarak has done it. And now, the Malaysian establishment is doing it.
This latest turn of events is a clear sign to Muslims that we must realign ourselves with the concepts of true Islamic reform. Reform will not come about by political activism. Reform will not be found in assimilating into the global socio-economic infrastructure. Reform will never be grounded on modern concepts of 'advancement' or 'civilization' or 'enlightened moderation'.
The reform taught by the Prophet (saw) was to struggle to establish the Islamic state within while struggling to establish the Islamic state without. Too many have neglected the former while focusing solely on the latter.
The balance has been lost.
And therefore, as a blessing to us (as well as the rest of world), Allah (swt) has placed a political straitjacket on the Ummah – preventing it from tasting any political power so as to prevent it from causing any harm unto others or to itself.
As a blessing to us (and the rest of world), we will continue to see failed political/military efforts for establishing Muslim states or electing Muslim leaders (Algeria, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Hamas, Anwar Ibrahim).
Allah (swt) will either send the Americans or a military junta or the Ethiopians or the Israelis or even a 23-year-old political aide, but the results will be the same – no power for the Muslims.
We simply are not ready for the immensely grave responsibility of being representatives of the Most High (khalifat-Allah).
As I see it, I refuse to place a gun in my child's hands. Similarly, Allah (swt) has refused to place power in the Ummah's hands.
In both cases, the results would be tragic.
WAW
2 days ago
9 comments:
Jazakallah for the many beneficial points that you've highlighted.
A friend of mine whose been living in Malaysia for quite a few years and takes active interest in local politics told me that Anwar Ibrahim is bad for Malaysians in particular and Muslims in general.
Apparently Paul Wolfowitz and Anwar are good buddies. And anyone who's in cahoots with Wolfowitz is... well you know what I'm driving at.
That said, the current ruling party aren't saints either. Its just choosing the least worse of all the options this Ummah has to offer. Or better yet, choose no one at all.
AA Brother Naeem and Company,
Your point is well-taken re Muslim nations and the state of affairs at present.
How about a an idea which has true merit- creating a NATO/EU type power structure for all Muslim nations? If such an organization is developed, the economic and political impact would and could be unmatched by the West. The number of Muslim nations with immense mineral, natural resources are astounding and mind-boggling. The tech know-how of nations such as Pakistan, Iran, Turkey etc a huge plus. These nations need to unite and fight for a vision greater than the individual state. How ironic that Sarkozy of France suggested a such a power alignment with other Muslim nations? After all he does have 2 female Muslamin Ministers in his Cabinet. :)
All the best,
Sarah
AA- Islamblog,
"A friend of mine whose been living in Malaysia for quite a few years and takes active interest in local politics told me that Anwar Ibrahim is bad for Malaysians in particular and Muslims in general."
I'd be very interested in hearing your friends reasoning on why Anwar Ibrahim is bad news. Is it based solely on his relationship with Wolfowitz? If so, that doesn't seen like enough to counter all the good that he has done and is currently doing...
AA- Sarah,
Thank you for your thoughts...Your idea has lots of merit, but only on paper. I'm way too cynical to ever believe that anything like that would work. The closest we've got is the OIC and just like the Ummah, its foam on the ocean - full of fluff!
I think the political realities on the ground will prevent such a unified power structure....
I'd be careful about throwing any support toward Anwar just yet. The situation in Malaysia is very confused at the moment, and several other threads that probably have nothing to do with Anwar have become part of the larger story (e.g., the death of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaaribuu). I have no idea whether Anwar is completely innocent or is another Michael Jackson-type; Allahu alim. But I don't necessarily trust him either. Actually, the big winner of this all may be PAS, the semi-hardcore Islamist party, who may be able to point to all of them and say, insha'allah, "See? They're all corrupt in one way or another."
Irrespective of details of Anwar and Malaysia, I think you make a valid point: Muslims have a variety of half-baked ideas on what it means to run a state. Cliches, slogans and passionate takebeers won't suffice.
Two things are needed:
- A sound intellectual tradition rooted in (a) the nusoos of Qur'an and Sunnah (b)room for debate, and disagreement through dialog (c) Sound understanding of the world and how the nusoos apply to specific situations, intent of those texts, prioritzation, etc.
- An educated and balanced citizenry with a foundation in both spiritual and materal aspects of the universe. Continued extreme in either, history shows us, leads to failure.
It takes time, sometimes generations, to get to these. However, our Lord is most Kareem and He can transform the world in ways that we cannot imagine. Let's turn to him in prayers.
Actually I have Malaysian friends who don't think too fondly of Anwar Ibrahim either. I guess having worked with Mhathir made them judge him too early?
What makes me curious about the whole thing is, shouldn't the aide who accused him produce 4 witnesses? If Malaysia wants to follow Islamic law why don't they follow properly?
AA- Ali,
You know, I still don't get what problems people have with him. I mean from an objective stance.
Of course no one is perfect, but what glaring issues do people bring up when discussing him?
I'm really curious...
I actually had the chance to ask a group of them yesterday, apparently they all agree he is very good leader but they all think he is in it with the Americans.
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