| 30 April 2004 | Friday | 09 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425 |
Book on Pir Sibghatullah launched
The meeting on April 14 between President Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was very much a complete meeting of minds between two political heavyweights. Their joint press conference that followed clearly indicated a complete identification of the present US Administration with the policies being pursued by Israel in Palestine and in the region.
If there were any hopes about a favourable change in the Middle East policies of the two countries, these were put to rest by their common stand point which symbolized the policy position of the Judea-Christian civilization.
The message for the Arabs in particular and for the Muslim world in general is very ominous indeed. It clearly implies that there is going to be no abatement of violence in the Middle East - in Palestine and in Iraq, which has turned into the fulcrum of the international storm.
As per the joint press conference of the two leaders, this just about leaves the tiny Gaza strip and a few Arab enclaves on the West Bank to emerge as some sort of a nebulous Palestinian state. Such a state will neither be viable nor defensible and is bound to have at best a non-sovereign municipal character some what like that of the protectorates in and around the South African Republic.
The longstanding UN Security Council resolutions of 1949 and 1967 have been referred to in the joint statement by way of lip-service but have been described by President Bush as unimplementable and therefore consigned to historical oblivion.
This is the first time that a US President has so very openly and unabashedly put a dampener on even the faintest of hope the Palestinians may have had of one day returning to the homes that they had left behind. So the question naturally arises as to what is the 'quid pro quo,' if any, that has made it possible for such a major policy shift to be suddenly adopted by the United States?
Is this due to a desperate military situation being faced by President Bush in the handling of Iraq which has made him to take a wholesale somersault in favour of Israel? Or is it because President Bush and his Republican Party are finding a very difficult November Presidential and Congressional election this year and want to go the whole-hog in seeking the support of the Jewish lobby to make certain that the White House and the majority in Congress is retained?
For some time now, the Republican Party has been showing signs of extreme desperation, ever since the military situation in Iraq has qualitatively deteriorated.
The eruption of troubles for the American-led Coalition in Iraq, the increase in body-bags of American and Allied casualties being sent home and the recent rise in the intensity of Sunni as well as Shia resistance has compounded problems.
This has made the going for the Americans harder and thus even more difficult to explain away to a fickle American electorate. Left to himself, Mr Bush may not have resorted to this latest ploy of molly coddling Israel.
But as things stand in the United States, it is the Jewish Americans who are posing problems for Mr Bush. He has been for some time sliding downwards in the public opinion ratings vis-a-vis Senator John Kerry and the Jewish control over the US media is ensuring a telling effect on pre-election forecasts. In the circumstances, therefore, Mr Bush has had to play a last desperate gamble to halt the opinion slide and start making a better showing with the public opinion pundits.
There is no doubt that this is indeed an extremely high-risk route that he has opted for. The Jewish vote is worth wooing even more due to the fact that it is Jewish influence which plays a vital role in all the key sectors of American society and economy. And all that Mr Bush has done through his latest Palestine moves is to try and ease the domestic pressure building up on him.
By making this departure from historically oft-stated bipartisan positions taken by a number of American administrations under several Presidents, he will be open to a lot of debate as to its wisdom. The inherent idea in doing so is no more than to seize the moment by making the fullest use of the Iraqi predicament to turn the tables on his domestic adversaries by doing a full embrace of Sharon.
But in going the whole hog for the Jewish vote, Mr Bush can easily find that he is opening up any number of new fronts for himself. In the area of foreign affairs there is going to be the possibility of more defections taking place from amongst the European Allies who carry a lot of seething discontent about the American President's handling of Europe.
Furthermore, the Bush initiative with Sharon and the Israelis is not necessarily a guarantee for sure success. The Jews of America do not necessarily identify themselves with the Israeli Jews or the Sharon government.
In America, traditionally the Jews have been doing split voting for a long time i.e. by voting for both parties and hedging their political bets. You will find them in strong numbers in the Democratic Party which enjoyed most of their political support for a long time.
In recent years, with growing prosperity among Jewish second and third generation immigrants, they have emerged as a force in the Republicans and are described as its neocons. This in itself reflects that the Jewish community in America being a minority has an inbuilt long-term survival reflex of keeping their eggs in the proverbial two baskets.
There is another factor of consequence. Most of the hard-core Bush supporters are found in the Bible-belt in the Midwest. This is also the Anglo Saxon bread-basket area. Many of them can also be described as Christian Conservatives. Historically, the two - the Christian Conservatives and the American Jews - have never been the best of political bedfellows.
Between now and November, time is not going to stand still. The American scene, coupled with all of America's external involvements, leaves a vast grey zone of unpredictability of events.
Another reverse on the battle front can yet aggravate the President's electoral problems at home. After all, the Jewish voter has not quite forgotten that in the 2000 Presidential election the strongest factor that favoured Bush across the country were his Anglo-Saxon Christian credentials.
He was then up against the Gore-Lieberman ticket, which, had it been successful, would have brought Lieberman a Jewish Vice Presidential candidate, only a heart-beat away from the US Presidency.
Furthermore, Sharon cannot on his own make it such easy going for the Americans in the Middle East and also ensure the US Presidency for Mr Bush. The Palestinians and the Iraqis are militarily and politically weak but there is the looming unknown factor of suicide bombers that can yet come into play to upset all predictions as not very long ago was factored by the Vietcong of Vietnam. There may yet be a Tet offensive by the Iraqi insurgents with unknown military and political consequences.
Iraq and Palestine can yet turn into a military debacle. Instead of the Sharon support to Mr Bush in the American election as well as in the Middle East taking Mr Bush to another four years in the White House, it may well be the end-road for him following the footsteps of his father.
Whatever the outcome, the fact of the matter and the experience thus far is that America may well realize that domestic electoral considerations and the thirst for industrial oils in faraway lands is not all about being a long-lasting world power.
The world is therefore in quite a fix in with armed forces as well as insurgents of all varieties equipped with the best of technologies, at each other's throats. In a situation of such dimensions, the United States' responsibility in whatever the outcome is bound to be a lot greater than that of all the others. To that extent, therefore, the Bush-Sharon meeting of minds of April 14, 2004 may turn out to be the opening of a Pandora's box.
Book on Pir Sibghatullah launched
KARACHI: Freedom at the Gallows: Life and Times of Sayed Sibghatullah Shah Pir Pagaro by young historian and biographer Khadim Hussain Soomro was launched at a city hotel on Wednesday.
The speakers included Sayed Ghulam Shah and the present Pir Saheb's political adviser Ghazi Salahuddin. Noted columnist Anwer Moraj chaired the proceedings. Prof Saher Ansari evaluated the book and praised the author for his keen observation in the reading of history.
Anwer Moraj found the book 'truthful narrative' of a great historical phase in Sindh, especially the details of the trial, first made against The Suria Badshah in 1929 for keeping 'illegal arms' and for the second time in 1942 when the great Pir following the path of Hazrat Hussain, did not compromise with the enemy and went up to the gallows.
Mr Moraj admired the efforts of Mr Soomro who delved deep into history and found the record of the court proceedings against Pir Saheb, and further went to England to find more information from India office library. The speaker, however, felt that a little editing would have improved the text and made it more readable.
Saher Ansari said that a new light dawned on him as he read the book. For what the great Pir was fighting was the freedom of the land and people of Sindh; love for the entire humanity; and equality among them.
He admired the sense of history in Mr Soomro who observed that during the excavation of Moenjodaro, every article of common use in those times was found but a weapon was not discovered which showed the peaceful nature of Sindhis since the advent of the civilization.
Prof Ansari advised that the book, launched from the forum of Sindh Sufi Institute, should be translated in Sindhi and Urdu as well. It may be noted that the author had earlier written two other invaluable books - one on the life and philosophy of the noted Sindhi leader and spiritual guide G. M. Sayed, and the other on Allah Bux Soomro (not related with the writer).
Mr Ghazi Salahuddin said the writer was a history unto himself and that there was not dearth of talented persons in Sindh. All that they need was the encouragement. Syed Ghulam Shah, who was first to speak, lamented that our freedom fighters, branded as terrorist by the alien rulers in the past, were still treated as such. He complained that justice was not done to Sindh and that it was not getting its share of water.