June 22, 2008

Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken; —John Keats

‘First Looking into Chapman’s Homer’

The above lines came to mind when I first looked into Muslim World Almanac. To a ‘watcher’ of the printed word, the compilation of this ground-breaking work of global dimension was not only a re-visit of the unifying power of the book to gather together disparate Muslim populations through publication of authentic information and dispelling ignorance about co-religionists living on this planet, but also as an initial study of a worldwide community practising the same precepts of Islam, within the two covers of a book. In retrospect, Muslim countries, or for that matter Muslim populations, have never been fairly dealt with in toto in any standard work of repute as in this publication.

Jawaid Anwar Al Hassan, the managing editor, says, ‘It was only with Allah’s support and encouragement from our many well-wishers, sympathisers and friends that we could move ahead in our momentous and eventful journey’. When the train stops at a station, it does not mean that the journey is over. The Research and Documentation Society, Karachi, which is looked after by Al Hassan, hopes to come up with more such books. Its motto is ‘to know ourselves before knowing the world’. This little known society took ‘the first step towards enlightenment’ to come up with ‘a handy reckoner on the Muslim world’, which runs into 1000 pages presenting an objective review of Muslim life in the 21st century (15th century Hijrah). It is a timely clarion call for Muslims, who slowly but surely are ‘climbing towards over a quarter of the world’s population’ to come closer.

A high-powered 13-member international editorial advisory board was constituted to look into policy matters and provide guidelines for this significant project. Although a Makkah-based project, the infra-structure was provided by the Research and Documentation Society located in Karachi. The Society must be complimented for handling all the spadework admirably despite their admission that ‘at the Research and Documentation Society, [we] were and are quite ill-equipped to undertake and accomplish such a massive enterprise.’

The successful execution of a great work of this type could only be handled by a board of eminent scholars and editors as above, besides requisitioning the services of experts and political analysts. Their names and affiliations have enhanced the prestige and the dignity of this publication. They have jointly come up with a vade-mecum for the study of Muslim societies in all their historic diversity and helped to assess challenges and tribulations faced by present Muslim populations, whether in predominantly Muslim countries or in countries with substantial Muslim minorities. This reference book goes a long way to dispel the misgivings about Islam by highlighting the Muslims’ pivotal role in presenting the true spirit of Islam and bridging the gap between Islam and rest of the world. Not only have the past achievements of the Muslims been underlined, but their present-day status has also been brought into focus.

The key issues, which the Almanac could hardly ignore under the prevailing atmosphere of Islamophobia, include: 1) importance given to human rights and social egalitarianism by Islam; 2) the significance of such an important and widely misunderstood Islamic institution as jihad, or struggling for a right cause; 3) the significance and role of mosques in Muslim community life; 4) the status and security of women in Islam; 5) terrorism, extremism, sectarianism and other subversive cults and ideologies and; 6) the cardinal teachings of the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

If you examine the contents, there is much more in this encyclopedic compendium under its 14 different sections. Being an almanac and a maiden issue, it has not only to deal with the past but must also dwell upon the contemporary events. Some current topics inter alia are: presenting an Islamic perspective; on the environment; the plight of Muslim minorities in Myanmar, Thailand and India; Islamic banking; Muslim institutions, covering both religious and secular institutions of learning; while a special section highlights the issues of Palestine and Kashmir, the crisis in Darfur and the struggle of Chechen Muslims.

This is the first ever publication where an important chapter on the demography of Muslim countries has been contributed by a well-known Pakistani demographer, Dr Mehtab S. Karim, who is also on the editorial advisory board of the Almanac. The book contains complete statistical data on 57 Muslim countries on 123 parameters, including social, economic, health and demographic indicators running into 128 pages. The profiles of independent Muslim states have been comprehensively presented in an objective manner with the help of statistical data. As much as possible the latest information has been provided under uniform headings.

It offers a detailed portrayal of Muslim countries with pictures of country leaders, important buildings, places and happenings interspersed with the text. Such extensive coverage is not available in any other publication to date, and the Almanac in hand stands to serve both Muslim and non-Muslim readers everywhere. Tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries, and this portion of the Almanac could serve as a travel guide for holiday-planners, particularly Muslim tourists, who post-9/11, would have preferred to spend their vacation in a Muslim country rather than face suspicion elsewhere.

While comparing the progress made by 57 different countries under the OIC umbrella, one may note among other indicators — literacy rate, economic condition, natural resources, governance and the status of science and technology. A study of parts is essential to make up the whole, and thus strengthen the OIC as a force to be reckoned with at the international level. The lowest literacy rates are reported from West African Muslim countries, particularly in Niger, where only 15 per cent of the population can read and write as against Brunei which has a literacy rate of 94 per cent and spends nine per cent of its GDP on education.

The overall economic condition of Muslim countries leaves much to be desired, compared to the abundance of mineral and natural resources. God has endowed them with untapped wealth beneath their feet, which is the envy of the West. As regards governance, most of the Muslim countries are under monarchs, sultans or under dictatorial rule. One hasn’t got to be a democracy faddist, but with the spread of education, one day the people will rule supreme.

While a list of Muslim scientists of the 15th century and their contributions is provided, the same could have been updated. What is missing is the list of Muslim Fellows of the prestigious Royal Society, London.

We are reminded that almanac is originally an Arabic word which has been taken from almanakh, meaning the calendar. In the modern sense too, an almanac is an annual calendar of events and developments, data and statistics of a country, group of countries, or the world as a whole. It is in the nature of a publication of this kind that it will have to be updated and published on a continual basis from year to year. Its publication is a trend-setter for the revival of the virtually abandoned pursuit of intellectual activity on the part of Muslims.

Islam, the living faith of over 1.5 billion human beings who are dispersed all over the world, is increasingly coming into sharp focus owing to recent world events. The Quran enjoins Muslims to be the best models of humanity and law-abiding residents in the societies in which they live. There is a widespread belief in the West that Islam fosters violence. The Alamanac is indeed a noteworthy attempt to negate all such wrong notions and speak for a vast majority of people still committed to a tension-free world and still happily devoted to a civilised discourse of global goodwill and harmony.

The Almanac under review is a spring-well of information and a handy reference tool. It is presented in a reader-friendly mode and is attractively designed. It includes two indexes. The country index is self-sufficient, but the other one related to the remaining textual matter as contained in the remaining 500 pages is rather inadequate; the same is true for the list of acronyms. It is often baffling to decipher the full names of the organisations in which a Muslim country holds its membership. These, however, are minor points which can be improved upon. The Almanac is recommended to all and sundry, particularly students, experts and professionals. No library in a Muslim country can afford not have a copy — it is a sine qua non.
 

Muslim World Almanac 2008: The Definitive Reference of the Muslim World
Edited by Saqib Jawaid
Anwar Al Hassan
Research and Documentation Society, Karachi.
ISBN 978-969-9171-00-0
906 pp. Price not listed