Time for stocktaking
RAMAZAN comes every year to remind us that it is not a month of mere fasting but a time to re-assess our commitment to God for upholding and practising His directives as revealed in the Quran. It is not a month to ‘finish’ reading of the Holy Quran in ‘taraweeh’ in three, six, ten, or twenty seven days. The Book was revealed as guidance and has to be attentively and carefully read with rapt attention.
The next step is to comprehend the message it contains and apply it practically in our daily lives for a peaceful, contented and harmonious living. The rapid unintelligible reading of the Quran in Ramazan and in other months too is quite common. The Quran talks about those people who study the Quran as it should be studied (2:121). The word Qirat means mere reading and Tilawat means reading with full comprehension.
The commonly used term Roza does not clearly indicate the true meaning and spirit of the month. The Quranic term Saum means controlling one’s desires and disciplining oneself within the limits prescribed by God. Sa’im is the one who stops himself from treading the wrong path by controlling himself.
Muslims all over the world generally observe this month in a routine manner by fasting from dawn to dusk. They feel at the time of Iftar (end of fasting) that their obligations are fulfilled. Little do they realise that Islam, as a way of life, is a round the clock affair. It is not confined to rituals, but encompasses all their activities. Rituals are easy to perform and are usually satisfying. A true test of the Muslim comes in the practical application of Divine laws in everyday life.
The Quran says that this month has been chosen for collective training. The objective of this training is to establish Allah’s supremacy for He has shown us a well lighted way, (2:185).
The Quran is now recited to acquire the reward of a virtuous act (Sawaab): It is because the way the Quran is recited during Taraweeh prayers is neither understood nor does the congregation comprehend as to what they have listened. The Quran is the most widely read book in the world but sadly its readers are not aware of its meanings. This injustice is not done to any other book in the world.
Ramazan provides us an opportunity to refresh our beliefs and the Quranic teachings. The Quran tells us that if humanity follows the Divine guidance in letter and spirit, it will rediscover the paradise that was lost by man as a result of disobedience of God’s instructions. Through this message Muhammad (SAW) reformed and transformed a cruel, unjust, ignorant and disintegrated society into a united, just and enlightened one. Today, Muslims who were directed by the Quran to work towards solving the problems of humanity are unable to solve their own problems.
The month also emphasises that freedom of faith is the corner stone of Islam. There is no compulsion or coercion in Islam (2:250). The Christian missionary T.W. Arnold wrote: ‘For any organized attempt to force the acceptance of Islam on the Non-Muslim population or of any systematic persecution intended to stamp out Christian religion we hear nothing. Had the Caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action, they might have swept away Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of Spain.’
The basic objective of the revelation of the Quran during this month was to give the Muslims specific guidance to develop themselves. For that, it is important to have an ideal standard. This objective standard incorporates all attributes of God. As a human being inculcates and develops these attributes, within human limits, he comes nearer to God. This has been described in the Quran as adopting the ‘Colour of God’ (2:138).
During Ramazan and at all times, Muslims should strive to protect themselves from the dangers of evil and adopt the Divine laws. The next step is that of thanking God for the rewards that are forthcoming as a result of disciplining their lives.
If you ask a Muslim the reason for his fasting, he would straightaway respond by saying that he is obeying the directives given in the Quran (2:183). In other words he accepts the fact that the Divine directives have to be obeyed. This simple principle should be applied to all other directives; otherwise we would be accepting one directive of the Quran and ignoring others.
The Quran was revealed from time to time over a period of 23 years. Muhammad (SAW) had made fool-proof arrangements for its transcription and preservation and before he died it had been fully written and compiled in the form of a book by honourable, pious and just writers (80:13-16). This is how the Quran testifies to its compilation negating countless man-made and confusing theories.
The responsibility of the Messenger to whom the Quran was revealed was not only to communicate this Divine revelation to others but also to establish a socio-economic order in the light of that guidance. Muhammad (SAW) established this order which fully recognized the dignity of all human beings (17:70).
This month tells us that individual interest has to be replaced by the ideal of the good of humanity at large. Equity and justice should prevail over oppression and exploitation. Man’s desire to dominate others must end and every one must live in peace and harmony. This is exactly the opposite of what Muslims are now doing.
The metamorphosis of Deen into Mazhab (Religion) — a word which does not occur in the Quran; has led Muslims astray into a world of contrived ideas and concepts that totally negate the true spirit of Islam.
Ramazan also reminds us that men have no right to rule other men: yet it does not advocate a lawless, anarchical society. It lays down the principle that Allah alone has the right to rule over them (12:40) and none has the right to any share in it (18:26). Sovereignty belongs to Allah alone. The question arises how Allah should be obeyed? The answer is by observing His laws as given in the Quran. This totally negates theocracy and modern secularism. The concept of monarchy or totalitarianism is un-Islamic. We never remember Muhammad (SAW) as a king or president, although he had a million square miles under his authority.
In the Eid message to the Muslims of India in 1945 the Quaid-i-Azam said, Every Muslim knows that the injunctions of the Quran are not confined to religious and moral duties. From the Atlantic to the Ganges, says Gibbon, the Quran is acknowledged as the fundamental code, not only of theology, but of civil and criminal jurisprudence, and the laws which regulate the actions and the prophet of mankind are regulated by the immutable sanction of the will of Allah.
Everyone, except those who are ignorant, knows that the Quran is the general code of Muslims — a religious, social, civil, commercial, military, judicial, criminal and penal code. It regulates everything from the salvation of soul to the health of the body, from punishment here to that in the life to come. Our Nabi (SAW) has enjoined that every Muslim must possess a copy of the Quran and be his own priest. Therefore Islam is not confined to the spiritual levels and doctrines and rituals and ceremonies. It is a complete code regulating the whole Muslim society in every department of life, collectively and individually.
Ramazan also makes us think about the importance of the Quranic teachings in our daily lives. It should generate new energy and conviction in discovering the forgotten values of Islam. Above all it makes us realize that the laws made by our earlier jurists and promulgated in the past are not eternal and binding on all future generations.
Islam is the name of obedience to Divine laws, not by compulsion but by obedience from the core of the heart. It is the accomplishment of the laws in such a way that a true follower of these laws cannot ever touch a thing unlawful. Ramazan is stock-taking time through which we have to evaluate the sum total of our deeds and consequences spread over the whole year and to oversee as to what extent we have marched ahead on this scale in one year.
Power play in Central Asia
THE central Asian states that emerged independent after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 have since remained in a state of ferment and turmoil. Endowed with huge natural resources, particularly gas and oil, these states have nevertheless failed to cast aside the legacy of the repressive and centralized Soviet system.
The result is a conflict between the young clamouring for freedom, and the a Soviet era leadership that is determined to stamp out any opposition to the regime. This has fuelled unrest. The rise of the Islamists is also freedom causing political tensions, that are spilling across the borders.
The strategic location of these countries that share borders with both Russia and China has forced Moscow and Beijing to stall moves that could destabilize the region, and place their own strategic interests in jeopardy.
To ensure stability and offset any negative impact, a regional grouping, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), was created in 1996, with Russia and China joining four central Asian states Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, to help solve post-Soviet border problems. Turkmenistan, the other former Soviet republic, decided not to join the grouping. The SCO was not conceived as a military grouping, but over time such cooperation has also grown as evidenced in the recent Russia and China joint military exercises “Peace Mission 2005”, the first-ever of the kind since 1950 and labelled as cooperation in fighting terrorism.
The rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s sent shockwaves in these states, each with its own restive Muslim population. The US-led military operation in 2001 against the Taliban was seen as a welcome move. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, with Russia’s blessings agreed to lease out air bases to the US to support military action in Afghanistan and facilitate logistic support.
Kyrgyzstan leased out its Manas base for $50 million. Uzbekistan, the largest country in the region received $120 million in annual aid package. President Islam Karimov visited Washington in May 2002, and besides allowing the US to station its troops at the Karshi-Khanbaad (K-2) airbase, signed a broad-based “strategic partnership and cooperation framework”. The agreement provided for security assurances against “external threats” and $82 million for security services to Tashkent. The later political upheaval in the region, that saw popular uprisings against the governments in Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Ukraine, unnerved Russia and the Commonwealth of States as these uprisings were perceived to be supported by the US. The authoritarian and massive corrupt leadership of the CIS states was threatened, with the fall of President Akayev of Kyrgyzstan — who ruled for 14 years in March, enhancing fears of the overthrow of existing regimes in the neighbourhood.
Uzbekistan experienced its first public revolt on May 13 when thousand of civilians, allegedly members of an underground Muslim radical organization, staged a protest against poverty and repression in the city of Andijan. Many were gunned down by security forces. According to Human Rights Watch, 700 were killed, which the official figure stood at 187.
The Andijan massacre led to serious reaction in the US and the EU. The US condemned the killings and called for independent international investigations which infuriated President Karimov. He retaliated by terminating the K-2 lease as also the cooperation to counter terrorism. The US was taken aback at Karimov’s reaction, and recognizing the importance of the continued use of the K-2 airbase was keen to mend fences. Daniel Freid , US assistant secretary of state and senior Pentagon officials held a meeting last week with President Karimov.
However, there is little likelihood of any success as the EU has voted to impose sanctions on Uzbekistan for its failure to allow an independent international enquiry of the Andijan massacre. It has asked the US to follow suit. EU sanctions include a ban on travel of Uzbek officials to the EU and a ban on the sale of arms. The US Senate on October 6 voted to freeze any economic assistance to Tashkent, including lease charges of the K-2 base.
Karimov has moved back into the Russian embrace. Russia not only supported Karimov but praised Uzbekistan for being on the frontline of the international war on terrorism. The SCO summit on July 5, held in Astana, Kazakhstan supported the demand for a quick withdrawal of the US from Central Asia. The US rejected the demand stating that the bases were part of the bilateral agreement.
US Secretary of State Condolezza Rice will visit the Central Asian states (Oct 10 to Oct 13) to “advance bilateral and regional cooperation on security issues.” Rice’s forthcoming visit will underscore the importance that the US attaches to the countries in the region, and its deep concern at the recent trends in these countries. The objective of the visit explained by a US official is “containing the threat of Islamic radicalism, stimulating economic and political reforms and encouraging democracy”.
Russia is equally determined to regain its lost influence in the region, as it has legitimate military and political interests in Central Asia. The Kremlin is growing apprehensive of US influence as it suspects that the West incited the people-powered revolts in the Baltic states. Moscow is supported in this policy by China, which regards the presence of US troops and bases to be aimed at the containment of China.
The rollback of US advance in the region is the common objective of Moscow and Beijing that want to deny outside powers any significant presence in an area considered their exclusive preserve. Russia and China, rightly perceive the US support for democracy as interference in the internal affairs aimed at destabilizing the region and eroding their influence.
Besides being of geo-political importance, Central Asia is a valuable prize as a source of gas and oil. By 2015, the Caspian Sea basin, including Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, will produce four million barrels a day of oil — more than Kuwait and Iraq combined. In Azerbaijan, western oil companies have invested billions of dollars for an energy corridor for Caspian Sea oil to reach European markets through the US backed Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyham pipeline.
China’s concern over US meddling in the region was expressed at the July 2 summit between Russian and Chinese leaders, Vladimir Putin and Hu Jintao. “The international community should thoroughly renounce the mentality of confrontation and alignment should not pursue the right to monopolize or dominate the world affairs...,” the joint communique read.
To consolidate its economic hold, China has entered the race to acquire energy resources in the region. On August 22, China Natural Petroleum Cooperation (CNPC) announced that it was acquiring Petro Kazakhstan, a Canadian firm that is one of its major energy producers, for $4.2 billion. The aggressive energy acquisition policy of China was earlier manifested in its state oil company CNOOC making a cash bid of $18.5 billion for the US energy company UNOCAL, which was blocked by the US Congress last month.
The Central Asian states, in view of the fragility of their political system, are an easy prey for a popular uprising, and seem to be heading in that direction. Reports from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan suggest a repeat scenario of popular unrest and a likely change of regime. President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan has concentrated power in his family and is seeking re-election for another seven year term, in elections scheduled on December 4.
In Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev inherited power from his father Geider Aliyev in 2003 as a result of rigged elections followed by ruthless security crackdown. Elections are due next month and a growing opposition could become a harbinger of democratic change in the region.
The situation as portrayed above portends ill for the region. The clash of economic interests, particularly for the control of sources of energy between the US, Russia and China could ignite a fierce struggle for influence between old rivals as their interests are anchored both in energy and security. Some strategists dub the scenario as the revival of the ‘Great Game’, others call it revival of the Cold War.
Pakistan as a neighbouring country, a member of the ECO and with an observer status in SCO, has a stake in the evolving developments in this strategically important and Muslim majority region. Besides its geographical proximity, Pakistan has close economic and political relations with China and could get drawn into the vortex. These are difficult times for Central Asia and demand creative diplomacy from Pakistan. It must watch out and prepare itself for the fallout of changes which are inevitable.
The writer is a former ambassador.