By Irfan Husain
ALTHOUGH 13 years have passed since the destruction of Babri Masjid
in Ayodhya, the desecration still reverberates in both Muslim and
secular Indian minds.
At the time, protestors rioted across the subcontinent; furious
editorials and op-ed articles were written; and Muslim countries formally
registered their protests with the Indian government. But now, a far
worse act of disrespect and desecration is about to take place, and there
has not been a single mention or objection from anybody that I know of,
at least here in Pakistan.
It took an article in the Toronto Star, e-mailed to me by a reader,
to alert me to the fact that the Saudi government plans to demolish the
Prophet Mohammad's [PBUH] 1,400-years old home in Makkah. According to
the article, written by Tarek Fatah, a founding member of the Muslim
Canadian Council, the house is being destroyed to make way for "a parking
lot, two 50-storey hotel towers and seven 35-storey apartment blocks"
as part of the Jabal Omar Scheme, just around the corner from the Grand
Mosque.
I must confess that I have not made the pilgrimage to Makkah, but the
idea of the religious cradle and centre of the Muslim world being
dominated by a crassly commercial project is repugnant. The Saudi royal
family claims to be guardians of the holy places of Islam, and profit
hugely from the centuries-old traffic of believers to Makkah and Madina. And
yet, they are party to this barbaric desecration of the holiest sites
in the Islamic world.
In the 1920s, the Saudis levelled the graveyard in Madina that
contained the graves of the family and companions of the Prophet. A few years
ago, they demolished an old Ottoman fort in Makkah, in spite of the
protests of the Turkish government. This disrespect for ancient monuments
is a hallmark of Wahabi thought, but one would have thought the
Prophet's home would have been exempt. Clearly, the interests of property
developers outweigh religious or historical considerations.
Why has there not been a single significant protest from anywhere in
the Muslim world? Or, as Tarek Fatah asks, "Why is it that when the
Babri mosque was demolished, hundreds of thousands of Muslims worldwide
took to the streets to protest, but when Saudi authorities plan to
demolish the home of our beloved Prophet, not a whisper is heard?"
The writer speculates on the reason for this silence: "Is it because
Muslims have become so overwhelmed by the power of the Saudi riyal
currency that we have lost all courage and self-respect? Or is it because
we feel a need to cover up Muslim-on-Muslim violence; Muslim-on-Muslim
terror; Muslim-on-Muslim oppression?"
I suspect 'all of the above' is the right answer. We constantly rail
against any wrongs inflicted on fellow-Muslims by non-believers, but
hold our peace when Muslims kill, exploit and terrorize other Muslims.
Thus, when the Americans kill Iraqis, or the Russians persecute Chechens,
we are rightly indignant. But when Saddam Hussein slaughtered Kurds and
Shias for years, Muslims around the world maintained a discreet
silence. Ditto for other dictators in most of the Muslim world.
In his article, Fatah quotes Niaz Salimi, president of the MCC, from
a letter she wrote to the Saudi envoy in Canada: "The sacred places of
Islam, regardless of where they are located, belong to the Muslim
community worldwide. The countries where they are located are simply
trustees and have no right to destroy them."
A Google search on the internet led me to an article by Mirza Beg,
posted on the Web on August 21. Writes Beg:
"...destroying our precious heritage because of less than perfect
understanding of some Muslims [read Wahabis], would be a great loss to the
Islamic civilization, ethos, history and the future generations of
Muslims. Destruction of the most precious sites of Islam for fear of
idolatry by some, is akin to killing a child for fear that he may grow up to
be less than pious..."
Now obviously, the Saudis are free to fill their cities with
tasteless buildings. But considering the size of the country, one would expect
them to show some respect for our collective heritage and build their
new, ostentatious plazas, hotels and shopping malls on the outskirts of
ancient cities like Makkah and Madina.
But we all know the Saudi mindset, and given their recent windfall in
the shape of unprecedented oil prices, it is unlikely that they will
listen to reason. What concerns me more is our reluctance to criticize
this uncouth behaviour. Our Islamic parties, for instance, are so eager
to take up real and imaginary Muslim causes, but have not uttered a
squeak in the face of this flagrant contempt for our history and the
Prophet's memory.
What explains this blatant hypocrisy? While many of our major
religious politicians have long been recipients of Saudi largesse (allegedly
often in the shape of visas and work permits that they sell), what
explains the silence of people and parties who are not influenced by
petro-dollars?
Fortunately for us, Pakistan has a (relatively) free media, but I
have yet to come across any news or commentary relating to this impending
horror in either the newspapers, or the private TV channels. So why
this conspiracy of silence? This question brings us back to our reluctance
to criticize other Muslims, while screaming threats at non-Muslims.
Thousands demonstrated against the alleged desecration of the Holy
Book at Guantanamo a few months ago. Several people were killed in the
accompanying violence. Where are those zealots now? Why aren't preachers
at mosques demanding that the Saudi government halt their destructive
plans?
Alas, these double standards are what now define the ummah. We have
become completely neutered when it comes to criticizing other Muslims. I
have often received e-mails from readers, accusing me of washing our
dirty linen in public when I have written of the many problems afflicting
the Islamic world. But these things need to be said out loud and often.
According to Mirza Beg, if you want to protest against the
destruction of historical sites in Makkah, you can log on to the following
website: www.petitiononline.com/rasul/petition.html
But while I am going to do my bit, I do not plan to hold my breath...
saiyed shahbazi
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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