Islamic Concept of Activism: Reform Can Be Brought From Within Not From Outside
Prophet
of Islam Worked From Within the Society and Brought About A Revolution
Main
Points:
1.
In modern context, Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh worked from within the society
and brought change
2.
Taslima Nasrin is an example of an activist working from outside when she was
thrown out of the country for highlighting the plight of religious minorities.
3.
Dr Tahirul Qadri wants to bring about a revolution in Pakistan while working
from Canada.
4. Asylum
seekers can't achieve social goals.
--------------
By S.
Arshad, New Age Islam
28
July 2021
Islamic
concept of reform is that it can be brought from within the society. Social,
economic, political, or for that matter, spiritual reform cannot be brought
about in a day or by brute force. It needs continuous struggle and efforts on
the part of reformers and activists. The activist or the reformer needs to live
among his people for guidance and education. Reforming a society needs decades
or centuries of persevered efforts and during this period, the activists have
to face opposition, suffer hardships and humiliation.
The
prophet of Islam pbuh was able to bring about a revolution among the illiterate
and uncivilised tribes of Arab because he lived among them and made continuous
efforts to reform his society. In the process, he had to face physical and
mental torture, had to starve with his followers, had to migrate and had to
fight battles. All this while he lived in the society, among his friends and
foes and propagated his message and worked for the formation of his ideal
society. Finally, he succeedded in achieving his goal.
The
Quran presents this concept of bringing change from within the society. It
enjoins on human beings to work for bringing social, political and spiritual
change continuously and patiently. A reformer should be ready to face
opposition, hardship and torture from the members of his own community or
society 'for, they know not what they are doing'. Reform and revolution can't
be brought with the help of remote control from an unknown place.
People
working from outside the community do not win the confidence and trust of their
community. People working from within the community know the psychology and
problems of their community and work for their emancipation accordingly.
Secondly, people working from within the society believe in what they preach or
propagate. So their approach is balanced and acceptable to a large section of
the society. People working from outside the community generally strive to
establish an idea or ideology they themselves know that it is not practicable
or acceptable to the larger society. This makes them leave their society and
live in exile. This is true both for individuals and groups. Moreover, such
groups and individuals want a change overnight or through force. Such people,
instead of making patient efforts, adopt violent or aggressive ways and means
to impose their ideas. This proves counterproductive.
In
modern context, Muhammad Yunus and Taslima Nasreen present a good example of
reformer working from within the society and reformer working from outside.
While the former achieved his goal and honour both from his community and
global community for his contributions to the economic development of the poor
and underpriviledged sections of Bangladesh, the latter had to leave her
countryand could not contribute to the development of her society.
After
the Famine of Bangladesh in 1974, Muhammad Yunus decided to bring about
economic development among the poorest sections of the society whi did not
qualify for bank loans. He founded Grameen Bank and gave loans to the poor who
wanted to do something to earn a living without a bank guarantee. Inspired by
the Prophet pbuh who made an axe for a jobless man so that he could cut the
woods from the forest and sell it, Muhammad Yunus thought that it was better to
give loan to the poor than to give them charity. Thus he was the pioneer of the
idea of microcredit and microfinancing.
His
initiative was a big success. It brought economic prosperity among the poorest
section and helped jobless people stand on their own feet. Their development
contributed to the economic growth of the country.
Muhammad
Yunus's Grameen Bank has now branches all over Bangladesh. 97% of the borrowers
are women and the bank covers 97% villages of Bangladesh. This way, the Grameen
Bank has contributed to the women empowerment in the country.
Could
this revolution, this economic reform and women empowerment have been achieved
if Muhammad Yunus, instead of working on his ideas, only had criticised 'the
economic system of Islam, found fault with the Zakat distribution of Islam and
abused the wealthy Muslims of Bangladesh or held the government of Bangladesh
responsible for the poverty of his people?
The
idea of microcredit and microfinance has inspired even the European countries
and 64 countries have started this system of banking including Grameen America
in the US where almost all the borrowers are women.
This
success brought recognition and honour for him both from his country and from
abroad. He won Ramon Magsasay Award in 1984 and Nobel Prize in 2006 apart from
50 honorary doctorates from prestigious universities of 20 countries. Other
awards and honours are numerous. All this was possible because of a positive
approach to finding the solutions of the problems of the society. From his
award money, he decided to build a science and technology university and an eye
hospital for the poor.
On the
other, Taslima Nasreen, also from Bangladesh is a glaring example of a negative
approach to the problems of the society. She was also a thinker and pained at
the plight of the poor particularly of the women of her country tyrannised by
the male dominated society. She wanted to bring social and economic reform
among the Muslims of Bangladesh. But instead of launching a movement for reform
and instead of doing something worthwhile for the poor people and for the
emancipation of oppressed Muslim women, she started abusing the government, the
clergy and the Islamic system for all the miseries, superstitions and ill
practices rampant among the Muslims of Bangladesh. This antagonised the Muslim
community for whom she wanted do something good only because of her wrong
approach. She was a medical doctor but she took to writing as the only means to
bring a reform and that too in a short period of time. Muhammad Yunus had to
work on his project for 30 years to see the fruits of his work. But Taslima
Nasreen wanted a change without any vision or roadmap for change in a short
period of time. Her tirade against the ills of the society revolved round
anti-Islam rhetoric and sexist depiction of the Muslim society. Though this
earned her fame as a fighter for freedom of expression, it proved
counterproductive and created chaos and confusion in the society. She had to
leave her country and live in exile in Europe and India.
Anothe
example of activists working from outside was Islamic scholar and exegete
Muhammad Asad. Though he produced commendable Islamic literature, he could not
create extraordinary impact on the Muslims of the world because of his floating
life. He was born in Austria to Jewish parents in 1900. He shifted to Jerusalem
in 1922. In 1926, he converted to Islam and remained in what is now Saudi
Arabia from 1927 to 1931. He came to India in 1937 and stayed here even after
Partition. After Partition, he settled in Pakistan as the first passport holder
citizen of Pakistan. However he left Pakistan in 1952 and settled in Spain. He
died in Andalucia in Spain in 1992 and was buried in Granada.
He
wrote the translation of the Quran titled 'The Message of the Quran" and
his biography 'The Road to Mecca' apart from articles on Islamic philosophy and
statecraft. But since his language was Hebrew and English, he could not make
much impact on the Muslims of the Indian sub-continent who spoke Urdu, Punjabi,
Bengali, Tamil, Malyalam and Pashto. If he had stayed in Jerusalem and worked
for social and ideological reform among the people of his region, he could have
contributed even more to the spread of the message of Islam.
Another
example is of the Islamic scholar of Pakistan Dr Tahirul Qadri who is an
exegete and thinker of Islam. Apart from doing ideological work on Islam, he
also strives to bring about political change in Pakistan. He also founded a
political party and was elected to Pakistan's Assembly. But fearing political
vendetta, he left Pakistan in 2005 and acquired Canadian citizenship. In 2011,
came back to Pakistan with a plan to bring about constitutional change in the
country and organised the Million March. However, when his plans did not
materialise, he went back to Canada. Presently, he is engrossed with his
ideological work under his organisation Minhajul Quran.
There
are a number of others who work for the reform of their society from exile.
Such people can't achieve much because reform can be brought in the society
when activists and reformers live with their people for life and educate them
with patience and perseverance. A 'Hit and Run' policy only antagonises people.
***********
S.
Arshad is a columnist with NewAgeIslam.com.
***********
URL:
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic
Website, African
Muslim News, Arab
World News, South
Asia News, Indian
Muslim News, World
Muslim News, Women
in Islam, Islamic
Feminism, Arab
Women, Women
In Arab, Islamophobia
in America, Muslim
Women in West, Islam
Women and Feminism