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Wouldn’t
it be good to do exactly that and have a jolly good time, instead of
being accused of being in the pay of some foreign power the USA,
India, Israel -- for writing critical essays on Pakistani social and
political events? People who reason in such a way are of course too
impaired intellectually to understand that patriotism is not keeping
quiet and letting injustice prevail, but just the opposite of it.
They would not know what to say about a Jew who is critical of
Israel, the Gush Shalom Movement and its most well-known
spokesperson Uri Avinery are cases in point. Or imagine an American
who is opposed to the imperialist adventures of Bush and company.
Where would they place Noam Chomsky or the anti-Vietnam-war movement
that emerged in the United States? And was it not a high-caste
Hindu, Harsh Mander, who resigned his post as the deputy director of
the Indian Administrative Service Academy in Mussoorie to protest
the carnage of Muslims by Narendra Modi’s goons in Ahmedabad and
elsewhere in Gujarat state?
The
fact remains that in all societies men and women of conscience dare
to dissociate from the wrong or bad policies of their governments.
The only place where no dissent is heard of is where totalitarian or
severely authoritarian regimes exist. The last time we heard of any
protest in Saudi Arabia was when some Saudi women, taking advantage
of the fact that a large number of foreign troops were stationed in
their country, started driving cars during the First Gulf War. As
far as I remember, they were all punished heavily and the old rule
prevailed: women have to cover themselves from head to foot if they
step outside their homes and a male escort closely related to them
must accompany them all the time.
That
I focus on Pakistan and not the USA, India or Israel is because I
know men and women of conscience in those societies do the same. The
way the world is structured and organized, we are all placed in an
almost inextricable relationship with the state where we are born
and the culture we are raised in. It does not matter if I live in
Pakistan or not, but my fundamental concerns will always be about
what happens in that country. On the other hand, I have many times
condemned the pernicious influence of the caste system, the United
States’ imperialistic policies and Israel’s policy of occupation
of Palestinian territory.
It
is nevertheless imperative that we take up our responsibilities to
advance a culture of peace, tolerance and human rights with
reference to the country in which one was born and grew up. If
everybody does that, one day a better world will come about. Yet, it
is also important that from time to time one expresses concern for
the rights of the oppressed and exploited elsewhere in the world.
In
2002 and 2003 millions of people all over the world came out in the
streets to protest the invasion of Iraq. It was an expression of
genuine internationalism irrespective of religion, nationality,
ethnicity or gender. We could not prevent Bush and Blair from
launching the invasion, but in the higher court of history their
action remains illegal and immoral.
It
is equally right to protest the oppressive regimes that brutalize
people in Saudi Arabia and Iran. I am even willing to say that
nothing would be more disastrous for the Middle East than Iran
acquiring nuclear weapons. Whether it would induce Israel to go to
war with Iran or not is beside the point. There is no doubt in my
mind that the Sunni Arab world will be up in arms, thus setting in
motion another round of nuclear proliferation. Even Turkey can be
expected to start thinking in terms of acquiring nuclear weapons.
What
is needed in the Muslim world are regimes that are democratic and
respectful of human rights. Such a need must arise from within
Muslim societies, and not through some foreign intervention. Muslim
intellectuals have to learn to be self-critical rather than become
apologists for outmoded, corrupt and oppressive regimes. Nothing
would be more disastrous than writers becoming apologists for the
ruling class or the powers that be. |
