The Real Reason for Muslim Decline

A fascinating article published by Husain Haqqani, a professor at Boston University. [Editorial note: I have deleted my side comment I had included here about Prof. Haqqani's views on Pakistani politics which only served as a distraction from his work here. I will come back to them again in a separate post]. This time he has written a great article on some of the reasons for the Muslim decline. He speaks about the rumor-mongering that grips us so, and our inability to apply some perspective before resorting to emotional outbursts. The article was published in the Gulf News, The Nation (Pakistan), Oman Tribune, Indian Express, The Brunei Times, The Star (Bangladesh) on April 25.

The Real Reason for Muslim Decline

By Husain Haqqani

The Muslim world seems to be in the grip of all kinds of rumours. The willingness of large numbers of Muslims to believe some outrageous assertions reflects pervasive insecurity coupled with widespread ignorance. The contemporary Muslim fascination for conspiracy theories limits the capacity for rational discussion of international affairs. For example, a recent poll indicates that only 3 percent of Pakistanis believe that Al-Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attacks in the United States, notwithstanding Osama bin Laden and his deputies have taken credit for the attacks on more than one occasion. Ironically, many America haters express admiration for bin Laden on grounds of his willingness to attack American civilians while at the same time refusing to accept that Al-Qaeda’s biggest attack was, in fact, the work of Al-Qaeda.

The acceptance of rumours and the readiness to embrace the notion of a conspiracy does not apply exclusively to the realm of politics. Villagers in rural Nigeria are refusing to administer the polio vaccine to their infant children out of fear that the vaccine will make their offspring sterile. Some religious leaders in Pakistan’s Pashtun tribal areas bordering Afghanistan have also voiced concerns about a “Western-Zionist conspiracy” to sterilize the next generation of Muslims as part of what they allege is an “ongoing war against Islam.”

Alamgir: Albela Rahi

Bilal Zuberi

A young boy was born in 1954 in what is now Bangladesh. At the age of ~15, he moved to Karachi in search of a future in the music industry. He had brought nothing else with him but a guitar and a passion to sing. He settled in the PECHS area of Karachi and started singing in the evenings at a small cafe called “Cafe D Khan” on Tariq Road. He would not get paid for his gig, but did get a free meal each day. For an aspiring musician, just a free meal and an attentive audience was worth the effort.

And that is how a legend emerged. Who among us has not heard of Alamgir? From that small dimly lit cafe he got introduced to Khushbakhat Shujaat from the Karachi TV station and then to Sohail Rana, the music maestro who made careers for so many people. His guitar skills and rendition of a famous spanish song “Guanatanamera“, altered to be “Albela Rahi“ in Urdu landed him a spot on TV, and from there on he never looked back. In his own words he kept singing because it was his passion, and mesmerisingly watched himself become a superstar right before his own eyes.

Alamgir was the King of Pakistani Pop Music until mid 90’s, and then, he disappeared. Yes, nobody has known for the past decade or so where Alamgir went. The guy who was ubiquitous on TV, who sang popular songs on TV and film, and who had one super hit after another, from “Dekha Na Thaa“ to “Yeh Shaam Aur Tera Naam“, “Neeley Neeley Amber per”, “Mainey Tumharee Gagar Sey“ and “Maaon Kee Dua“ just left his fans hanging and disappeared from the scene.

Conservation: Bijli Bachao Mohem!

Bilal Zuberi

Summer is in full swing in many parts of Pakistan, and an unfortunate treat of summer, i.e. electricity loadshedding, is also here. As I hear from my parents, losing power for a few hours a day is normal routine in Karachi, and the people are only left guessing for how long would they remain without such a necessary utility. Growing up we used to look for loadshedding schedules in newspapers pretty much the same way people look for Iftar timings during Ramzan.

Loadshedding is an unavoidable problem in Pakistan. In the past, excuses given by the administration for loadshedding were lame at best: heating up of transformers, shutting down of power-gen units, unforeseen technical problems etc. I have wished for the administration to just tell the truth about our inability to produce as much power as we consume. There is simply not enough electricity being produced in the country and given the lack of investments in power generation, the shortage of power is not just a nuisance to the ordinary people who need fans and cold water to cool themselves off, but is also stunting the growth of our industry and economy.

It seems this year the government has decided to tell the truth about the shortage of supply and is already thinking of plans to conserve and “manage” the demand. This is a positive change, and I hope citizens will fully support this effort.

According to a report in the Dawn:

The government is set to introduce this week drastic measures for energy conservation, including closure of commercial activities after sunset and possibly two weekly public holidays, to overcome the energy crisis in the country.

This is part of a larger “demand management plan” which will be announced on Monday in Karachi by Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi and come into force the following day for about four months, subject to approval by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

International Mystic Music Sufi Festival in Karachi, Pakistan

I had heard of Doctors without Borders and Reporters without Borders, but when I saw a headline in a Pakistani newspaper about Mystics without Borders, it was a first for me and certainly caught my attention.

It turns out a fascinating festival by the name of the “International Mystic Music Sufi Festival” is currently being celebrated in Karachi at the Bara Dari. The festival is being organised by the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, which is also the group that has been responsible for the popular World Performing Arts Festival held annually in Lahore.

This Sufi festival is the first of its kind in Karachi and certainly an encouraging sign that people are able to express and share their sentiments, devotion, spirituality and passion in diverse ways. This festival is expected to last until May 7, and with an entrance fee of just Rs 300, it promises a lot of entertainment and education to Karachiites. According to the organizers, performers from over 70 countries have been invited to present their specialties in muslim sufi rituals, including music, songs and dances. There are performers from as far away as Syria which can be a delight to watch.

ATP has written before (here, here, here, here, here and here) on some of the great mystic poets and we wish to join the participants in this festival in spirit.