RAMADAN Mubarak to the global Muslim community.
The Islamic world is going through challenging times. These challenges are defining our policies and direction as a civilization.
The Islamic world needs visionaries and peace-making leaders who can bring Muslims closer to each other, irrespective of our sectarian or any other division, as we need to find common ground that unites us, not divides us.
Due to our divisions, conflicts and hatred, other nations are taking advantage by making us spend our resources on non-development. Our conflicts and grudges can be resolved if we spend a fraction of what we are now spending as a result of the fear that has been created among us.
If a fraction of the amount we are spending to harm each other is spent on serious efforts to bring about global peace, by resolving the conflicts and issues that divide us, through dialogue and diplomacy, this will bring better results for the Islamic world and for humanity at large.
The menace of terrorism, poverty, illiteracy, massive unemployment, acute diseases and human rights violations along with the need to provide better living standards for our people and improve our global positioning among the communities of nations and raise the Islamic world in the human development index are the real issues that need much more attention at a pan-Islamic world level. The Islamic world must become like one body that feels the pain if there is pain in any part of the body, as per the teachings of Islam.
Islamic history is full of examples that show that whenever Muslims were united, they increased their strength. They have been pioneers and torchbearers in many fields such as science, medicine, arts, music, philosophy and good governance and their inventions revolutionized many industries as a result of their culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
On the other hand, whenever we Muslims were divided among ourselves, we faced the same issues that we are facing today and as a result we were an easy target for exploitation, chaos and deterioration as a civilization.
I urge Islamic world leaders, government officials, thinkers, academics, professionals and other stakeholders of society to make sincere efforts to bring about unity and resolve conflicts in order to avoid animosity, grudges and hatred and to find the common ground that binds and cements our ties so that we can create a better Islamic society for the generations to come. The Islamic world should be vigilant and prudent enough not to become an easy target for exploitation that will lead to the weakening of our society and the drainage of our resources on unproductive exercises, as other communities will take advantage of our weaknesses and division for their own benefit.
Islamic world governance structures need to be developed that will create people friendly governments that are close to the hearts and minds of the nation. Islamic government policies should respond to people’s needs and aspirations and provide them with decent economic opportunities to flourish and prosper among the community of nations.
The Islamic world had a glorious past. Following the true teachings and practices of the Islamic principles of governance, the first four Muslim caliphs were farsighted, just, prudent and equitable and they were able to create a welfare society and establish a model for future generations to follow.
Today, we are 57 Islamic countries, with two billion Muslims across the globe, with a landmass stretching from North Africa to the Far East, with massive reserves of minerals such as gold, oil and other valuable minerals and financial assets. More importantly, almost 60 percent of the Islamic world is under the age of 30, which is almost a billion Muslims, which is a great human resource potential. If we manage our resources well and provide quality education to our young, develop better, sustainable infrastructure and eco-systems for our people, we can do wonders and massively contribute to the positive development of mankind and regain our lost glory.
It is the duty of every Muslim to work for the betterment of the society in any way that they can.
I wish you all a blessed Ramadan.
Faisal Tahir Khan
The author is a global entrepreneur and consultant. He can be reached at think.fikr
@gmail.com
