Only Muslims Can Save Muslims

Two days ago, at the gym, I bumped into my friend Raj. You may remember from my post of May 1, 2009- - -just one week ago- - that Raj is from Pakistan and is a devout Muslim who opposes the hardliners but is concerned his country will fall to the Taliban by the end of 2010 unless “something is done.” After the usual warm greeting and exchange of polite pleasantries with each other Raj got straight to the point. The events of the past week in that part of the world have done nothing to calm Raj’s fears. In fact he was more agitated than I’ve ever seen him and extremely concerned for his family in Karachi. Soon our casual meeting at the gym turned into a conversation I doubt either of us will ever forget.

As we started our cardio workout on the elliptical exercisers Raj said to me, “Hal, the situation in Pakistan gets worse by the day. The Taliban”, he continued, “have successfully convinced people in Pakistan the armed effort against them [the Taliban and other radicals] is strictly the work of the USA and the USA is waging a ‘War on Islam’ itself.” He went on to say even large elements of Pakistan’s Army believe this and therefore, “will not pick up arms to wage war on fellow Muslims.” “Somebody has to do something” he said, “or Pakistan will be lost for good and nuclear weapons will find their way into the hands of the Iranians as well as Osama bin Laden.” What he said next stunned me.

“Hal,” my friend said, “please get me in front of as many groups as you can . . . churches, Rotary Clubs, Chambers of Commerce . . .anyplace where I can tell them the truth about what is going on in Pakistan and seek their help in stopping it.” Please note that in the previous sentence I purposefully emboldened the phrase “seek their help” for added emphasis and made the word “their” red to further stress who, in Raj’s thinking, had the ‘responsibility’ to get Pakistan out of this mess and keep control of the country in the hands of more moderate elements.

As we moved from cardio training to large muscle routines I explained to Raj that I could, in fact, get him in front of many of those kinds of groups but his message, while powerful, would amount to nothing more than preaching to the wrong congregation. “If you are ever going to be successful in trying to keep your country relatively free you need to preach your message in the Mosques in this country, not the Churches and Synagogues,” I told him. “If the Taliban has been successful in convincing Muslims that Christians and others are waging a ‘War on Islam’ and they, as fellow Muslims, must defend their brothers in Islam at all costs then, sending 10,000 American civilians like me to stand on every street corner in Islamabad passing out pamphlets in Arabic promising Pakistani Muslims there is no “War on Islam” but merely an armed struggle against totalitarianism would do no good - - -not because of the message but because of the messengers. No, Raj, if this battle for the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan (and Afghanistan and Iran) is to be won it must be won by Muslims seeking to share the truth with fellow Muslims. But, until your people here and their representative organizations like CAIR (Counsel on American Islamic Relations) have the courage to speak up about their duties just as forcefully as they do about their rights- - -the radicals will get all the TV time from Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya and only their message will be heard and seen on TV in the middle east.” Now it was Raj’s turn to be stunned. We moved away from the equipment, stopped exercising and sat on a bench in a quiet corner. Then I explained.

I have lived in the Tampa Bay Area for almost 8 years now. Muslims in this area are represented and often “spoken for” by Mr. Ahmed Bedir, Director for the local chapter of CAIR (see above). I’ve never met Mr. Bedir but people I know who also know him tell me he is a decent guy trying to do right by the people he says he represents. Good enough. But, his public image is quite different and if he’s aware of it he doesn’t seem to care to change it. You see, every time- -yes, I mean every time- -I see Mr. Bedir on TV or read a story about CAIR in which he is heavily quoted it is always about a Muslim who has been discriminated against in some way, or a Muslim who has had his/her rights denied or a Muslim who has somehow been infringed upon, or a Muslim who is unwilling to assimilate to any degree at all and insists the larger culture accommodate him entirely- - - in short, a Muslim who is a victim due to some perceived short coming with the laws and the culture in the US.

I don’t think any fair-minded American wants anyone discriminated against or persecuted for their religious beliefs- -or even a total lack of religious beliefs like those pesky Atheists. It’s un-constitutional. It’s unfair. And it’s downright, out-and-out WRONG! But wouldn’t it be refreshing and confidence building to see a TV story with Mr. Bedir and his entire local membership talking about the duties (not just the rights) American Muslims have to their adopted country? How about film clips of American Muslims celebrating the 4th of July and honoring the nation’s Flag? And instead of TV stories of 500 angry Muslim cab-drivers in Minneapolis protesting the rules for carrying passengers (including those with seeing-eye dogs and those carrying unopened packages of liquor) and demanding foot-baths be installed at the airport, we were to see 10,000 Muslims marching on Washington DC in support of the US Constitution and its ‘Bill of Rights’? And when will I read a story in the local paper or Time or Newsweek magazine about Muslims assimilating into this country and its code of laws rather than insisting this country has to change its laws and customs in order to accommodate them?

When Mr. Bedir and his flock stop listening to the radicals, rowdies and resenters among them selves and start paying attention to the guys like Raj who understand just how good they have it here and what a wonderful instrument of satisfaction compromise can be, then maybe- -just maybe- -we will see more positive messages being broadcast to the middle east by Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and others. Only American Muslims can save Middle-East Muslims from a despotic existence under a radical and extremist form of Islam. We non-Muslims cannot do it no matter how much we want to or how much we try. However, American Muslims cannot save Middle East Muslims until American Muslims publicly stand up against radicalism in all its forms, deliver positive rather than negative messages about the US and respect our nation’s Constitution. In other words, American Muslims cannot save others until they first save themselves.

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. USE THE COMMENT LINK BELOW TO STATE YOUR CASE- -PRO OR CON. ALL POINTS OF VIEW AND POLITE DEBATE ARE WELCOMED.

Has Time Run Out for Pakistan?

Recently I had a long overdue catch-up lunch with a young Pakistani friend of mine, Raji Khan. Raj, as his friends call him is well educated and comes from a highly successful family of merchants in Karachi. The youngest of 5 siblings, he is the only member of his family to have left Pakistan. He’s been in the US for more than 15 years now (almost all of that in Tampa) and is married to an “American” girl- - -a Catholic. Yet Raj is a devout Muslim, practices his faith daily and often quotes the Prophet Mohammed and the Qur’an. His 10 year old son is being schooled in both traditions and will be free to make his own choices as he gets older.

Clearly, Raj is no “hard-liner”. He numbers among his friends other like minded Muslims, a large number of Christians and several Jews. His family in Pakistan doesn’t quite understand Raj’s “multi-cultural life in America” but they do respect it out of the love they have for Raj, their grandson and . . . their Catholic daughter-in-law.

My young Pakistani friend is in the import business and his current “hot item” is “Salt Lamps”. Made from salt mined from the foothills of the Himalayas the lamps, when burned like a candle or heated with a bulb, ionize and purify the air in the room thus providing relief to people with asthma and similar disorders- - -so it is claimed. As usual we talk business first. Raj has never had any formal course work in “sales and marketing” and often uses me as a sounding board and unpaid consultant (which I am happy to be). Today we talk about “Product Life Cycle” and as expected he gets the concept quickly and immediately applies it to his business. Raj is one of the smartest guys I know.

After we’ve eaten and I’m sure all his business issues have been addressed I switch the conversation to what is currently happening in Pakistan, notably the Taliban being on the move and seemingly headed for the Capitol, Islamabad. I’m eager to understand how a group such as the Taliban driven by a fundamentalist and repressive view of Islam can make political and military gains as easily as they do and, apparently, with open acceptance by the general population. Here’s what Raj told me.

The current national government of Pakistan like every government before it for the last 60 years is corrupt and cares about two things only- - -enriching themselves at the public trough and getting re-elected to office. According to Raj the police and military are equally corrupt thus no one is looking out for or cares what happens to the ordinary Pakistani citizen. As a result “justice” of any sort has become a monetized commodity for sale to the highest (wealthiest) bidder. The secular courts are clogged and any attempt by an aggrieved party to attain justice, restitution or even retribution depends solely on how much one can afford to pay police, judges and local politicians.

It is possible, Raj tells me, that you could have six viable witnesses who saw you get robbed and beaten but unless the police are “motivated” (in the form of Rupees the Pakistani currency) to investigate, your case will never make it to court. And unless the judge is similarly “motivated” your case will never be heard much less adjudicated. On top of that, the process takes several years and just as many rounds of “motivation”. But even if you are successful in “motivating” the police and the courts there is always the chance the assailant or his family is wealthier than you are and can “motivate” his release, clearance and freedom leaving you poorer and without any modicum of justice or restitution. Enter the Taliban with its strict and repressive interpretation of Islam and its even stricter imposition of Sharia Law.

If you were robbed and beaten on Friday in a town controlled by the Taliban and had several reliable witnesses to the crime the chances are your assailant would be arrested on Monday and tried on Wednesday. And if the adjudication included punishment, such as a beating or worse, it is likely to be carried out by Friday with little regard for an appeal and no chance to buy a not-guilty verdict and freedom. This truly is "swift justice".

Apparently what we in the West do not comprehend- -and neither do those who have formulated foreign policy for the US Department of State, from Eisenhower to Obama- - is the overwhelming need for the masses to know that justice is available to all regardless of class and not just to the highest bidder. In fact, according to Raj, this need to know your government will protect you from robbers, rapists, murders and thieves is so compelling that even the educated classes in Pakistan are willing to make the trade off that comes with the Taliban. They are willing to reduce their wives and daughters to little more than ‘chattel’. They are willing to revert to a 700 year old standard of living that bans electricity, indoor plumbing and almost all modern conveniences while imposing strict dress codes, dietary laws and rules for doing business. All while the Taliban leaders themselves use cell phones and computers, own TVs and drive automobiles.

Our politicians are proud of giving the people of Iraq and Afghanistan the right to vote and choose their own destiny. But until our attempts at nation building include installing an incorruptible federal government as well as local police and military thus assuring the populace the right to justice and “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” the Taliban will always have the edge. Raj thinks we have until the end of 2011 to make that happen in Pakistan- -a nuclear nation- - otherwise the Taliban will walk into Islamabad without resistance. Can anyone say he’s wrong?