KNOWLEDGE IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO DEVELOPMENT WHEREAS IGNORANCE IS OPPOSITE TO DEVELOPMENT – ALTAF HUSSAIN

London – 29 June 2000

Mr Altaf Hussain, MQM Founder and Leader, has stated that conscience stems from immoral and evil doings. If this conscience of a human being is dead or indifferent then those human beings are disgraced and dishonoured. Similarly, the institutions responsible of defending the borders of a country are involved in immoral and evil deeds, prefer to surrender instead of facing the enemy, hence their destiny is ‘defeat’. He said that the fate of the nations with dead conscience is destruction, obliteration and slavery. The aims and objective remains live when there is no fear of life for the attainment of the aims and objective. When the aims and objective remain alive then the nations remain live and the fate is then ‘freedom’ and not ‘slavery’.

He was addressing a study circle of All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO) in Karachi and Hyderabad over the phone from London. In Karachi, the gathering was arranged at the Khursheed Begum Memorial Hall in Azizabad. In Hyderabad, it was arranged at the MQM Zonal Office at Bhai Khan Chari. Apart from workers of APMSO Hyderabad, workers of APMSO Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Nawabshah and other centres of interior Sindh attended the study circle.

In this thought-provoking address, Mr Hussain expressed his views on State and Movement, the importance and purpose of slogans in a Movement, involvement and awareness with the aims and objectives, collective conscience of a nation, height of character, knowledge and information.

Speaking on the importance and purpose of slogans, Mr Hussain said that chanting slogans is a common practice in religious parties, political parties and movements. However, raising slogans is entirely different from translating them into reality. If slogans are devoid of their actual meaning and purpose then they are dead whereas if slogans are live then to make them a reality, concern to life becomes immaterial. Where there is no concern for life for the achievement of aims and objectives then the Movement remains alive, the aims and objective remain alive, the nation remains alive and the fate of that nation is certain to be ‘freedom’ and not ‘slavery’. Mr Hussain said that we should certainly raise slogans but we should also understand the purpose and meanings of these slogans and then we should also act upon them. To verify the reality of our slogans we should examine our actions and question ourselves of the possibility of converting these slogans into a reality. Moreover, when the time comes, are we prepared to present ourselves to convert these slogans into a reality? Mr Hussain said that if with the understanding of the meaning and purpose of the slogans, we also have to have the dedication and commitment to make these slogans a reality, only then, we will succeed otherwise meaningless slogans would never help us in reaching our destiny.

Speaking on the importance of affection to the mission and purpose, Mr Hussain said that it is essential for all those in a movement that they not only remain affiliated with the Movement but also have the complete insight of the aims and objective of the Movement. They should know what is the mission and purpose of the Movement. What does the Movement want? What is the destiny of the Movement? He said that those persons are fruitful for the Movement who have total insight of the mission and purpose, whereas those who do not have the full knowledge of the mission and purpose of the Movement will never reach the destiny.

Explaining the difference between a Movement and a State, Mr Hussain said that nowhere in the world, persons belonging to the privileged class, of influence and having access to resources have started any Movement. A Movement is always waged by persons who are denied of resources and rights. He asserted that difference between a Establishment running a country and a Movement is imminent because a Movement does not have the same resources as are available to the State or the Establishment. A State has law enforcement institutions, different intelligence agencies, prisons and courts, therefore, the citizens are bound to make themselves subordinate to the constitution and the law. On the other hand, a Movement does not have these resources. A Movement does not have prisons, courts or law enforcement institutions, therefore, everyone in a Movement has to restrain and control oneself on ones own wish and will according to the rules, regulations and discipline of the Movement. Mr Hussain said that although Movements do not have law enforcing institutions like the State, however, Movements do have such institutions in the form of the ‘conscience’. The State has the institutions like Army, Paramilitary Rangers and Police, while in the Movement, ‘conscience’ and ‘ethics’ act as the Army, Paramilitary Rangers and Police. If a citizen of any country breaks the law and there is no alibi, then he is safe from the State institutions but the institutions of ‘conscience’ and ‘ethics’ are such that a person involved in misdeeds can hide from the institutions of the world but cannot hide from the institutions of ‘conscience’ and ‘ethics’. Conscience is the sense, which distinguishes between right and wrong, it checks on wrongdoings. If this conscience is destroyed or becomes senseless then those human beings are disgraced and dishonoured. Similarly, when the institutions responsible of defending the borders of a country get involved in immoral and evil deeds and prefer to surrender instead of facing the enemy, then their destiny is ‘defeat’. He said that the fate of the nations with dead conscience is destruction, obliteration and slavery. Addressing the workers Mr Hussain said that no Police, Rangers or the Army would force them to remain firm to the rules and regulation of the Movement. They have to stir their conscience to remain committed and firm on the rules and regulations of the Movement. He said that they have to examine if their actions and character is in favour of the Movement or not? He said that mutual unity develops between the associates of a Movement when they activate their conscience and remain disciplined. Mutual unity is the sign of victory and it develops when all those associated with the Movement maintain discipline.

Speaking on the importance of knowledge and information, Mr Hussain said that they should concentrate on acquiring knowledge because knowledge is directly related to development whereas ignorance is opposite to development. It means that where there will be knowledge there will be development and where there will be ignorance there will be inferiority. He said that Allah Almighty has stated in the Holy Quran, “Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day,- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding,-”. He said that it is unfortunate that invariably instead of teaching the people to ponder upon the verses of the Holy Quran, they are taught that Holy Quran is just for recitation and those who will recite the Holy Quran day and night one will be rewarded and sent to the heaven. If to achieve heaven would have been the only purpose of the Holy Quran then Allah Almighty would not have sent the Holy Quran (consisting of 30 paras), instead He would have only sent three verses. All day long people would have recited those three verses for going to heaven. Mr Hussain said that in his opinion the reward for reciting the Holy Quran would only be given when we would understand the facts and messages contained in the verses and act upon them. In the Holy Quran Allah Almighty has said, “Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day,- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding”, if recitation would have been for heaven then Nauz Billah (God Forbid) the same verse would have come as, “Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, keep reciting the Holy Quran and you will be rewarded with heaven”. He said that if the Holy Quran had been for heaven then it would not have invited the disclosure of earth. He said that it is in the Holy Quran that there are signs for men of understanding, so those who have discovered these signs became America, Russia, Japan, Britain and vanquisher of the world and those who did not struggle to discover these signs and the divine blessings provided by the Allah Almighty, remained underdeveloped and backward. Mr Hussain said that in every verse of the Holy Quran, there is a lesson for respect to humanity and for the humans to remain human. Citing the example of Surah Annas, Mr Hussain said that in Surah AN-NAAS “Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, The King of mankind, The God of mankind…”. He said that on the one hand we declare Allah Almighty as “the King”, whereas on the other hand, we accept the kingdom of human beings on earth, knowing that kingdom is negation to the study of the Holy Quran. Mr Hussain said that if by remaining on deen you really want to struggle for the rights of the Mohajirs, then you should understand this verse of the Holy Quran in its true spirit and then to act upon it that Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day,- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding.

Mr Hussain stressed to the workers to strengthen their character, make it exemplary for others because the nation, which is being subjected to persistent oppression by the State for struggling for its rights, its people can only face the oppression with strong characters. The people of the Movement who are at the height of their character take their Movement to height of prominence. The collective height of character of a Movement becomes the basis for the collective height of that nation whereas the collective ignorance of character of a nation becomes the basis for its backwardness and ignorance.

Mr Hussain advised the workers to respect their parents, elders and teachers. Speak with politeness and do not adopt insulting attitude. Give full attention towards their education, maintain mental and physical health, keep away from social ills and study the Movements of the world.