London, 16 March, 2005: Mr. Altaf Hussain, founder and leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has said that society was never a prisoner of time and cannot be confined to its limits. Society and social values change with the times. Therefore, whoever keeps pace with the time and adjusts to its demands and obligations, progresses. Anyone out of step with the times lags behind and suffers.
Mr Altaf Hussain dilated on these thought-provoking themes while talking to a brainstorming session of the workers of MQM at its International Secretariat in London. While airing his views on social values, human evolution, religion, rituals and their relevance to human psyche, he reminded his audience of the need to struggle and sacrifice for the sake of an ideal and a movement.
Altaf Hussain said that in a mass movement there comes a time when one has to choose collective interest over one’s personal and family interests. A situation to the contrary—where self- interest may take precedence over collective- interest—can cause a setback to collective ideology and movement. Therefore, those in a mass movement must constantly evaluate themselves to make sure that collective interest is not made secondary to personal or family interests.
Altaf Hussain reminded his listeners that the ills of their society can, and do, influence their minds; it is impossible for one diving into the sea to keep his dress safe from getting wet. In a society there is, invariably, interaction, and those interacting with you need not, necessarily, share your ideology or social struggle. Their thinking may be in conflict with yours. As such, while interacting with them, you must fortify your mind so much that your ideology is not influenced or shaded by them. A worker in a mass movement who doesn’t fully subscribe to its principles and values doesn’t belong to the mainstream.
He suggested that regular brainstorming sessions, focused on the basic principles and ideology of the mass movement, could be the means to keeping its workers committed to the mainstream.
Tracing the evolution of man and society he drew the attention of his listeners to the revolutionary modern discoveries in sciences and the changes they have wrought on the world, shrinking it to where the world has become a global village. Information technology, in particular, is transforming human society at a mind boggling pace and, in the process, welding the world into a global culture with its own set of social values.
Mr Altaf Hussain said that scientific inventions of all kind—from the wheel to information super-highway—have been prompted by human needs and are proofs of human evolution and natural growth. Man’s horizons of awareness and knowledge have vastly expanded and ushered in the modern computer age. Anyone not attuned to the demands and dictates of this new age will be left behind to struggle, if not perish.
Altaf Hussain said that along with growth in other fields of human endeavor, social laws and constitutions must also be open to change in order to make them more responsive to the evolving needs of society. It was unfortunate, he said, that the doors of Ijtehad (dialectics/interpretation) had been closed in Islam, exposing it to the tyranny of dogmatic preachers mired in ignorance of the modern age and its social demands.
He cited the need, in this behalf, of the need to appreciate and objectively understand the needs of Muslim societies in various parts of the world. For instance, the rituals of observing the fast of Ramadan in Northern Norway, where the sun hardly ever sets during the six long months of summer, should be different from those observed in Saudi Arabia.
Information technology, Altaf Hussain said, is the need of Muslims as well as of the followers of any other religion. It cannot be Haram, or forbidden. Whatever didn’t exist 1400 years ago cannot be, blindly and mindlessly, declared as forbidden. Television, for instance, initially declared taboo by the Taliban in Afghanistan but, eventually, was used with impunity by the same Taliban for their propagation. There is a crying need for the Muslims to understand and evaluate the teachings of the Holy Quran in the light of our contemporary situation in a scientifically vibrant and dynamic world.
Altaf Hussain insisted that Muslims of our age must address themselves to this unavoidable task, because dogmatism of religious extremists is distorting the image of Islam in the eyes of its detractors. Islam, he said, is a religion of peace, fraternity, understanding and love for all mankind. The Quranic message is one of co-existence with all and non-interference in others’ religious beliefs and dogmas. There is no compulsion, whatsoever, in Islam, according to the Quran.
In a critique of the undesirable practices and methods of the dogmatic religious preachers, Mr. Altaf Hussain said they have their priorities mixed up; they only highlight the importance of ritual worship and mislead their followers. In fact, these benighted preachers make their followers lop-sided Muslims, neglecting to emphasize the spiritual importance of worship in Islam. For example, fasting in Islam is not meant to starve the body of the fasting Muslim but inculcate in him awareness of what hunger might mean to a poor person unable to feed himself.
By the same token, Mr. Altaf Hussain said, it is unethical to call those who don’t share your views and school of thoughts non-Muslim or heathen. Islam’s pristine message is to live in harmony with others and share their grief.
Altaf Hussain said that just as hereditary rule has no place in Islam. Feudalism and democracy are antithetical to each other; feudal lords cannot be the guardians of democracy. It is unfortunate that the so-called religious leaders, who are quick to encourage their followers to protest on a variety of issues, never take exception to the archaic system of feudalism. There is, he added, an unholy alliance between the feudal lords and religion-based political parties.
Mr. Altaf Hussain said that the Last Address from the pulpit of the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) is also the manifesto of MQM. We also fully subscribe to the Prophet’s exhortations that all men are equal and none is superior to others on the basis of race, colour, belief or language. We demand a system of governance in Pakistan based on strict equality in which all Pakistanis have equal rights, without prejudice or distinction of any kind.
He said that any system in Pakistan that is based on privilege or power, or on the tyranny of the majority over minorities, is unacceptable to MQM because such a system is unjust and based on exploitation. MQM’s struggle, he insisted, was against injustice and tyranny of any kind and will continue without remission. He advised his listeners to remember the sacrifices of those party workers who laid down their lives for the sake of their collective struggle. Those fallen heroes should be the role models for the party workers who should equip themselves with modern education, science and technology, respect others for their beliefs and remain united in their party ranks. Success will be theirs, if they remained steadfast in their struggle.