INTELLIGENCE: Dialogue among civilizations

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Dialogue among civilizations

Dear All,

This time the theme is dialogue among civilizations. There were some typing errors in what I submitted as the review, I have corrected. those errors. Comments are welcome.

Once again my best wishes to you for 2012.

Ishtiaq

The writer has a PhD from Stockholm University. He is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm University. He is also Honorary Senior Fellow of the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. He can be reached at billumian@gmail.com

Daily Times, Sunday, 1 January 2012

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\01\01\story_1-1-2012_pg3_3

IEW: Dialogue among civilisations —Ishtiaq Ahmed

Faiz Ahmed Faiz's imagery of the tarnished rays of the Dawn of Freedom and his advocacy of a Taxila University, Abdur Rahman Chugtai's defence of harmony between religion and art, and Eqbal Ahmad's powerful critique of western notions of terrorism and Islamic versions of it add further depth and breadth to the standpoints on civilisational dialogue and tensions

My dear friend and old-class fellow from St Anthony's High School, Lahore, Ambassador (Retd) Toheed Ahmad belongs to the category of intellectuals who are convinced that Islamic civilisation in general and the Pakistani experience of it especially has been amenable to dialogue since ancient times. His edited work, A Large White Crescent: Readings in Dialogue Among Civilisations: The Pakistani Experience (Lahore: Apa Publications, 2011), includes original texts of experts in the fields of archaeology, theology, history, poetry, law, political practice and sports to illustrate his standpoint. Pakistan, he asserts, is heir to continuous civilisation since the pre-historic Mohenjo Daro and Harappa period. The selection is broad-minded and inclusive. So what do we learn?

The famous archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler found evidence of continuous civilisation in the riverbeds of the Indus Valley going back several millennia. Wheeler recognised that the non-Muslim inhabitants of this region contributed to civilisation as much as the Muslims who came later. We also learn that the young Arab general, Mohammad bin Qasim, who arrived in Sindh at the head of an Arab Army in 711 AD to chastise Raja Dahir, established good government and promoted economic activity, thus bringing about prosperity. He acquired an amazing ruling from Islamic scholars at Damascus, the capital of the Ummayads, to let the Hindus freely practice their religion and repair their temples.

Al-Beruni (973-1048) who stayed in India for a long time was the first Indologist, according to Toheed Ahmad. In his Kitab-al-Hind, Al-Beruni critiqued the self-righteous belief of the Hindus that their civilisation and religion were superior to all others. He based his findings on scientific procedures of observation and verification. As a true social scientist, he attributed the negative trends in Hindu society largely to the demoralisation and despondency that followed defeat at the hands of the Muslims. Al-Beruni asserted that if both Hindus and Muslims interacted more regularly, better understanding could develop between them.

Let me say, it is a very interesting point indeed, because contemporary Pakistan displays the tendency towards self-righteousness and self-celebration and a resistance to reform and progress. The reason is the same: progress that the western civilisation has made and now by India has induced a negative state of mind among the Muslims. In such circumstances, a tendency to defend the indefensible becomes part of the knee-jerk response of those speaking on behalf of a civilisation in decline.

Toheed then introduces Amir Khusrau (1253-1325) whom he reckons as "the greatest genius produced by the Indo-Muslim civilisation" (page 35). Khusrau praised Hindus for some of their outstanding qualities while maintaining his pride as a Muslim. Such a train of thinking was consummated in the writings of the heir-apparent to the Mughal throne, Dara Shikoh (1615-1659) who translated many Hindu classics of religious nature asserting that both Hindus and Muslims ultimately believed in the same God.

The inclusion of Shah Waliullah (1703-1762) among the proponents of dialogue is interesting. Waliullah wanted good government and economic justice and was critical of the tradition-bound ulema who were opposed to change. Waliullah, however, was not seeking dialogue with Hindus but among Muslims to carry out reforms. Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali (1837-1914) was a populariser of past Muslim glory and condemned fanaticism and obscurantism. Sir Syed (1817-1898) pleaded for dialogue with Christian civilisation and a rapprochement between Indian Muslims and the British.

A very interesting inclusion is Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi (1872-1944), whom the editor describes as a revolutionary Islamic scholar. Born into a Sikh family, Ubaidullah converted to Islam and became a close affiliate of the Deoband anti-imperialist scholar Maulana Mahmud Hassan. He settled in Sukkur, Sindh, where he established a seminary. On Mahmud Hassan's advice in 1915, he moved to Afghanistan and formed the Provisional Government of India and started the 'Silken Letters' movement that aimed at the overthrow of British rule. Sindhi remained a steadfast believer in the need for Muslims and Hindus to cooperate to liberate India.

Thenceforward, we enter familiar territory. Allama Iqbal's 'Principle of Movement in the Structure of Islam' from 1924 and his 1930 address at the Muslim League's annual session at Allahabad are listed. The first is of course impressive in terms of Iqbal's review of Muslim intellectualism, but despite emphasis on ijtihad [the making of a decision in Islamic law by personal effort] Iqbal overrules a secular-democratic state in favour of a 'spiritual democracy' — an idea, quite honestly with poor anchorage in contemporary democratic theory and even more poorly corroborated by the Pakistani experience. His Allahabad address suggests that he proposed a loose federation in union with India. Toheed Ahmad also includes the literary-minded civil servant Dr S M Ikram in his list of advocates of dialogue. Ikram reviewed Hindu-Muslim interaction and syncretic movements. He concluded that the differences remained unbridgeable.

With regard to Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the editor includes Jinnah's March 1940 presidential address at Lahore. This is a bit surprising, because although there are many of his speeches from the pre-1930 period that represent the spirit of dialogue, his 1940 speech epitomises the opposite: the relentless campaign he embarked upon to emphasise differences, nay irreconcilability, between Hindus and Muslims. However, the inclusion of the August 11, 1947 speech, famously speaking of equal rights of all citizens irrespective of their religion, sect and caste, balances that and we learn that in his heart of heart Jinnah was in favour of what is recognised by all educated people as a secular state, though not by the Pakistani establishment, which is not shy in pointing out that Jinnah did not use the word or term secularism in the speech; hence, it is asserted, he was speaking of an ideal Islamic state — whatever that means.

Nobel Laureate Dr Abdus Salam (an Ahmedi) is cited passionately arguing about the harmony between science and Islam and for the revival of science among Muslims while Justice A R Cornelius (a Roman Catholic) argues in favour of Islamic law as opposed to secular democracy. The irony involved in such argumentation need not be overemphasised.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz's imagery of the tarnished rays of the Dawn of Freedom and his advocacy of a Taxila University, one of the cradles of Buddhism and the Pali language, Abdur Rahman Chugtai's defence of harmony between religion and art, and Eqbal Ahmad's powerful critique of western notions of terrorism and Islamic versions of it add further depth and breadth to the standpoints on civilisational dialogue and tensions.

A few specimens on dialogue in the list include Pakistani achievements in sports indicating that Pakistan wants to partake in friendly competition with other nations.

On the whole, the selection of writings by Toheed Ahmad is profoundly impressive. It is an expression of his broad-minded and enlightened approach to life. We get insights into the scope and limitations as well as confusion and contradictions in the Pakistani experience of civilisational dialogue.

The writer is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm University. He is also Honorary Senior Fellow of the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. He can be reached at billumian@gmail.com