Eid Mubarak with a Concern!

I am happy to congratulate you all today on Eid ul Azha. Over the last 14 hundred years the aim and objective of the Muslim learning, character building, teaching and preaching has remained one and the same…….to know and to act on the reality of the Abrahimic traditions. As Al-Quran lays stress upon, “it’s neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it’s piety from you that reaches Him. Thus have we made them subject to you that you may magnify Allah for His guidance to you. And give glad tidings to the Muhsinin(doers of good).”
In spite of Allah laying emphasis on Taqwa(piety), today, Muslims live as deaf and dumb under a rotten, deceitful and fake system of their rulers and chiefs as if anything in a salt- mine and thus having failed to offer any enviable example of character-integrity before the non-Muslim world. There is an exploiting and despotic system almost everywhere thrust on Muslims to deprive them of God-given opportunities to gain best possible access to the highest standard of learning and serving God and humanity in the world.

On this planet of Earth, Muslims have been endowed with masterminding the metaphysical belief of knowledge by the All Mighty Allah and on the physical side have been granted ownership of land, sea, energy and other mineral resources in abundance, which they can use and share its fruits with the depressed and deprived humanity. But, today it’s an overwhelming majority of the Muslims-the Arabs, who are forced to quit their countries to seek shelter across Europe or America. Obviously, they are at daggers drawn with their rulers and politicians who are bent upon killing them ruthlessly for their self-interests. Tragically and shamefully their rulers have left them helpless at the mercy of unruly winds—a very cruel picture being witnessed by the Crescent world in its history of 14 hundred years.
In some countries Muslims are in a slaughtering machine of sponsored terrorists, extremists, narrow minded non-Muslim rulers and organizations, while in many countries they face sectarian rage and revenge by war-lords. The conditions in Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir are marked with grief and gloom. Zionist Israel is a sworn enemy of the Palestinian Arabs, but at the same time Al-Fatah and Hamas don’t hesitate to use their guns, swords and bullets against each other, and the territory under Hamas faces frequently sieges or blockades at the behest of the agents of imperialist powers.
In Jammu and Kashmir the situation continues to remain terribly precarious and horrible. Here the people have been writing a long and amazing history of resistance with their blood and honour but every sacrifice is being tarnished and ruined at the altar of political ambitions, opportunism, greed , and sectarianism . Hence, on the one hand the Kashmiris are being martyred by the Indian troopers and on the other side innocents like toddler Burhan are gunned down by so called unknown gun men. It’s all against the best traditions of Ibrahim AS and the last Arafat Sermon (Khutbah HajtulWida) delivered by our beloved Prophet PBHU. Muslim rulers and statesmen have neither fear of Allah, nor clout nor wisdom to protect their brothers in these dark times. They are not ready to sacrifice their personal ends for Islamic and national interests, with the result the imperialists of the East or the West take advantage of the worsening situation in the crescent world.
These reasons have forced millions of the Muslims to fleeing out of their countries to seek refuge in the West. It’s ever dreadful exodus of the Arabs to escape from the bloody, totalitarian, & anti democracy rulers, terrorist groups, and sectarian war-lords. Their destination appears to be sea and the Sharks look ready with their mouths open to gulp down abandoned and unfortunate Arab populations of the Middle East. Drowning of a toddler Aylan Kurdi Shami with his parents in the sea waves of Turkey is its glaring example and height of tyranny unleashed by the totalitarian regimes in the Muslim world.
Under such ominous conditions, it has become imperative for all Muslims who want peace, justice, brotherhood, democracy against war, bloodshed, terrorism, totalitarianism and slavery to articulate their collective voice for safety and security. We believe that even the non-Muslim world will support them in their just cause against oppression and terrorism, and not only the sun of freedom will dawn over these regions but imperialism and totalitarianism in every form and manifestation will be defeated to replace democratic set-up and the rule of law of public choice. The cruel practice of throwing out the citizens from their countries will end and the oppressed humanity will see light at every end of the tunnel in the world. This is the aim and spirit of the Muslim Eidain. This is Taqwa—Piety or ‘the summum Bonum’ in the light of the teachings and traditions of the Prophet Ibrahim (AS). Qur’an and the message of our Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) is its perfect shape called Islam from the days of the Prophet Adam (AS)
[Muhammad Farooq Rehmani is senior Hurriyat Conference leader
and Chairman J&K People’s Freedom League]