On the night of 9/11, General Musharraf tried to escape from America’s anger, and thus its attack, but five years have passed, and America is still angry, and it has attacked—this time not on civilians, but on the Pakistani Army. This attack is a symbolic reprimand—symbolic of attacks yet to come, and a reprimand to “slaves” of their un-slave-like behaviour. But America has not stopped at that: it has clearly stated that it has various areas of Balochistan under target, and that the next attack will be after their entering Balochistan. As a response to this, we did nothing but host a “protest” diplomatic breakfast for the American and British ambassadors.

After that, even more dangerous news started to reach us: America deciding to lessen its aid to Pakistan. America bringing up Dr Abdul Qadeer’s case again. America making laws concerning nuclear weapons, which would especially target Pakistan—and at any stage ask us to “hand over” Dr Abdul Qadeer. Then came that threatening statement from US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Nicholas Burns.

And after that began “realizations” in Pakistan—those who could see nothing for five years, now began seeing everything. They could now see the attack on Iran, believe in the attack on Pakistan, they could even see a clash of civilizations! Hamid Mir is an eminent writer here; in a recent column he threatens America that Northern and Southern Waziristan will become Iraq for it…wonderful…but what will happen in our mainland? Will we keep playing games? But what if, in the next stage, America invents Taliban and Al-Qaida in Karachi and Lahore? But that is a digression.

The truth is that our beloved country is once again in danger, so much so that even children are aware of the threats that were already there. But the most regretful thing is that we wasted five years in this game.

When Friday Special was calling attention to General Musharraf’s insufficient, defective policies against our own country, pseudo-intellectuals would say that this is extremism and lack of knowledge, understanding and analysis. And now they are all saying what we had been saying for five years. Is it then, Friday Special’s fault that all this is happening? We can now understand how sight can become a “crime” in society, and how people can celebrate sightlessness. But when will they learn to confess such great crimes? Celebration of our disabilities has indeed destroyed us as a country and as a nation. We should thank Allah for the role that Friday Special has played in this time.

If we look at it, what is it that we could not have done in five years? We had time to warn the nation of the real dangers. But we stubbornly insisted on giving them addictive essays, speeches, columns, and advice. We could have prepared the nation for a challenge, but we kept on cutting their hands and feet. We could have persuaded the nation to unite to fight present situations, but we insisted on dispersing them. We could have brought the nation to unite around the true leaders, but we kept work on our artificial “poultry farms”. And now we face a huge challenge. The country’s independence and security is at stake. General Pervez would avoid religious feelings, but now only that feeling can save us. Indeed, Muslims never saved Islam; Islam has always saved Muslims. Our rulers have always thought of Islam as a “tactic”—this is an artificial way to understand Deen (religion).

If we ant to save Pakistan, we must make Islam our main reference, and for this a change in political leadership is essential. If generals do not stop making a mockery of politics, and the army doesn’t return to its barracks, then the fight for Pakistan can never be fought, nor won. Then is the establishment ready for these changes? We can not say anything for sure, but one thing is clear—we do not have any more time to waste.

Friday Special had proposed years earlier that if we want to truly defend our country, then we must give at least a hundred thousand of our youth, basic combat training. In fact, the time has come when we give this training to our women and girls too. This will be beneficial for us not only in the battlefield, but elsewhere, too. But it is futile to remind our rulers of that…who think that something like NCC is dangerous. Even so, this was something that should have been done for five years.

Unfortunately, we have been looking at the US and other European countries, with reference to Afghanistan, Taliban, Al-Qaida and Iraq, since 9/11, even though their real target is Islam. But when will our rulers be brave enough to say that? The vague fog, that is covering all the confusion and conflicts, is poison to Islam and the Islamic world. The challenge is huge, and we need active forces for it. If we do not call it an attack on Islam and its civilization, then this struggle will continue to be a struggle between individuals and groups, and in this way, enemies will continue to create discord between Muslims. This is what has happened till now. The references ‘extremist’, ‘fundamentalist’, ‘moderate’, ‘secular’, ‘liberal’ and ‘sects’ are given, because the basic reference, Islam, is not centrally there. It will be easier to unite the Muslims, and harder to divide them, if Islam becomes the central reference. How strange that in this war, individuals, sects, and problems are the main reference, but Islam is in the outer edges! If we had accepted the clash of civilizations five years earlier, then it would have been easier for us to overcome this challenge, and easier to bring together the Islamic world, as well as different parts of the nation. But we wasted these critical five years, and if this artificial leadership continues its “puppet show”, more time will be wasted.

Encouragement is a good thing, but one encourages one’s brothers, not Abu Jahal. To call Abu Jahal, Abu Jahal (father of the ignorant), is the Prophet’s (SAW) Sunnah. Muslims are not related to some so-called Western hostility. But Muslims are indeed in the favour of the Ummah and humanity. Now if anyone thinks this is hostility towards the West, let them think so. It is strange that America and Europe explain nothing after killing hundreds of thousands of Muslims, destroying their lands, and insulting their beliefs and civilization, and we, who have done nothing, explain that we are so-and-so, and not such-and-such. What kind of Islam is this? What civilization? And what intelligence?

                                                                                         By: Shahnawaz Farooqui