My third published article

Libya In The Throngs Of Change

March 25, 2011

By The Companion

“Blame the era in which we live, don’t blame me. I am going and I will not be coming back. Notice I haven’t cried and no tears have fallen from my eyes. There is no room fro reproach or blame in the ages of treachery in the People’s land. I am not feeling normal and not in my right state. I am travelling and I ask who leads the travel to forget.”

These are part of expression posted by the Tunisian

Youth Mohammed Bouazizi in Face book

addressing his mother before he committed

suicide. The repercussions of his suicide led to the

revolution in Tunisia.

The shock wave of the Egyptian and Tunisian revolution

has now started its tsunami effect in Libya with the

opposition gaining ground. The protests that broke out in

the major cities like Benghazi have now reached the

outskirts of the capital Tripoli. The 42 year regime of

Muammar Al Ghaddafi is under serious threat. He has

resorted to violence to curb the protests which in turn has

resulted in the initiation of a civil-war like situation.

Libya’s strongman Muammar Al Ghaddafi who came to

power through the 1969 coup was indeed a leader of the

people in the initial stages. His determination for Arab

Nationalism which he gave up after two decades won him

many laurels among the Arabs.

Libya’s oil riches and tiny population – Libya has the

world’s ninth largest known deposits and just 6.5 million

people – allowed him to spend money freely on pet causes,

including the PLO and a number of Islamic groups.

Relatively little was spent on his people: a Gallup poll

released last year showed that 29% of young Libyans were

unemployed and 93% described their condition as

‘struggling’ or suffering. Even a large section of the society

is living on an income of less than two dollars at present.

Libya’s eastern part which was the power centre of

King Idris who was toppled by Ghaddafi in 1969, felt the

weight of discrimination under Ghaddafi. The Gadhafa tribe

to which Ghaddafi belongs, residing in Tripoli got much of

the benefits during Ghaddafi rule. So, there is no amusement

that the revolt started from Benghazi, east of Libya.

Human rights issue has also sparked the present

rebellion. The detention of Fathi Tebril, a human rights

lawyer based in Benghazi was the ignition that fuelled the

rebellion. He represented the families of around 1000

inmates who were killed in 1966 by the regime in Tripoli in

Abu Slim prison. The families of the inmates participated

in a planned protest following the detention of Fathi Tebril.

The youth in Libya has been inspired by the dethroning

of the dictatorship in the neighbouring countries. They have

realised that with careful preparations changes in the

traditional and dominant political structures is indeed possible.

Unlike the Tunisian and Egyptian youth the Libyan

youth has resorted to the use of a popular football site to

plan and organize the protests.

Another catalyst that has fuelled the recent uprisings

can be attributed to the offensive policy of the regime

towards its opponents abroad. Libyan expatriates who are

educated and left the country in the 1980’s have been

targeted by the regime for their anti-regime activities. Many

of them have been assassinated by the agents of the regimes

for raising opposition groups. They are playing active role

now in the internet to amass huge support for the Libyan

cause.In this critical juncture Ghaddafi has also alienated

the Libyan clergy who are now part of the revolt. In a recent

statement the network of Ulemas has condemned the use of

violence against the protestors.

Ghaddafi’s Libya or Libya’s Ghaddafi

Col. Muammar Ghaddafi toppled King Idris regime and

seized power on September 1, 1969. He had the help of his

own militia and the backing of other tribes. After the seizure

he never neglected those who supported him in the coup of

1969. Thus they remain loyal to him even today. He has not

allowed them to get strengthened and instead he has kept a

vigilant eye on the revolts inside Libya than the threats

from outside. Moreover his sons and the Al-Gadhafa

tribesmen control their own battalions and hold key

positions in the government.

The above situations defy the possibility whether Libya

can turn out to be the next in the house of cards to fall to the

public unrest. The fall of Muammar Ghaddafi and his regime

will not happen very soon as it occurred in Egypt and

Tunisia. Also the advantage of oil weapon which is the most

volatile one will make Libya less susceptible to international

pressure. The West will have to worry more than Libya if

Ghaddafi decides to shut down his pipelines to the

Mediterranean. It’s difficult to predict how it will end.

Revolutionary council: divided or united

The revolutionary council or the rebels fighting Col.

Muammar Ghaddafi seems to be not going hand in hand on

some issues. They have emphatically opposed foreign

intervention but are seriously considering to ask the

Western powers to strike key-military assets of Ghaddafi’s

army. They have added to this consideration that such airraids

fly under a UN banner.The unified decision on this consideration is yet to

come out. Some have shown their displeasure and

dissatisfaction that such air-strikes carry great risks. One

of the senior council official opined that he’d be happy if

Ghaddafi falls without intervention, but if he is going to

create a massacre his priority will be to save his people.

The council members who agree to the airstrikes want it to

be on a limited scale such as dislodging Ghaddafi from

crucial strongholds and radar stations.

On March 8, the rebels faced a setback in Zawiyah and

Ras Lanuf at the hands of Ghaddafi’s army. The opposition

council members have come out publicly with their

difference of opinions on foreign intervention. The

opposition’s capabilities will be decisive as they are having

troubles with the tribal division which the government plans

to exploit. Abdel Hafidh Ghoga, the deputy leader of the

provisional leadership has requested that international

community to start its duty. The situation seems to be

turning against the rebels as it looks like a mismatched

civil war.

In the initial stages effective weapons and plentiful

supply of ammunition added to the beauty of the

advancement. North Korean and Russian ammunition was

readily available. But these weren’t enough for them to

defend Ras Lanuf, a strategic refinery town.

Another feature of weakness of the rebels is with regards

to the leadership. Specialized branches of Libya’s army who

joined the fight have senior officers who are also seen at

the front. But the rebel soldiers include bankers, policemen

and the unemployed who are very much enthusiastic but

are hapless brigades.

No effective communication is visible between the

opposition groups and no leadership to take care of the

situation. Opposition groups in America, Europe etc. works

for themselves. Attempts to unify them have failed.

America and the Libyan uprising

US has been watching the uprising in the Middle East

and North Africa continuously. US officials have not

reached a decision on what position to be taken in Libya’s

case as they understand the consequences of the political

fallout if US again attacks a Muslim nation. Therefore they

are searching for other options to handle the situation.

US had intervened earlier in 2003 in a deal with

Muammer Ghaddafi to proliferate Libya of nuclear weapons.

The nuclear technology that Libya handed over to the US in

the 2003 deal was very large. There were more than 4000

centrifuges for producing enriched uranium. Also blue

prints for how to build nuclear bomb were also handed

over. Former president George W Bush said that with this

action Libya has resumed normal relations with the world.

Now as the rebels are begging for US strikers on the

Libyan troops and weapons so as to oust Muammar

Ghaddaffi US is considering options other than direct

interventions. The administration official said that

preparation for a passive operation like using signal

jamming aircraft operating in international airspace could

muddle Libyan government communication with its military

units are under way. Another tactic was to air-drop weapons

and supplies to rebels. Other options like inserting small

special operations teams, perhaps just a dozen drops to

assist the rebels. The support for a no-fly zone was voiced

both from the Democratic and the Republican senators.

The NATO’s positions on the use of armed force are not in

union. Russia has called the idea of a no-fly zone

‘superfluous’ and Turkey dismissed NATO military

interventions as unthinkable.

Libyan unrest and the oil world

Oil and petroleum which can be considered the mother

of all commodities is facing a crucial situation following

the unrest unleashed all over the Arab world. Libya which

is rich in oil resource has also not been exampled from the

crisis. The geographical positions of Libya also add to

European market commanded as important advantage over

Middle East oil. Also the country’s oil export pipeline runs

solely across the country’s own territory, making them less

vulnerable to damage.

But these advantages didn’t come to help when the

rebels started advancing in to major oil fields of Libya and

creating restriction on oil production. Several of the

refineries were left stricken by workers too afraid to go to

work. It might take weeks before normal production resume.

One of the main consequences of the Libyan uprising

is the shooting up of oil prices to $100 barrel again. Even

though the heavy weights like Saudi Arabia can make up for

the difference, it cannot be predicted for how long this will

continue. The balance between the supply and demand is

very delicate and it cannot withhold more disruption in

supplies.

Al-Qaeda and the Middle Eastern uprising

Don’t misunderstand that Al-Qaeda has something to

do with the unrest in the Arab regimes. In fact it has nothing

to do with it. Al-Qaeda who called for the downfall of the

Arab puppet regimes through extremism and violence has

faced a major setback. The demonstrators have shown the

world and the Al-Qaeda (if it exists) that autocrats can be

toppled by peaceful and non-violent means. They have also

treated Islam as an afterthought and embraced democracy

which are against the tenants of Al-Qaeda.

The existence and formation of Al-Qaeda needs to be

questioned here especially when Ghaddafi had alleged the

hands of Al-Qaeda behind the appraisals. Al-Qaeda is nowhere

in the picture of the changes happening in the Middle East. A

hypothesis can be this (that certainly require research to

reach any final conclusion) that Al-Qaeda was a creation of

US to serve their interests in the Middle East and when the

matters went out of their hands Al-Qaeda too had to be

submerged so that their interests are not exposed.

My second published translation

INDEPENDENT PALESTINE NATION
Still Far Away

By P.K NIYAS

Palestinians, who have been dreaming of a nation void of invasion for the last six decades, are on the move to consult the UNO for this purpose. The Palestinian Authority heading the PLO and the Fateh group of Mahmoud Abbas have come to realise, even if it is very late, that the discussions with Israel are futile. The hidden agendas of Israel that continues with the settlement activities in the occupied West Bank during the discussions and the silence of the Obama administration against it have come to limelight.

One hundred six countries of the UNO have recognised independent Palestine by now. Nine of the biggest nations based on the population, except America, have recognised Palestine. It should be noted that only 72 nations have recognised Kosovo Republic as an independent nation. But the irony that America, the biggest nation based on population, has recognised Kosovo cannot be ignored.

Likewise, Germany and Japan that hesitate to recognise Palestine have in fact welcomed and recognised the liberation of Kosovo. America that has sought and demanded more nations to recognise Kosovo has put forward some conditions for the liberation of Palestine. The important factor in this condition is that the independence can only be on the basis of the agreement that churns out of the peace processes.

Recently some of the South American nations have come up with the strong demand of an independent Palestine. Brazil was the first one to come forward declaring its support for the pre-1967 Palestine. Argentina, Equador, Bolivia and Uruguay have followed suit. The European Union’s stand on the recognition which hasn’t come up yet will permit the PA to advance the demand of the declaration of an independent nation to the UNO. Britain and France have in fact informed or showed signs of accepting an independent state.

These nations informed earlier that the legal procedures were the blocks for the declaration of the nation. But very lately they have come to realise that this is a political topic. The unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence has resulted in many disputes and polemics. But the International Court of Justice declared last July that there is no international law that is against the declaration of independence of any region. It is a sigh of relief that PLO and its allies, which have been blindly putting their trust in America, and some super powers have come to realise their tricks and deceit. Hamas and other resistance movements highlighted this conspiracy much earlier.

The first declaration of an independent Palestine was made in the PNC (Palestine National Council) held in Algeria in 1988. PLO didn’t have the control over any of the occupied Palestine. The Oslo Agreements of 1993 gave the Palestine Authority of Jericho in West Bank and limited areas of Gaza. Today Gaza is completely under the control of Hamas administration. The influence of Israel in West Bank under Palestine Authority is not visible in Gaza. But the two regions are open to the Israel army to attack, invade and drop bombs through the land and sea at any point of time.

UNO recognised the Palestinians right to an independent nation in 1974. UN had also made it clear, through a resolution in December 2009, that the supreme authority of the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, rests in the hands of the Palestinians. The resolution was supported by 165 nations even though eight countries, including Israel, opposed it and seven countries abstained from the voting. Palestinians have an independent passport which is recognised by 30 countries including America and Britain. But America is not ready to give the consideration of an independent nation to the Palestinians.

Palestinians shouldn’t be allowed to create their own army if the idea of an independent nation is accepted – this is the stand of Israel. America doesn’t have the big heart to gift the Palestinians a nation by annoying Israel. Bush and Obama are much the same in this aspect. Washington has strongly opposed the South American’s recognition of Palestine.

A huge chunk of the Muslims kept the notion that Obama would do something for them when he had come to power and when he addressed the Muslim World at Cairo. But Obama has not been able to move an inch ahead in the ultimate aim of an independent Palestinian nation. PLO and its main faction Fateh are now the accused for working and acting in the interest of America for all these years. Fateh has the tradition of sabotaging the resistance activities of Palestine. Wikileaks documents reveal that two years back Fateh had conspired with Israel in a war against Hamas to destroy it once and for all.

There are groups and individuals inside PLO that do not want to see an independent Palestinian nation. The future neighbours of Palestine such as Egypt and Jordan fear the control of West Bank in the hands of Hamas. Israel Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yelon has highlighted these causes for the opposition of the unilateral declaration of America and Europe. OIC and Arab League have been active in accessing the UN for recognition of an independent Palestinian nation with the help of the recognition of more countries other than American and Zionist allies. If East Timur and Kosovo can be realised, the moves to partition Sudan can be accelerated, the concerned authorities can also show the guts to declare that they will rest only after creating an independent Palestine.

[Translation from Malayalam Weekly Prabodhanam, Vol: 67, No: 31 by Mahboob Thaha]

(Radiance viewsweeklyVol. XLVIII No.46, 2011-02-20)

My second published article

Water Crisis – Reality and Solutions

“If the war of the twentieth century was for oil, it will be for water in the next century” says former World Bank vice-president Ismail Cera Geldin. Accepting this fact can be a little bit difficult for anyone but soon they will realize the danger and hazard engulfing the mankind. The struggle and effort to overcome the scarcity of water and its resources will begin soon. The water resources of the world are fast getting dried up. The small rivers between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have dried up. Now they are in the form of small lakes. The important rivers in the Middle Eastern and African countries have receded in their flow. The rivers in India have become death-rivers due to the excessive dumping of toxic and chemical wastes into them. Due to the excessive pumping of underground water, the water level has receded to an alarming ratio.

The borders of many nations are determined by the rivers and lakes. This indicates that the right to these water resources should be shared by each country. But the alarming scarcity of water might lead the bordering nations to make efforts to get hold of these resources. This will in turn lead to communal clashes and ultimately to wars and battles. The Tigris-Euphrates runs between Turkey, Iran and Syria. The huge dams built in Turkey for power and irrigation purposes have caused conflicts and arguments among the Syrians. Middle East which is facing acute water shortage is witnessing the building up of heated arguments between Israel and its neighbouring countries on the issue of the Jordan River.

In the midst of these problems and issues corporate and multi-national companies have gone forward in making the water a commodity of trade which brings in huge profits. Today we can see many companies and brands such as Kinley, Aquafina, Prime, Bailey, Bisleri etc. selling bottled drinking water. These companies exhaust the available water resources for their trade purposes and thus create more and severe water shortage related problems.

The above mentioned human crisis needs our keen attention and care. Solution to this crisis must be sought out before it is too late. First and foremost man’s attitude towards the water resources should change. The water on the earth is the property of the whole mankind. One must realise that it is his responsibility to serve his fellow-beings drinking water when he finds it difficult to find some. He must not exploit this situation in order to make profit. This attitude of service to mankind should be sowed in every individual. Besides that he must realize that God is the sole owner of all the resources in the world and they must be utilized according to his will and order.

The water on the earth is not confined to any particular region. Instead rainfall occurs evenly across the globe. Water is made available to every creature on land and water. If anyone tries to utilize more than his allotted share it is bound to create imbalances in nature.

The governments of each country should take initiatives for the distribution of drinking water throughout their countries. The government bodies must take up the task of creating awareness regarding the storage of water and proper use of it.

The new generation needs to be made aware seriously regarding this issue for they are the ones who are going to suffer in the coming centuries. Schools and colleges must give due importance in this matter. As mentioned before the attitude of man towards the resources of the world and its utilization determines the solution of this dangerous crisis engulfing humanity.

Radiance Viewsweekly (Vol - XLVII No.11)

My first published article

Islamic Concept of Pluralism

The concept of pluralism is very much older than the origin of the term. Big empires and kingdoms have faced this reality. Muslims have also encountered this phenomenon during their rule in different parts of the world especially in Asia. Nowadays the discussions about pluralism only turn around the plural societies in Europe and America and the rich heritage of religio-cultural pluralism that prevailed for instance in India and the Islamic world are neglected deliberately.
Pluralism is both an ideology and a methodology. It deals with the questions of co-existence in a society/country which is home to many religions, cultures, languages and ethnic and racial groups. As an ideology, pluralism accepts and tolerates diversity; and as methodology it tries to solve the problems arising out of diversity, religious, cultural, linguistic, ethnic or racial.
The Muslim society has always been characterised by its pluralistic nature. The Madinah society set up by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) was comprised of Persians, Abyssinians, diverse religious sects and ethnic groups. Jews and Christians also lived in Madinah. The later Umayyad and Abbasid periods also witnessed cultural and religious diversities. During the Ottoman period pluralism was far more alive in the Middle East as well as in Europe. Muslim rulers were very particular in maintaining the religious and cultural freedom of minorities. Full autonomy was given to them in their respective religions.
The particular feature of the pluralistic society under the Muslim rule was that Muslims were very generous in absorbing the good features of other societies. Muslims also took positive measures for the security and prosperity of the ethnic and religious minorities.
In the examples given above Muslims were politically pre-dominant in the society. The reverse has also happened as in the case of British rule in India where the Muslims were at the receiving end.

MODERN PLURALISTIC SOCIETIES
Today the pluralistic societies are formed or have come into being on an entirely different pattern. Two important aspects can be seen in them:
Political democracy is provided to all as it ensures general participation in the conduct of the state.
Modern plural societies are raised on non-religious or secular foundations. The nature is determined by the political and economical objectives.
Two major factors have worked and influenced in the formation of modern plural societies. They can be summarised as follows:
Unpredicted growth of technology and transport which facilitates the travel of people from one place to another. This includes businessmen, college students, jobseekers, etc. People of different behaviour, colour, shade, etc. have travelled from poorer countries to rich countries in search of better jobs and high standards of living.
People who went abroad didn’t have the intention to settle down there. But they changed their minds seeing the economic boom in these countries. The students also stayed back due to the attractive job opportunities in the developed countries.

ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE
The concept of pluralism in Islam can be understood by its general perspective on human society and mutual respect and regard for difference of views. The tradition or essence of the Holy Qur'an is of co-existence and respect for other religions and cultures. Allah says: There is no compulsion in matter of religion (2:236).
Differences and diversities in religious beliefs and concepts is an inalienable part of the design. Man is given freedom of thought and naturally it will give rise to various beliefs and thoughts. Allah says: And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together. So, will you (O Muhammad) then compel mankind, until they become believers? (10:99)
The design of religio-cultural diversity is in the scheme of God. Islam believes in diversity, not extinction of other faiths and cultures. The Qur'an says: “And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge.” (30:22)
Muslims believe in the universality of prophecy which indicates Islam’s respect for all the religions. Islam stresses that Allah is the Lord and Cherisher of the world and He has sent messengers and prophets to the whole mankind for their guidance and they all came with the same message of God. The Qur'an says: “Verily! We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner. And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them.” (35:24)
The divisions, linguistic, racial and others are not meant to decide or determine the status of the people or their position in the society. The Qur'an advances a picture of a society in which all humans will be equal. This equality will be on two bases:
All are the creations of a single God. This single God hasn’t set any criteria to differentiate between the people except that of piety or righteousness or fear of Allah.
All men are the children of a single parent. These children may be different in their economic or social status. But that doesn’t entitle them to look down upon one another on the basis of different status and positions in the society.
The freedom to hold different views and expressions is a part of the trial of the Lord. It is necessary condition of the trial. If this freedom is not granted then there is no meaning in the trial of mankind. Man has been given or bestowed with ability to think and ponder over the beautiful world, so that he might utilise them to reach his God. Man has also been endowed with attraction towards virtue and detachment towards evil in his soul. But God didn’t leave man like that alone. He sent down prophets from time to time to make him aware of the truth and guide him through the darkness. The trial is described in the Holy Qur'an as: (Verily! We have made that which is on earth as an adornment for it, in order that We may test them (mankind) as to which of them are best in deeds. [i.e. those who do good deeds in the most perfect manner, that means to do them (deeds) totally for Allâh’s sake and in accordance to the legal ways of the Prophet. (18:7)
Thus this concept of freedom of views and thoughts should never be usurped because this is against the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and the violation of the Sunnah and the glorious practice of the Caliphs. However this granting of freedom doesn’t consider that all such views are equally valid and true.
In the same way the Holy Qur'an doesn’t negate the revealed religions completely. It only restores their lost truth. It corrects the distorted elements of the original truth. There are several examples which throw light on this verdict. Allah says: And when there came to them a Messenger from Allâh (i.e. Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be to him) confirming what was with them, a party of those who were given the Scripture threw away the Book of Allâh behind their backs as if they did not know. (2:101)

CONSTITUTION OF MADINAH
The constitution of Madinah formulated by the Prophet reveals the identity of pluralism in Islam. The following features can be noted in the constitution:
The central authority was with the Prophet. He had all the judicial, political and military authority over all the citizens of Madinah.
Full religious freedom to all citizens was guaranteed.
Those who constituted the body politic of Madinah were granted social, cultural, judicial and legal freedom.
With this one example we can come to the conclusion that neither the Qur'an nor the historical traditions of Muslims have ever been against religio-cultural diversity, plural co-existence and mutual co-operation. The society under Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) in Madinah and the constitution framed for that society is a perfect indicator of this fact. The main obligation of the Muslim community is to strive to change the minds of the people so that they are made aware of Allah and restructure their lives according to His will. The path to bring change is not by conflicts or totally ignoring or withdrawing from the affairs of the society. But a pluralistic approach is the key to initiate this change. The examples of our prophet’s life and his companions are before us to lead us to this goal and we have nothing to do but to follow their footsteps.

Radiance Viewsweekly (Vol.XLVIII No.10)