MUSLIM VISION : Last Word MUSLIM VISION OF SECULAR INDIA: Destination and Roadmap

MUSLIM VISION : Last Word

MUSLIM VISION OF SECULAR INDIA: Destination and Roadmap

By

Dr. Javed Jamil

Last Word

 

Allah says in the Qur'an:

"That is so because Allah will never change a grace which He has bestowed on a people until they change what is in their ownselves." (Al-Antal, 8:53)

"ALLAH does not change a people's condition unless they change what is in their hearts…." [13:11]

These oft-quoted verses by Muslim scholars are not meant just for quoting. They need to be practiced and applied in every affair of individual, family and society. The individuals form families and families form societies; societies in turn create and enforce systems. The role of society is therefore not only limited to reform itself as a whole but to reform the system under which it is operating. Without an effective system, society cannot function as an organised unit. The system again may be classified as the internal system meant for protecting a certain section of society and the larger system meant for the nations and the world. Indian Muslims must realise that they do not have only to reform their own individuals and institutions but they have also to contribute in a significant way in reforming the larger system. This is a gigantic challenge, but unless the challenge is recognised and accepted, nothing can work. Once however the challenges are properly spelt out, the strategies are planned and sincere endeavours are initiated, Allah begins to help.

As repeatedly stressed in the paper, Muslims need to come out, and come out immediately, out of the inferiority complex in which they are currently ensconced. They have to face the challenges head-on without being apologetic. They have to emerge as a dynamic community that knows how to balance the ideological and practical needs of their society. Muslims have to regain their lost confidence if they have to regain their lost glory. History is important but it must not be more than the curtains that are swinging in front of the doors. To reach the doors, you have to know where the curtains are and the curtains have to be removed to open the doors. The doors must now open without any delay.

 

I have purposefully tried to present the Muslim perspective of the whole scenario. We cannot simply sit and watch the deterioration of the system. For us Muslims, religious values, morality and integration of family system are as important as the parameters of economic growth. We cannot simply allow the system to degenerate into chaos where there is no room for the poor, underprivileged, weak and the morally upright. In order to influence the system however, we have to develop ourselves into a dynamic, domineering and aggressive community that seeks to build a purer, healthier and more peaceful and prosperous India in which Muslim Community plays a dignified and meaningful role. For this to happen, we have to give up parochial approaches and have to work as a unified force. We have to take along our countrymen with us and this will happen only if we are able to convince the whole nation about the correctness of our goals and genuineness of our intentions.

 

The government is ultimately responsible for all that happens in a country, especially what happens as the result of the failure of the system, which is in force in the country. It cannot shy away from its responsibilities towards those whom it has ignored for years. It has no option but to make special efforts for the communities and sections of society that have suffered on account of its faulty policies and inefficient implementation. But at the same time, Muslim Community has to recognise the fact that the government can at best help them in some small ways. They must see the government not as their Lord but only as a facilitator which is duty-bound to support them in their endeavours. But the main thrust of the endeavour has to come from the community itself.

 

This endeavour has to be comprehensive and simultaneous and the work has to be distributed. Individuals, institutions and organisation must come forward to take responsibilities in whatever fields they have expertise. Simultaneity does no mean that we cannot take certain actions before others. But all actions are to be taken within a suitable time frame.

 

What has been presented in the Approach Paper is at best a broad comprehensive agenda for the community and the government. This agenda needs to be analysed point to point in their minutest details and the micro level planning has to be done by the experts in different fields. But there has to be an umbrella organisation with a responsible collective leadership to coordinate all these efforts.

 

I will like to reassert that this paper is in effect a preliminary description of Muslim Vision of India. India of their dreams is the leader that guides the mankind to developing a healthier, purer, and more prosperous and more peaceful world, with the fruits of development reaching every human being living anywhere in the world irrespective of his caste, colour, creed and faith. Muslims do know that, despite having emphasis on certain aspects of development, their vision is not entirely different from the vision of their fellow countrymen belonging to other religions; and this is why they have reasons to feel confident that their vision of India will be realised one day with the support of all Indians. Indians on the other hand need to realise that India cannot reach its destination until Muslim becomes active partners in this pursuit. Muslims need the support of their countrymen and the countrymen must not fail them.

 

May Allah help us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Man behind the Work

 

By Syed Adil

Dr. Javed Jamil is quickly emerging on the international scene as a thinker whose amazing versatility is compelling the world thinkers to appreciate his work and admire the comprehensiveness of his approach in dealing with contemporary issues. He has already propounded several remarkable theses in various fields that range from Community Medicine to Physics, from Social Sciences to Economics and from international affairs to religion. His works include The Devil of Economic Fundamentalism, The Killer Sex, In Search of a Comprehensive Solution for AIDS, Rediscovering the Universe, Beyond Einsteinian Limits, Islam means Peace, he Essence of the Divine Verses, Islamic Model for Control of AIDS, Scientific and Social Theories derived from Qur'an, Family Welfare in Islam and Islam and Science. If the novelty of work, freshness of approach, depth of thoughts, ability to influence the world and capability of revolutionizing knowledge are the criteria of greatness, Dr Javed Jamil should soon find a place in the greatest thinkers of the contemporary world. His theory of economic fundamentalism and his concept of Peace Economics, his dynamic theory of health and universal theory of relativity and his novel approach in Applied Islamics are great enough works to give him a permanent place in the history of knowledge. His recent work, "Despite Shortcomings, Muslims are Most Civilised in the world" recently attracted huge debate on international internet forums. His coming works also include "Scientific & Social Concepts derived from Qur'an" and "Westernism: the Ideology of Hegemony"

 

Dr. Javed Jamil is a medical doctor by profession. However, such has been his grasp on issues related to diverse spheres of life that it is no wonder people often mistakenly consider him to be a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D).  Dr. Javed Jamil can very well be called a man of theories. He has propounded several unconventional theories in different fields. Though it can be argued that almost all his major works are rooted in Islamic principles, he has presented his theses both in secular as well as Islamic framework. It is no wonder that he distinguishes Atheistic Secularism from Religious Secularism. Some of his remarkable theories are as follows:

 

Theory of Economic Fundamentalism

 

The theory of Economic Fundamentalism runs through almost the entire range of his works. Even when he discusses Islam and its role in the current world, he pitches it against the ideology and forces of economic fundamentalism, which he holds responsible for almost every problem of the current world. He says:

 "The think-tank of the world of economic fundamentalism has taken innumerable steps to strengthen their hold. They have sacrificed the goddess of justice before the eyes of Statue of Liberty. They have transformed through political manoeuvres the state into their estate. They have incessantly and relentlessly been trying to organise a grand farewell for religion. They have captivated the imagination of the people through the media. They have got the attire of society redesigned so that it looks gorgeous and inviting to their eyes. They have industrialised sex, in which they have discovered the hen that always lays golden eggs. They have relocated the entire educational set-up on the Wall Street. They have monopolised the tree of economy whose fruits and shadows are only theirs; others can only admire its beauty from a safe distance. They have taken science and technology as their mistresses who are always keen to offer their glorious best to them. They have nipped all the challenges in the buds by masterminding popular movements. They have lynched 'civilisation', which has been given a new incarnation; and now Bohemians are called civilised. Last but not the least, they have been busy colonising the good earth in the name of globalisation."

 

Peace Economics

 

Dr Jamil proposes "peace Economics" as the economic doctrine that must replace Economic Fundamentalism. Peace Economics is the ideology that seeks to achieve Economic and Social development without undermining the objectives of Grand Peace, which he defines as a comprehensive state comprising health of the individual, family peace and social order.

Dr Javed Jamil defines peace as follows:

 

"First, human existence has three essential constituents:individual, family and society. For peace to carry any real meaning, it has to be at all these three levels. Peace at individual level means physical, mental, social and spiritual health, to which must be added what we understand as Satisfaction. Peace at family level means cordial relationship between spouses, between parents and children and among children themselves, and absence of all irritants in a peaceful family life.   Peace at social level means peaceful co-existence of all human beings that inhabit the earth anywhere, individually or as communities and nations, and absence of all forms of exploitation, oppression and conflicts. Thus individual heath, family peace and social order may be regarded as the three essential constituents of Grand Peace.

Second, peace must involve all stages of life: foetal, paediatric, adult, geriatric, and post-death life. This alone can lead to eternal peace."

    

In order to achieve Grand Peace, Dr Jamil has proposed an Agenda for a cleaner, healthier and more peaceful world, and he calls the world of his dreams Natural World Order. He pits this against New World Order which is nothing but a system created and promoted by the forces of economic fundamentalism, primarily the corporate world. In order to establish Natural World Order, Dr Jamil proposes a three-dimensional system based on equal emphasis on "Fundamental Rights", Fundamental Duties and "Fundamental Prohibitions". The last is what he stresses most, as it is what the Corporate World does abhor. He argues that the practices that kill millions of people, devastate family peace and create chaos at the social level cannot be acceptable in a civilized world. He uses both facts and figures to prove that if practices like alcohol, gambling and uninhibited sex are being commercialized and glorified in the name of liberty and freedom, this is nothing but a ploy of the economic fundamentalists to commercialise human weaknesses for economic gains. He argues that stress on fundamental rights without Fundamental Prohibitions would only lead to diseases, social chaos and family disintegration, and if the true peace has to be achieved, the world will have to give equal stress on rights, duties and prohibitions.

His thoughts on Islamic Economics also are much more comprehensive than normally presented. He says: "Islamic Economics refers to the establishment of a world order where people, individuals or groups, are free to earn their livelihood through rightful use of the provisions of God and their abilities, natural or acquired, without the violations of the true goal of Comprehensive Peace that Quran envisages, that is within the boundaries of the three-dimensional system of Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Fundamental prohibitions, and the establishent of a system that ensures comfortable living for each and every human being including those who are in a disadvantageous position, temparily or permanently, due to some reason…..

"It needs to be emphasised that economics is not just about the currency but isalso about the work and services; it is not just about the goods and services produced by the big idustry but also about the services of all kinds and goods of all kinds produced by all the individuals and all the groups, small or big; and it is not just about the calcualtion of Gross Domestic Product, Annual Growth and Per Capita Income but also about the effects produced on individual's health, family peace, social order and mational and international peace. The position taken in the above statement is quite different from the current international definitions of economics as well as from the so-called Islamic Economics. The modern economic system dominated by market economics is not ready to accept anything that restricts its functioning, does not care about the adverse effects of  economic activities and is not interested in helping the needy at the cost of the interests of the market; if it makes any concessions it is only for political reasons so that their position does not face any substantial challenge from society. "Islamic Economics" on the other hand is nothing but the continuation of the modern economic system with minor adjustments to suit the religious requirements so that the money of Muslims can be attracted and the clerics are kept in good humour. Islamic finnace simply  involves legal tricks to make it look compatible withShariah in finer details without changing in any substantial degree the economic philosophy behind the system, which continues to be nearly the same as that of the market economics. It is only a legal exercise, nothing better than the other famous Shariah tricks like Halala and Tamleek. The effects of such a financial system, especially in absence of a coexistent fiscal policy based on the spirit behind the Quranic directives, are only marginally if at all different from that of the modern finnacing systems. In addition, it is an abysmal failure in influencing in any way the direction of the globalisation, which revolves around the commercialisation of not only human strengths but also of human weaknesses." He stresses wealth generation within Isamic parameters, tax system based on Islamic principles of Zkah (AssetsTax), Ushr (Production Tax), Khums (Unexpected Icome Tax), a big campaign against ugly economics (commercialisation of human weaknesses) and policies to keep Economic Disparity within acceptable limits as the mainstays of the true Islamic Economics, which he prefers to call Peace Economics in order to make it look more acceptable for the whole wotld.

 

Dynamic Theory of Health

 

Dr Javed Jamil gives the revolutionary idea that health-protective family and social system are prerequisites for a successful health programme. To incorporate this idea, he has even changed the definition of health. His definition of health is as follows:

 

"Health is a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing, which must be safeguarded not only through the maintenance of a health preserving regime at the personal/individual level, but also through the establishment of a health-protective and health promoting family system and a health-protective and health promoting social system."

 

Dr Jamil has replaced Community Medicine/Preventive Medicine with the "dynamic" concept of public health that he callsTherapeutic Sociology. Therapeutic Sociology stresses changes at social level to ensure health; he argues that all governmental policies must take health as the supreme factor in developmental activities.  He is extremely critical of World Health Organisation, which has become a pawn in the hands of economic fundamentalists.

 

Universal Theory of Relativity

 

Dr Jamil has dismissed the light-speed barrier as an artificial barrier created by Einstein. Dr Jamil argues that Einstein's fascination for light was so great that he tried to give it a kind of absoluteness and modelled his theory of gravity on the same assumption. Dr Jamil argues that the universe is a well-organised state-like system and light-speed is too small a speed of communication to explain the governance of such a huge organisation. The most important postulate of Dr Jamil's theory however states that the universe as a whole -- he calls it Uniglobe—is rotating on its axis.  The red-shift, according to this theory, is not due to the continuous expansion of the universe, as argued by Hubble, but due to light losing energy when it comes from a higher speed zone to the lower speed zone of the universe.

 

Jamil's Islamic thought: Applied Islamics

 

Dr Javed Jamil's unshakeable faith in Qur'an as the Book of God has led him to develop Applied Islamics as a full-fledged discipline of Islamic Studies. Applied Islamics aims to study the current developments in social as well as scientific fields, campaigns and movements in the light of Islamic principles and present alternative Islamic models and programmes. He does not study Islam from the point of view of the modern developments but instead analyses modern developments in the light of Islamic principles. Even the works that are not apparently related to Islam are inspired by Islamic principles. He believes that Islam is for the whole world and the whole mankind must avail the benefits of Islam. He asserts that Muslims must take a lead in fighting against the evils that are pervading society. In his books he has been presenting alternative agenda for a healthier, cleaner and more peaceful world, obviously based on Islamic principles. In the process, he has demolished many of the current theories in the field of health, physics and economics.

 

In the process of applying the Islamic principles in various fields, he has given new definitions of peace, new concepts of comprehensive hygiene, new definition of health, alternative Islamic Models of Family Welfare and Control of AIDS, new concepts of Economics.

 

Dr Jamil is also a poet of Urdu and has composed several hundreds of ghazals. The first collection of his ghazals, "Rahguzar" was published by Fakhruddin Memorial Committee, an organisation of the Govt of UP. Another collection of his ghazals is expected to appear soon. Despite his extraordinary capabilities as a poet, he is lesser known in this field because of his decision not to attend Mushairas on account of his other engagements that he regards as more important. His poetry is as inspiring and often as aggressive as his prose. At times, the thinker Javed is at his best in poetry as well.

 

Dr Javed Jamil was the first to organise a public demonstration against the Shah Bano case verdict. He ran several health and education related projects and presented Islamic Models of Family Welfare and AIDS Prevention. His current focus is on presenting a Muslim perspective of India's foals of development and to work for making Muslims a vibrant community that can play a meaningful role at national and global levels.