For centuries Kashmir has been known as ‘heaven on earth’. In the past, Kashmir was ruled by a series of rulers who were not indigenous inhabitants of the land—Pathans, Mughals, Sikhs and Dogras. But throughout this period it still remained ‘heaven on earth’. People from all over the world visited Kashmir. If the Taj Mahal symbolized architectural beauty on the subcontinent, Kashmir was the symbol of the beauty of nature. This history shows that for Kashmir to make progress, it is not necessary that it should be ruled by Kashmiris. Political power is a kind of political headache. Kashmir needs constructive activities to be revived for its progress, and development, and nothing else.
The Quran mentions everything that is good for man. But it does not mention freedom or liberty. This shows that the word freedom is very deceptive. It has no real meaningfulness. A clear practical example of this can be seen in 60 Muslim countries, most of which won their political independence after a long struggle, in the course of which their people made immense sacrifices. However, in fact, these countries are not really independent in the true sense of the term. Many of them are now in the throes of civil war, where rival groups are fighting each other for power. If the Kashmiris do not realize this and stop insisting on independence, they are likely to meet the same unenviable fate. That is why they should abandon their present political struggle and, instead, concentrate on the work of positive and constructive development.
Had Kashmir treaded along the path of educational and economic advancement, today it would have been a model of progress and prosperity. But the incompetent leadership, with unrealistic dreams and empty slogans, have caused terrible damage. The time has now come for the Kashmiris to completely and permanently abandon the path of militancy, and, instead, to adopt the path of peace and progress. Only then can the dream of Kashmir as ‘heaven on earth’ come true. Unrealistic politics has played havoc with Kashmir, but now through realistic politics we can once again lead Kashmir to progress and development. Kashmiri Muslims have today become disillusioned. They are living in an atmosphere of mistrust.
It is indeed possible for the Kashmiris to start a new life at any given time, but for this, two conditions must be met. First, they must take responsibility for the unpleasant situation they are faced with today. Second, more importantly, they must come out of their delusional world and learn to live in the world of practical realities. They must understand that today it is the age of peace.
The only way to progress is to avoid the hurdles and avail of the opportunities to build one’s life. To ignore the problems and avail of the existing opportunities.
Today everything one wants can be achieved by treading the path of peace. For their growth and advancement to take place, they must carve out a new plan of adjustment with the present situation. India is a big country. It has freedom and democracy. More than two hundred million Muslims reside here. Almost all the big Islamic institutions of the subcontinent are located in India. All across India is imprinted a thousand year history of the Muslims, which should give them courage and inspiration. Moreover, India provides great opportunities to Muslims in the footsteps of the Sufis to follow and spread the peaceful message of Islam—a task which, according to a Hadith, can earn them salvation in the Hereafter. Once, on a short visit to Karachi, a Muslim industrialist remarked that the Indian Muslims were in a far better position than they were. When he was asked the reason he said India being a vast country has a huge market for his products. What he said has now become a fact of life. In the twenty-first century, the Muslims of India have emerged as the most developed Muslim community in the whole of the subcontinent.
This is in no way an exaggeration. And a comparative survey of any city can establish the validity of this statement. If the Muslims of Kashmir whole-heartedly were to accept this then great opportunities for all kinds of development would open up to them. The prospects of progress here in the fields of education, economics and other fields are not in evidence anywhere else. The Kashmiri Muslims should abandon the policy of confrontation. They should abandon the path of militancy in favour of education and progress.
The final hour has now come for the Kashmiris to rise above their leaders and to view the whole matter afresh—not in the light of the pronouncements of their leaders but in the light of practical realities. In doing so, they must chart the course of their lives anew. There is simply no other way for them to succeed.
In an open valley just outside Srinagar are beautiful scenes of nature. From the towering peaks rivulets cascade down the valley. If one sits on the banks of the river one can notice the way the stream flows till it arrives at a boulder. It does not try to break the rock to be able to move ahead. Rather, when it meets the rock, it simply swerves to the left or to the right, around the sides of the rock, and continues its journey uninterrupted.
Today, the whole world has become a global village. Now the change in the political system has become relative. Our new global conditions have made it possible for anyone living anywhere on the face of the earth to communicate with people across the world without any restrictions.
This is an inevitable happening with all streams and rivers, but when a foolhardy man finds a ‘boulder’ blocking his path, he wants to smash it so that he can forge ahead, even if that results in his journey coming to an abrupt end once and for all. This is precisely what has happened in Kashmir. This is a message from Nature to humans. This fact of Nature tells you that if in the journey of life you face a hurdle, you should not seek to hurl yourself against it to carry on ahead. Rather, what you must do is carefully avoid the hurdle and continue with your journey. This is the secret of success in life. This applies equally to communities and individuals.
The only way to progress is to avoid the hurdles and avail of the opportunities to build one’s life. The only sensible way out for them was precisely what Nature itself has taught us—that is to say, to ignore the problems and avail of the existing opportunities. This is not a principle that one should adopt simply out of compulsion. This principle is a universal one. It applies to all individuals and groups. It applies just as much to Muslim-majority countries as it does to countries where Muslims are a minority.
A basic principle of success in life is that, in controversial matters, one should willingly accept whatever is available to one at the very outset. If we fail to do so in the initial stage in a bid to get more than what we are being offered, we only prolong the conflict. Then the conflict is bound to become more complicated. Consequently, we will lose even whatever was available to us in the first instance.
‘A wise man is one who knows the relative value of things.’ Judging by this saying, wise leadership will be aware of the dire consequences of taking to the path of militancy. This issue can be understood in the light of a verse in the Quran that explains that when the Prophet Solomon sent a letter to the Queen of Sheba, demanding that she submit, she sought the advice of her courtiers, who told her that because they had considerable military strength, there was no need for them to submit to anyone. The Queen replied thus:
“Surely, when mighty kings invade a country, they despoil it and humiliate its noblest inhabitants—these men will do the same”. (27:34) Here the Quran stresses to a very important fact, and that is that when one confronts a powerful ruler, one must think carefully of the consequences of doing so.
The programme for development should be based on three points: education, economic development, and spreading the message of peace, harmony and spirituality to the people.
If the consequences would prove counterproductive, then confrontation must be avoided. Experience proves that confronting a very powerful ruler is almost always counter-productive. It causes death and destruction on a massive scale, and the honourable are humiliated. That is why confronting a powerful ruler must be avoided as far as possible, even if the ruler is just and virtuous. But if certain people choose to ignore this advice or principle, and seek to directly confront a powerful ruler, it is pointless for them to complain later on about the loss of life and property. They ought to know that the destruction that they suffer is the price they have to pay for their confrontation with an established ruler. Those who adopt the path of militancy in order to fight existing governments have necessarily to pay such a price. It is simply impossible for a certain group to make a mistake and then expect another group to pay the price. There is a valuable lesson from the words of the Queen of Sheba as recorded in the Quran, The Queen adopted a wise policy that avoided the possibility of destruction and oppression by the army.
Global Opportunities
Today, the whole world has become a global village. Now the change in the political system has become relative. Our new global conditions have made it possible for anyone living anywhere on the face of the earth to communicate with people across the world without any restrictions. In such a situation, even if people and groups do not form part of the political class or do not have a state of their own, they can still have all the benefits which in earlier times they could have had only if they were part of the ruling class or had their own independent state. Numerous small countries or territories have flourished and emerged as prosperous commercial and financial hubs across the world—Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai, Taiwan, for instance. Man is a psychologically complex creature. If one is driven by negative and destructive emotions and impulses, one’s whole personality turns negative. Conversely, if one is driven by positive thinking, one will have a positive personality. This rule applies as much to individuals as it does to groups, communities and countries.
A basic principle of success in life is that, in controversial matters, one should willingly accept whatever is available to one at the very outset.
Moving Towards a Solution In the history of a country it sometimes happens that its course of progress comes to a standstill. At such times, it becomes imperative for it to take bold steps if it wants to move ahead. Naturally, this is a sensitive matter and such steps might go wholly against popular sentiment. This is why such courageous decisions are often taken by strong military rulers rather than democratically elected politicians who, being chosen by their people, have to pander to their emotions and prejudices and so are generally unable to take such steps as might hurt their sentiments.
Let me cite one instance to make this point. The French President Charles de Gaulle (d. 1970) was a top general in the French Army, but later manipulated his way to the post of President. On the face of it, this was an anti-democratic move, but by doing so, de Gaulle was able to save France in a manner that a democratically elected government could not possibly have adopted. He unilaterally announced the end of French rule in a number of French colonies in Africa and elsewhere, because this was proving to be a burden for France, rendering France as the ‘sick man’ of Europe in the wake of the Second World War, when all European countries except for France were making great strides towards progress and development. It was this decision, against the wishes of the people, which made France one of the developed nations of the world. Obviously, this move, which was widely unpopular in France, was a necessary one for the greater good of the country, but only a bold and strong ruler could do this, unmindful of popular sentiment and opposition.
Now there are two starting points. One is to seek to change the status quo by removing the roadblock for further action. The other is to accept the status quo as it is and to make concerted efforts to avail of the opportunities which are already available in the given status quo. This second approach is what is called ‘positive status quoism’. This is in accordance both with reason and with the teachings of Islam. The Quran enjoins: “Reconciliation is the best. (4:128) That is, the best way to settle a conflict is to follow the policy of reconciliation. In other words, conflicts are best resolved by the contending parties avoiding confrontation and by coming to a mutual understanding.
This is the world of realities: nothing positive can come here from emotional politics. The right way for the Kashmiris would be to make a reassessment of their past and, chart a new course for themselves in order to build their future. It is a fact that they have lost the first chance. Now the only possible way for them is to consciously grasp the second chance and wholeheartedly make use of it to their own advantage. This programme for their future should be based on three points: education, economic development, and spreading the message of peace, harmony and spirituality to the people. They must completely abandon politics and the path of armed struggle. They must set the feet of this whole generation on the path of education. To this end, they should focus their attention on building high-class educational institutions. For at least 25 years they should spend all their energies on the field of education.
So far as the economic field is concerned, there are extraordinary opportunities for business and industry in the state. Kashmiris must productively use the vast economic and other resources which are still to a large extent lying untapped. The third field is that of the communication of the message of peace and spirituality among the people. If peace prevails in Kashmir, the tourism industry will flourish. This will be a great opportunity for the Kashmiris to spread the message of peace and spirituality to the world, and this will contribute to success in both this world and the next.
