Daily Times

The nostalgia of an exalted and united Muslim ummah (nation) is responsible for the identity crisis among Pakistanis, which impedes the development of strong nationalism. Its roots can be traced to the Two-Nation theory, the glimpses of which can be witnessed in the writings of Allama Iqbal. The longing for compassionate brotherhood among Muslims creates confusion in the minds of Pakistanis when they suffer humiliation and exploitation at the hands of their Muslim brothers in Arab countries.

The condescending attitude of Arabs towards Muslims of non-Arab origin should not surprise us. Pakistanis living in the Middle Eastern countries have endured this derogatory and discriminatory behaviour for decades now. The immigration policy, which prohibits the extension of any property or citizenship rights to the foreigners working in these states, is also a reflection of their racial bias against the Muslims of the subcontinent. On the contrary, their attitude is very respectful, courteous and generous when it comes to the Caucasians of the US or any of the Western European countries. This discrimination can also be discerned in the huge salary difference between Americans or Europeans and Pakistanis or Indians with equal levels of qualification and experience.

The concept of racial supremacy also manifests itself in their official documents, where Arabs allegedly identify themselves as whites while we mark our ethnicity as Asians. Their assumptions in religious matters are also startling, as some Arabs believe that understanding of the Arabic language is a prerequisite to comprehending the concepts of Islam completely. In some extreme cases, it is believed that the Divine pardon can only be bestowed upon Arabic-speaking Muslims.

The Two-Nation theory identifies Muslims of the subcontinent on the basis of their faith instead of their association with the homeland. This leads them to continue to yearn for a larger, more powerful and united Muslim ummah in the world. This ideology of pan-Islamism, which later on gave rise to the ‘Ideology of Pakistan’, had a tremendous role in carving out a separate homeland but failed to unite the Pakistanis to achieve the objectives of independence. Even after 64 years, the Pakistani population, though predominantly Muslim, remains deeply fragmented on regional, ethnic and linguistic bases.

It is the religious identification through the Two-Nation theory that has led us to regard people of Arab and Persian origin as our heroes. We praise the efforts of these military commanders for their services to Islam but ignore the fact that they invaded our homeland. The list of such characters includes the likes of Mahmud Ghaznavi, Muhammad bin Qasim, Zaheeruddin Babar, who are revered celebrities of Pakistanis. At the same time, we blatantly show animosity and hostility towards local commanders due to their religious faith even if they stood up against the invading armies to protect the homeland. In our search for faith-based inspiration, we also remain oblivious as a nation of the services of King Porus who stood up against Alexander the Great.

A vast majority of Pakistani Muslims do not have an Arab, Turkish or Persian descent; they are natives of this land. Yet, after converting to Islam, they disowned their cultural heritage. They, instead, took pride in becoming the colonies of Arabs and Turks in the name of Islam and considered them as their saviours. On the other hand, even though the foreign rulers shared the same religion with us, they did not treat the converted Indian Muslims with the same honour and dignity as they treated their fellow countrymen. Razia Sultan is a great example. She had a Turk heritage and had to lose the crown as a punishment for her transgression when she wanted to install local Muslims in high official positions.

Our faith should act as a stimulus, not an obstacle, for the emergence of our national identity like it does for Iranians, Egyptians and Turks. These nations, while sticking to their religion, have not compromised on their national heritage. Even after the Islamic revolution in Iran, the Iranians preserved and boast of their history and pre-Islamic Persian civilisation. They are neither hesitant nor ashamed of their heritage before the dawn of Islam. The same goes for the Egyptians; they are predominantly Muslim but are proud of their history, which includes the pharaohs and their structural monuments like the pyramids and the Sphinx.

Historically, Muslims have always been divided into various factions and the propensity of a religion to ignite sectarianism, which further fragments society, can be detrimental to the future prospects of any country. We will have to join hands as one nation and give up our infatuation with a united ummah for a more realistic and pragmatic goal of a united Pakistan. We need to grow out of our own dark ages through building a strong Pakistan as our sole identity.

The writer is a freelance columnist residing in the US. He can be reached at skhashmi@yahoo.com