The wind of change. Where will this lead us?

The tide is changing... the wind is blowing from a different direction....

 

Nations rise and fall

We are witnessing an unprecedented phenomenon starting with the Arab spring

We have seen the power of the people and how an individual could change the course of history without even realizing it. Would anyone have thought how the frustration and desperation of a 26 year old man, Mohamed Bouazizi who set himself alight in defiance of the Tunisian authorities could lead to the toppling of an oppressive dictator?

So far we have seen demonstrations in Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Syria. We have seen demonstrations in Greece, London and Occupy Wall Street movements. The people are waking up and becoming more aware of the injustice caused by the present Capitalist system. The people who were asleep have woken up to demand for a better system, a more accountable government and they have started to realize that the power is in their hands. They are rejecting corporate control over governments and realizing that poverty is not caused by lack of resources but through inequality and lack of proper distribution.

However, the problem with mass movement is no one can truly predict where things are heading. It is almost like watching a flock of birds in the sky; you never quite know which direction they will turn. People recognise the problem but not necessarily the solution. The success of the Egyptian people in removing the Mubarak regime has still not reached a final conclusion. There is still confusion as to what the people truly want. Is it Islam or is it democracy? Do the people want Islam or secularism? What do the people want? 

This lack of direction brings a sign of danger that society may fall into anarchy and external forces may use the opportunity to cease control of the situation and impose another puppet government to secure their own agenda. 

The attempt of sincere Islamic political parties to ‘control’ and influence the direction of the mass movement is an intricate and fragile task. 

Change is inevitable but what form of change and where is the change heading? People decide when they want to change and what they want to become. This is so for individuals and more challenging for societies. Permanent change is never achieve through force, it is not imposed rather it is the willingness of the people to accept the change and to embrace it. 

It is the nature of political and ideological groups to try to influence the public with their ideas and opinions. However, in their attempt to change the people, it is necessary for them to realize that it is not merely ideas but they also need to acknowledge the feelings and emotions of the people. 

When alienation occurs and a gap is formed between those who impose and those who fail to see the relevance of it to their reality; there will be resistance. Resistance from the people will cause frustration to those who wish to see change towards a positive direction. Frustration will eventually lead to further gap.

Let’s take an example of a doctor wishing to impose change on a patient’s lifestyle. The patient suffers from Diabetes Mellitus. The doctor thinks it is important for the patient to change for their own good. However, change will not occur through force or the doctor imposing his viewpoint on the patient. The doctor needs to understand the level at which the patient is at. Is the patient ready for change? Is the patient willing to listen? The ability to gauge a person’s readiness and willingness is as important as the ability to give a good speech and impart knowledge.

The prophet SAW was a master of social change. He changed society from a state of jahilliyah to enlightenment. He did it through introducing new ideas, addressing the ordinary people, making them aware of the injustice practices at the time such as cheating in the market place. He addressed the issues of corruption of the rich and oppression of the poor. He addressed the issue of beliefs and thoughts but he also addressed the emotions of the people. He was living among them. They were his family, his friends and his people. He suffered what they suffered, he felt everything that they felt and he was aware of how things affected the people. 

The change in the Muslim world is inevitable. After years of injustice and oppression, people have finally woken up and have the courage to stand up against it. However, the next phase of change is the readiness and willingness to reject the secular man made system and to have the strength and confidence to accept Islam not just as an individual belief but as a political system. This is not an easy task as most of us have never lived under the Khilafah (Caliphate) system. Only a few people have ever heard about it. It was not taught to us as part of our history. 

The present system is everything we’ve ever known. Our education system has not allowed us to think outside the box. However, there is love for Allah and Islam. The next task would be to sow the seed of CONFIDENCE in the ummah. It is the confidence that the Islamic system is what we need to correct the oppression and injustice faced in our countries. Without that confidence in Islam as a viable system in the 21^st century, the people will still hold on to the secular democratic system because that is all they know and familiarity equals security and comfort even if the familiar thing is a lion or a tiger. 

We are fortunate because we have a history of Islamic civilisation that spanned for a 1000 years. It was under Islam that Muslims and all citizens under the Caliphate flourished in education, science, technology, architecture and all aspects of life. History will testify that it was when Muslims abandoned Islam, when the Caliphate was removed in 1924 that we lost our honour, our protection and justice.