Why America is the greatest Islamic Caliphate there exists
Last Friday, Maulvi Saheb again said that God's wrath is soon going to descend on the United States of America and the Muslim World will rise again. Although these are two entirely different things - fall of America and rise of Muslims more so the Asian Muslims - quite unrelated; nevertheless, he bundled them together as is the understanding in the entire Muslim world these days. So far so good.
For the last 30 years of my life in Kashmir, I have often heard this prediction being made by "God's own middlemen" that this Islamophobic, zionist, kafir America will fall apart one day and recently after Donald Trump got elected as President, I saw America-haters full of hope again.
But 30 years down the line I have got an answer to why these predictions are not working at all and why they will never work in the future too.
I believe that America is the greatest Islamic Caliphate that has ever existed after the times of Rashidoon if we go by the true idea of a Caliphate and not its spurious and obnoxious version that we saw in the form of ISIL.
I'm saying this with a complete sense of responsibility. The universal ideas of goodness, the principles of Quran and the tradition of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) which Muslims and Muslim nations have intentionally and so conveniently excluded from their political and social life, Americans practice consciously and compulsorily in every bit they do.
Here is why America is there to stay and prosper and why America is in the good books of Allah.
1) On a morning walk in Baltimore, every American who jogged past me greeted me with a smile although I was a complete stranger to them. Baltimore is otherwise considered to be one of the least-sophisticated cities of US and I didn't expect these courtesies here. Forget a smile or a greeting, do we even look at each other with respect in our part of the world?
2) Whenever I had to cross the road and even if I wrongly crossed it like we cross it here, without waiting for the lights to be green, swanky cars would screech to a halt and the driver would smilingly ask me to walk over. In India or Pakistan, I would have either been run over or my past five generations would have been abused. Such is the courtesy towards a guest in the city.
3) At many places I saw give-aways kept on neat shelves for the needy. Clothes, toys, food, electronic items kept by unknown samaritans for those who might need them. If you buy new sofas you can keep the old ones there and someone will come to take the old ones home. Focus is on giving rather than asking. Not unlike us that we will give a coin to someone and then talk at 50 places about it.
4) In a Maryland restaurant, the moment Shaida Andrabi and I finished eating, the waiter politely packed the leftovers and requested us to take it along. We had not even asked for it. For Americans, wasting food is a sin and the way we throw away heaps of half-pinched ristas and goshtabas after wedding wazwans, is nowhere else in the world.
5) Sarkari schools are very well managed and rich people send their kids to public schools. Education is free and focus is on camaraderie, humanism, inclusiveness, tolerance and creativity. Teachers are highly respected. Education is being used as an effective tool to fight racism.
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| American courts have very little pendency and justice is timely. |
6) Police officers are very respectful to civilians and will come to your help wherever you want. But the rule of law is there. Bureaucracy is almost nonexistent.
7) Most politicians begin their careers as members of the school management committees, not like us where mediocrity and criminal antecedents are a prerequisite to be in politics.
8) People are very honest in their dealings and you won't be cheated in a bus or on a shop. If you tell a fruit-seller in Srinagar that you will choose the oranges from his basket, he will refuse to sell things to you. We consider cheating and shortchanging people as our birthright.
9) Americans are by and large extremely open to diversity. In most high-end locations in DC and NY you can find that outsiders are living in large numbers. In our countries we don't want anyone to come and live and do business. We are extremely insecure when it comes to facing competition.
10) American courts have very little pendency and justice is timely.
11) Americans are considered conservative and the notions of family, community, kinship are quite strong. But when it comes to nepotism or chacha bhateejawad it's almost nonexistent. Honesty is the rule.
12) Academicians, scientists, doctors and teachers are highly respected and people don't show off their wealth or power. Charity and a sense of giving is extremely strong and both the state and the people are doing their bit for the poor and homeless people.
13) Most American Muslims are godfearing, with a progressive outlook and are happy there, praying to God to make it great again, unlike most of us who want a war back home but want our kids to study in America.
14) Now think of the 50-odd Muslim countries in the world and think of the freedoms, the democracy, the sense of justice and peace, economic prosperity and quality of life there. There is no match.
Let's pray to God to give us sense and help us understand that America and other western democracies are not our enemies. Our enemy, blind-faith and ignorance, is within us.
God bless America.
(The post first appeared on the writer's Facebook page.)