Sosyal Medya

Islam

COVID-19: Not The First Time We Would be Held Hostage
03-11-2021 14:51
Ashraf Akintola
 
2020 – the year of COVID-19 in the Pre-Islamic Arab culture can be conveniently called the "Year of the Pandemic". It is the year in which the world stood still, and as it seems, nothing is likely to go back to the way it used to be. At an astronomical speed, mankind witnessed a transition in our economics, politics, culture, religion and lifestyle in a way previously thought to be impossible. If not anything, it shows us how easy it is for Allah to wipe us all away from the surface of the heart or, better still, change the balance in world power equilibrium within weeks. It showed us that decades of work could be literarily put out within moments, and even though we pride ourselves in our technological advancements, it revealed how weak and feeble we are.
 
We Muslims have also had our fair share of the widespread effect of the pandemic. Mosques have been closed, and when not closed, we were forced to be socially distant from each other. We witnessed a Ramadan not heard of in history, and the two grandest and holiest places on earth, the Masjidil Haram in Makkah and Nabawiy in Madinah, were shut to Billions of Muslims across the globe. Reminiscing on those memories alone brings back a feeling of nostalgia, and albeit, we are still banking on that reality presently. Although the two holy Mosques have been reopened to total capacity, fears of what is to come are a constant threat to the tranquility we have long enjoyed.
 
Going down this memory lane, other memories where we have been subjected to the trials of world politics as Muslims, especially in our contemporary times, come to mind, and they are worth sharing to prepare ourselves for what is to come. For verily just like Winston Churchill said, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it", and we do not want these sad scenarios repeating themselves. And there is no way to learn about a thing and warn against it than to start remembering the situation.
 
  • 1979 Kaaba Hostage crisis (Nov. 20 – Dec. 4 1979)
In the early morning of the 20th day of November 1979, the Imam of the Grand Mosque, Sheikh Mohammed al-Subayil, was preparing to lead prayers for the 50,000 worshippers. However, these worshippers who gathered to pray did not know that the day was pregnant with an incident that would forever be in the dark pages of our history.  At around 5:00 am, he was interrupted by insurgents who produced weapons from under their robes, chained the gates shut, and killed two police officers armed with wooden clubs to discipline unruly pilgrims. The insurgents declared that the Mahdi (the "redeemer of Islam") had arrived in the form of one of their leaders – Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani – and called on Muslims to obey him. For nearly two weeks, Pakistan special forces SSG commandos advised by French commandos and Saudi Army, fought pitched battles to reclaim the compound.
 
The seizure of Islam's holiest site, the taking of hostages from among the worshippers and the deaths of hundreds of militants, security forces and hostages caught in the crossfire in the ensuing battles for control of the site shocked the Islamic world. The siege ended two weeks after the takeover began, and the mosque was cleared. Al-Qahtani was killed in the recapture of the mosque alongside 117 others. However, leader Juhayman al-Otaybi and 67 of his fellow rebels who survived the assault were captured and later beheaded.
 
Following the attack, Saudi King Khaled implemented stricter enforcement of Shariah (Islamic law). He gave the ulama and religious conservatives more power over the next decade, and religious police became more assertive.
 
  • 1948 An-Nakbah (The Disaster)
Al Masjidl Aqsah is the third holiest site in Islam after the Masjidil Haram in Makkah and Masjid An-Nabawiy in Madinah. Since 1948, starting with the destruction of the Palestinian society and homeland, a series of cascading events have led to the loss of control of our land to the hand of disbelievers. Since the conquest of Jerusalem by Salahudeen Al-Ayyubi against the crusaders, yearnings to regain control of the land have never left Europeans' hearts. The foundational events of the Nakba took place during and shortly after the 1947–1949 Palestine war, including 78% of Mandatory Palestine being declared as Israel, the exodus of 700,000 Palestinians, the related depopulation and destruction of over 500 Palestinian villages and subsequent geographical erasure, the denial of the Palestinian right of return, the creation of permanent Palestinian refugees and the "shattering of Palestinian society". The term is also used to describe the ongoing persecution, displacement, and occupation of the Palestinians, both in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Stripand in Palestinian refugee camps throughout the region. This is an ongoing struggle where Islam has been held hostage. As the Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish, described An-Nakba as "an extended present that promises to continue in the future", we believe that Aqsah would be liberated one day.
 
  • WW1 and the final fall of the Ottoman empire
The Ottoman empire was the last known state of Islam, where the whole Muslim world fell behind one Khilafah. This Islamic-run superpower which has got themightiest and longest-lasting dynasties in world history, ruled large areas of the Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa for more than 600 years. Starting in the 1600s, the Ottoman Empire began to lose its economic and military dominance to Europe.
 
Around this time, Europe had strengthened rapidly with the Renaissance and the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Other factors, such as poor leadership and having to compete with trade from the Americas and India, weakened the empire.
 
At the start of World War I, the Ottoman Empire was already in decline. The Ottoman army entered the war in 1914 on the side of the Central Powers (including Germany and Austria-Hungary) and was defeated in October 1918.
 
Following the Armistice of Mudros, most Ottoman territories were divided between Britain, France, Greece and Russia.
 
The Ottoman Empire officially ended in 1922 when the title of Ottoman Sultan was eliminated. Turkey was declared a republic on October 29, 1923, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938), an army officer, founded the independent Republic of Turkey. He then served as Turkey's first president from 1923 until he died in 1938, implementing reforms that rapidly secularized and westernized the country.
 
Since the fall of the Ottoman, the whole Ummah of Islam continues to grapple with whom to have as its leader. It would be decades later that the country now known as Saudi Arabia would be formed, but until now, the Ummah has yet to have a Khalifah all Muslims can fall behind.
 
  • 9/11
On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes. It carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States, thus killing almost 3,000 people leading to major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defining the presidency of George W. Bush. Even though controversies still surround the incidence, in the name of fighting terrorism, Muslims have been held hostage, and countries have been invaded and bombed just because they bear a resemblance to the terrorist group that reportedly carried out the attacks. Compelling piles of evidence point to the fact that those who do such do not have a place in Islam, yet, it has led to the rise in Islamophobic rants, banters and abuse against Muslims across the globe. It is a pandemic we are still fighting, and we hope one day, we will succeed.
 
Conclusion
 
In conclusion, these are a few occurrences where our faith has been put on trial.  Today, due to pandemic protocols, many Muslims are experiencing extreme laziness in their worship. Many have fallen into the ditch of riba because of the economic consequence of the lockdown.  In some communities, the congregations are yet to get back on their feet, and social solidarity is greatly affected.
 
The best we can do is to prepare ourselves for what is to come. Indeed, these are times where holding on to one's religion is as holding to a lump of burning coal. We have to also recognize our place in the world as the only people to bring the justice to the world that it so much needs, and without living up to those responsibilities, we can never get anywhere.

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