This blog was drafted in response to a news items on cleaning and vanishing Mosques in XinJiang, China. Xinjiang, with its predominantly Muslim followers amongst it ethnically diverse population, was gradually becoming a hotbed of radicalization. China reduced the risk to its nation by reteaching the population using a novel strategy with very little casualty. It redesigned and embedded the concept of nationhood into the masses adrift with radicalization.
There are no permanent friends but permanent interests in politics. This principle pervades across the smallest municipalities to major nations, except that national histories go beyond lifetime and so it seemingly appears as though nations are permanent friends.
Let us understand the dynamics of why China is opposing Islam and supporting Pakistan, a hardline nation in International politics, especially against India. Next, let us understand, US and the West’s opposition to China’s cleansing program. To understand China’s opposition to Islam, we need to take a closer look at Islam. Muslim diaspora that advocates a pan Islamic pantheon of nations should note that China systematically cleaned Xinjiang from Islamic version of their faith and instilled their version of nationality superior to faith.
History is a concrete testimony to millennia old and established fact that Nationality is superior to all our values and believes. Humanity has experienced through practical and painful experiences that nationhood is above religion and individual faith. Our existence and expression of life and living is strongly influenced by the nation we exist. Those espousing and envision a truly sustained form of democracy, has strongly advocated the separation of Church from Politics. History of almost all major civilizations shows this experimentation of mixing religion with democracy and adverse outcome for a sustained nationhood. It is not just restricted to Christianity alone.
Islam does not recognize the superiority of nations over religion. Rudimentary aspects of civilization are closely associated with mixing religion with nationality. Such admixture is natural when one religion dominates the polity. However, faith is a reflection of evolved identities and as multiple streams of faith emerge, a nation has to accommodate, assimilate and rise above religion. It is ridiculous to note how the followers of Islam consider religion over nation.
When a religion overrides state machinery (as is happening in China) a nation as assertive as China, with its aggravated sense of nationalism and gargantuan machinery of brute force can redesign and reengineer the very concept of faith (religion). Humanity has experienced through practical painful experiences spread across geographies and centuries, to keep religion away from politics.
Looking at the international chaos created by the ‘Believers of Islam’, through their rabid, rudimentary and rabid following of faith and its impact, has created a strong reaction and aversion event amongst the most moderate and accommodating liberals. Islam has intricately woven religion into Politics and this becomes an anathema to the existence of other nations. Other than individual religions (faith) and sects, Nations too are clamoring to oppose Islam. I am more concerned about Islam and the reaction of contemporary world.
In the context of Indian peninsula, Islam is akin to Pakistan and an existential concern to India. In India, Islam is rightly perceived as embodying the soul of Pakistan. Reviewing the context with this backdrop, we first need to take a global view of nuisances demonized through the incorrect practice of Islam. Limiting the perspective to India will devour the broader context. However, it is worth reviewing the India – Pakistan dynamics in the last seven decades. As it stands, Pakistan is a fringe nation and a falling star. Especially with its natural and instinctive knee jerk jealousy, it becomes a formidable collaborator and bulwark for China to counter India. China is not the first, it started with UK, the west took over and china regained that.
The key question is – are other nations using Pakistan against India or are they capitalizing on Pakistan’s intrinsic animosity and benefiting themselves? Pakistan is a nation with no vision except animosity can only eventually drift towards fringe status and oblivion. It would have long fallen into pieces had it not been the stockpile of nuclear arms amassed in the last two decades. It’s that last concern that keeps the west and the east propping up a beleaguered nation to contain the spread of fissile material.
Faith in ruins: China’s vanishing mosques
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-48696184
mymilieu.org 