In a speech he delivered at the Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies on "Vision for Regional Peace and Security" during his recent trip to Malaysia, Prime Minister Imran Khan lamented the fact that despite being a population of 1.3 billion, Muslims suffered all over the world whether it was in Libya, Somalia, Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan. The reason, he said, was that "we have no voice and there is total division amongst us." Indeed, Muslims are a divided lot; they have been fighting among themselves. Although in the countries the PM named, Western powers have been directly or indirectly involved in creating conflicts to protect and promote their collective interests that they have been doing that with the active support of some governments of Muslim countries. These Western adventures in the Muslim world have cost hundreds of thousands of lives, countless others have been maimed, and millions more rendered refugees in their own countries or abroad. Yet certain governments have been willing to go to any lengths to safeguard self-preservation even if that meant acquiescing to US President Donald Trump's dumping on the Palestinians the outrageously humiliating "Deal of the Century" rejected by them as the "Fraud of the Century."
Things being what they are, it is vain to expect the Muslim world to speak with one voice in defence of Muslim causes, as evidenced in the case of gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir and ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Absence of a collective voice, however, does not mean individual Muslim nations can have no voice of their own. Countries, such as Malaysia and Turkey command respect in the comity of nations because of the progress and prosperity they have attained by investing in socio-economic development. The magic key to that door is education. It is no coincidence that almost all of the annual Nobel prizes in hard sciences, the building block of economic progress, are won by citizens of Western countries where education is open to all and encourages critical thinking. Sadly, more than half of the population in this country is illiterate. A majority of young minds, who could turn out to be outstanding scientists, mathematicians, artists or writers never get the opportunity to use their latent talents. Even those who attend school are pushed to learn by rote rather than to apply their own minds. There is hardly any worthwhile investment in research and development with the result that innovation remains almost an alien concept.
Only economically independent nations can effectively pursue issues of concern to them, as Pakistan recently learned to its chagrin. Hence, instead of looking for support from Muslim brethren or their shared but useless organisation, the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), Pakistan must look inwards and do everything that is necessary to provide modern education to all. With economies becoming more and more knowledge-based, that is where the government ought to focus its energies and resources.
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