Reprinted from the May 13, 1966 of Muhammad Speaks Newspaper
By Abdul Basit
Naeem
The "Eastern" Muslim world, as I have occasionally mentioned in some of my writings published in this newspaper, is by no means perfect or near perfect. Although it produced the greatest culture and civilization humanity has ever known-more than a millennium ago, at that!-and for centuries it led the world in enlightenment, moral betterment as well as trade and commerce, it succumbed to Europe's intrigue and superior weapons of war a couple of hundred years ago and steadily declined during the ensuing decades. Only since 1947, when the world's largest Muslim nation, PAKISTAN, was born, are there visible signs of a general Islamic regeneration in Asia and Africa.
DURING the past 19 years, more than 300 million Muslims in the two "Eastern" continents have thrown off the yoke of foreign (Belgian, British, Dutch, French, German, Italian and Portuguese) colonialism. Millions more (in Aden, French Somaliland, Spanish Guinea, Mozambique, etc.), however, remain in shackles of serfdom and subserviency to the mighty Western powers. In addition, many independent Muslim lands heavily depend on the former rulers or new-found "benefactors" (such as the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R.) for economic survival and growth.
Needless to say,there is much that remains to be done...The "Eastern" Muslim states may have attained political sovereignty but they do not have economic self-sufficiency and viability. As long as they continue to beg for or accept even a single morsel of food from the former colonial masters' table (bartering or purchasing one's needs from Western nations is a different matter), they shall not be able to advance in education, industry, social welfare and culture.
Yet-Allah be praised!-there is plenty of affluence in the "East" to take care of all or most of our pressing economic problems. We don't really have to take any "aid" from Washington, London, Bonn, Paris or Moscow.
IT IS A known fact that for each Muslim country
...TO BE CONTINUED.
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