pan islam

Reason #2 for old school loyalties: Pan-Islam...

Its interesting that in the midst of the colonization of muslim lands, jamaluddin afghani and khalifa abdul hamid were trying to take advantage of islam’s built-in call to brotherhood for their own reasons, independant of each other at first. until the khalifa incorprated afghani into his own program of rallying muslims to help defend the empire from a political European threat.

both were sincere efforts of pan-islamism, crafted as a defense against a foreign effort to "divide and conquer." The efforts of both the khalifa and afghani ended up influencing allama iqbal in india and the ikhwan in egypt, whose thoughts carry on to this day.

But, I believe the original fight was lost in the 1920's and we failed to accept our defeat.

Rather than to put the defeat behind us and move on to rebuilding, most of our leaders and movements keep fighting as if colonization is still the threat. Maybe it is, OR maybe they’ve failed to deal with the new political, cultural, economic dynamics of our world.

Any conflict occurring during this transitional period is reacted to in the only way we know how (instinctive pan-islamism): CALLS TO A MUSLIM WORLD COMMUNITY TO HELP RESIST FOREIGN AGGRESSION. Nevermind that the muslim world community back then had no Muslim or Secular Nation States. Back when Pan-islam became part of our ideology, it was still the age of empires and kings. The threat was something you can see and touch, not like Jerry Springer or BaBewatch on Satellite TV or INTERNET PORN.

I don't know how much we're influenced by pan-islamic ideology as crafted NOT by our Prophet(s) but by a khalifate that lost its struggle in 1924.

we’ve reached absolute bottom when we don’t even know right from wrong anymore.

I say...
If the war is over...
there is no more enemy.

The last few generations failed to address the new reality. The struggle now is to find ourselves after a devastating defeat, in our time the enemy is our own selfish desires. Our generation isn’t trying to defend a great civilization. Maybe that great civilization is dead and we should build one from a state of nothing.

Lets build our new abode of peace with a foundation of Love. Our building blocks can be the Best of the Beautiful Muslim Cultures that have made it across to this new land and the handful of scholars that can reconnect us to the methodologies of the Masters. A “global village” may complicate things at times but it can also be a source of knowledge and inspiration.

Then again, maybe the war aint over.
If the right wing conservatives are trying fight us, why should we put down our defenses.
if they have taken on the mantle of our old enemies from the crusades, and want to drop bombs and destroy us in the name of "democracy", what do we do but defend ourselves.

peace and love.
(i'm still confused)