Descending evil

Random thoughts
If you think that it is only now that the Muslim Ummah is in trouble, you will be wrong. Ever since the martyrdoms of Hazrat Umar (RA), Hazrat Usman (RA) and Hazrat Ali (KW) we have been under Allah’s chastisement.
The famous Persian poet, Urfi, was often in trouble and complained that whatever trouble or evil descended from the sky, it always enquired where he lived. The same goes for Muslims, wherever they are. Sometimes these periods are less troublesome, sometimes more so.
Almost the whole of our 1400-year history has been beset by troubles. Barring the periods of Amir Muawiya, Wahad bin Abdul Malik, Haroon al-Rashed and Mamoun-al-Rashid, we have been fighting amongst ourselves most of the time. This started after the martyrdom of Hazrat Usman (RA), which led to the wars of Jamal and Siffin which, according to western historians, resulted in the martyrdom of almost 80,000 of the best fighters of the time.
Western historians are of the view that, had these warriors marched towards Europe (they had already conquered Azerbaijan and Armenia), they would have been able to conquer the whole of Europe.
The reason for writing this background is because, on April 2, 2015, the western countries managed to stranglehold Iran into agreeing to accept totally illegal conditions and restrictions on their nuclear programme. For the last 12 years they had been trying to scale down and freeze Iran’s nuclear programme to safeguard Israel’s interests. They managed to almost destroy Iran’s economy through multiple sanctions. Did anyone ever open their mouths about Israel being a confirmed nuclear power for almost 30 years?
The western countries wanted to denuclearise Iran to prevent an imaginary Iranian threat, while at the same time France and other western countries helped Israel become a nuclear power almost 50 years ago. Under the agreement just signed, Iran will reduce the number of centrifuges it has from 19,000 to 6,000 and these 6,000 will be of the first generation, less effective type only. It will not enrich uranium beyond 3.7 percent for use only in power-producing reactors. The 10 tons of enriched material they have will be reduced to only 300 kilograms and that too to be kept for only 15 years.
All advanced, modern centrifuges will be dismantled and stored under IAEA control with IAEA inspectors having unrestricted access to any place and plant in Iran. All nuclear-related materials will have to be ordered through an IAEA appointed committee. In short, the Iranian tiger has become a toothless and clawless one, easily mauled by any street dog.
The Iranian public seems happy enough since economic restrictions were hurting them badly. Now they have heaved a sigh of relief. They can sell their oil and travel abroad freely. The Iranian government had no other choice but to agree to this pact, otherwise the western countries would have turned Iran into another Libya. Unfortunately, Iran had no Bhutto, Gen Zia or Ghulam Ishaq Khan to resist pressure and not so many competent, dedicated people as we had at KRL, Kahuta. It was a question of seizing the opportunity when it arose and putting the most competent, honest, dedicated people at the helm to work freely – and Iran let their chance pass.
For a project of this magnitude one has to be 100 steps ahead of one’s adversaries – we tried to be 200 steps ahead! Iran should have progressed so fast and so silently at the initial stages that the western powers would not have known about it at all until after the deed was done and the goal achieved.
In 1985 we went on an official tour to Cairo to visit a shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft missile factory where we met many senior officials. They had a pretty good idea that we were an undeclared nuclear power, thanks to Gen Zia’s statements in India. During dinner, one of the officials sitting next to me asked if I thought they would succeed if they started out on a nuclear programme.
I frankly told him that this was impossible as in Egypt, where there were too many Israeli and other foreign agents. Such a programme could not be kept secret for longer than a few weeks. The only way of putting pressure on the western countries and Israel is by joining hands with Iraq, Syria, Libya, Iran and Saudi Arabia and revoke association with the NPT and CWC (Chemical Weapons Convention). This would send out a strong signal indicating that they meant business. We were not part of the NPT (unlike India) and we managed to become a nuclear power. We also did not violate any international commitments or laws.
While in Cairo we also visited the museum – a real eye opener. It was amazing to see how advanced the Egyptians (Pharaohs, etc) had been 5000 years ago. I even told my guide, a colonel, that, had the Egyptians kept up their progress, they would have been able to send a man to the moon 2000 years ago.
The hypocrisy of western leaders (especially those of the US, UK and France) is obvious in their policies towards Israel and the Palestinians. All US and French presidents and British MPs have made certain that the poor Palestinians do not get a place to live peacefully and manage their own affairs. All their properties and lands are being forcibly occupied, the West Bank is being totally and fully annexed and the Palestinians are being forced to either leave their homeland or live as second-rate citizens.
Despite repeated tall claims and promises made by President Obama, the Palestinians have not been given anything. The Arabs also carry a large part of the blame for this as they have totally ignored the edict of Allah: “Take heed, then O you with eyes (to see)” (59:2). Had we not managed to give Pakistan nuclear and missile capabilities, we would probably have been no better off today than the Palestinians are.
NOTE: Corrections to last week’s article thanks to Ahmad Mukarram. It was not Sir Syed Ahmed Khan etc who founded the All India Muslim League but Nawab Salimullah Khan, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Maulana Ali Johar, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Sir M Shafi and H H Sir Aga Khan III. Also, the Lahore Resolution was presented on March 23, 1940 and adopted on March 24.
Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com