Have we ever imagined the root problem with Muslims as a community?
By Sadiya Rohma Khan,
I have no doubts that we all have an idea as to where we have lacked and this is often discussed with family or among friends, only if we believe in the sense of belonging and brotherhood, that today we as a community weep in the clutches of nowhere. We all are so concerned for the community, Hey!! What’s the PoA? The Plan of Action. Are we too busy letting each other down? Or are we too proud that we are too Islamic than the other and instead of reform, we are more on the retribution? This article will be meaningless, if I don’t mention a line about an Islamic scholar whose contribution for the theory of society was priceless – “Ibn Khaldun – The Real Father of Sociology”, since 14th century – it is just to remind the contribution of Islamic scholars for the society in evolving the concept of sociology and social work, while also we cannot forget the Noble Prize winner – Jan Adams in 1931, who also contributed for the same concept. Both personnas are recalled as pioneers in “Mother of Social Work” concepts, but neglected by the next generation scholars in exposing their contributions and making them a living name like the Shakespeare and Picassos.
To discuss the same matter, from a professional social workers eye, I have an opinion which may not differ from many research scholars and believers in the teachings of Islam, for the evolution of many concepts have cropped up from Islam. Very famously it has been quoted in the ‘Theories of Social Work’ that “A social worker’s professional knowledge is formed in the dynamic between institutional construction, social problems and the tradition within the social work discipline.” It’s been my quest, as to what has contributed to the impasse of Muslims as a community which has reflective thoughts on the teachings in social work and this short write up is solely on the basis of Muslim community failures with a professional social workers eye being herself a Muslim.
I believe, it’s an epidemic in Muslims “The Internal Conflicts” which is spreading as rapidly, just as an underground demon and engulfing a major part of the community globally or nationally. When I say “Internal Conflict,” it starts from the smallest system of “Family”, as a unit and extends to the largest form of group called as “Community.” Have we ever thought about the internal differences that have made the community weaker and weaker and have now successfully fragmented it into pieces? The war over the different school of thoughts and further on blending it with some new irrelevant teachings to give the community a wrong way or a misguided path has to led to the failures of so many balanced minds, which could have been used to unite the community. Nevertheless, while discussing about “Internal Conflicts” what comes to my mind as the first stop is a family or an extended family or to say a Joint family.
The difference of opinion which we often come across in family as a unit, is not cultured well or taken care of well in Muslims. Its been talked about very often that internal conflicts need to settle as soon as possible from an Islamic point of view. I am not an Islamic expert so my relevance here will be only about few common things which we all as Muslims are well aware, however, the focus is entirely from professional social work view. This difference comes up often due to difference in education, difference in intellectual levels, difference in right exposures and inclusion of the famous Freud Theory of Id, Ego and Super Ego.
Settling the Freud concepts need a diverse and elevated form of Social Case work, which is seldom done in a Muslim family. The reason being, the very thought of being away from illuminations and concepts of problem solving, alienate them in bringing the right solution at the right time. The focus of algorithmic solution is barely seen in Muslim community. How the Family Internal conflict leads to a Community Internal Conflict, is a very easy slip through like a fish slips out of your hand. The Institution as a family, when entertained by internal conflicts, does not educate the entire members to a positive road which thereby contributes to alienating each person from the road of positivity and creates a puzzled whims and a court of questions with in itself.
It is like behaviours out of disgust or out of despair, and not uniting as a family or extended or joint family, which has least contribution in maintain the discipline of life and harmony and being as humans do, to live a dignified life. What do you think is an antidote for this family disintegration?
I infer, it is a behavioral study that the distribution of equal time, support and understanding, agreements with disagreements and vice versa and finally reconciliations and not ignorance which will enable Muslim families to prosper, and Muslims need to understand the fact that many things are to be learned and the shell of learning does not stop if there is a drop of knowledge you already have. The process of learning is unstoppable and has to be taken in or absorbed with great humbleness, and likewise the humbleness is expected with the conveyor who conveys it.
The act of adamancy is another disease Muslim community faces and brings it as an epicenter which works as a medium frequency earthquake in its road to brotherhood. The Group Dynamics of Forming, Storming, Storming and then Performing may be applied here to have a successful intervention in the Muslim Family, however realizing the fact there could be generation or decade gaps between the members of the family.
There has been a blind mixing of so many school of thoughts that have actually misled the community from its roots of brotherhood and happy association which were gateways to “Peace and Justice”. When there is no Peace and Justice in the community, we cannot appreciate a fact that we build Institutions. Great minds and thinkers failed due to the different road blocks and internal conflicts from within the community itself. We have to agree that we failed in building a system which would uplift the community and look into its major pitfalls. The community got weaker and weakest with no Institution to build or repair the old roads which gave enough light ahead.
We have forgotten the emerald of “Working Collectively”. The fact that Muslim Community is not linked and interconnected well enough is a matter of great worry, as its not working collectively for the cause of upliftment. We may see recent developments not in uniformity but in pocket zones only. Societal pressures of different school of thoughts have totally disintegrated the community to walk on different roads of thoughts and beliefs and alienating, forgetting the main soul of Sunnah and Quran, which are the only actuals for Muslim community to prosper towards unity and brotherhood. The community itself is confused with so many different Sects and new thinkers adding on who have no true knowledge of what really Islam practices. It more or so seems like they are the new entries, seeded or influenced to disintegrate the strong pillars or disintegrate new generation of Muslims.
Coming to the social work lens, working collectively and staying linked with a community, creates a sense of belonging and being there for the community. The poor and weaker look upon the rich for support and roadways to light up their roads to education and sensible guidance.
This has been lacking in Muslim community, wherein the rich pay off the Zakat and Satka while feeling good about being done with the charity contributions. If the cycle of Zakat is studied and implemented the way as directed, we would have discovered no Muslim brother or sister will be left unfed or poor or uneducated even in this 21st century. But again the fact comes in of “Internal Conflict”, so I infer that Internal Conflict and Working Collectively both are inversely proportional to each other. The lesser the internal conflict, more collective working will be there and vice versa.
Reiterating the point of myself not being a scholar but these points mentioned above are known to all, they are like the common questions in every mind, rehearsed and rehearsed but not finding a way out. It time that the Muslim community, creates a goal to bring in all the different school of thoughts to the road of social development and think over about the pitfalls their different speeches create a wandering cloud in the uneducated minds of many Muslims. This is not only focusing on the Asian Muslims but across Globally. For any Muslim, living in a developed country would not mean that every mind is developed for unity and brotherhood. The education of brotherhood and unity needs a lot of patience and Group Work dynamics inclusion to iron the creases and level all to wear a beautiful garment of Muslim brotherhood and unity.
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(Sadiya Rohma Khan is a professional social worker (MSW) with a legal study background. She can be reached at [email protected] )