Misbahuddin Mirza
When the renowned philosopher-poet Dr. Mohammed Iqbal wrote the Urdu couplet:
ہزاروں سال نرگس اپنی بینوری پہ روتی ہے
بڑی مشکل سے ہوتا ہے چمن میں دید اور پیدا
(Translation: For a thousand years the narcissus (flower) laments about its lack of beauty; With extreme difficulty does the garden give birth to a man of vision)
He was writing about exceptional world leaders like Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who appear on this planet only once in a millennium.
Jamia Millia Islamia University’s awarding President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan an honorary Doctorate degree was the right thing. I realize that the University is not the same institution that was established by great Muslims like Moulana Mohammed Ali Jouhar, the founder of the Khilafat Movement. It is now a government owned school, and the decision to award the honor could be a ploy to use Turkey to back India’s attempt to secure a seat on the UN Security Council. But, President Erdoğan is an extremely intelligent and savvy leader who will not let down the interests of the Ummah.
Remember, if you are not at the table, you do not have a voice. Since the abolition of the Khilafah (Caliphate), no leader comes remotely close to single mindedly pursuing the welfare of the Ummah as President Erdoğan has.
For almost a millennium the Turkish sultans had treated the world’s various ethnic groups with the utmost respect and equality. They even promoted and allowed their able slaves to become Sultans in the Indian subcontinent and in Egypt. The Turkish Seljuq Sultan Nuruddin Zangi made the young, brilliant Kurdish commander Salahuddin Ayubbi in charge of defending Egypt from the Crusaders, and who later went on to unite the Muslims to retake the holy city of Jerusalem.
The August 16, 2014 edition of the Economist, stated “Given what have been broadly fair polls, with mostly high turnouts, nobody can seriously challenge Mr. Erdoğan’s democratic credentials…. economic growth has averaged some 5%. Inflation has been tamed. The army has been brought under greater civilian control. Mr. Erdoğan has made more progress than any previous political leader in giving Turkey’s Kurds greater rights. In 2005 he achieved something that had eluded all his predecessors: the start of membership talks with the European Union.”
In a civilized society, disagreeing on facts is highly encouraged. But, it is surprising when a handful of semiliterate alumnus decide to protest the honor bestowed on Erdoğan by Jamia Milia Islamia University by using crass language and unsubstantiated allegations. Even more surprising is that some writers have blindly picked up these dimwits’ uncorroborated social media rants and quoted them as fact. By using inane language and unconfirmed assertions, these alumni exhibit their poverty-of-vocabulary and lower socio-intellectual status.
Their absurd attempt to compare President Erdoğan, an elected leader, with a bunch of tyrants who had never run for elected office displays their sheer ignorance and obliviousness. India has been blessed with an honest, independent mainstream media, thanks to most Indians who demand facts, not opinions. The same is unfortunately not true for many countries where powerful media tycoons slant the news, or the government controls the media. These naïve writers/ protesters probably are not aware that Turkey and all its institutions (including the Press) were under the firm grip of the army, until the people got tired of the army’s interference and elected Erdoğan.
The massively popular Erdoğan took his country out of economic doldrums with a steady record annual growth while many of its neighboring European countries are in virtual financial ruin. Recently, there was a coup and attempt on the President’s life. Hence, the country is going through their normal process of governmental inquiries. Comparing the benevolent President Erdoğan to oppressors who have gassed hundreds of thousands of their own people not only undermines the credibility of such writers, but, also raises questions about the possible motives behind these unsubstantiated and vile tirades.
Misbahuddin Mirza, M.S., P.E., is a licensed professional engineer, registered in the States of New York and New Jersey. He is the Regional Quality Control Engineer for the New York State Department of Transportation’s Structures Division, New York City Region. He has written for major US and Indian publications.