The experience of Turkey has lessons for Kashmir
DR. SHEIKH SHOWKAT HUSSAIN
Ottoman Empire remained a problem for the West for five hundred centuries. It controlled all the trade routes connecting Europe with India, China and far East. With crusades going on trade between Europe and the east either remained at the mercy of Ottomans or blocked. It was this blockade of trade routes that the made the West desperate for sea routes towards the east. This disadvantage was transformed into an advantage through creation of huge naval fleets that finally facilitated discovery of Australia as well as America. Despite being portrayed as Sick Man of Europe, Ottoman Empire continued to be perceived as threat and rival. It was seat of Khilafat the potential rallying point of Muslims thus the West did not miss any opportunity to harm it.
After failing to achieve anything through crusades, they resorted to ideological warfare. Emergence of nationalism which had played a role in fragmenting Europe into small nation states was used as a tool for dismemberment of Ottoman Empire. Through Sharif of Mecca and Lawrence of Arabia, dose of Arab nationalism was administered to Muslims of Middle East. They rebelled against Ottoman authority and provided a pretext to the western powers to dismantle the Empire. In reaction to Arab nationalism, Turks too got infested by Turkish Nationalism. The nationalism found its extreme manifestation in the ideology of Kamal Attaturk who proceeded to the extent of eradicating everything Arabic from Turkish culture and state craft. Turkey abandoned Shariah as law of the land in favor of secular laws imported from the Europe. Even recitation of Azaan in Arabic language was forbidden.
Muslim cultural traits too were abdicated and substituted by European ones. The process of secularization of Turkey was pursued vigorously with the hope and expectation that it will be treated as equal with Europeans. Despite ninety years of quest to seek parity with Europe Turkey failed to get full membership of European Union. Turkish masses who were already skeptical about Europeanization started to support the groups who were in favor of pan Islamism rather than Turkish Nationalism. Islamists started to get increased share in the voting and finally, managed to wield the real power. New government started to look east.
Deya ranj butoon nay Khuda yaad aaya.
In this process Turkey started to rediscover its roots. Enhanced trade and Political links with Muslim world inflated its fortunes both in economic and political terms. Turkey Started to reassert itself as a leader of Muslim world. The government which was among the first to recognize Israel dispatched freedom Flotilla towards Gaza. Turkey assumed a patronizing role for Arab spring and the revolutions that it triggered. For years Turkey aspired for to be equal to Europeans but it could not achieve the parity with Europeans in spite of submitting to their agenda in every aspect of life.
The experience of Turkey has lessons for Kashmir. For past three decades we have been using a lot of our energies and man power to mobilize the US, UK &Europe in favor of Kashmir cause. Apart from using Kashmir as a trump card for fulfillment of their strategic and economic interests, western countries did not do anything substantial for resolution of Kashmiri dispute. Instead it used Kashmir as a bargaining chip to pursue its foreign policy agenda. A recent instance of such an attitude can been seen in the humiliating treatment to which Mr. Ghulam Nabi Fai was subjected by the US administration. He was detained while US Secretary of State was in New Delhi. Timing of the action indicates that the initiative was aimed at appeasing the hosts. What Kashmir experienced from West is not anyway different from the experience of other liberation struggles. Dozens of times Americans used their Veto power in favor of racist regime of South Africa. They always came to the rescue of Israel whenever world body tried to take any steps in favor of oppressed Palestinians. Same continues to be its attitude even now. The two state formula and acknowledgement of statehood of Palestine has received a lot of lip service from highest officials of the US administration. When Palestinians are aspiring to get enrolled as full member of UN, American administration irrespective of its pretentions is determined to block the enrollment of Palestine through use of Veto. French and British too follow the suit and oppose any attempt of Palestinians to get their homeland recognized as a state by the UN. In this scenario, is it not an opportune time for Kashmiris to look towards alternative and more credible avenues of support? Instead of investing human and material resource for mobilization of opinion within west why do not we invest our resources for same job within other centers of power and the Islamic world? The results of this strategy are likely to remain more positive towards us as has been the experience of Turkey.
Freedom struggles in various parts of the world have succeeded, despite opposition of Americans and its allies solely because of the support from Islamic and the third world countries. We too can reorient and reconsider our strategy and succeed in the same way. Democratization of the Arab world and increasing importance of Turkey provides us an avenue for reorienting our strategy. The growing proximity of India with Israel has already exposed the myth of pro-Arab and Pro-Muslim credentials of Indian State. Indians have annoyed Iranians by succumbing to American pressure on India-Pak-Iran gas pipeline. Dismantling of Babri Masjid and recurring communal riots have already unmasked the secular portrayal of India. Let us emulate the Turkish experience. Instead of looking towards the West let us revert back to our roots look for the alternative avenues of support.
After failing to achieve anything through crusades, they resorted to ideological warfare. Emergence of nationalism which had played a role in fragmenting Europe into small nation states was used as a tool for dismemberment of Ottoman Empire. Through Sharif of Mecca and Lawrence of Arabia, dose of Arab nationalism was administered to Muslims of Middle East. They rebelled against Ottoman authority and provided a pretext to the western powers to dismantle the Empire. In reaction to Arab nationalism, Turks too got infested by Turkish Nationalism. The nationalism found its extreme manifestation in the ideology of Kamal Attaturk who proceeded to the extent of eradicating everything Arabic from Turkish culture and state craft. Turkey abandoned Shariah as law of the land in favor of secular laws imported from the Europe. Even recitation of Azaan in Arabic language was forbidden.
Muslim cultural traits too were abdicated and substituted by European ones. The process of secularization of Turkey was pursued vigorously with the hope and expectation that it will be treated as equal with Europeans. Despite ninety years of quest to seek parity with Europe Turkey failed to get full membership of European Union. Turkish masses who were already skeptical about Europeanization started to support the groups who were in favor of pan Islamism rather than Turkish Nationalism. Islamists started to get increased share in the voting and finally, managed to wield the real power. New government started to look east.
Deya ranj butoon nay Khuda yaad aaya.
In this process Turkey started to rediscover its roots. Enhanced trade and Political links with Muslim world inflated its fortunes both in economic and political terms. Turkey Started to reassert itself as a leader of Muslim world. The government which was among the first to recognize Israel dispatched freedom Flotilla towards Gaza. Turkey assumed a patronizing role for Arab spring and the revolutions that it triggered. For years Turkey aspired for to be equal to Europeans but it could not achieve the parity with Europeans in spite of submitting to their agenda in every aspect of life.
The experience of Turkey has lessons for Kashmir. For past three decades we have been using a lot of our energies and man power to mobilize the US, UK &Europe in favor of Kashmir cause. Apart from using Kashmir as a trump card for fulfillment of their strategic and economic interests, western countries did not do anything substantial for resolution of Kashmiri dispute. Instead it used Kashmir as a bargaining chip to pursue its foreign policy agenda. A recent instance of such an attitude can been seen in the humiliating treatment to which Mr. Ghulam Nabi Fai was subjected by the US administration. He was detained while US Secretary of State was in New Delhi. Timing of the action indicates that the initiative was aimed at appeasing the hosts. What Kashmir experienced from West is not anyway different from the experience of other liberation struggles. Dozens of times Americans used their Veto power in favor of racist regime of South Africa. They always came to the rescue of Israel whenever world body tried to take any steps in favor of oppressed Palestinians. Same continues to be its attitude even now. The two state formula and acknowledgement of statehood of Palestine has received a lot of lip service from highest officials of the US administration. When Palestinians are aspiring to get enrolled as full member of UN, American administration irrespective of its pretentions is determined to block the enrollment of Palestine through use of Veto. French and British too follow the suit and oppose any attempt of Palestinians to get their homeland recognized as a state by the UN. In this scenario, is it not an opportune time for Kashmiris to look towards alternative and more credible avenues of support? Instead of investing human and material resource for mobilization of opinion within west why do not we invest our resources for same job within other centers of power and the Islamic world? The results of this strategy are likely to remain more positive towards us as has been the experience of Turkey.
Freedom struggles in various parts of the world have succeeded, despite opposition of Americans and its allies solely because of the support from Islamic and the third world countries. We too can reorient and reconsider our strategy and succeed in the same way. Democratization of the Arab world and increasing importance of Turkey provides us an avenue for reorienting our strategy. The growing proximity of India with Israel has already exposed the myth of pro-Arab and Pro-Muslim credentials of Indian State. Indians have annoyed Iranians by succumbing to American pressure on India-Pak-Iran gas pipeline. Dismantling of Babri Masjid and recurring communal riots have already unmasked the secular portrayal of India. Let us emulate the Turkish experience. Instead of looking towards the West let us revert back to our roots look for the alternative avenues of support.
Published in Greater Kashmir dated 25 Sept 2011
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