News:

On March 5, 2015, Pakistani Senator proudly announced that for the first time in Pakistan, the two-day ‘Think Tanks Forum of the Islamic Countries' would be held on March 7-8, in Islamabad, under the joint auspices of Pakistan-China Institute (PCI), the Turkish Asian Centre for Strategic Studies (TASAM), the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), a German think tank, and Pakistan's Senate Committee on Defence. Senator Mushahid Hussain is the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Think Tanks Forum, which Pakistan is hosting for the first time. The Forum has a 9-member board of eminent persons from different Muslim countries, where Senator Mushahid Hussain will be representing Pakistan, while other represented countries include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Malaysia and Sudan. This time Germany will also be attending. So the question arises, why is Pakistan convening this form on its soil for the very first time and for what purpose?

Comment:

Well according to Senator Mushahid Hussain the purpose of the meeting is about Addressing Multi-Dimensional Security Challenges in the Islamic Countries. Newspaper reports provide further details and have mentioned the following topics to be discussed and debated: security challenges (such as terrorism, extremism and cyber security); cooperation in defense, politics and economy; dialogue among Muslims to promote unity; as well as promoting a soft power image of Muslim countries as a whole.

So one may assume that finally the Muslim countries have mustered enough courage and dignity to expose the role of America in waging war in Muslim countries, supporting tyrants to crush Muslim populations, carrying out assassinations in multiple Islamic lands, promoting sectarianism in a bid to conquer and divide Muslim lands to form a new map of the Muslim world.

The plain answer is this, this assumption is wrong from the outset. Rather, the gathering of intellectuals in Islamabad from the aforementioned countries are surrogates of America who have been handed clear instructions to find new styles to wage war against Islam and the Muslim people. No doubt these styles will be disguised under the banner of fighting terrorism and promoting unity in the Muslim world.

The other odd thing to note about this gathering is the presence of a Germany think tank Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. No, the representatives of the Islamic countries are not going to discuss the shortcomings of capitalism, glaring fallacies of Western liberal democracy, and the duplicity of West's selective application of human-rights. Only the opposite is true.

The German think-tank serves two objectives. First, Germany's presence is more palatable to Pakistani population than an American think tank. Second, its role is to ensure that Western culture and civilization permeates all aspects of life in the Muslim world. Senator Mushahid's own words confirm this. He said, "With the active cooperation of our German partner KAS in this important event, Germany's growing role as a bridge between the West and the East, between cultures, civilisations and religions, between Europe and Asia/the Arab World, will be reinforced. "

It is the duty of Muslim intellectuals to take lead in exposing the plans of the Western powers, rebutting the shortcoming of their way of life and offering Islam as a comprehensive solution not only to Western countries but to the whole of mankind. Allah (swt) says:

((وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ))

"And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the Aalameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists)" [al-Anbiya' 21:107]

Submitting to the agenda of the West is intellectual and political suicide, no matter how sincere the intentions may be. Allah (swt) says:

((وَتَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى الْبرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَلاَ تَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى الإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ إِنَّ اللّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ))

"And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty. [TMQ: Al Maedah:2]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Abdul Majeed Bhatti