Imperialism And Resistance

Islamic Relief

Allama Ali Murtaza Zaidi’s Flood Relief Project

Also see:

Fatima Bhutto: Pakistan’s Devastating Floods Are President Zardari’s Katrina. But I have to say, why do US progressive/leftists have such difficulty in finding authentic voices from Muslim countries? The only types they seem to interview are from the liberal elites, Fatima Bhutto is not even from that class, hers is a feudal massive landowning class, and like most others from both the liberal elite and feudal backgrounds, she has little or no direct connection with the vast working class of the country.

And here Amy Goodman repeats a similar Islamophobic refrain that has become popular amongst the western styled liberals who shudder at the thought that Islamic charities are actually doing what they do best:

And (the Washington Post) goes on to say, Islamic charities, including ones that are known fronts for banned militant groups, have begun distributing assistance in some areas…

The above is really a non-issue, what is an issue is how the US and other imperial powers will attempt to use disaster capitalism and the shock doctrine to try and capitalize on the floods to reshape Pakistan in their own image (they will fail, but they will try). Amy Goodman, instead of just picking a feudal to interview, might have instead tried to bring the voices of those who are directly involved in rescue efforts – such as representatives from the Islamic charities.

Again Amy Goodman:

We’re still on the line with Fatima Bhutto, the Pakistani poet, the niece of the assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Come on, Fatima Bhutto is not just a “poet” – she is one of the heirs to one of the most powerful feudal political families of the country, These people may put up a face that western liberals might feel comfortable with, but they do not represent the vast majorities of Pakistan, they only represent their own tiny class.

Shoe thrown at the empire worshiping puppet president of Pakistan

Not surprising – here are a some charts from the most recent Pew Global Attitudes Survey (of Pakistanis …)

It appears that some of the so-called “third world” nations continue to suffer from a colonial mindset especially in some of the countries of Africa and East Asia. As would be expected, clarity about the present day conditions of our world is especially strong in Muslim majority nations.

Pakistanis are especially clear about the origin and nature of the problem:

And, thankfully, are not fooled by the now discredited Obamamaniacs.

Pakistanis are also clear about the solution to the problems they are facing, unfortunately, there is very little clear thinking on part of the religious leadership on how to play a leadership role and help the people bring themselves to a level where they can rid themselves off imperial-neocolonialism. Pakistan does have some outstanding Shi’a Islamic scholars and organizations, unfortunately the same cannot be said of the Sunnis. The reactionaries, often completely infiltrated by the imperial powers, have little to offer for the populace as a whole, and the more mainstream Sunni organizations are too well connected to the feudals on the one hand, and the wealthy capitalist industrialists on the other. As such they often end up being an hindrance rather than a force for real change based on Islamic values.  Pakistan, being a majority Sunni country, can hardly be expected to follow the Shi’a leadership (especially since US ally “saudi” Arabia has effectively poisoned the atmosphere in the country) – but given the sentiment and conditions in the country, it is high time independent Sunni scholars began to seriously develop an Islamic movement that will be accountable only to the vast mustad’afun fi’l-ard, not to the imperialists, not to the “enlightened” liberals, not to the feudals, and clearly not to the urban elite capitalist industrialists.

click here to view (Urdu lectures by Ustad Syed Jawad Naqvi)

Statement of Rahbar (English subtitled)

Scenes from Imamia Students Organization (ISO) demonstration in Karachi