From: <Mybacha@aol.com>
To: <defjrnl@pathfinder9.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2003 3:50 AM
Subject: Letter to Editor

Dear Editor,

Mr. Kaiser Tufail’s account of the role of a Pakistani air force officer in 1967 Arab-Israeli war was an interesting reading. At individual level, it gives the professional competence of a brave soldier and he deserves all praise. However, I would like to draw attention to a wider perspective, which this small event alludes to. The dilemma of identity crisis affecting many post-colonial states especially Muslim countries and its impact on these societies has not been seriously studied. Complete focus on external factors be it denouncing of Israel by Arabs, India by Pakistanis and West and America by everybody has stunted the political thought even among the intelligentsia in most Muslim countries. External factors are important and need to be carefully considered for any complete picture but total reliance on external factors can distort the picture beyond recognition with far reaching consequences for a nation. Policies of United States and Israel can be criticized very effectively on rational arguments and moral grounds.

A careful look at the facts presented in the article will clearly illustrate the deep crisis affecting Muslim societies. No amount of anti-Israel or anti-West rhetoric can hide this plain and painful fact. Flight Lieutenant Saif-ul-Azam wearing the uniform of Pakistan force fought alongside his ‘Arab brothers’ against Israel in 1967. Barely three years later, he being a Bengali was not seen reliable by his own Pakistani countrymen. Bengali pilots were grounded as they could not be trusted. Within four short years, he was not even a Pakistani anymore as Bengalis had decided they had enough of Pakistan. He was the citizen of a new country. One can understand the pain of this brave officer. He went hundreds of miles away to help his ‘brothers’ but could not save his own country. His world was shattered between his nationality (Pakistani) and his ethnic identity (Bengali). The political and national failure can be easily judged by the simple fact that many brave Bengali officers joined hands with Indians to achieve their independence while many brave and patriotic non-Bengali officers ended up killing more of their own countrymen (Bengalis) than the enemy (Indians).

On the Arab side, nothing is more painful than the fact that all military and economic strength, which these countries gathered under the pretext of confronting Israel, has been used against Arabs and Muslims. All their actions have resulted in more pain and suffering of Arabs than any serious injury to Israel. Lets look at these painful and shameful facts. The Jordanian soldiers in 1967 were thinking that they are trying to help Palestinians achieve their homeland. Palestinian radical groups unable to beat Israelis planned to assassinate King Hussain of Jordan, a country where they were given refuge. The argument they used was that King was an agent of Israel and United States. Hussain fuming at this betrayal unleashed his soldiers on Palestinian refugee camps. The Jordanian soldiers took a terrible revenge taking no prisoners, executing many who surrendered. Palestinians remember those violent events of 1970 as Black September. Iraqi soldiers who were supposed to fight Israel to protect their Arab brothers were so professional that when they did not like the order of their own commander they threatened to shoot him. In next two decades, Iraqi soldiers were involved in a fratricidal war with Muslim Iran and later embarked on a genocidal campaign against their own countrymen (Kurds & Shias). Syrian military after losing a large tract of land to Israel, launched a number of coups against its own citizens to prove their manhood. The number of Israelis killed by Syrian soldiers can be counted on fingers but the body count of Syrians killed by its own army has not even started. In 1982, indiscriminate attack on its own city of Hama by Syrian army using artillery and air force has resulted in estimated deaths of about 10,000 to 40,000 Syrians, much larger than those killed by Israelis. The number of Muslims killed and maimed in these adventures was several thousand folds more than Israeli casualties at the hands of Arabs.

The new generation has to come up with solutions for their respective societies to the best of their abilities to meet the challenges. Mere rhetoric, xenophobia and hyperbole are going to take another generation into the wilderness with terrible consequences not for their alleged enemies but for themselves. Large standing armies and state of the art lethal equipment if not accompanied with a stable political culture has the capability to pulverize the society from inside. The real challenge of Muslim societies is to develop a political culture where the best abilities of their citizens can be used for the uplift of these societies. Once this goal is achieved, then they will be able to successfully confront external challenges.

Kind regards,

Hamid Hussain

Port Jefferson, New York
humza@dnamail.com