Where Is Heaven? ... Not Pakistan!

Wouldn't it be balm for national pride if a 7-year stay and the attainment of citizenship conferred on all those who made the commitment, attained an immutable sense of obligation to peace, stability, equality, respect for others, the rule of law and democracy. If we are to take Tahir ul Qadri at his effusive word, perhaps his sojourn in Canada has indeed resulted in a sense of personal responsibility. Some of his statements are indeed conducive to hope.

As, for example, in his own words through an interview with Canada's National Post newspaper:

"Islam teaches democracy, Islam teaches human rights, Islam defends the rights of minorities. Islam does not believe in discrimination. So my interpretation of Islam is a bit different from the mullahs. I feel that the teachings of Islam creates a moderate, progressive, free and democratic society, free of every kind of extremism and terrorism. This is my interpretation of Islam and what I want to see here."

"Here", is Pakistan. For the Pakistan-born Mr. Qadri has returned to his country of birth, left Toronto where he has resided for the past seven years with his wife and seven children, and entered the maelstrom of Pakistani politics. The manner in which he describes Islam is as foreign to the scantily acquired knowledge through the news of the past several decades, as night is unto day. The Islam the West has been introduced to, is counter to his description.

It is hugely immoderate, backward- and inward-looking, xenophobic, constricting, extreme and dedicated to influencing its youth toward violent jihad. This is far from Mr. Qadri's interpretation. Even while we know and we make haste to acknowledge that the vast majority of Muslims fall far closer to Mr. Qadri's interpretation than what has been ubiquitous in the news, what sticks in our minds is the ever-present threat of Islamism.

Look anywhere in the world today and a large number of countries and societies, democratic or not, both economically advanced and socially backward at two extremes, are threatened by something we have come to know as a movement toward 'global jihad', and which Muslims themselves name as Islamophobia.

It is no mere phobia to see at a remove through the news media, the struggles ongoing between established societies and the virulent extremism of Islamists dedicated to the concept of restoring an Islamic Caliphate. That quite aside from the fact that bloody violence continues to wreak havoc throughout the world of Islam as sectarian violence takes its grisly toll.

But Mr. Qadri, a lawyer by training, and an Islamic scholar and cleric, has returned to Pakistan to denounce endemic corruption and the ineffectiveness of Pakistan's political elite. He has dedicated himself to leading a movement for change; a profound change, a complete turn-about from what currently obtains, keeping the country backward, beleaguered and afflicted by violent Islamism.

"People are coming out of their houses and joining this march", he said to his interlocutors. "The crowd is very motivated, but totally peaceful, totally unarmed. There are men, women, girls, boys, young and old -- even up to 90 years of age. There are farmers, there are workers, there are lawyers, and people from every party are here."

"Here", again is downtown Islamabad, and Mr. Qadri and his key insiders have sequestered themselves in the centre of that bustling city, behind a bullet-proof barrier, demanding that the government of President Zardari and his Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, whom the Supreme Court has ordered arrested for bribe-taking, resign immediately.

The standoff between Mr. Qadri and the government has been resolved, it appears. Cabinet Ministers met with Mr. Qadri and agreed after talks, to some of his demands. "We have reached an agreement. Allah granted us a victory and now you can go home", he informed his supporters. His supporters broke into cheers and danced in the streets.

Parliament will be dissolved ahead of March 16 and elections will take place within 90 days. Further, electoral reforms will be discussed.




And although Mr. Qadri denies he has any ties to the Pakistani military. He had insisted that he wanted the military and the judiciary to take part in overseeing the coming elections, and to form a caretaker government beforehand. His critics feel he is attempting to leverage a place for himself in the scheme of things. This demand was dismissed out of hand.

"Of all my demands, nothing I am asking is against the constitution of Pakistan and nothing I am asking is against the universal principles of democracy. In Pakistan we do not have effective democracy, we have electoral authoritarianism. The elections here are just a tool, to win elections by hook-and-crook, manipulation and corruption", he said. How involving the military would add to the democratic vision, evades reasoning.

The government, he continues has failed. "They have not established human rights, the rule of law, they have not established social democracy, economic democracy or political democracy. They have not been able to establish the rule of law here -- radicalism is increasing and extremism is increasing. These officials are getting money in the name of counter-terrorism, but the money is all going into their pockets."

"Our demands are very clear, very simple. We just want to get rid of corruption and have democracy, true democracy, in play. This is so that the electoral process can be clarified and guarded against corruption so that good, honest people can be elected into the parliament and lead our country. We are trying to educate the people, to lead the people of Pakistan to work for democracy, to work for peace, to work for the rights of minorities, and to work for the rights of women and the empowerment of women."

"The Canadian policies of democracy, I love. Canadian democratic policies are the best in the world and our society, the Canadian society, is the best multicultural society in the world, and the most peaceful society in the world. If anyone asks, 'Where on Earth is heaven?' I would say that Canadian society is our heaven. I want the same kind of reflection in Pakistan -- it is impossible to create the same kind of circumstances, but I want to put the society of Pakistan at least in the same direction that we see in Canada."

Perhaps Mr. Qadri has heard that fond old adage: Flatter Will Get You Everything. In Canada, in any event. On the other hand, perhaps not; another Canadian of Pakistani heritage, one who is a true and stalwart democratic and critic of Islam-gone-astray, has other thoughts about Mr. Qadri. He not only doubts the sincerity of Mr. Qadri's transformation, but believes he is up to grave mischief. And in his own words, the reasoning behind his suspicion of Mr. Qadri's motivation:

A Canadian cleric, who has twice played a part in backing military juntas in nuclear-armed Pakistan, is back in that country. And once more, he appears to be facilitating a military takeover in Islamabad.
Tahir-ul-Qadri is better known for his role in the creation of the infamous “Anti-Blasphemy Law” of Pakistan, that has brought untold misery to religious minorities and agnostics.
In the 1980s, Qadri backed the military junta of the Islamist General Zia who had overthrown former prime minister Z.A. Bhutto. In 1999, he backed the administration of General Pervez Musharraf, which had staged a coup against former prime minister Nawaz Shariff.
By the time democracy was restored in Pakistan, Qadri had emigrated to Canada, where he went into political hibernation until he became eligible for a Canadian passport.
Tahrek Fatah - from the Toronto Sun newspaper, 17 January 2013