Development Demystified

1.1 Whatever way underdevelopment is defined and whether one accepts or rejects any such definition, the following questions remain unresolved: why does “underdevelopment” persists, particularly in the Muslim world? Is it a permanent feature of Muslim societies? Are poverty and deprivation, hunger and famine, infant-mortality and illiteracy, epidemic and disaster, political turmoil and repression, external dependence and internal corruption indelible characteristic of Muslim societies and compatible with Islam?

1.2 While the pile of literature on development and underdevelopment is steadily growing, with contributions from the Western pundits and their counterparts in the underdeveloped world, Muslims especially are not succeeding in making any appreciable dent in the problem of underdevelopment. Even the Islamic response to the problem of underdevelopment is intellection at best, and mired in, among many other factors, the pitfalls of “Islamic social science”, compartmentalized in the same way western social science is. Are we all, witting or unwitting, participants in mystifying the problem of underdevelopment? Are really some secrets about development yet to be discovered, something that Muslim in particular do not know yet? If the answer to the above question is negative, then what is the value of the intellectual and practical effort of Muslims to date in analyzing and overcoming our current but chronic conditions that according to Islamic criteria are utterly unacceptable?

1.3 The prime gist of this writing is that there is no secret about development and underdevelopment. And, if there is not, then Muslim who inspires to global transformation of the Ummah, regardless of their professional and academic background, must reexamine their orientation and explore new perspectives to diagnose and address the pertinent issues.

1.4 Everyone all over the world is under illusion that Muslim ummah cannot grow up and develop in its own stand to catch up with the development of today’s modern world. It is indubitable that the contribution of Western to the developments of science and technology achievement is immeasurable but not to the point that they can accuse Muslim with such undeserved label by saying them as underdeveloped society. But Muslim on the contrary should have no illusion towards anybody else about the matters. This unmistakably illustrate the fact that Muslim people has been thought the very good moral system as had been shown by their epitome and illustrious one, Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H, even if the whole world is having ill-will towards them. All of Muslims, however, are truthfully promoted to imitate his good and immaculate moral. Fighting is immensely immaterial right now and the action will somehow considered as ignominious one but the west has haughtily declared that war is imminent to demolish Muslim’s power. They want to immobilize Muslim military power and at the same time attack them until they give up. The detestation towards Muslim is deeply entrenched in their heart.

1.5 This problem is just the tip of the iceberg, there will be much more problems related to and afflicted Muslim Ummah. Ideally, Muslims need to be independent rather clinging on others. Muslim ummah should not anymore idolize western as their model. This thing is truly ignominious defeat of Muslim and Muslim should be shameful of theirselves. People around the world keep calling Muslim as an ignoramus and it was ill-advised attempt to surrender and to give up at this juncture now this action done is not appropriate and ill-timed and inopportune. We are exasperated knowing the ill-treatment of Muslim people in Gaza. It must have been an excruciating for them, their action indisputably excusable.

1.6 The time has come for us to voice our inner dissaticfaction towards what befallen our beloved brothers in Gaza. Many knows how much Muslim people of today suffer from the unendurable pain that no one can ever imagine that, Palestine people still fight for their right and still they do not get what they suppose to get, why don’t we take Afghanistan and Iraq problem into consideration?. Yes, they also endure the same pain as their brother experienced but no one pay attention and sympathize to these poor people even among Muslim people. In the name of vanishing terrorism, western world have the good reason to destroy Muslim, kill Muslim people, rape their daughter, destroy their belongings these are what they order their soldiers to do to the Muslim Ummah there but we the rest Muslim who live the good and happy life never understand their suffering and sadly to note that we admire the civilization of western and its culture more than we respect our Islamic civilization. Dont ask what Arabs can do to solve this problem for they can't do nothing. Arabs now are too coward to discuss this matter and we can see that clearly now. We Malaysians condemn the Jewish doings towards our brother and we will ensure that we will do whatever it takes in tandem with the law to prevent it even it is just by writing or donating money. And for all arabs outside you can continue taking a nap.