Dr. Umar Khan
Dr. Khan belongs to a Lahore based Think Tank.
14-8-17
Diagonally different lessons learnt at
Vienna and Kyoto
“Oh God, save me from
the devil and the Turk”. Popular prayer in the European churches of medieval ages.
In 1683 Ottoman Khilafat was at its peak of power spread across
Asia, Africa and Europe. It had already conquered nearly half of Europe and had
eyes on the “Golden Apple” Vienna, the greatest city of continental Europe
after Rome. Apart from prestige trade routes would be attained bringing
financial and political benefits. Europe was divided in religious wars after
reformation and had clipped the wings of clergy restraining it from interfering
in political matters. On top of it Vienna had just suffered a terrible endemic
of plague causing enormous loss of life and suffering. Right time to strike. No
wonder Khalifa Sultan Mehmet chose his brilliant Grand Vizier Kara Mustapha Pasha
for this noble cause and provided him with war resources abundantly. Marching
towards Vienna with over 150 thousand brave men apparently the fate of city was
sealed, it was only a matter of time and the Golden Apple would fall in the lap
of the great general. Some portions of society had already started preparations
of celebrations.
Fate had other plans and it turned otherwise. German and
Polish help arrived in time while Ottomans became complacent due to over
confidence and got beat badly despite numerical superiority. Now Europeans were
the aggressors and Turks the defenders and this scenario lasted centuries.
Such a disastrous debacle was taken seriously by the Sultan
and Turkish society. Causes of this tragedy were investigated and conclusions
drawn. To begin with death penalty was given to the Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa
Pasha. Being heavily influenced by Muslim Clergy the causes enumerated in
medieval Turkish wisdom were about distance from religion and non adherence to
the tenants of Islam specially regularity of prayers 5 times a day. Lack of
jazba and longing for martyrdom (shahadat), and love for this world were also
identified as reasons for this disaster and instilling more of them in the
younger generation was recommended through education and indoctrination. In
short, closer adherence to the past was recommended and modernity or change was
discouraged. These recommendations were followed with zeal all over the empire.
Around 170 years later in 1853 US Commodore Mathew Perry went
to a secluded sleepy island nation of Japan still living in the feudal age and
threatened it with big ships and fire power. Japanese were wary of foreigners
and guarded their borders but its sovereignty was under threat and the proud
Japanese were humbled. They had already seen what technology; dependant on
education could do to its powerful big neighbor, China. Opium wars had just
concluded in 1840s and China was humiliated and forced to buy opium from
powerful Europeans and let them destroy its generations.
Foreseeing this tragic fate, Japanese conceded to Perry’s
demands and bought time to think and face reality.
During this turmoil a young teenager Prince Matsuhito became
Emperor Meiji and transformed the society. Causes for Japan’s weaknesses were
explored, identified and recommendations for its remedy enumerated. It was
called Charter oath which was signed on 7th
April 1868 with 767 prominent signatories and it changed Japan for ever.
“By this oath, we set up as our aim the establishment of
the national wealth on a broad basis and the framing of a constitution and
laws.
1.
Deliberative
assemblies shall be widely established and all matters decided by open
discussion.
2.
All classes, high
and low, shall be united in vigorously carrying out the administration of
affairs of state.
3.
The common people,
no less than the civil and military officials, shall all be allowed to pursue
their own calling so that there may be no discontent.
4.
Evil customs of the
past shall be broken off and everything based upon the just laws of Nature.
5.
Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundation of imperial rule.”
Books can be written about Meiji revolution but I will try to
summarize,
- Class
system was abolished.
- Modern education was
promoted and knowledge was gathered from across the globe.
- Military was reformed and
nationwide conscription instituted.
- Economy was
industrialized.
- Rational way of thinking
was promoted.
Sitting comfortably in the twenty
first century enjoying the luxuries the Sultans and Emperors couldn’t imagine,
observing the effects of these two diagonally different approaches make a very
interesting study.
Turkey then a world power, started retreating and this
retreat lasted over 200 years. In those 200 years Turkey was repeatedly beaten
and humiliated by different Christian nations ultimately labeled as the sick
man of Europe. It was only after the young Turks took over during the First
World War and fought very hard that ultimately a small Turkey survived, a
shadow of the original one.
Much of Muslim world which was being led by Turkish Khilafat
was regularly humiliated and subjugated until all but 2 Muslim nations became
European colonies. The 2 exceptions were also hardly sovereign.
Muslims who once led the world in sciences, arts and other
fields lagged behind other nations with negligible contribution allowing
critics to claim the Islamic contribution towards humanity in last 500 years was
insignificant.
The entire Islamic world today is unstable and nearly an international
pariah suspected and demeaned.
I won’t go and further and let the reader find his/her own
realities.
On the contrary Emperor Meiji’s steps resulted in a totally
different Japan. In short term during Meiji’s reign Japan won wars against
Chinese and Russians and in the Second World War they made the world’s super
power go through the biggest embarrassment in surrender of Singapore.
Unfortunately they associated with the colonial powers and not their Asian
neighbors.
After the terrible defeat and destruction of the world war
Japan resurrected from its ashes and within no time became a world economic
giant beating the west in its own playing field, industry. In these
achievements it finally broke the aura of the white man helping all non whites
giving the message that it’s not race but rationality and hard work that makes
you effective and successful.
Ultimately Japan today is richer, more prosperous than the
west and somewhat enjoys the kind of status the Europeans enjoyed in Asia a
hundred years back, everyone enticing them to invest in their country.
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin
and culture is like a tree without roots. History can’t be changed but
certainly learnt from. I think it is imperative that every Pakistani child must
be taught these two great events that changed the course of history for ever.
We must teach our younger generation true history and not
the fancy war stories my generation was fed with giving a strange confusing
message. That is if we want to change the four hundred years old direction of
history.
“Yeh ummat rivayat mein kho gayi
Haqeeqat kharafat mein kho gayi”
