In the Aftermath of World War II

IN THE AFTERMATH OF WORLD WAR II Ulama of Muslim-majority countries should stay aloof from politics, and focus on the reform of the Muslims, awakening the true spirit of Islam in them and producing Islamic literature according to modern standards that would promote an urge to discover Islam among people. T he unnecessary political and violent struggle of the Ulama failed to defeat the Western colonial powers who had established control over most Muslimmajority lands. However, internecine fighting among the Western countries themselves, culminating in the Second World War, drained their military strength to such an extent that it became exceedingly difficult for them to continue to exercise political control over foreign countries, including most Muslim-majority lands. That is why they granted political independence to these countries in the mid-20th century, although their cultural and economic control over them remained undiminished. As a result of this development, around fifty Muslimmajority politically independent states emerged in Asia and Africa. At this time, too, it was the task of the Ulama in these countries to shoulder the very