ISLAM’S COMMITMENT TO NATION-BUILDING

opportunities, their selfless service in the field of education, medical care, charities and development is exemplary. The Christians are a good example of this. They have been doing this work from the time when others had hardly started and in places where others feared to venture. They have welcomed everyone, irrespective of beliefs. People from all walks of life benefit from their services. Religious Unity Should everyone have the same religious beliefs in a country for it to progress? A few thinkers were of the opinion that religious unity had the power to bring about national progress. Religious unity implied that all religions were essentially one. It was believed that if this concept could take root in people’s minds, it would produce a sense of unity all over the country. Historically speaking, of course, this assumption was proved wrong; there is a long, sorry record of even co-religionists fighting fiercely among themselves. If the task of constructing the nation is to be successfully accomplished, we must rid ourselves of our obsession with such impracticable concepts as unity of religion and culture, and should forge ahead despite our differences. The truth is that the only practicable basis of nationhood is patriotism. Our prime target should be the fostering of the spirit of patriotism amongst the people of our country. The Quran (49: 13) says: ‘Mankind! We have created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes, so that you might come to know each other.’ The term ‘peoples’ in this verse indicates groups that share a common homeland, while the term ‘tribes’ refers to groups based on racial commonality. According to the Quran, both types of grouping of people are simply for the sake of knowing each other, not for indicating relationships of belief or religion. According to the Islamic perspective, religious unity is not the path for a nation’s progress. At the same time, adherence to Islam does not clash with one’s love for one’s country. However, the behaviour of some Muslims gives this kind of impression to the world. The reason is that some Muslim thinkers have interpreted Islam in an extremist manner that brands all other systems as false. This notion of ‘false systems’ was The Quran says, ‘Lakum deenukum waliyadeen’ which means, ‘to each, his own religion’. This is the fundamental principle of secularism of our nation.