Racism Losing Its Appeal

Racism Losing Its Appeal

Recent events in France and Australia indicate that racism is beginning to lose its appeal among the gullible masses. The tide began to turn when France won the World Cup '98 last July.

The victory burst the balloon of racism, which had rocketed the firebrand National party leader Jean-­Marie Le Pens to new heights of political power. The French were beginning to rediscover that the source of their strength was not preserving their racial purity but rather in their cultural diversity. In Australia too, the anti-immigration "One Nation Party" got a drubbing at the polls despite the racist outburst of its firebrand leaders. In rejecting the party's manifesto, the Australian voters sent across the message that the rhetoric of racial hatred has no place in cosmopolitan society. In fact, the federal government is going ahead with the plans to mount on board a ship that will set out on a voyage of sprucing up Australia's image of multi-racial and multi-cultural society.

Islam sees mankind as a large garden filled with a variety of flowers, none of which is superior to the other. As Allah says: "O Mankind! We have created you from a mole and a female; and We have mode you into notions and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable among you, in the sight of God, is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely, God is All Knowing, All-Aware." (49: 13)

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) preached the same message both in letter and in spirit. In his famous farewell sermon delivered at Arafat, he observed: "O People! Listen to my words and understand them. Know you all Muslims are brothers unto one another. You are one brotherhood." He continued: "All men are equal in Islam. The Arab has no superiority over the non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have superiority over the Arab, save in the fear of God."

In his book "Islam and the Race Question", Abdul' Aziz Kamil notes how he was struck by the names of the Prophet's Companions engraved on the walls of the rear courtyard in Madinah. They ranged from Abu Ubaidah, Amir ibn El-Jarsah and Sa'ad ibn Abu Waqqas (Arabs) to Bilal ibn Rabah (Ethiopian), Salman (Persian), Suhaib ibn Sinan (Byzantine), etc. The message of the brotherhood of mankind that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) taught finds a living example during the Hajj season. Over two million pilgrims drawn from scores of nationalities descend on Makkah every year to the call of Allah. They circumambulate round the Ka`bah, perform prayers at the pilgrimage sites, and go through other rituals unmindful of any distinctions of race, color or social standing. Here is a sea of humanity absorbed in prayers and seeking repentance of the Lord for their acts of omission and commission.

This spirit of brotherhood is also visible in the Islamic universities of Makkah and Madinah where students from the Afro-Asian countries are accorded the same rights and privileges as their Saudi counterparts. Similarly, the visit to Al-Azhar University in Cairo sees students arriving from all over the world. Each province and nationality has its own college, where its students live and work. Throughout the ages these colleges have continued to symbolize the fellowship of human beings assembled for the common pursuit of knowledge.

It is only when man departed from this noble principle and began to assert his national superiority that the Pandora's Box of troubles was prized open. In his monograph, "Merit My Foot", V.T. Rajshekar, a veteran Journalist of India points out that under the Aryan influence color considerations assumed supreme importance in India. "Caste system itself is based on Varna or color. If you look at matrimonial advertisements In leading Newspapers, we can see parents desiring to have fair girls from their own sub­-caste for their marriageable sons. Persons born fair consciously or unconsciously begin to entertain ideas of superiority. "

When the Aryans, according to Rajshekar, encountered the dark skin natives of India, there were prolonged conflicts. Buddha, the dark skin tribal king with an Afro hairstyle, led India's first and most furious fight against the racist Aryans. He attributes slavery and caste system to the racial bigotry of the Aryans.

The author cites examples to reinforce his arguments that racism proved to be the bane of merit and efficiency. "Ramanujam, a Tamil Brahmin was rotting as a clerk in Madras. It was only after he went to London and worked under the cosmopolitan environment that he flowered into a mathematical prodigy. The British spotted his genius and provided him the right environment.

A shining example of racial harmony has been observed in a French company operating in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Here more than 500 employees from 21 different nationalities have been tolling in the factory that produces low and medium voltage switchgear. The way the factory turnaround from failure to success speaks volumes of its principle of meritocracy that cut across racial lines.

It is time to call a halt to the practice of racial discrimination and move forward on the basis of universal brotherhood of man. Any other course is fraught with grave consequences.