CSS 2022 Solved Current Affairs Past Papers | Muslim Ummah Disunity and OIC
The following question of CSS Current Affairs 2022 is solved by Sir Ammar Hashmi, the best Current Affairs Coach, on the guided pattern of Sir Syed Kazim Ali, which he taught to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory subjects for years. This solved past paper question is uploaded to help aspirants understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Question Breakdown
This question has one part. It requires us to elaborate on the ways and means to unite the Muslim ummah with a pragmatic approach.
Outline
1-Introduction
2-The Divisive Factors of the Ummah
- ✓ Leadership Problems
- ✓ Sectarian Division
- ✓ Political Issues
- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- Iran vs Arab neighbors
- Turkey and Political Islam
3-Pragmatic Approach to Unite Muslim Ummah
- ✓ Importance of Good Leadership in Unity of Ummah
- Pragmatism in leadership
- A Good Diplomacy
- International Representation
- ✓ Mitigating Sectarian Issues
- Interfaith Dialogue
- Common Platform
- ✓ Social and Economic Co-operations
- Shared Resources
- Economic Collaboration
- ✓ Strengthening Educational and social-cultural ties
- Exchange Programs
- Joint Research Startups
- Unified Educational Curriculum
4-Critical Analysis
5-Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
There is no doubt that dissent is the most critical factor for the weakness of Muslims. This disunity can be defined in several forms, including leadership crises, sectarian issues at domestic and international levels, and political problems. One of the most lingering issues is political conflicts based on religious terrorism and extremism. The problems are more significant, but if minds are united in practicality, Muslim ummah can bring out the best solutions to these problems. Leadership issues can be dealt with through pragmatism, good use of international forums, and the promotion of effective diplomacy. In contrast, the sectarian divide can be treated with interfaith dialogue and common international platforms for highlighting problems and finding solutions. Other remedial measures may include social and economic cooperation, educational and business exchange programs, joint research startups and the imposition of a unified curriculum. This will benefit Muslim Ummah and promote peace, stability, economic support, and security to other nations.
The Divisive Factors of the Ummah
Many factors are responsible for dividing the Muslim Ummah, especially at the state level. Some significant factors are as follows.
- ✓ Leadership Problems
Nations are led by their leaders, and the world has seen that most prosperous countries in all aspects, i.e. war, economy, politics, national security, national upbringing, etc., have the best leadership. In the case of the Islamic world, the current scenario of their security, economy and technology shows their dependence on the United States and Israel at small and the Western world at large. The leaders of the Islamic world have shown a shift towards expanding economies lately, like Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, who has recently been in the headlines for modernizing his country to connect with US economic deals. Similar is the case with the UAE; it became the most highlighted Arab state to establish formal ties with Tel Aviv under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Thus, their interests align with those of Western countries and not with Muslim countries.
Another leadership issue is regional power conflict, a power struggle among Muslim countries. There is no superpower in the Islamic world like in the West (the USA is a Superpower in economic and military terms); instead, they formed blocs and lobbies. One is a pro-Russian bloc, which includes Iran, Syria, Libya, etc., whereas the other is a pro-American bloc, which has KSA and Emirates. Thus, the leadership dilemma pushes the leaders of Muslim countries to seek help from developed Western countries to fulfil their petty interests.
- ✓ Sectarian Division
After the leadership dilemma, the sectarian division is one of the biggest and most prominent hurdles which restricts the unity of Muslim states. The most evident example is the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia is a conservative Sunni state with an absolute monarchic form of Government, whereas Iran is the majority of the Shiites and Republic Government. Both countries aspire to be the leaders of the Muslim Ummah and thus undergo many tactics like proxy wars, block formations, etc., as the USA and Israel support Saudi Arabia, whereas Russia and China support Iran. In the current scenario, where Gaza is suffering from the worst genocide, KSA is reacting as per the direction of the USA and Israel by going against Iran, which wants to support the suppressed masses of Gaza. The Middle Eastern land is full of minerals, oils, and natural resources that can be utilized to create a strong Islamic Bloc. Still, the disunity in the form of sectarian divide among Muslim nations is the biggest hurdle in their success as one Ummah.
- ✓ Political Issues
Political Islam, Islamism and Fundamentalism are the same names for modern Islamic politics, all given by the Western community. It is a post-modern xenophobic ideological notion to defame Islam and its concepts. Some of the highlighted conflicts of failed Islamic political systems of present times are enlisted below and shown in Figure 1.1
- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict:
The most lingering issue in the Islamic world is the Palestinian Arab Conflict. The land of Palestine is currently suffering from Political Judaism, which means enforcing Zionism through Politics. They are killing thousands of Gazans and Palestinians intentionally through bombing as a political move to secure national identity, whereas the attacks in response from Hamas or Civilians are Terrorism.
- Iran vs Arab neighbours:
Despite their alliance at the beginning of the famous Islamic Revolution in Iran and later during the Israel and Hezbollah (Lebanese) conflict, Sunni and Shiite Islamism become rivals, opposing one another in all possible conflicts in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen.
- Turkey and Political Islam:
President Recep Erdogan’s post-secular policies have affected the country’s relationship with Iraq, Iran, USA, Qatar, Israel and Saudi Arabia. These policies became the main reason for the European Union’s hindrance to allowing its membership to Turkey.
Pragmatic Approach to Muslim Ummah
A- ✓ Importance of Good Leadership in Unity of Ummah
- Pragmatism in leadership
“Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock. The Amir (ruler) who is over the people is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock.”
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1829
Pragmatism plays a crucial role in the unity of a nation. It presents practical and strategic solutions to problems to somewhat counter weaponry attacks. It’s not about individualism or personal goals and their fulfilment but common beneficial goals for a community and then the whole of the Muslim Ummah. A pragmatic leader always focuses on how to unite rather than divide. It focuses on mutual respect, cooperation, dialogue and trust-building efforts. Leadership in Islam is a trust and a sacred position that can solve humanity’s problems and guide them to eternal betterment.
- A Good Diplomacy
One of the most essential features of the current global political system is good diplomacy, and unfortunately, the Islamic world significantly lacks it. Diplomacy focuses on constructing bridges, not walls. In its initial context, diplomacy refers to intellectual politics, but with time, it became propaganda, subversion, economic pressure, and manipulation. The current diplomacy of the Islamic states needs dual characteristics to be successful, one related to Shariah and the other to Public International Law. This would enable Muslim countries to solve their conflicts on their own without requiring a mediator from the global west or global south.
- International Representation
Addressing the problems helps in finding sustainable solutions. Islam has been defamed for the past few years, chanting Islamophobia and similar slogans now and then. This has not only distorted the image of Muslims but Islam as a whole. But Pakistan, in 2019, at the UN General Assembly, made the world accept that this needs to be stopped and made them recognize Islamophobia as anti-Semitism. In the same year, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that proclaimed March 15 as an official International Day to Combat Islamophobia, which aimed at promoting peace globally. Similar efforts are required for the Palestinian people and their rights and a better representation of Islam as a religion of tolerance and peace.
B- ✓ Mitigating Sectarian Issues
- Interfaith Dialogue
Interfaith dialogue has surfaced as an emblem of solidarity and peace. It has become a voice for peaceful relations among nations at war or conflict and having religious intolerance issues. It focuses on the dialogue of nations with different religious influences to identify commonalities in their respective religions and aim for communal harmony and benefit. As a result, mistrust and false perceptions can be removed, and empathetic relations among nations can be developed. As a common goal of the nations, this dialogue should reach beyond just talks to collective action against the extremists that have destroyed world peace.
- Common Platform
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), despite many organizational shortcomings, resource constraints and structural inadequacies, has tried its best to develop a consciousness among the Muslim world. It has shed light on its potential as a Muslim diversity and unity nexus. The 21st century has challenged OIC, which needs a little reorganization to regain its effectiveness in providing practical support and solutions to the Muslim world. It can be a common platform for Muslim nations to provide accountability, transparency, cooperation, and leadership and foster security challenges, political firmness, and economic support.
C- ✓ Social and Economic Co-operations
- Shared Resources
Muslim countries are among the most resource-rich countries globally, especially regarding natural and human resources that can be utilized to develop the Ummah. If this happens, it can result in massive prosperity and progress of Muslim nations and make them unbeatable by the West. The area controlled by Muslims is a large area of the Asian continent, more than half of Africa and the entire Middle East. Apart from this, this land has a tremendous geostrategic advantage, which includes commercial control over important sea, air and land routes. These lands are abundant in hydrocarbon resources that dominate today’s market. Thus, resource sharing through a united platform can help them develop more than the West.
- Economic Collaboration
More than 1.6 billion Muslims live around the globe, representing approximately 23% of the world’s total population. Most of them belong to the countries which have OIC membership. About 300 million Muslims live as minorities in countries like China, India and other Western nations. Such a sizeable human workforce needed to be utilized by the leadership of the Muslim Ummah. Due to fragmentation, cultural, and historical limitations, this workforce has never been utilized to its potential. As mentioned, such natural resources must be distributed among Muslim nations for economic growth and human resources for the collective development of economies.
D- ✓ Strengthening Educational and social-cultural ties
- Exchange Programs
The International educational and professional exchange programs will enhance the professional capacity of human resource and their nations to strengthen their society and improve ties among Muslim-majority countries. Muslim minority countries can also be added to this program to give opportunities to Muslims living as unprivileged minorities. Through the aforementioned program, people will develop valuable work and educational skills that will foster their personal development and those of their countries. This will uplift their status in their home country and will enhance the image of Muslims on a larger scale globally. These experiences and training will help energize a new generation of leaders and improve relations between Muslim countries as well as with non-Muslim (Muslim minority) countries.
- Joint Research Startups
“It was Islam that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. Innovation in Muslim communities developed the order of algebra, our magnetic compass and navigation tools, our mastery of pens and printing, our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed.”
Obama Cairo speech 2009
In the contemporary world, the spirit of science has nearly diminished in the Muslim world. Those with economic might depend on the West for technological aspects, and those with crumbling economies are left far behind in the race for technological advancements. Pakistani physicist Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy gave statistics on Muslims and their involvement in sciences. Muslim countries have nine scientists, engineers, and technicians per thousand people, compared with a world average of forty-one. There are approximately 1,800 universities in these nations, but only 312 have scholars who have published journal articles. Of the fifty most published of these universities, twenty-six are in Turkey, nine are in Iran, three are in Malaysia and Egypt, Pakistan has two, and Uganda, the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, and Azerbaijan each have one.
Only two Muslim scientists have won the Nobel Prize in science worldwide. KSA has recently been working on the NEOM project, which engaged many engineers, researchers, scientists, scholars, architects, etc. This can be used as an opportunity for the Muslim world, where first preference should be given to experts from Muslim countries.
- Unified Educational Curriculum
Muslim leaders should recognize the issue of the dire need for an official Islamic curriculum for Islamic education in Muslim countries. It is crucial for economic and educational purposes, the perfection and purification of souls, and the development of wisdom needed for collective success. Also, it will help Muslim countries to keep a check on religious education to avoid extremist elements from exploiting the students of religious education. Moreover, appropriately trained and well-equipped teachers and their methodologies should accompany the content. This will also lessen or eliminate the sectarian divide among Muslims and will promote a decent image of Muslims globally. Annual or biannual teacher training programs should be launched to maintain the progress of teachers and students.
Critical Analysis
The Muslim world, at this point, needs joint forums to resolve political, economic and religious issues that have captivated much of the Muslim world, e.g. Palestine under genocide, Afghanistan hijacked by fundamentalists giving no rights to its citizens, Libya facing political turmoil, Syria under a Sectarian Despot. Ad Hoc conventions, resolutions and joint efforts are needed to pull Muslims out of this dire situation and to uplift their status in the World. Also, already present but dormant forums like OIC should be revived, and their focus should be on stopping wars and conflicts, anti-lobby politics, international representation for rights, etc. Only through these aspects can Muslims earn their lost glory.
Conclusion
About fifty-seven Muslim countries represent one-fourth of the world’s population. Still, these countries are divided because of petty conflicts like sectarian issues, leadership dilemmas, etc. In this time of depravity of Muslim states, when Muslims are being suppressed everywhere, the only way out is unity among the Muslim states. Muslim leaders of these countries and their populations should join hands in political, educational, cultural, diplomatic, economic, social and commercial domains. By doing so, they can resurface as one of the unbeatable forces of the world. This will benefit Muslim Ummah and promote peace, stability, economic support, and security to other nations.
CSS Solved Past Papers’ Essays
Looking for the last ten years of CSS and PMS Solved Essays and want to know how Sir Kazim’s students write and score the highest marks in the essays’ papers? Then, click on the CSS Solved Essays to start reading them.
CSS Solved Essays
CSS Solved General Science & Ability Past Papers
Want to read the last ten years’ General Science & Ability Solved Past Papers to learn how to attempt them and to score high? Let’s click on the link below to read them all freely. All past papers have been solved by Pakistan’s top CSS GSA coach having the highest score of their students.
General Science & Ability Solved Past Pape
