EDITORIAL
Have We Paused to [Re]Think?
L
ate last year, the world’s people heard of the death and misery coming out of China and, after a quick “Oh my,” moved on to their own chores, interests and problems. The calamity spread, and the usual commentators began focusing on its strategic and financial implications. When it landed with full force on all of us, we sat up and started thinking and acting in self-defense. The result? Vast swathes of the world are now in lockdown. The global economy is contracting painfully. CVID-19 and its side effects can spawn poverty and hunger especially in developing countries. Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan, while making this very point, has suggested that lender countries consider forgiving the loans — much of which ended up in the lenders own financial and real estate sectors, courtesy of unscrupulous public officials. He also requested giving even temporary respite to sanctions against [his neighbor] Iran. UN Secretary General António Guterres made a similar, yet more profound, call on March 23: “Our world faces a common enemy: COVID-19. The virus does not care about nationality or ethnicity, faction or faith. It attacks all, relentlessly. Meanwhile, armed conflict rages on around the world. The most vulnerable — women and children, people with disabilities, the marginalized and the displaced — pay the highest price. They are also at the highest risk of suffering devastating losses from COVID-19. “Let’s not forget that in war-ravaged countries, health systems have collapsed. Health professionals, already few in number, have often been targeted. Refugees and others displaced by violent conflict are doubly vulnerable. The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war. That is why today, I am calling for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world. It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives.” But has anyone listened? President Trump has refused to lift the unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran, where COVID-19 is extracting a 6 ISLAMIC HORIZONS MAY/JUNE 2020
huge toll. And this despite Iran’s status as a regional hub for this virus that, like all others, doesn’t respect borders In Occupied Palestine, which continues to endure long-standing harsh sanctions, Tel Aviv is denying the needed resources. In Indian-occupied Kashmir, the fascist New Delhi regime refuses to stop subjecting the hapless population to sufferings, when it is already undergoing immense sufferings. The imperial hubris of nations has crumbled. Dare we hope that the powerful might actually begin to see all people as fellow human beings instead of abstractions? In this issue, we focus on India’s continued slide into fascism. The most recent action started on Aug. 5, 2019, when New Delhi unilaterally abrogated Kashmir’s constitutionally guaranteed special status. Since then more than 12 million Kashmiris have endured a lockdown and communication shutdown. Now we have some idea of their lives — minus the fully armed and omnipresent Indian army, of course. Then came the Citizenship (Amend ment) Act, designed to evict as many of its 201 million Muslims — 11 percent of the population — as possible regardless of their centuries-long existence there. In our continuing quest to inform Muslim Americans about those working with underserved Muslims, we focus on Rasha Abulohom, whose Exceptional Individuals with Dreams (Special E.I.D.; https://www.specialeid.org) organization envisages a world where every Muslim child with disabilities — plus their parents, siblings and other loved ones — can enjoy the Eid celebration’s spiritual benefits and prayer. As we go press, ISNA’s headquarters staff are working from their homes and the Chicago ISNA Education Forum and the MYNA Spring Camp have been cancelled. Along with many other organizations, ISNA, which pioneered Islamic work in North America more than 57 years ago, is under great financial stress. We need your sadaqa jariya (continuing charity) to keep serving you and your future generations. May God bless you all. ih
PUBLISHER The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) PRESIDENT Sayyid Muhammad Syeed EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Basharat Saleem EDITOR Omer Bin Abdullah EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Iqbal Unus, Chair: M. Ahmadullah Siddiqi, Milia Islam-Majeed ISLAMIC HORIZONS is a bimonthly publication of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) P.O. Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168‑0038 Copyright @2020 All rights reserved Reproduction, in whole or in part, of this material in mechanical or electronic form without written permission is strictly prohibited. Islamic Horizons magazine is available electronically on ProQuest’s Ethnic NewsWatch, Questia.com LexisNexis, and EBSCO Discovery Service, and is indexed by Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature. Please see your librarian for access. The name “Islamic Horizons” is protected through trademark registration ISSN 8756‑2367 POSTMASTER Send address changes to Islamic Horizons, P.O. Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168‑0038 SUBSCRIPTIONS Annual, domestic – $24 Canada – US$30 Overseas airmail – US$60 TO SUBSCRIBE Contact Islamic Horizons at (317) 839‑8157 / (317) 204-0187 Fax (317) 839‑1840 E-mail: membership@isna.net ADVERTISING For rates contact Islamic Horizons at (703) 742‑8108, E-mail horizons@isna.net, www.isna.net To subscribe, please e-mail: membership@isna.net CORRESPONDENCE Send all correspondence and/or Letters to the Editor at: Islamic Horizons P.O. Box 38 • Plainfield, IN 46168‑0038 Email: horizons@isna.net
