Religious East superior to materialist West

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Imran Khan's article on the merits of Islam, published on February 01, in views & opinion pages of the Financial Express should be read by all. It is an excellent presentation of the logic of the superiority of Islamic fundamentals, by the greatest cricketer of Pakistan. He points out that our family values and the teachings of Islam are far superior to any all-worldly glitter that the West can offer. Racial discrimination is the worst legacy of the West. Islam does not believe in any racial or ethnic differences. Unfortunately the Saudis, from the birth place of Islam, are wielding their worldly wealth. They have been clearly infected with ethnic and racial superiority, vis-à-vis other Muslims all over the world today.
Imran very rightly says: "if you submit to the will of Allah, you have inner peace." We, on the other hand, take a narrow view, emphasizing on expressing our belief only through ritualism, rather than 'Iman', which is a fundamental pillar of Islam.
He presents an astute comparison with the West's idea of missionaries, stating that: (I quote) "It should be noted that no Muslim missionaries or armies ever went to Malaysia or Indonesia. The people converted to Islam due to the high principles and impeccable character of the Muslim traders who went there." Any society that obeys the fundamentals of Islam, has to be liberal one; since tolerance is a fundamental teaching of Quran, where one's duties to his neighbours is paramount, irrespective of their caste or creed, adds Imran.
I believe we should all read the article and it should be reprinted in all our English and Bangla dailies. It can make us aware, and revise some of the basic fundamentals of Islam, that make Islam a great and worthy religion to which we proudly belong.
S.A.Mansoor
Dhaka.
E-mail: sam@dhakacom.com