From: hyder@cs.utexas.edu (Syed Irfan Hyder)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: Re: Mr. Maudoodi and Minority relations
Date: 17 Apr 1992 11:47:27 -0500
Organization: U Texas Dept of Computer Sciences, Austin TX
NNTP-Posting-Host: pageboy.cs.utexas.edu

Assalaam Alikum:

Here is a letter that I wrote to a person who like you
and me is a great admirer of Maudoodi:

			I have read and admired your postings. I think
we both share the vision and optimism that lies in the future for
Islam. However, if I may remind you of one passage that I earlier 
posted on the net when the controversey about Maulana Maudoodi was
ranging. I hope you may have read it. But let me repeat it once 
again. It referred to the baseless and frivilous allegations that
were being made against Maulana Maudoodi, characeterizing him
and his approach as fitnah. He was asked why don't you reply to
such baseless allegations. He replied (in Rasail and Massail)
	"We are like traveleres whose destination lay on
	on the other side of a stretch of ground lying on
	the way filled with thorns and deadly brushes. Either
	the way farer can decide to first clear the entire
	ground and then be on his way or he could simply just
	clear only sufficient space to squeeze through on the 
	other side."
Trying to defend Maudoodi, Nawaz sharif or Zia is not our objective.
Our objective is beyond the thorny stretch of land beyond such
frivilous arguments. We respect any and all who have done any
thing for Islam. However, we appreciate their work not their
personalities. Thus we should not get too personal if one 
criticizes (say) Maudoodi. Though I have a great respect for 
him but I have still more respect for the ideas, the tools,
the instruments of reasons in Islam that he has given me. 
By denigrating Maudoodi, one cannot harm the implements and
the ideology which is already with me. He is gone. His 
unaccountablity is with Allah. Howevver, we are here. We
have a great mission to fulfill__ a mission which has
been laid in front of us by great people and thinkers
in Islam (Maudoodi among them). However, we respect the
thinkers and the ideologues not on the basis of their
personality but on the validity of their works
and ideas. Those are our ammunition. We should use the
ammunition and implements provvided by such great 
thinkers in dismantling the already crumbling edifice
of the Western civlization. It is going to serve us
no useful purpose in defending or championing such
wonderful thinkers. The only contribution we
can make is to some how realize the dream and
the vision they propounded so convincingly and
comprehensively.

We can not spend all our lives trying uselessly to clear
the ground from thorny brushes. Let's just clear enough
space to squeeze through to our destination. Neveer
mind the thorn which can not touch us.Just focus on
our destination. All else is wastage of our precious time.
it is already passing too quickly. We have so many things
to do, so many greater challanges than to simply defend
inconsequential people like NS (however much they prove
helpful to us in the shorter run). In the long term it
is not NS or people like him who will have the ultimate
reponsibility. It would be people like you and others.
We have to master all the present sciences. Who knows
tomarrow you are asked to take over the helm of affairs.
Then it not be such that we are repenting that, alas
we should have used the time available to us in better
preparing ourselves for the great purpose that awaits
us latter;

	"sabaq phir purh sadaaqat ka adaalat ka shujaa'et ka
	liya jaiga tujh se kaam duniya ke immamet ka"


I would rather that instead of defending ourselves
we should instead lauch a counter offensive and
let them do the defending stuff.


Irfan Hyder

P.S. Just a brother's advice