The Sleeping Scholars

By Sumayyah Meehan, MMNS

The 21st International Conference on Islamic Unity was held this past May in Iran. More than 850 Scholars and intellectuals from 45 countries, including  GCC member states, India, Algeria, Hong Kong and Gambia to name only a few, attended the conference. The theme was how to unite Muslims and discuss solutions for current problems existing in the Muslim World, like the continuation of the perpetrated Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Authors from around the World also submitted approximately 70 penned articles.

The aims for the conference were high, as the Secretary-General of the World Assembly for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri told reporters prior, “Preparing grounds for unity and solidarity of the Muslim World and bringing closer various cultural and scientific views are major goals of the conference. The participants are also to promote coexistence and find ways out of current obstacles including the enemies’ plots and secular thoughts. The Islamic unity charter which has so far been signed by over 2,000 Muslim thinkers and scholars will be studied by the delegates.”

The event, however, was overshadowed by a serious case of either exhaustion or sheer boredom as several of the attendees were overcome with sleep as  their heads slumped over in a deep slumber during various presentations.  Since all of the attendees came from various parts of the World, it is safe to assume that they were probably suffering from jet lag. The plight of Islamic Unity, at this year’s conference, certainly fell on ‘deaf ears’ as most of the participants were half-asleep or completely snoozing.

“Is it any wonder that the enemies of Islam so boldly set foot on Muslim lands to invade and slaughter anyone who tries to stop them?” laments Pakistani businessman Abid Mohammad, “our rulers and scholars are sleeping like gentle lambs nuzzled up to their mother’s breasts while the blood curdling screams of Muslims who are being oppressed, tortured and killed every day are not being heard.”

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