Introduction
There are three fronts upon which every nation much fight if it aspires to achieve glory; the intellectual, political and economic front. The latter two have their roots in the former. It’s the duty of Nova to wage a “Hundred Year War” on the intellectual front. Freedom of thought and tolerance in entertaining the views of others are the hallmarks of such a battle. These two stand as being the pre-requisites for the revival of the intellectual fabric of our nation. They must be emphasized and cultivated in the masses for the intellectual firepower to be revived. In my opinion, a man’s search for knowledge should not culminate with the acquisition of a university degree, rather it should just be the beginning of this intellectual journey. As Islam emphasizes on the “Acquisition of knowledge from the cradle to the grave” and all other ideologies, philosophies on societal change and transformation have laid their weight behind this important facet of societal change and reform. As in the Renaissance, acquisition of knowledge lead to the enlightenment of individuals in Europe from the dark ages, Islam gained its own Golden Age through the same path of acquiring knowledge and by utilizing its practicality in the world. What the mind of the eastern statesman has not yet grasped is the need for the development of the individual before the development of the systems. It is the individual that transforms the system. The irony of our fate is that we failed to develop the individual and have blamed the system, which we have generated for the functioning of the state.
“It is time that we re-open the tavern of Rumi
The Sheikhs of the Kaaba are lying drunk in the courtyard of the Church”
Quran through the prism of rational mind
Quran must not be regarded as a set of religious rituals but the focal point of intellectual debate and vistas of ideas, which must be put to the rational mind and interpreted in the light of the modern times. The gates to the intellectual discussions upon the eternal principles of the Quran should be re-opened and must be passed through the prism of the modern mind. In my opinion, Quran is not in any way contradictory to the rational mind. It must be said that it is the “reactionary Mullah” who has done much harm to the Quran because of his narrow-minded and mediocre interpretation based on self-interest. In my humble opinion, the calibre of discussion should be enhanced and it may only be possible through inculcating the habit of reading books, discussions on the developed prejudices and opinions, re-examining of the truth and through the development of an intellectual culture in Pakistan. The deployment of our intellectual firepower should be such that it furthers the political and economic interests of our nation. Pakistan cannot be undone when the moral force of the pen is supreme.
Development of Educated Communities
The foundations of our intellectual culture need to be rebuilt in the context of our own culture. We need not to be spoon-fed knowledge by the west. There is an urgent need of a revival of an intellectual culture in Pakistan. We need to create educated communities, who engage in scholarly discussions on contemporary issues and put them to their own modern thought and experiences rather than blind imitation of the west. An organic intellectual intercourse must take place where at one hand western knowledge and ideas should be reflected upon while on the other hand Quran and our own ideas should be put forward with an objective of comparative analysis, only through the creation of such a culture can we progress forward at the intellectual front and harness our intellectual firepower.
Proposal of Nova and the three spheres
To achieve such a revival, I put forward my proposal in terms of Nova’s movement. It shall act as the model for similar movements in the future. The movement of Nova must focus on three important spheres. First, at the very beginning, it must consolidate the existing intellectual firepower of the country at a single platform. The current intellectual firepower i.e. the book reading community of Pakistan is dispersed and is not unified at a single platform. The concentration of such individuals at a common ground is necessary for the sole purpose of making the intellectuals realize their own hidden potentials and through the intermingling of their ideas, make it for them to decide the future course of action, as a community for the revival of such a culture. Second, after concentration at a single platform, the much needed organization and mobilization of the community is of utmost importance because without organization and discipline, the movement cannot achieve lasting results. Discipline is required to achieve a meaningful change. The organization of the community offers us certain benefits and opportunities which may not be available otherwise. Therefore, the second sphere must be well-thought out and much though needs to be given to this important phase. Third, the enrolment of the masses into the movement through scholarly discussions and developing the reading habit for intellectual nourishment of the masses. The exposure of the masses to new ideas and thought process of the intellectual community in management of its masses matter in our struggle to bring them into the fold.
Stray Reflections
The intellectual community through its movement can ally with the masses to achieve two important objectives: their inclusion into the movement and making education a national priority in the thinking and psyche of the masses. Here, by education I do not mean the kind of famine stricken education provided by our system but an education which breeds curiosity and creativity. Some may wonder such a movement could one day result in the reformation of the education system as a whole. The long walk towards the revival of the intellectual firepower through developing an intellectual culture demands determination, discipline and sustained struggle.
Towards God is your limit!