On the occasion of Eid Ul Fitr, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a message to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said: “On this auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the people of the world along with the Muslim Ummah are realizing the values of unity and brotherhood”.
Mr. Modi said, “On behalf of the people of India, I convey my Eid greetings to you and the people of Bangladesh”.
He further said, during the Holy Month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world, including India, have performed fasting and prayers.
The Indian Premier highly praised the Bangladesh Prime Minister, saying that as a result of Sheikh Hasina’s personal initiative, the multilateral partnership-based relationship of the two countries has been transformed into a “role model of neighborly relations” in the world.
Narendra Modi said he looks forward to “continuing work with Sheikh Hasina to take the relations between the two countries to new heights”.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only a seasoned politician and an excellent human being, he also is a philosopher who has been studying various religions in the world and trying to bring people of faith under the same umbrella, where everyone would focus on fraternity and human bondage and abandon religious extremism and hatred.
On the other hand, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been dedicatedly working for peaceful coexistence of people of all religious beliefs, while she has also been vigorously confronting religious bigotry and hatred. Key principles of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are putting emphasis on maintaining cordial relationships with every neighboring country of Bangladesh, including India, while she also focuses on deepening relationships with every Muslim nation in the world, including the Middle Eastern countries.
Importance of unity and brotherhood amongst Muslim Ummah
The Muslim Ummah, or community, is a diverse group of people with various backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. Despite these differences, unity and brotherhood within the Muslim Ummah are essential for the sake of peace and prosperity. In this article, we will discuss the importance of unity and brotherhood within the Muslim Ummah and how it can bring positive changes to the Muslim world.
Unity and brotherhood within the Muslim Ummah can have a significant impact on the well-being and progress of the Muslim world. This can be seen in history, where the unity of the early Muslim community, particularly during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), helped them to achieve many great things. They were able to spread Islam, establish a new society based on justice and equality, and build a strong and prosperous civilization.
However, the Muslim Ummah today is facing various challenges, including sectarianism, tribalism, and regionalism, which are hindering its progress and development. These issues have caused many conflicts and divisions within the Muslim world, leading to instability, poverty, and oppression.
Therefore, it is crucial for the Muslim Ummah to promote unity and brotherhood to overcome these challenges and achieve peace and prosperity. Unity and brotherhood can bring many benefits to the Muslim world, such as:
- Strengthening the Muslim Ummah: Unity and brotherhood can strengthen the Muslim Ummah by bringing together different groups and individuals to work towards common goals. This can create a powerful force for positive change and progress.
- Promoting peace and stability: Unity and brotherhood can promote peace and stability within the Muslim world by reducing conflicts and tensions between different groups. This can create a more harmonious and peaceful society, where people can live and work together in peace.
- Supporting economic development: Unity and brotherhood can support economic development by promoting trade, investment, and cooperation among Muslim countries. This can create new opportunities for growth and prosperity, leading to higher living standards and better quality of life for people.
- Strengthening the Muslim identity: Unity and brotherhood can strengthen the Muslim identity by promoting shared values and beliefs among Muslims. This can create a sense of belonging and pride, leading to greater confidence and self-esteem.
- Promoting social justice: Unity and brotherhood can promote social justice by reducing discrimination and inequality within the Muslim world. This can create a more just and equitable society, where everyone has equal opportunities and rights.
To achieve unity and brotherhood within the Muslim Ummah, it is important to focus on commonalities rather than differences. Muslims must remember that they share a common faith, history, and culture. They must also respect and appreciate the diversity within the Muslim Ummah, recognizing that differences are a source of strength rather than weakness.
Furthermore, it is essential to promote education and awareness about the importance of unity and brotherhood within the Muslim Ummah. This can be done through various means, such as religious teachings, media, and educational programs.
Unity and brotherhood within the Muslim Ummah are essential for the sake of peace and prosperity. It can bring many benefits to the Muslim world, such as strengthening the Muslim Ummah, promoting peace and stability, supporting economic development, strengthening the Muslim identity, and promoting social justice. Muslims must work together to overcome the challenges facing the Muslim Ummah and promote unity and brotherhood to achieve a better future for themselves and their children.
Role of media in strengthening relations amongst the Muslim Ummah
In today’s world, newspapers and social media are two most important factors which can play a significant role in promoting unity and brotherhood within the Muslim Ummah. One of the most important factors here is to minimize distance between Arab and non-Arab Muslim nations and bring them closer which certainly can bring extremely effective results that would be beneficial to the Muslim Ummah and the world. We need to remember, Islam is the second largest religion with over two billion population, whereas within the next 35-40 years, Islam will become the largest religion.
According to some recent statistics, by 2030 Islam will be the leading religion in the Asian continent. Meaning, within the next 2-3 decades, Islam’s influence and significance will substantially grow throughout the world. We can use the huge size of Muslims in playing an important role in politics, economy and technology once leaders of the Muslim nations will put special emphasis on education, similarly as it is being done in Qatar by its Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani. Under his magnanimous leadership, Qatar is making tremendous progress in education, economy, health and technology, as His Highness Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani’s policy is ‘Education First’. We are aware that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is also implementing many reforms in the society, while Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is also putting special focus on education. Unless the future generation in the Muslim world is better educated and made capable of taking leadership roles in every sphere of life, even if Islam becomes the leading religion in the world – it won’t actually bring any good result to Muslims and people of other faiths.
In media, Qatar already has achieved incredible success through its broadcast network Al Jazeera, which already has established its position in the world as one of the key news outlets. With Al Jazeera’s success, we can proudly say – if the Western world has CNN and BBC, we – the Muslims have our own Al Jazeera. But in my opinion, for the second-largest religion in the world and future’s leading religion, only Al Jazeera is not enough to represent the entire Muslim Ummah. We need more of such outlets, from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates in particular. Wealthy Muslims in the Arab world as well as the generous rulers also need to consider extending their precious cooperation to other media outlets in the Muslim world, which too can play pivotal role in promoting unity and brotherhood amongst the Muslim Ummah.
