The Example of Britain
The British Empire has a great history attached to it. During its zenith it was so vast that it came to be believed that the sun never set on the British flag. During its final days, the British Empire declined, as is in accordance with the laws of nature. But those in authority were not ready to dismantle the British Empire. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, (1874-1965) remarked “I have not become the king’s First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire.”
But after the Second World War (1939-1945), British military power weakened considerably and apparently it was not possible for Britain to maintain its empire. At that time, a new movement was started in Britain by the Fabian society, the purpose of which was decolonization.
One member of the Fabian Society, Lord Clement Richard Attlee (1883-1967) became the Prime Minister of Britain, succeeding Winston Churchill. Lord Attlee made an unbiased objective study of the state of affairs. Then he decided that India and other countries should be given independence unilaterally. Accordingly, India became free from British political power in 1947.
The British Empire was a matter of great national prestige for Britain. The British used to be proud of this national greatness but when the state of affairs changed, the British took a U-turn. They decided to distance themselves from their past sense of greatness and re-plan the building of their nation in accordance with the changed situation. Therefore, they acted accordingly under the leadership of Lord Attlee. As a result, the British succeeded in maintaining their national progress on this new basis.
This kind of political situation is also faced by the Muslims in present times. The Muslims had managed to establish their political empire on a vast land in the world. When a decline set in among the Muslims, their political glory gradually came to an end.
The reason was wholly internal, but the Muslims did not accept this. They continued to lay the blame on others for this. The result was that the Muslims suffered in general from negative thinking. They strove to bring back their past political glory, but this was an unreal plan which failed completely.
The right way for the Muslims is to stop living in the past and engage in re-planning for their national action. The situation, which was prevalent in ancient times was favourable for establishing an empire. But now, neither for the Muslims nor for any other nation is it possible to establish a political empire of the ancient type in the world. In this matter, if the Muslims think realistically, they will discover the possibilities in the new situation. Only then will it become possible for them to achieve their lost position once again.
The rise and fall of any nation offer a lesson. The British took the right lesson from its fall and soon they realized that it was the time for re-planning. But the Muslims in practice remained unaware of this reality. That is why after their decline they failed to do realistic re-planning for their national progress. This is the reason for the failure of the Muslims in present times.
