The Example of Japan
In the Second World War (1939-1945), Japan was a very active participant. It had high hopes of its involvement in the war. But in 1945, America dropped two atom bombs on Japan, as a result of which two big cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were destroyed. There was death and destruction on a large scale. This meant total defeat for Japan. But within 25 years, Japan was considered to be one of the most developed countries. How did Japan achieve this success? The answer is: through re-planning.
After the war, the thinkers of Japan deliberated on the whole matter anew. They concluded that despite exerting their utmost in the field of war and sacrificing lives and property, they had gained nothing. Subsequently, a new thinking emerged. They discovered that in this world any great success can be achieved through the power of peace alone. The way of violence can bring only destruction, it cannot result in any progress.
At the end of the war, the Japanese ruler Hirohito addressed his nation on the radio. He said that for the progress of Japan, “we have to bear the unbearable so that we may make Japan a developed nation.”
After the destruction caused by the two atom bombs, the Japanese nation wanted to have its revenge, but certain intellectuals of Japan came forward and managed to calm the anger of the Japanese nation by saying that although America had destroyed two of their cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in 1945, earlier in 1941, the Japanese had also destroyed the American naval base, Pearl Harbor, by suicide bombing; so, they must forget this tragic happening and resolve to build Japan anew.
Subsequently, Japan engaged in re-planning for national construction. In short, the Japanese abandoned the battlefield. For about 25 years, they attached all importance to scientific education and industry. The details of this new planning are all in the public domain and it was as a result of this new planning that Japan rose from the debris of total defeat and became a victorious country once again.
This re-planning by Japanese leaders has a big lesson for Muslim leaders. In Muslim lands one or another kind of unfavourable circumstance does exist. The Muslim countries also have the same possibility or opportunity to adopt the principle of re-planning and achieve great progress once again. For instance, when under the Balfour Declaration, half of Palestine was given to the Jews, the Muslim leaders should have accepted it. For centuries they had established their rule over Palestine, now if the Jews received this opportunity, it was in accordance with the laws of nature (The Quran, 3:140). There was nothing unjust about it. Had the Muslim leaders taken a decision of this kind, then certainly the history of Palestine would have been different today.
For the Muslims of the present times, the ancient history of Islam as well as secular history is replete with such examples.
The actual need of the hour is to study history objectively and the whole matter should be analyzed anew with an unbiased mind. If some doors are locked, other doors are open.
If re-planning is done by understanding the circumstances or situation, then certainly a new construction of the future can be done, provided we are ready to forget the defeats of the past and plan our actions keeping in mind the possibilities, and opportunities of the future.
