Article

2006-03-21 India-Pakistan

By Akhilesh Mithal
The fear that all Muslims of the world are uniting/united with the object of hurting and harming the USA is haunting the President and his coterie. The word getting the workout from the top leaders these days is caliphate the term for the 7th century Islamic empire that spanned the Middle East, spread to South-west Asia, North Africa and Spain, then ended with the Mongol sack of Baghdad in 1258. Caliphate is a mysterious and ominous word for many Americans and the administration knows it.

It wasn't a word many of us thought about until we started reading up on Islam and Islamists in the wake of 9-11-01. Then we kept stumbling across the term. Pooh-poohing the idea seems kind of disingenuous. But then, the rest of the article is, too.

They recognise that there is a lot of resonance when they use the term caliphate. Zbiignew Brzezinski (national security adviser to President Carter said that the word had an almost instinctive fearful impact.

More than 40,000 members of the Hizbut Tahrir on Sunday (March 5th, 2006) took to the streets of Indonesian cities to protest injustice against their religion across the world, marking the fall of the last caliphate in Turkey.Hizbut Tahrir advocating one Islamic caliphate in the world, rallied to the National Monument (Monas) square, opposite the U.S. embassy in Central Jakarta. "Down, Down (with) the USA. Up, Up (with) the Caliphate" said placards waved by protesters in Jakarta, including veiled women and their children. Similar rallies by Hizbut Tahrir members were reported in the Indonesian cities of Surabaya in East Java, Solo and Semarang in Central Java and in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Bandung in West Java, Padang in West Sumatera, Medan in North Sumatera, Lampung, etc.

Maybe to him. Most of us had to pause and look it up. The Islamic world not having been front and center in the affairs of the world for the past few hundred years remember "the Sick Man of Europe"? we weren't up on the intricacies of their thinking, if any. Imagine our surprise when we revisited the Wonderful World of Turbans and found comic-book quality Evil.

The US vice-president Dick Cheney has warned that Al Qaidas ultimate goal is the re-establishment of the Caliphate with dire consequences for the USA.

Gawd knows various big turbans have announced just that enough times. Hizb ut-Tahrir's dedicated to that very premise. I can't fault him for taking them at their word, though obviously Akhilesh Mithal can.

As now we hear talk of a revival of the Caliphate (an institution that disappeared in 1924) it is time to consider some facts which might be relevant. The English word Caliph derives from the Arabic Khaleefah. The root khalf means to leave behind. The English equivalents would be vicegerent, deputy, viceroy, lieutenant or successor.

The banner of the Hizb ut-Tahrir website has the quote "And there shall be khilafah rashidah." The name of the website is Khilafah.com. Khilafah is the rule of the Khalifa.

In the Holy Quran (Sura ii 2Cool Adam is described as Gods khaleefah on earth. And when God said to the Angels, I am about to place a vicegerent (khaleefah) upon the earth, they said, Wilt thou place therein one who will do evil thereon and shed blood?

Prophet David is also mentioned as a khaleefah in the Quran. The Dictionary of Islam, published in 1885, says, In Muhammadanism it (khaleefah) is the title given to the successor of Muhammad (On Whom Be Peace) who is vested with absolute authority in all matters of state, both civil and religious, as long as he rules in conformity with the law of the Quran (the holy book) and the Hadees (traditions of the prophet).

The first Caliph Abu Bakr succeeded the Prophet in 632 AD (11 AH) and the institution suffered great vicissitudes such as the assassination of the ruler, abolition of the dynasty, and total eradication at the hands of the Mongol Hulaku (1258) but reappeared in different places until the last Caliph and Sultan of Turkey was deposed and exiled by Mustafa Kamal in 1924.

The Turks present an interesting case study in what the caliphate would bring to the lands it ruled an initial period of aggressiveness (fall of Byzantium), followed by defeat (Lepanto, Gates of Vienna), followed by a long, slow descent into senility and ineptitude. The descent can be attributed only in part to the defeats indeed, it's more likely the defeats can be attributed to the descent. Part of that was due to the practice of strangling potential rivals with bowstrings, which managed to eliminate the best and the brightest, leaving rule to the most vicious. With innovation effectively outlawed, the Grand Turk allowed the Islamic world to slip into torpor, poverty and ignorance. That's their legacy, and those pushing the caliphate want to export it.

Turkey was simultaneously declared a state without any Islamic paraphernalia.

Coincidentally, Turkey is today probably the most advanced Muslim nation, with the possible exception of Malaysia.

With Turkey no longer a Muslim state, Hyderabad Deccan in India became the largest state ruled by a Muslim in the world of 1924. The Nizam, a puppet of the British Indian government, promptly entered into a matrimonial alliance with the erstwhile ruler/Caliph and brought the Princesses Durru-Shehwaar (Pearl of Emperor size) and Niloufer (Blue Lily) as brides for his two sons. The Princess Durru-Shehwaar was raised to succeed her father and educated in arts, civil and military. She was made Princess of Berar and soon became most popular in Hyderabad. The Nizam disinherited his sons and making his grandson Mukarram Jah, born of Princess Durru-Shehwaar, and therefore uniting the bloodlines of Turkey Sultans with his own heir to the Hyderabad throne. The idea was that if and when the Caliphate were to be revived the children of the union between the Asaf Jahi Nizam and the Sultan Caliph of Turkey would be available, ready and willing to take up the assignment.

I don't think the guys pushing for the reestablishment of the caliphate have the descendents of a princess of Hyderabad in mind for the big turban. I believe they're looking for somebody more, shall we say, Arab? Perhaps a prince? Maybe tracing his ancestry all the way back to the Profit (PTUI)?

The Nizam himself was deposed in 1948 and his progeny have shown no interest in taking up the role for which they were conceived and born. Princess Durru Shehwaar died in London, where she had lived for many decades, at 3 am on February 7, 2006 at over 90 years of age. Perhaps Americans can, to ease their disquiet, contact Prince Mukarram Jah and get a statement from him that he is against the revival of the Caliphate, which was vested in his mothers family through thirty seven generations from the year 1299 AD.

Unless he's got lotsa money and he can prove he's an Arab, he's not the one we have to worry about.

Posted by john 2006-03-21 00:00|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 This Prince Mukarram Jah lives in Turkey now with his fifth wife.

His divorce settlements did not go well and he is said to be close to bankruptcy (no triple talaq in Turkey).

Didn't help that Indian government bought the family jewels for a pittance.

He is the little boy on the left

His father (at center) was more frugal

The last Nizam Osman Ali, however, used to follow a rather austere lifestyle. He wore the same tattered fez for 35 years and ate off a tin plate on a mat on the floor of his bedroom.

Yet, when the Indian government ran into a cash crunch soon after independence in 1947, his loan of gold sovereigns occupied two wagons of a special train to Bombay.

Earlier, during World War One, he made a generous contribution of 25 million pounds to the British exchequer, for which he was rewarded with the title of 'Exalted Highness' -- the only such title given to any of India's erstwhile maharajas by the colonial rulers.

Osman Ali, the legend goes, wrapped the 185-carat Jacob diamond, one of his most prized possessions, in newspaper and used it as a paperweight.

The treasure comprises 173 pieces of rare value and antiquity. Among them are the uncut Jacob Diamond, one of the seven biggest diamonds in the world, weighing 184.75 carats; a seven-strand pearl necklace strung with 150 large and 230 small pearls, with a two-diamond pendant attached to it; a pair of bracelets studded with 270 diamonds, 22 fine partially uncut and unmounted emeralds weighing 414.25 carats; and a diamond-set belt made in France by Oscar Massi Pieres. There are also rings, brooches, buttons, studded swords, diamond-studded images of camels, gold ingots

Photo Gallery of Nizam's Jewellery

Posted by john 2006-03-20 19:13|| 2006-03-20 19:13|| Front Page Top

#2 Here are some interesting facts about the Jewels of Nizams.

* The treasure of the Nizam of Hydrabad, which now is a property of the Government of India is one of the largest and the most valuable collection of the Indian jewellery.
* The treasure belongs to the Asaf Jah dynasty that ruled the state of Hydrabad from 18th century till the independence of India.
* The collection contains over 25,000 diamonds weighing over 12000 carats.
* The weight of the 2000 emeralds in the collection is over 10000.

Posted by john 2006-03-20 19:14|| 2006-03-20 19:14|| Front Page Top

#3 The last Viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten (the cousin of Queeen Elizabeth) laid down the law as regards the accession of princely states to the dominions of Pakistan and India.
The state had to be contiguous with either India or Pakistan. No independence was possible.

The Nizam refused, wishing to join Pakistan even though most of his subjects were Hindu and most importantly, the state was entirely surrounded by India. Accession to pakistan would violate Mountbatten's guidelines and was not allowed.

Muslim radicals supported him. A muslim militia called the Razakars engaged in an orgy of rape, looting and murder, even into India itself.

The now Governor General Mountabtten advised caution and Nehru held his hand.

The Razakar leader Kasim Razvi vowed that "if India invaded nothing but the bones and ashes of 10.5 million Hindus would be found".

After Hyderbad loaned 200 million to Pakistan and sent a delgation to the UN, India had had enough

The Indian army was sent in, operation Polo - "a police action" according to India.

It is said many of the Nizam's Arab troops and the Razakars were summarily executed by the Indian army.

Posted by john 2006-03-20 19:34|| 2006-03-20 19:34|| Front Page Top

#4 WOW john, facinating history.

nice rock collection too!

Posted by RD 2006-03-21 02:42|| 2006-03-21 02:42|| Front Page Top

#5 Here are some interesting facts about the Jewels of Nizams.

I have contacted you because I got your name through a confident. I have possession of the jewels of Nizam and need help getting them out of Nigeria. If you will provide your bank account numbers...

Posted by rjschwarz">rjschwarz 2006-03-21 09:53|| 2006-03-21 09:53|| Front Page Top

#6 I was talking over the concept of a renewed Caliphate with my Iranian friend. If there was a total reversion to the lifestyle of that time, the lack of modern medicine, the imprisonment of political dissidents and wholesale slaughter of homosexuals, refusniks and uppity wimmenfolk would result in a tremendous loss of life. Combined with the violent overthrow of all countries necessary, my friend quickly estimated that such an event could easily cost the world half of its population.

Compared to the 1.25 billion Muslims in this world, some 3.5 billion potential lives to be lost represent a definite tipping point. It is the perception of this and several other tipping points which have convinced me that Islam is a threat to all non-Muslims and must be contained or destroyed.

Posted by Zenster 2006-03-21 11:53|| 2006-03-21 11:53|| Front Page Top

#7 As some on Bros. Judd say, the Caliph resides in DC......

Posted by anonymous2u 2006-03-21 13:12|| 2006-03-21 13:12|| Front Page Top

#8 Son, what do you want to be when you grow up ??
Oh Father, I want to be a loyal member of Hizbut Tahrir.....
Califate my foot... first they will have to learn to count on the fingers of their second hand (the one traditionally used by Moslems to wipe ass...), then we'll consider the califate...

Posted by Elder of Zion 2006-03-21 13:25|| 2006-03-21 13:25|| Front Page Top

#9 Here are some interesting facts about the Jewels of Nizams.
I thought Trump had them on display in the Haj Room of the Trump Taj Majal, but that was before he filed Chapter 11...

Posted by capsu78 2006-03-21 17:38|| 2006-03-21 17:38|| Front Page Top

#10 He would jump at the chance.

They've been kept in the vaults of the Reserve Bank of India in Mumbai.

They were put on display once, in 2001.

Posted by john 2006-03-21 18:01|| 2006-03-21 18:01|| Front Page Top

#11 Some 7000 Arab soldiers (mercenaries in the Nizam's army) were put on boats to Aden after capture by the Indian army in 1948.
200 Pashtun soldiers were likewise sent back to Afghanistan.

Large numbers of Razakar militiamen, who had committed atrocities, were summarily executed by the Indian army.
There were 200 000 militiamen originally so several thousand were probably shot in the days following the "108 hour war".

Interestingly, the Razakar leader Kasim Razvi survived. He was arrested but later migrated to Pakistan.

He had boasted he would plant the green flag of Islam on the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi (the seat of former Mughal power).
He had mocked the Indian army, bizarrely expecting to slaughter "thin dhoti clad" soldiers (his image of hindus was apparently derived from the persecuted hindu peasants who lived under muslim rule in Hyderabad).

Posted by john 2006-03-21 18:28|| 2006-03-21 18:28|| Front Page Top

#12 I think Caliphate should be the new mineral name for the slightly radioactive ashen glazed rock left over from the "Big Pushback". (Often found in what were primitive societies where toilets= slit trenches down main street and kids learn a religious book by rote head-banging, but have no marketable skills)

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2006-03-21 19:31|| 2006-03-21 19:31|| Front Page Top

02:43 Elmaper+McGurque1612
02:40 Elmaper+McGurque1612
01:38 Grom the Reflective
00:17 EMS Artifact