A different kind of ‘Maulvi’

[LahoreEstate]

Wednesday, January 28, 2009
By Jan Khaskheli

Karachi

Hafiz Mohammed Siddique, the son of religious scholar Akhund Mohammed Ismail, is an inspiring and generous man. He always receives activists with a smile, irrespective of their political affiliation or ethnicity, and shares and exchanges views on subjects ranging from political history and culture to current affairs. In an era when political apathy is on the rise, Siddique encourages the youth to continue struggling for a revolution. In fact, though he has reservations against political decisions, still he refuses to give up.

He was born on August 5, 1953, and has been residing in Karachi’s Khadda neighbourhood since 1983. Siddique has earned the reputation of being hospitable and generous. He prefers to deal with cadres of different age groups equally. His home in Kandiaro has been the centre of several movements launched in the subcontinent. His ancestors, inspired by Jamiatul Ulema Hind and associated with the Congress Party, had played an active role in bridging the gap between political ideological factions.

Siddique may be among the few politicians who are respected by their political rivals in Sindh. At present, most activists hope that leaders from Sindh would unite to protect the land of Sufis which is being depicted as an industry of criminals, senseless and cruel people. Though the task appears to be daunting, but people like Siddique are optimistic about the future.

His father Akhund Mohammed Ismail was also a Sufi. He was a ‘Hafiz’ of the entire Shah Jo Risalo (Poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai). He would also communicate with the people by reciting verses by Bhitai. Unlike the stereotypical religious scholar, Siddique loves music and justifies it as beneficial for human health. “Music is an integral part of Sufism,” he said. “I have always negated the traditional approach towards religion. It may be because I have perused through books of history, religion and literature. Collections of Kirshan Chandar, Khalil Gibran and other progressive fiction writers and poets were available to me at the family library in Kandiaro.”

Siddique is the author of ‘Danhoon Munhinje Des Joon’ (Screams of my country), and has “inherited” the values of being cultured. “I am a Sufi while nationalism and socialism are in my blood,” he said, adding that he discovered that Islam was “a religion of change” ever since he read the Tafseer (explanation) of the 30th chapter of the Quran by Moulana Ubaidullah Sindhi.

After a conventional education till class four at the village primary school in Kandiaro, Siddique’s parents chose a different path for him. They wanted to see him become a religious scholar rather than a “careerist.” After receiving his Dars-e-Nizami certificate (a 10-year-long course), Siddique travelled to Karachi’s Khadda area in 1983 and joined the monthly magazine Al-Sadiq, the voice of religious-cum-Sindhi nationalism and socialist ideologies.

Later, he became the General Secretary of Jamiatul Ulema Sindh, and parted ways after he developed differences with the leadership over the national question. Then he formed the Sindh Sagar Party comprising Sindhi nationalists and religious-minded cadres. When Sindhi nationalist parties formed the Sindh Qaumi Ittehad in 1988, Siddique was elected as its secretary to unite the scattered groups.

When he was assigned the task of uniting all Sindhi nationalist groups and extending cooperation to left-wing parties, he felt that the decision of his parents to “not teach him English” was absolutely wrong. “I found it difficult to communicate with people at intellectual and political forums,” he said.

Siddique has, however, compiled an English-to-English-and-Sindhi dictionary, comprising three volumes. The experience was difficult, he said, adding that he was satisfied that he had achieved a great task to help Sindhi readers.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=159507