Sowing and Reaping of Destiny

REFORMS
Common with all immigrant societies, while evolving local communities in the
West, they feverishly strived to re-live their cultural past as they struggled to
replicate the customs, traditions and practices they have known in the Indo-Pak
sub continent and in Africa as the only model for the way forward.
A common phenomenon with members of the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri
Community is that (and this could be true of many other communities also)
while trying to survive as a community they have been generally conservative
in their outlook and slow to recognize the need for change in keeping with the
times. As a result, they have often been slow in initiating plans to evaluate
emerging trends and work towards evolving reforms that would at the same
time help to safeguard and entrench their values, for which they came into
existence as a distinct community. Arising out of the fear of the unknown, this
reticence on their part has often led to reactionary attitudes.
Vocal elements purporting to be holier than thou, driven by their sanctimonious
attitudes and the assertive rich and influential members of the society at times
have no qualms in flexing their muscles as they expediently join forces to assert
the beleaguered self with their narrow perspectives and short term objectives.
Consequently, the community has often failed to manage or moderate reforms
to introduce timely changes for their own good.
A dispassionate review of all changes that have come about in the community
over the past century in their social, religious and customary practices and
outlook will illustrate the point. One could end up with some startling
revelations that many such reforms and changes have slowly crept into the
fabric of the society either by accident, compulsion or filtered through the
windows and cracks in the walls of a passive group watching helplessly. A
closer review of the related developments over the past fifty years, which will
be easier to recall, will provide some graphic details.
For example, until the early 1950's, the community in Africa and also in the
Indo-Pak sub-continent widely tended to equate family planning to abortion, as
it is still so considered by many Muslim sections in different parts of the world.
A similar view prevailed over life insurance which was equated to a form of
speculative trade or gambling and considered forbidden. Until the points were
cleared in the mid 1950's, many among those who practiced family planning or
took out life insurance before that did so with a 'guilt' conscience.
28