E-Book - Mahatma Gandhi

108 Contextualising Gandhian Thoughthave been nervous about an Arab Spring type movement takingplace in the country.After the clash of civilizations thesis and 9/11 therewas a propensity in many parts of the world to associate Islamwith violence, literally ruling out the possibility of nonviolentMuslim protest motivated by secular or religious factors.However, the concept of nonviolence is not foreign or new toMuslims. Khudai Khidmatgar of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khanwas a classic case of Islamic nonviolence, Calling hissupporters as ‘Servants of God’, the red-shirted revolutionariespledged not to spill one drop of British blood. It was aprincipled form of nonviolence. Ghaffar Khan told theunbelieving people: "There is nothing surprising in a Muslim ora Pathan [Pashtun] like me subscribing to the creed ofnonviolence. It is not a new creed. It was followed fourteenhundred years ago by the Prophet all the time he was inMecca." 11Gandhi may be a marginal factor in the Arab Spring,but oppression will continue to be resisted in the name ofIslam, which will give it a special character suited to the Arabsituation. The future of nonviolence lies not so much infollowing Gandhian ideals, but in interpreting ones’ ownculture and religion in a suitable manner and draw inspirationfor nonviolence from it. Ghaffar Khan saw it in Islam, MartinLuther King Jr. in Gandhi and Christianity, Chief AlbertLuthuli in the symbol of the Cross and the Dalai Lama in hisBuddhist practice. The idea of Ubuntu in African culturesprovides a powerful tool for African nonviolent action.Should we focus only on negative nonviolence of thevariety that was suggested by Sharp or address more structuraland institutional forms of oppression and move in the directionof positive nonviolence? The negative forms have beencriticized for being system supportive. Positive nonviolence