Turning Point In the history of America
That’s what I feel on this day of 4th of November, 2008, when people of USA voted Barack Obama for the 44th US President. They have shown once again why they are a great nation. They voted in the interest of common good of the people of USA and for the cause of humanity, for the ‘hope’, for the ‘change’ they had been seeking for a long long time. They rose up to the occasion to overcome their prejudices, and differences. From here this country will move in a new direction and re-define its future. This is the moment when one feels proud to witness the ‘history in making’. There are not many moments in one’s lifetime when you feel elated by being able to watch development of an important event in history. The first memory of such an event was when I was a kid, in 1979, when Islamic Revolution in Iran took place. People’s might turned the most powerful and tyrannical ruler of the middle-east into a paper tiger. The next important event was the disintegration of Soviet Union, not as a defeat of Communism, but the end of another tyrannical rule. Return of Soviet military from Afghanistan was the turning point in the Soviet history, I felt then, when I first saw the headlines in Indian newspapers of that time, ‘Soviet Union to Withdraw its Troops from Afghanistan’. The next event in history that shortly followed was also in Europe and it was the Fall of Berlin Wall and Re-Unification of Germany. The Wall that divided people since 2nd World War was no more, boundaries separating the east from the west Germany disappeared into air. I had heard about the’ stories’ which were the real stories of people trying to cross into the western territory to meet their aspirations or their dear ones who were divided by fate, of not their own making. The next event to unfold was in the land which is known as of Gandhi's Karmbhoomi, the south of African continent, in South Africa. The event was the release of Nelson Mandela and the end of Apartheid. Nelson Mandela has become a living epitome of Leadership in Modern World History. He is undoubtedly among the most admired, adored and respected of human beings to walk on this Earth, in modern times. And it did not come to him with ease, it came through 27 years of confinement, he created that niche in people’s heart by leading selflessly and bearing hardships that came on his way to liberate his people to freedom and dignity, and make his country a role model for other countries of the world, in terms of multi-racial democracy, in prosperity, in stability, peace and freedom. In all these important landmark events of modern history, there was and will be one thing in common, and that is victory of human freedom and life of dignity and equal opportunity. All of these were People’s Movements. And any movement that is driven by feeling of common good and common freedom is bound to triumph. Today’s event is one such event in the history of modern World. It is the realization of a long cherished dream. May Allah bless all such movements and give all of us the ability to know and recognise those movements. In the end someone may question why did I not count the Independence of India, as an event of historical significance? Well, it was indeed one such event, but I was not born yet to witness it, but, I feel extremely proud and lucky to inherit the gift of freedom from my ancestors and savor every moment of it. Let us not waste this great legacy which we often take for granted.
