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Everybody's Choice
WHO WERE HISTORY'S GREAT LEADERS
TIME, JULY 15, 1974
The world famous "Time" carried the above rubic on its
front cover. Inside the magazine were numerous essays as to 'what makes
a great leader?' 'Throughout history, who qualifies?' Time asked a
variety of historians, writers, military men, businessmen and other selections.
Each gave his candidate according to his "light" as objectively
as is humanly possible, depending on one's own awareness and prejudice.
WHO KNOWS DR. SALAZAR?
It is my habit and pleasurable duty to take non-muslims on a guided tour
of the largest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere - "The Jumma
Musjid", Durban.
On one occasion I was hosting a Portuguese couple, a husband and a wife
team. At some stage during the discussion the Portuguese gentleman said
that "Dr. Salazar was the greatest man in the world!" I did
not debate the point with him as I personally knew little about Dr. Salazar
except that he was a one time dictator of Portugal albeit to many a great
benegactor to his nation. My poor visitor was, however, speaking according
to his own knowledge, point of view and prejudice.
MUHUMMED (PBUH) CANNOT BE IGNORED!
Among the contributors to the "Time," it seems that none could
ignore Muhummed (pbuh).
WILLIAM McNEILL, a United States historian, of the University
of Chicago, records:
"IF YOU MEASURE LEADERSHIP BY IMPACT, THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO NAME
JESUS, BUDDAH, MOHAMMED, CONFUCIUS, THE GREAT PROPHETS OF THE WORLD
...."
McNeill does not go into details, nor does he give us any explanation
as to why he placed Jesus (pbuh) first and Muhummed (pbuh) number three.
Perhaps it was by force of habit. It is very likely that McNeill is a
Christian. However, we will not argue with him. Then comes -
JAMES GAVIN, described as a United States army man, a retired
lieutenant general. He says -
"AMONG LEADERS WHO HAVE MADE THE GREATEST IMPACT THROUGH AGES,
I WOULD CONSIDER MOHAMMED, JESUS CHRIST, MAYBE LENIN, POSSIBLY MAO.
AS FOR A LEADER WHOSE QUALITIES WE COULD MOST USE NOW, I WOULD CHOOSE
JOHN F. KENNEDY."
The General does not say much more, yet we have to salute him. It calls
for tremendous fortitude to pen the name Muhummed before that of Christ
(peace be upon them both). It surely, was no slip of the pen.
JULES MASSERMAN, United Sates psychoanalyst and professor of the
Chicago University, gives us, unlike the other contributors, the basis
for making his selection. He give us his reasons for choosing his greatest
LEADER of all times.
He wants us to find out, what we are really looking for in the man, the
qualities that sets him apart. We may be looking for any sets of qualities.
As in the case of Michael H. Hart, he was looking for a person wielding
the Most influence.
However, Masserman does not wants to establish objective standards for
judging, before we confer greatness upon anybody.
He says that "Leaders must fulfil three functions --"
No. 1 THE LEADER MUST PROVIDE FOR THE WELLBEING OF THE LEAD ..
The leader, whoever he is, must be interested in your welfare. He must
not be looking for milking cows for his own greed like the Rev. Jim Jones
of Jonestown, Guyana, of the "Sucide Cult" fame. You
will remember him as the man who commited suicide together with 910 of
his followers, all at the same time EN MASSE!
The United States Government was on his trail and he was on the verge
of being caught for the certain felonies. But before they could apprehend
him, he thought it wise to eliminate himself, together with all his followers,
so that no one would be left to testify against him. He laced lemonade
with cynide and inspired his devotees to drink it, and so they did and
they all died in disgrace! In the meantime, it was discovered the Rev
Jim Jones had salted away fifteen million dollars and stacked it in his
own account in banks through out the world. All his victims were his milking
cows and he was exploiting them to satisfy his own lust and greed. Masserman's
Hero must be found to benefit his sheep, his flock, and not himself.
No 2 THE LEADER OF WOULD BE LEADER MUST PROVIDE A SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
IN WHICH PEOPLE FEEL RELATIVELY SECURE ...
Unlike the Marxist, the Facist, the Nazi, the Neo-Nazi, the Ashkenazi,
the Zionist, and their fellow-travellers, Professor Masserman, in his
brief essay in the TIME magazine, did not spell this out. but his belief
and feelings are abundantly clear. He is in search of a Leader who will
provide a social order free of self, and greed and racism: for all these
"isms" carry within them the seeds of their own destruction.
There's still with us much sorrow and sin, Injustice, oppression, wrong
and hate. Still does Arrogance deaden Conscience, Rob struggling souls
of e'en the crumbs of poty, and make, of loathsome flesh and crumbling
dust, fair-seeming Idols for worship. Still does Ignorance blow a mighty
Horn and try to shame true Wisdom. Still do men drive slaves, -- Protesting
smoothly the end of Slavery! Still does Greed devour the substance of
helpless ones within her power. Nay, more, -- the fine individual Voice
Is smothered in the raucous din of groups and Crowds that madly shout
What they call Slogans New, -- old Falsehood long discredited ...
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
No.3 THAT THIS LEADER MUST PROVIDE HIS PEOPLE WITH ONE SET OF BELIEFS
..
It is easy to talk of the Fellowship of Faith and the Brotherhood of
Man, but in South Africa today, there are a thousand different sects and
denominations among the Whites (poeple of European descent) and three
thousand among the Black (of African descent).
The White Churches in my country are spawning "Black" Bishops,
fast, but in the first three hundred years of European conquest, they
did not produce a single Black Bishop. Even now, the Black, the White,
the Coloured and the Indian cannot pray together in most of the Dutch
Reformed Churches. The hatred between the Christian sects was aptly described
by the Christian Emperor Julian, who said:
"NO WILD BEASTS ARE SO HOSTILE TO MAN AS CHRISTIAN SECTS IN GENERAL
ARE TO ANOTHER."
Sayed Amir Ali in his "Spirit of Islam," Page
1ii.
With the forgoing three standards, Masserman searches history and analyses
Lousi Pasteur, Salk, Gandhi, Confucius, Alexander the Great, Caesar, Hitler,
Buddha, Jesus and the rest; finally coming to the conclusion that -
PERHAPS THE GREATEST LEADER OF ALL TIMES WAS MUHAMMED, WHO COMBINED
ALL THREE FUNCTIONS. (and) TO A LESSER DEGREE, MOSES DID THE SAME
We cannot help marvelling at Masserman, that as a Jew he condescends
to scrutinize even Adolf Hitler, the arch-enemy of his people. He considers
Hitler to be great leader. His race, the mighty German nation of 90 million
people, was ready to march to destiny or destruction at his behest. Alas
he lead them to ruin.
Hitler is not the question. the question is why would Masserman, as an
American Jew, a paid servant of the Government proclaim to his countrymen
of over two hundred million Jews and Christians that not Jesus, not Moses but Muhummed (blessing of God on all His Messengers)
was "The greatest Leader of all times!" ACCOUNT FOR THAT!
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