Top Ten Good News Stories of 2003

By Zahed Amanullah, Altmuslim.com. Posted February 18, 2004.

Editor's Note: The following top ten list was compiled by the editors of Altmuslim.com, a progressive news and culture site focused on the Muslim community.

We've spent much of the past year covering troubling events throughout the Muslim world -- increased conflict in the Middle East, civil rights struggles in the US, and most recently the Iranian earthquake that may have killed up to 30,000 people. However, at the end of each year we try to reflect on some of the hopeful and positive things that happened. Some of these events are major events that we've all read about, such as the fall of Saddam Hussein or the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Shirin Ebadi, but behind the headlines there are glimpses into trends and hard work that happen in the background, that few of us may know about. Economic empowerment, social justice, conflict resolution, and people-to-people diplomacy are occuring outside the spotlight of the media, but their impact on society is still significant. In all things big and small, we can find inspiration and direction that we can use to make 2004 an even better year. Let's take a look at some of these points of light.

1. Saddam Hussein removed from power

Muslims have been very vocal about this year's war in Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Much time has been focused, and rightly so, on troubling aspects of it -- the extension of US military hegemony over the region, the rejection of international cooperation in the war's aftermath, and the price paid in terms of human suffering of Iraq's civilian population. But no matter what your stance on the war or the method by which it occured, the removal of Saddam Hussein from power is a turning point for Iraq that put an end to one of the region's bloodiest dictators and marks the beginning of justice for his victims. We can only pray that in the future Muslims will have the strength and forebearance to remove their own tyrants -- assuming, of course, that the West does its part by pulling their support from them.

2. Yusuf Hamied is AIDS hero to Africa and Asia

Drug companies consider him a thief, but Yusuf Hamied and his Bombay, India based company Cipla is a savior to many around the world who are suffering from diseases such as AIDS. Hamied single-handedly broke the cartel of multinational drug companies by creating generic AIDS drugs that cost 1/10th of their brand name counterparts. "I don't want to make money on AIDS drugs," he says. "I make enough money on other things." Hamied runs a free cancer hospital in India and is working to see that AIDS drugs are tailored to meet the needs of the vast majority of sufferers by being cheap and simple. He is launching the world's first once-a-day AIDS treatment, and is offering free doses of nevirapine (which prevents babies from being infected when born to an HIV+ mother), but governments have so far been uncooperative because of pressure from the research-based pharmaceutical industry.

3. Shirin Ebadi wins Nobel Peace Prize

Few Muslims outside of Iran had heard of Shirin Ebadi before her nomination and unexpected win of the Nobel Peace Prize for her work defending the rights of women and children in Iran. But the significance of her award goes far beyond highlighting the role of Muslim women in fostering positive change in their communities. It was a message to all Muslims that we cannot depend on our governments and leaders to make things better, and that each one of us can stand up and make a difference. Imagine how much better things would be if there were 100 Shirin Ebadis (male or female) in every Muslim country. She is an example of how it is possible, and in her dignified yet strong acceptance speech in Oslo, she also showed the importance of speaking truth to power, whether that power be in Washington or Tehran. There's less to be afraid of in the post-Ebadi world.

4. Mecca Cola & Qibla Cola take off

On the face of it, these upstart cola brands released in Europe and the Middle East are no match for sugar-water behemoths Coke and Pepsi. But their introduction marks a trend where developing countries (and minority communities in developed ones) are breaking the stranglehold of large corporations and creating an indigenous economy in its place. First introduced in Europe, these colas have moved into the Middle East and have already made a significant dent in the market. Now if only the Muslim world could wean itself off of unhealthy colas and move on to something healthier. There's a market opportunity for you.

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