There is a pertinent story about a man who was working on an oil platform in the North Sea. He woke up one night from a loud explosion, which suddenly set his entire oil platform on fire. In mere moments, he was surrounded by flames. Through the smoke and heat, he barely made his way out of the chaos to the platform’s edge. When he looked down over the edge, all he could see were the dark, cold, foreboding Atlantic waters.
This excerpt is from Stephen Elop’s infamous “Burning Platform” memo upon his appointment as the new Nokia CEO on September 2010. In this leaked internal memo, he narrates the story of a guy, who is surrounded by blazing fire all around him.
As the fire approached him, the man had mere seconds to react. He could stand on the platform, and inevitably be consumed by the burning flames. Or, he could plunge 30 meters in to the freezing waters. The man was standing upon a “burning platform,” and he needed to make a choice.
The man needs to make a choice. And he needs to decide fast.
He decided to jump. It was unexpected. In ordinary circumstances, the man would never consider plunging into icy waters. But these were not ordinary times – his platform was on fire. The man survived the fall and the waters. After he was rescued, he noted that a “burning platform” caused a radical change in his behavior.
A “burning platform” is what the umma (the Muslim population around the world) is currently suffering.
A realization of this should cause changes in our behavior. We couldn’t afford to be exclusive anymore. Muslims couldn’t sit on the laurels and expect candies to fall from the sky. We shouldn’t being pampered by being in the comfort zones of our homes, circles and groups.
It’s now the time for us to get out from our homes and show the world what it meant to be Muslims. Each and everyone of us should make our presence felt in the communities we are living in. Our neighbors should feel our warmth, our coworkers should be inspired by our efforts and the countries we are living in should be proud having us.
If not, this platform, this umma, might not stand.
Our kids will continue to drift into the abyss of false identities. Our youth will continue to be suffocated by the exponentially capitalistic and individualistic society. Our men and women will continue to fight for their right to live peacefully without fear for their lives and for their families.
Our identities will continue to be defined by those who continue to spread misery and agony. The tears in our brothers and sisters eyes will dry up thinking about the uncertain future. Their children’s dream will continue to be haunted by horrific nightmares.
Our platform is burning. And its burning fast.
But its not too late. The fire haven’t engulfed the whole platform. The foundations still stands.
The umma, this platform, albeit burning at a rapid rate, still stands.
And isn’t that enough as a reason to fight for?
Insha’Allah.
Hafizul Faiz Mohd Azizi
Vice Chairman of ISMA US Canada
University of Toronto, Canada
