College friends and the class of 73’ of late prime minister Benazir Bhutto have launched an international leadership course called Benazir Bhutto Leadership Program at Harvard University.
Bhutto, the first female of the Muslim world, was killed in a terror attack in Pakistan on December 27, 2007, when she returned to the country with the aim to restore democratic governance.
Her struggle for democracy was characterized by a strong determination and courage against political odds and military dictators. During her two unfinished two terms as prime minister, she advocate education for all, gender equality and human rights.
This new Harvard course is part of an organization called ClassACT that stands for Class Achieving Change Together. The program will train leaders from the Muslim world and connect them to others who share Bhutto’s thoughts and principles in the field of equality, human rights, education and political vision.
“The goal is to prepare people who will be assuming leadership positions in these countries,” said Bhutto’s classmate Peter Galbraith ’73.
“It’s one thing to be a political leader. It’s another to be effective in government.”
The BBLP’s first event was titled as: “leading in the Muslim world: what would Benazir do today.”
The program seeks to groom leaders at a time when much of the Muslim world is deprived of honest and courageous leadership who could solve the common person’s problems. The silencing of the Arab Spring revolution has further strengthened the autocratic rules.
The situation today stands in contrast with the age when centuries ago the Muslims introduced books and knowlege that helped Europe come of the Dark Age, and contributed significantly to development of sciences and arts.
Today, the Muslim vision is on a long vacation for centuries. May be programs like Benazir Leadership and other small civil society initiatives in some of the Muslim countries would help inspire leadership in the Muslim world.
FEATURED IMAGE : Benazir Bhutto at Andrews Air Base 1989 Photo Credit : SRA Gerald B. Johnson, Department of Defense via Wikimedia Commons
