Hyderabad, Nov. 10 -- The often misunderstood shayar-e-Mashriq (poet of the east) receives heat from all sides of the Islamaphobic political spectrum every year on his birthday. However, one must not let his poetry and philosophy die down in the pages of history and let Pakistan have a 100% claim over the gem that initially gave India "saare jahan se achcha Hindustan hamara."

Even though Iqbal, in his poem Wataniya, changed his stance on nationalism and called it the "biggest man-made idol of the new century that must be destroyed," he advocated for nations to be based on principles instead of race, geography, ethnicity, community and language. Oppressed Muslims all around the world have taken inspiration from his poetry, which if not un...