Call for Khilafah

Gaza: The Ummah’s heartbeat

2009-02-10T21:13:00.000-08:00

As the Gaza issue slowly begins to sidestep from the headlines, one can’t stop to contemplate over the tragedy that has struck the Ummah. There are some fundamental lessons to be learned from the massacre in Gaza.

Seeing on our TV sets, the catastrophe unleashed by Israel on Palestinians, most of us, have undoubtedly felt common sentiments. We all felt angered by the atrocities being committed and felt the urge to take immediate actions to help those suffering.However, if we are to look back, this is not the first time Muslims have shared these sentiments. Our sentiments were alike, when Afghanistan was being bombed, when Iraq was being invaded, and when Lebanon was being torched. In fact it is not the first time that the sufferings in Palestine have sent shivers across the Muslim world.

Whenever such incidents occurs, we find that Muslims realize their personal obligation towards helping their brothers in distress, and this often translates into many types of actions. For example, appeals are made to United Nations, marches are done to express solidarity, and calls for boycotts are made with full vigor. Unfortunately, as days roll by, a usual decline in this eagerness is witnessed.

It is of utmost significance, therefore, that Muslims direct their efforts towards a path that provides a permanent solution to the issue. Otherwise, sincere efforts, if directed towards a path that gives no lasting solution, will serve as mere channels for releasing the pressure of Muslims, and are likely to end up being wasted.

Before we dwell into the solution, it becomes imperative, that we identify the problem, and subsequently the barriers that prevent the solution.

The Ummah today is blessed, with abundant natural resources, oil, natural gas, gold and uranium etc. Its geography covers many of the world’s strategic locations. In terms of numbers its strength is self evident. And collective emotions resonate throughout the Ummah, on all issues that have Islamic significance, be it the Caricatures, or the Gaza crises. Moreover, there is an abundance of self-less men, who dedicate their lives for the betterment of others, and propagation of Islam. Furthermore, it has the military might, which has the potential to face any other power in the world.

In short we must realize that the problem is not lack of resources, or technology, nor is the problems within individuals at large in the Ummah.

Coming back to the issue of Gaza, we witnessed, that while Israel unleashed it reign of terror on civilians, Egypt’s ruler ordered ceiling of the borders, preventing even medical aid to cross through. All this while, Egypt’s army, as well as the armies of the rest of the Muslim world were kept stationed in their barracks by the Muslim rulers. A stark contrast indeed to the fact that these same rulers eagerly send troops - under the umbrella of UN - to serve the interests of western imperial powers in Congo or elsewhere.

So, what prevents the liberation of oppressed Muslims in occupied lands, is the present status quo(fortified by UN) which keeps the Ummah divided into petty nation states, and the present rulers, who blatantly and shamelessly side with the oppressors.

The lasting solution is none other than the re-establishment of Khilafah, in one of the Muslim lands, which will implement the systems of Islam, and subsequently seek to unify Muslim lands, and mobilize the Muslim armies to protect the oppressed people. The barriers to this solution are explicitly: nationalism, the present capitalist system, and the current rulers.

Therefore our efforts should be directed towards the removal of these barriers, and side by side presenting the correct solution. This needs to be done by peacefully engaging in an intellectual and political struggle in order to generate public opinion for the necessity of such a state, and to seek the ‘Nusrah’ of those with capability of directing change, to step forward from their barracks and fulfill the obligation of implementing Islam that Muslims owe to Allah(swt).

Shift towards a multipolar world

2008-09-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

Pakistan Observer - (http://pakobserver.net/) Sunday, August 31, Shaban 27, 1429

As the world’s eye was dazzled by the spectacular show at Olympics opening in Beijing, the crises in Georgia came as a surprise. Although both the shows were opposite – one of cultural grandeur and other of brute force – they echoed monotonous message: The rise of empires. China has been pursuing its economic policies, often at times bypassing the so-called “international laws” set up the imperial capitalist west. And coupled with its economic uplift, it continues to achieve milestones in technological success, be it in space or military, together with its increasingly assertive role in geopolitics related to Tibet and Taiwan.

On the other hand we see Russia, once considered the remnant of the fallen ideology of Communism, rising again as a potential parallel power to US. Russia, was almost rendered as a lost major power even years after the collapse of communism. It was in 1998, when the financial crises gripped the nation already gasping for stability in the ongoing economic crises. The International monetary institutions, including the IMF and World Bank, continued to strive to covert Russia’s centrally driven economy into a successful free market economy, by the conventional method of selling states assets and utilities while at the same time serving lucrative deals to the oligarchs, who made millions out of it. It was in Vladimir Putin era, where serious efforts were made to change the fate of Russia. Renationalization policies were pursued, which returned key sectors, assets, utilities and industries to the state.

Strict financial policies were implemented to deal with the oligarchs who were looting the nation e.g. by restricting the amount of money they took out of the nation, while some were allowed to leave the country only if they contributed to the re-building of the nation such a Roman Abromovich. He stabilized the domestic situation through economic policies which were only possible under a dictatorship - any parliament or senate would have stalled on such huge decisions and would have allowed their own interests to get in the way. Russia today, like China, has made a come back, to the corridors of global power centres and for all those former communist states that fought for independence and become Western allies it will be payback time. A fact resonated in the unfolding Georgian crises. It can be seen that with some determination and vision, Russia in less than 10 years was able to achieve such a feat, China is currently 20 years into its development programme, Germany achieved rapid economic development in 5 years prior to WW2. This has three significant lessons for the Muslim world.

First, the Muslim world in spite of its enormous recourses, and military capability, has its potentiality dormant because of the absence of a State with a clear vision and determined leadership. Divided into petty nation states, it has been unable to solve even the most trivial of its issues. From liberal democracies, to dictatorships, to Monarchs, no governance, economic or state model has been able to uplift any of the nation-states into a dignified position, where its opinions carry international weight. This vacuum can only be filled by a Caliphate state, which will seek to unify Muslim lands and pursue clear outlined vision as emanating from the Islamic ideology, thereby unleashing its full might.

Secondly, it’s a myth that Non-Muslims States stand unified in a row, ready to wreak havoc on Muslims, if a Caliphate State is established. This is because, at present the centres of power are becoming increasingly dispersed - with China and Russia, emerging on the international arena - with diverging interests, needs and visions. A fact which positively benefits a Caliphate State in building international alliances; in order to counterbalance potential threats from any single power such as US.

Thirdly, the ground realities today, show that time is ripe for the emergence of a Caliphate. With an enormous human capital, mineral resources, and strategic geography at its disposal, and the Islamic ideology serving as the spring board, the Caliphate, led by a sincere leadership, is sure to swiftly make its way in the corridors of global power as not just a strong state, very much like Russia or China, but eventually as a leading actor on the world stage.

Geopolitics behind overpopulation

2008-07-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

Dhaka, Wednesday 23 July 2008 / 19 Rajab 1429
www.theindependent-bd.com

The geopolitics of today, steered by the imperial powers with their ulterior designs, perplexes one by its ability of cunning deceit. The capitalist system, which dominates the global arena, deems its intricate and institutionalized failures as external evil, and then strives to exorcize them with fuming abstract notions that emanate from its own capital-oriented principles. Consider for instance the issue of 'overpopulation'. The rate of population growth over the last century has been labeled the underlying cause of the world standing on the brink of disaster; it is argued we are running out of food to sustain such growing population. It is argued by the proponents of over-population that the huge growth in world population is responsible for poverty, environmental destruction and social unrest. Economic development in the third world is impossible as long as populations continue to grow. As a result, international agencies and governments have developed numerous programmes to curtail the rate of population growth. All of these have been implemented in the third world. This alleged over-population has to be in relation to something to qualify it being over. That something is the use of resources. The resources being consumed leading to global imbalances are attributed to population sizes. When all assumptions on the effects of population growth are scrutinized population, it can be seen that population increases in no way have ever contributed to the many ills of the world today and what becomes clear is that there is a lucid political agenda in attributing the increasing global population as the cause of the world's potential disaster. This agenda is to shift the real cause away from the lifestyles, living patterns, un-sustainability of consumerism, poverty and blatant abuse of the third world in order that the western world can live of the third world. Much of the world problems are direct results of capitalism, which principally allows unbridled accumulation of capital and freedom of ownership. The irony is that, they are able to achieve this by loyal dictators, such as in Central Asian countries, e.g. Uzbekistan, or Pakistan; by subservient monarchs in the Middle East; and when need be - quite conveniently - through democratically elected governments as we see in South Asia. When all else fails, a direct military intervention by the imperial powers is adopted to extend their control, as seen in Iraq, and Afghanistan.In the face of this capitalist hegemony, stands the ideological challenge presented by Islam. As opposed to the capitalist myopic viewpoint, Islam presents a uniquely realistic approach to the crises the world faces at large, and the third world bears in particular. From the perspective of Islam, resources are sufficient to fulfill the basic needs of humanity, and any imbalances are the results of constriction in distribution. It is therefore no wonder that the governance and economic system of Islam - embodied in the Khilafah, presents detail injunctions, to deal with the plethora of problems the world faces today. The economic system of Islam gives considerable focus on ensuring circulation of wealth. Islamic revenue generating mechanism, unlike capitalist taxes, such as GST, Income Tax, etc (which disproportionately burden the masses), are based on Ushr, Kharaj, Jizya, Thoghoor, Rikaz, etc. It ensures that natural mineral resources are effectively utilized by the Khilafah state, for the betterment of the people, by making their privatization illegal. Also, it ensures, a significant net amount is generated by taxing savings of rich people via Zakat, a sum which is then only to be spend on the restricted category of people who are poor, needy etc. Moreover, essential resources such as oil, gas, electricity, are considered public property, which the state manages for use by the public, and is forbidden to earn profits from. The centralized ruling system, a decentralized administration, coupled with the unique courts structure in Khilafah, ensure, a transparent governance and use of funds, along with timely accountability. This stands in stark contrast with a shared ruling system such as democracy, where responsibility is blamed on one another, and laws can be manipulated by foreign hands. The Khilafah is, therefore, immune to foreign interference, and thus is a vibrant and firmly grounded state.The Islamic State will deal with the issues, in the light of the solutions that emanate from Islam, instead of resorting to wrongly constructed notions such as Overpopulation. For the reality today is, that the world in not overpopulated, the capitalist west just consumes disproportionately. Overpopulation is a convenient excuse, which ironically - yet strategically - is being used to admonish the millions who suffer in abject poverty, hunger, disease, lack of vital facilities, while at the same time, channeling capital in the hands of the few profiteers sitting at the seats in international monetary institutions, war-mongers in the west and corrupt and incompetent bureaucracy, etc.A Khilafah, without an iota of doubt is the need of our time. And a coming of such a state on the international arena will have significant impact. It will for good, unveil many of the myths and false reasons that the developed world uses to manipulate socio-economic and political conditions in the third world. The Islamic state will also strive to uproot the main problem -capitalism - that is at the heart of global injustice. Subsequently we would be moving towards a world, with a much different, realistically beneficial, more fascinating and positively transformed geopolitics. (Sharique Naeem writes from Lahore, Pakistan)

Phantom of Demoncrazy

2008-06-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

“Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting, and farewells him with hootings, only to welcome another with trumpeting again” – Khalil Gibran.

It is time for us as a nation, to anchor our impulsive hopefulness and rethink our ways. The Pirates of yesteryears are back with their glittering crooks. They stand with heels high, because this time around, they are back under the banner of public mandate. Who said trading a Pharoh for dozens of Cyclops was a fair move? Ironic it may sound, but that is the very enshrined “wisdom” in the modern days witchcraft of Democracy(read Demoncrazy). Why do I call it so? Because it preys on peoples fear and gives deceiving hopes. The reality in a brief narrative stands: Everybody despised the dictator, not for his looks, height or background. But for the actions he sheepishly took and policies he shamefully pursued. Namely, submitting the dignity of the nation on a single call; betraying it closest ally across the border, selling the countries resources and letting whatever little remained to rot, selling, slaying and locking its own people from ordinary citizens, students, to journalists, scientists, lawyers and even judges.

All in all, the flawed capitalist system fused together with a tyrant ruler unleashed a havoc upon its people. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. It could be sought, by discarding the corrupt system and its savage riders; and by reviving the system which was the beacon of light, and not just hope, for the Muslim civilization for centuries, namely the Caliphate. Yet, some of us chose to look the other way around. And placed all our dimes in the witchcraft: demoncrazy. The ritual you ask? Placing trust in a system, where 17.7 million out of the population of more than 160 million, casted vote to give a bunch of bandits a second(…third) chance, to rule over the country. Giving them the sovereignty to decide what’s best for the masses. Sovereignty - which they delightfully serve to their godfather – Uncle Sam.

Ritual once complete, gives the magic’s effect: hope is created out of thin air. But like any blow-on-knots practice, it’s only a little more temporary that a mirage. With the new democratic government in place, we’ve all seen that the dark signals have as always remained open, to the policies that were being pursued before. Be it related to the “war ‘of’ terror”, or the crippling economic polices. Do we still ought to place trust in this rusted idea of democracy? Perhaps not. There is still light at the end of the tunnel. We only need to look up to the right direction.

[ Source for statistical data:

http://www2.ecp.gov.pk/vsite/ElectionResult/AllResults.aspx?assemblyid=NA ]

MODERNISM UNFOLDED

2007-11-20T05:19:00.000-08:00

Modernism, in respect to reformation of religion, has originated from the middle-ages in Europe. The modernist movement began as a result of ever increasing conflicts between the philosophers who rejected god and the dogmatic beliefs of the church. This eventually led to a bloody struggle.

Before we begin to dwell into the details of how the Muslims in the contemporary world have responded to modernism, we need to have a clear picture of modernism as viewed from a number of different angles.

Firstly, by modernism, one may imply the progress of society, in terms of technological advancement and infrastructural developments.

Secondly, modernism can be viewed from the perspective that Religion and State are separate and thirdly, the premise of modernism in all faiths is essentially the notion that religion is not fixed and should change according to the circumstances. Although, religion has a role in the state, its constants are in fact variable.

The first perspective as mentioned above is that we may take modernism to signify the general progress of society, in terms of advancement in technology, improved infrastructures, access to better health care facilities, and overall improvement in amenities.
The two possible responses to this perspective of modernism can be either, whole hearted acceptance, of this progress; or rejection of scientific innovation, effectively implying an anti-technological approach.

The Muslim societies almost unanimously and globally have positively responded to this form of modernism. Development in technology, access to high tech gadgets, better means of communication, health reforms and so forth, have always been met with welcoming response. And indeed today, it is not only those sectors of Muslims that remain underprivileged that yearn for this kind of modernism.

Questions may be raised that there exists some tiny pockets within the Muslim world, that have objected to technological progress, hence have banned televisions, cameras, cell phones and the like. It is clearly understood that these extreme measures are undertaken by some to rid themselves of the unethical use of technology.

On the other hand, it is evident from history that the Muslim world in its 'Golden age’ has had a pivotal role in this form of modernism.

Carly Fiorina, an ex-CEO of Hewlett Packard, referred to the Muslim civilization of the past, in a speech at Minneapolis saying that: "...this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration.”

The Second angle, from which "modernism" may be viewed, is the explicit idea of Separation of Religion and state. When Mustafa Kemal, took the role of leadership in Turkey, he effectively managed to perpetuate the idea in the masses that Islam had no longer any role in the authority of State, and to considerable degree he had success, and this notion drew a sizeable response from Muslims in other regions as well.However today, this notion stands on the defeated lines. The current political waves in the Muslim world clearly show that Muslims are generally of the view that Islam and politics are one. This is evident from Muslims abstaining from voting and demanding Islamic representation within their land and a rejection of man made laws. Politicians have realized that they have to change the face of politics into something supposedly Islamic to the extent that we hear desperate politicians ignorantly claiming that secularism is Islamic!

The poll results, as surveyed by The Pew Global Atttiues Project, in its report dated July, 2005 showed large majorities of Muslims in most predominantly Muslim countries having the opinion that it is very vital that Islam play a more important and influential role in the world than that religion does at present. In Morocco, 84% of Muslims, 73% in Jordan, 70% in Pakistan and 64% in Indonesia expressed this opinion. In some countries like Lebanon and Turkey, where this secular view appears to be dominant, in fact most are of the opinion that Islam needs to play an influential and international role.

In another recent opinion report by 'World Public Opinion' dated April, 2007, findings showed that “Large majorities in most countries support the goals of requiring a strict application of sharia, keeping out Western values, and even unifying all Islamic countries into a single Islamic state”. The polls results indicated 76% in Morocco, 74% in Egypt, 79% in Pakistan and 53% in Indonesia, agreeing to the notion that there should be strict application of Shariah Law in every Islamic Country.

The Muslim response therefore to this particular angle of modernism has been to evidently reject the notion that "state and religion are separate.
The Third perspective from which one may view modernism, is that religion is not fixed and should change according to the circumstances. In the Muslim world, this is a recent innovation. And this controversy has itself given rise to a lot of confusion. What we find today in the Muslim world, is that over 50 countries, declare themselves to be Muslim, and Islamic, and yet none of these countries have a comprehensive and holistic implementation of the Shariah.

On the one hand we can find Islamists, propagating the notion of 'Jihad' as an offensive war against the infidels, and on the other hand we see liberal rulers in the Muslim world, like Pervez Musharaf who refer to 'Jihad' as a struggle for the eradication of poverty and illiteracy.
As we see partial implementation of Islam being implemented in countries like Saudi Arabia where the hand of the thief is cut off and at the same time, we see a country ridden with foreign banks dealing with riba.

There are other infamous leaders such as Dr. Mahatir who suggested that the Quranic injunction regarding the cutting of the hand has the objective of reducing crime rate, and if crime rate is reduced by other means, than the 'spirit' of the law has been fulfilled, and there is no need to implement this particular law.

The poll results, by The Pew Global Attitudes Project, showed that large majorities in the Muslim world, especially in Pakistan (79%), Morocco (70%) and Jordan (63%) say they identify themselves Muslims, rather than in terms of their nationalities.

This inclination is also growing amongst the Muslims living in the west. In a report, by Policy Exchange, findings showed that young Muslims are much more interested in the politics of Islam than the politics of other worldly substitutes. 37% of the British Muslims in the age group of 16-24 year olds said that they would prefer to live under Islamic Sharia law than under British law.

To sum up, this unmistakable outlook with regards to the Muslim’s response on this particular aspect of modernism is divided on the lines of "Interpretation and Understanding of Islam" and its "scope of applicability" rather than the notion of "Secularism vs. Islam".

In conclusion, it is vital to take into account the multiple dimensions of modernism as viewed today in the contemporary Muslim societies, as a prerequisite to analyzing and evaluating the Muslims’ response to it. The realization of Muslims today about the ability of Islam to govern people through a comprehensive system is extremely apparent throughout the world. This is probably why further attempts, via modernism and other misconceptions, have been made to redefine and weaken Muslims and their only life line Islam.

Mullah vs Monks

2007-10-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Mullah vs Monks.

What happens when the lion refuses to get out of its den? - in the milieu of hippos moos and crackling giggles of hyenas, the jungle wonders who's the king?.

Our television sets, recently beamed forth one amongst the many man's jungle worlds. The streets of Myanmar, saw men wearing saffron robes coming to the streets. The Monks were out in the open, leading thousands in protest against the oppression of the ruler.

These monks, have no faith in the oneness of God, and hold a philosophy that has nothing realistic to offer. Yet they had the courage to come forward. Whereas it’s a pity, that our Mullahs, who hold on to the Quran and the Sunna of our beloved Prophet(saw) -an ideology which offers solutions to all problems of man, and a complete system embodied in the Caliphate, of how a society should be run - have nothing to say against the blatant aggression of our rulers.

They say, that in a jungle, if you hear the eerie, crazed laughter of hyena you get goose bumps - but if a lion roars just outside your tent, you jump out of your skin!. To put an end to the oppression, perpetrated by the corrupt rules, its time the lion gets out of its den. Otherwise, if they become content with reducing an entire ideology, to mere prayer rags and iftar parties, the daunting question would remain: Who's the Jungle king?

Film Review: "Khuda Kae Liyai"

2007-09-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

It’s on the screens, papers and magazines, and chit chats, of a common man. It’s not about, the crises in middle east, or the carnage in Iraq, the thing everyone has been talking about is, the movie "Khuda Kae liya". As a layman, with sufficient schooling background in English. The appropriate translation of this phrase would have either been "For God's Sake" or "For the Sake of God", the former may imply a strong definitive remark with an exclamation mark, and the latter may be taken on a slightly softer tone, for giving a significant recommendation.

Perhaps the makers of the film knew well, and the official English name stand as, ‘In the name of God’. Translate in to Arabic - you don’t need to be an Imam of a mufti for that - "Bismillah".
But this time, it’s not about a recitation from the Quran, or the ‘dua’ before having meal. It’s about the movie, being hailed as the philosopher's stone for revival of cinema in Pakistan. So what is it all about? To answer that, I visited the cinema in Fortress stadium a while ago.

From its official synopsis given on the website: "The film is about the difficult situation in which Pakistanis in particular and the Muslims in general are caught up since 9/11. There is a war going on between the fundamentalists and the liberal Muslims."

It must have taken a Cyclope's wisdom, to blind oneself into reducing that the War Of terror, unleashed by the imperial powers after 9/11, to a war between fundamentalists and the liberal Muslims. The images from Abu Gharib, didn’t really showed that as such. Perhaps they were faked? I am sure the makers of khuda kae liyai are well skilled, to determine that.

Two countries, Iraq and Afghanistan, have been occupied, and the subsequent massacre which continues to date has caused millions of innocent lives. A tragedy that puts humanity to shame, and the silence of the Ummah and its armies in question; but Shoaib likes to think the other way, for it has resulted according to him "in Great suffering for a forward looking Muslim."
The movie claims, that "It helps the Muslim youth find a direction... the right direction, which we all are looking towards." And the pundits of enlighten moderation have been boasting, that to make this movie a success it should be shown to every school and college students. (Little surprise, that they would certainly never say that, regarding teaching of Sura Tauba.)

To know what that direction is, the movie if filled with both subtle and overt signboards, pointing towards a direction.

One of the lead role, played by Fawad Khan, is about a person, well versed in music, who attends the lectures of a religious person. Fawad is convinced to give up music, and as the chain of events is shown, He ensures paintings in his house are taken off the wall, goes out to throw some paint on billboards depicting women, and tells the ladies in the house to observe Hijab. He would then move on to Wazirstan, agree to a force marriage to a western born girl, who’s father did not wanted her daughter to marry a non-muslim and so had brought her to Waziristan, and then go for Jihad.

Here stands, a classical example of propaganda tactic, painting the weak and the definitive injunctions altogether, with the same brush, undermining the essentials, to the level of nonessentials, in effect making both pointless.

From Islamic perspective, ensuring that females in a family, observe Hijab, is binding upon the men. And using women beauty for commercial purposes to allure customers violates the ethics of Islam. How that may be stopped is a matter related to the State, which is supposed to ensure marketing trends are in line with the ethics of Islam. Also a Muslim girl, is not allowed to marry a nonmuslim. However the movie seems to have highlighted these points in a well crafted context, arousing deliberate sympathies for the opponents of these points.

The movie, entertained a fully packed hall; However it was now time for the interval, I along with a friend went to the nearest mosque for Asar prayers, only to find it locked. Fortunately, some servants of a local restaurant nearby had made some meager arrangements for the prayers in the open. Enlighten Moderation, I reminded myself, as I headed back for the second half of the movie.

The debate on music has already been much done. And I would skip that. However an interesting reference in the movie is when, Naseer uddin shah, playing the role of typical Tableghi, makes comparison between the Miracle of Quran to the Prophet(saw) and a bogus claim of Musical Melody, being made use of by Prophet Daoud to praise God.

In the magnified, debate that goes on in the court, the lead actor, Fawad, is made to conclude - realizing his mistakes- that He was a good person before, and did not lied or drink. However the good thing now was that he had now started praying.

The debates aside, I'd request viewers of the movie, to stop, and think for a while.

Not lying, not drinking, and praying regularly, is what a Muslim must do. However is that all Islam demands from a Muslim? What about standing up to liberate the occupied lands of Muslims, about defending the oppressed brothers in the dungeons of Bagharam and Guantanamo bay, or releasing the sisters who are jailed naked in Russian jails in Chechnya? What of the necessity of Muslims to be united under the Shade of an Islamic state, so that these oppressed lands can truly be liberated?

Qur'an 4:75 "And what reason do you have not to fight in the cause of Allah, to rescue the helpless oppressed old men, women, and children who are crying: "Our Lord! Deliver us from this town whose people are oppressors; send us a protector by Your grace and send us a helper from Your presence?"

Are angels going to come down to do all this?

In "In the name of God", the makers of the movie, want to tell you: don’t think about it!, An ideal Muslim youth, should be happy and satisfied with a life, that makes him a person that doesn’t lies, doest drinks and prays regularly - fullstop.

Moreover, the film reaffirms, the western media proporganda, that the Talibans were against education of women. An allegation, which had no bases in reality. Mahan Hussain Mirza, as part of the offical delgation led By Dr. Israr Ahmad in April 2001 visited Afghanistan, and writes, in 'Quranic Horizons Magzine', that he came across in Kandahr a clinic run by Dr. Laila Siddique, a woman; and while travelling from kabul, passed by a school district that had a univeristy where a thousand women were studying to be doctors.

Had the makers of the movie, any shred of sincerity, and appropriate understanding of Islam and the current situation, they could well have done a job worth commending, if in the name of God, was to be truly worth its name. A movie on the life of Junaid Jamshed, or the Gallant warriors, who continue to fight the occupiers with whatever little resources they have, or the youth who truly and sincerely strives today to resume the Islamic way of life, and unify the Muslim lands by reviving an Islamic State would have been befitting for the need of our time.
Sadly, and not surprisingly at all, the Makers of the film want you to think about what Bush, his henchman, and there think tanks want you to think about; that those who stand up against tyrannical occupiers are all fundamentalists and extremists, and hiphops are what the youth should be aiming for.

But then again, there is a perspective to all this, that needs to be mentioned. The fact that the Movie, had to be designed to look "Islamic" and has been hailed in as a sign of revival of Cinema in Pakistan, goes to show the ever growing interest in the masses in general and the youth in particular to know Islam. Without an iota of doubt, if Revival of Muslims of this region, and the Ummah at large, has to come, then truly it can only be from Islam alone enroute the revival of an Islamic State.

Electing the Caliph

2007-09-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Some circles amongst the masses, tend to scoff at the thought of revival of Islamic caliphate, since they cling onto a preconceived assumption, that Caliphate, will be dictatorial regime, where people wont be able to elect their rulers. The, fact of the matter is however, the opposite. Once a caliphate state is established, A comprehensive procedure, based on the method of Hazrat Umer(ra), for electing the Ruler will be observed.
As a first step, through elections, a province level council (Majlis-e-Wilaya) will be elected by the people, and will have tenure of five years. This Council, will subsequently elect the State Level Council (Majlis-e-Ummah) having the same tenure of five years.
As soon as the post of Caliph, becomes vacant; Candidates, competing for the post will present their names. All candidates must fulfill the seven basic conditions, which are namely: male, Muslim, Free, Sane, Just, Mature, Able; they may or may not have preferential conditons e.g. Mujtahid, brave, Military strategist, Qureishi etc. Voting will then be carried out in three rounds, in the Majlis-e-Ummah, First six candidates with majority votes will be selected, than out of these six, two will be selected, and finally from these two, One will be elected as the Caliph in the last and final round of voting.
The Majlis will then give the pledge (Bayah In-eqad) to the Elected Caliph, and subsequently the Ummah will give there pledge (Bayah Ta'ah)
In this elegant way, the Caliph will be elected. Hence people need to be aware of the fact that Islam truly honors values such as ‘peoples right to elect their rulers’, ‘justice for all’ and ‘rule of law’ - which the present democratic structures only make hollow boasts of.

Citrus Fruit Vs Apple Pie

2007-04-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

"If Citrus Tastes bitter, don't blame your taste buds" - that’s no Frankenstein’s rocket-science, its layman’s' commonsense.

From the last couple of weeks, the nation has faced encapsulation by yet another trauma. "Injustice" in Justice itself. And as always, the know-it-all elites, politicians, intellectuals and masses to an extent, have been quick to polarize themselves around the Heroes and Zeros players of this game.

The Chief Justice was no saint, not even remotely near to one. Neither is our judicial system providing any reasonable justice to the masses - who have by now been accustomed not to expect anything fair to come out of judiciary anyway.

But Yes, the CJ, did made some good moves, perhaps by mistake, to block privatizing of steel mills, explore the cases of 'alien abduction' by the authorities etc. That’s where one lion stepped into another lion’s den, and as a result generated the tremor that was to engulf a broader region, to ensure that law of Jungle: "Might is Right" prevails. Its Jungle book wisdom, that predators go well, as long as they share well; But when one tries to take the share of another, its only than that the predator becomes the prey. Putting the current crises into context, that is what has exactly happened.

Perhaps, if we open our eyes, to underline facts being this opera of injustice, and look beyond the mere masks worn by actors of this amphitheater, we can get to the roots of the problem.

At present, idealistically what we have, is known as a tripod system, with three centers of power. One the Judiciary, Two the Legislators, and Three the executives. Since the executive branch is largely under the Army; that leaves us practically with two centers of power: the Army and Judiciary. So as long as everyone gets their piece of cake, thinking that its the biggest one, its all fine, However if the balance is disturbed, as it is bound to happen sooner or later, the blame-game is initiated followed by accusation cycles, and leg pulling. Add to that the fact that a lot of free capital, and unconditional authority is involved, it’s addictive, more than pure opium. The Legislators center of power, although relative low - being third in the ladder, has its own reasons for pulling the strings. First the ability to legislate laws based on their own whims and desires is in there hands, and second its lucrative business(the high salary comes as a sidekick). And most importantly, subtle though, is the effective dilution of any potential blame, as a result of "shared ruling".

Contrary to this, we have an alternative, surprisingly absent from any mention in the media. Tried and tested, and intellectually grounded, is the Caliphate System. With centralized ruling, and decentralized administration, it gives one center of power.’ No room for leg pulling’ is the first kudo.

Second, neither the members of majlis-i-ummah nor the caliph can legislate laws based on there own desires, It’s only the dictates of Islam, that have the final say. So the notion that "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" meets a dead end, since the authority and power is solely for implementation of Islam alone.

Third, the members of Majlis-i-Ummah, the elected representatives of the people, are not paid by the sate, and play an advisory role to the Caliph, and are responsible for accounting him. "Lucrative business opportunity", down the drain!

Fourth, The court of Unjust act, and its Chief Qadi [Qadi al-Qadat], although under and appointed by the Caliph, cannot be dismissed while he is exploring a case against the Caliph, or his close circle and associates. And can even dismiss the caliph, if he openly violates the rules of Islam.

Fifth, No shared ruling; you mess up; you face the blame head on. That’s the little red cherry on the top of the apple pie.

And one thing for sure, one need not ask a housewife, that if the apple pie tastes sweet, it’s largely cause of the Juice inside, and not just the dry crust on the top.

Iconoclast I may sound, but its true, a fact plain black and white, that the crises we face at present, goes deeper than the mere faces that we see on our screens, its stems right there in this flawed system.

For those, still nodding in disapproval and obsessed by the mystic cult of "Its right, only when the white man says so". An explicable example from history may come in handy.

Charles XII, A Swedish King, is taken into custody, under the Ottomans Caliphate. This is the same time; the world is witnessing the third crusade. 4 Long years, the King remains in the Caliphates territory and witness first hand the example of transparency and fair play in the state of affairs. Upon release, he returns back, and the first new thing he brings to his nation is the establishment of ‘Office of Highest Ombudsman’ in his state having the same role as Qadi al-Qadat. The Scandinavians subsequently molded the office into its contemporary form which today serves as an institution “to safeguard the rights of citizens by establishing a supervisory agency independent of the executive branch”. It’s commonly known that any system would be a failure if the institutions or individuals of the state are not accountable before an authority that is free from any political pressure. The Court of unjust acts in Caliphate ensures the rulers are kept in check. That’s the last nail in the coffin. Its time we cast out, that which is already worn out- this flawed system.

We have all had our share of the bitter days, its time we respectfully sit down, to dine together, and this time for a change, opt for an apple pie.

Corruption, Shared Ruling & Caliphate

2006-05-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

Corruption has been rampant in our country since quit long. Given the fact that none of the governments over the years have been able to curb this menace, necessitates that we the public in general, and our intellectuals in particular contemplate and scrutinize the root cause of this lethal menace, rather than bickering about its symptoms in TV talk shows, seminars, articles etc. Since the past many years, the mainstream political parties have been mired in pursuit of democracy. However, one cannot remain oblivious of the fundamental flaws within a Democratic state structure which allows the breeding ground for corruption.

The major flaw, in Democratic form of government is, “Shared Ruling”. This shared ruling makes accountability almost impossible. This is because no one can be pin pointed for corruption charges. The line which separates, those responsible for making “bad laws” and those responsible for “poor implementation of laws” is virtually non existent. The blame game is thus initiated, and like a musical chair, it continues on and on; stopping -only for a while- on those who are no longer in the ruling faction. The share ruling thus, provides a camouflage for the Miscreants, which are able to dilute the effects of any anti-corruption efforts made.

Contrary to this, in Islamic Caliphate, Ruling is centralized, while administration is decentralized. Thus the demarcations of those responsible for any sort of corruption are far more distinct and meticulously defined. In fact in Caliphate, the concept and institution of Qadi al-Qadat, remarkably paves the way for a corruption free system. Because it can independently take into account even the Khaleef for any error.

History of Khilafah is itself in testimony of this institution, as it had remained an example of transparency and fair play in the state affairs. Moreover, in Khilafah the institution of accountability are so strong, that the Khaleef can be removed, for violation of Shara’ within hours. (Compared to that in Democratic governments, the people have to wait for four years, when the government fails to deliver) The significance of this remarkable institution of Qadi al-Qadat in Khilafah can be recognized from the historical example of Swedish King, Charles XII. During the third crusades the King of Sweden was taken prisoner by the Muslims and for 4 years he remained in their custody. Upon his release and return to his native land, the first order he gave to Sweden was to establish the ‘Office of Highest Ombudsman’ in his state having the same role as Qadi al-Qadat.

The Scandinavians subsequently molded the Office into its contemporary form, which today serves as an institution “to safeguard the rights of citizens by establishing a supervisory agency independent of the executive branch” It’s commonly known that any system would be a failure if the institutions or individuals of the state are not accountable before an independent authority that is free from any political pressure. And the absence of this institution and the subsequent failure is evident to everyone in our country. It therefore stands to reason, that the public in general, and the anti-corruption agencies in particular, seek and look forward to reviving an Islamic Caliphate, which will ensure an era free from the rampant plague of corruption that we find prevalent today.

Published in PakObserver

The Saga of Myths

2006-02-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

In a country like USA, where a peace activist, Cindy Sheehan, who's son died in Iraq, is forcefully handcuffed and Jailed for the crime of wearing a T-Shirt captioned "2245 dead. How many more?” At places like Austria, where a British historian David Irving, is imprisoned for denying the Holocaust. In a scenario where 11 countries, including Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland, forbid by law to reject Holocaust. And under a secular system, of that of Poland, where research teams, are barred from investigating into the scale of Holocaust. And a country like Denmark, Where caricatures of Prophet Muhammad are published offending the 1.2 billion Muslims around the world, It doesn’t takes much to realize, that "Freedom of Speech" is a myth propagated by the Secular ideology.

Unfortunately, the fact is that this is not the only myth.

When the superpowers of the world, boast about Democracy, and express their desire to see the democracy prevail, they shamefully indulge in colonial rampage, to force democracy at the point of barrels in Iraq and Afghanistan. And along with that, proudly reserve the right to Veto, the world opinion in United Nations. One knows that Democracy is yet another myth worn by the capitalist ideology.

The hodgepodge still doesn’t ends here.

Given the fact, that those who have initiated the savage 'war on terror' for the security of the world are themselves, the world's leading dealers and exporters of Arms. And moreover these super powers which include UK, France, USA, Russia and China happen to be the only five members of the Security Council; it takes little for one to realize the fallacy in the peace talks and peace process initiated in United Nation by these same superpowers.

Not to forget the iron grip of International monetary institutes, which hold hostage many in the third world, by luring its ruling faction to take loans, and lavishly spend them, thereby placing entire country into whirlpool of depts. and loans, which are then to be paid by the nose of the poorest.

This sad saga, doesn’t stops here, the so called civilized modern world, seems to be satanically oblivious of starvation and hunger struck regions in Africa, while they dump surplus food into the ocean to maintain the market share in their favor.

Add to that the reserved rights to patent technology, and life saving drugs, that makes sound health affordable for the elite, and a mere distant hope for the poor, who are forced to cling on to the hope of "generous donations" by the hoarders of knowledge.

This sorry state of world affairs only goes to affirm the perpetual flaws in the present dominant system.

Consequently, the need not only arises, but becomes a vital necessity, of reviving a pure Islamic Caliphate system, a system already tested and tried with the sands of time, compatible with the tunes of all ages, and rooted in the infinite wisdom, Divine.

Published at Aljazeerah

Impact of Absence of Khilafah

2006-02-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

A day after the abolition of Khilafah, Mohammad Ali Johar, as reported by Times(4th Match,1924) said: "It is difficult to anticipate the exact effects the "abolition" of Khilafah will have on the minds of Muslims in India. I can safely affirm that it will prove a disaster both to Islam and to civilization. The suppression of the time honoured institution which was, through out the Muslim world, regarded as a symbol of Islamic unity will cause the disintegration of Islam...."

Today, the reality itself is testiomnoy to these concerns. Muslims have lost their honour which they once had, of being a great civilization, and are being oppressed within their own nations, such as Iraq and afghanistan, and as well as in foreign lands. The absence of a Khilafah state, has thrown the divivded ummah, into a whirlpool of neverending problems. Its an irony, that the same rulers, who talk about the revival of muslims, at OIC, serve the captlist nations- wholeheartedly - in pundering the resources of the muslim lands. It is only by reviving the Khilafah state, and adopting the ruling, educational, economic, social, foreign, and judical system and policies of Islam, that the institutes of the Muslim world can be truly reformed, and can once again become the beacon of light for the 21st century world.

There goes the Freedom

2006-02-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

Poland's Foreign Minister Stefan Meller, in a statement last Friday, ruled out allowing any Iranian researchers to examine the scale of the Holocaust committed by the German Nazis on Polish soil during World War Two.

It is claimed that some 6 million Jews perished in the Holocaust, with an estimated 1.1 million killed in gas chambers at Auschwitz- Birkenau, a death camp set up in German-occupied Poland. The camp now stands as a museum.

However, according to Iran's ambassador to Lisbon, an ex-diplomat in Poland, this is myth, and he has stated that according to his calculations based on a visit to this museum, it would have taken the Nazis 15 years to burn the corpses of 6 million people.

Irrespective of the fact that Holocaust is a Myth or a reality, what is alarming is the Poland's blantant refusal of allowing a research in this matter to take place.

For Stefan Meller: "It goes beyond all imaginable norms to question, even discuss or negotiate the issue."

Such a statement coming from the so called defenders of 'freedom of speech', gives one an insight of the hypocrisy embedded within the secular states.

Its high time, for the Ummah at large, to reject 'unabated freedom of speech' and the system like Democracy and capitalist economy which emanates from secular doctrines. And opt for an Islamic Renaissance en route the Islamic Caliphate.

US marines: Operation Freedom?

2006-02-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

caption: "Lcpl Boudreaux Killed my Dad th(en) he knocked up my sister!"

("Knocked up" is American slang for making someone pregnant out of wedlock.)

Source

Muslim Youth

2006-02-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

In the past week, two disturbing footage have been telecasted. One shows the UK soldiers in Iraq, disrupting a protest by Iraqi youth, and beating some children to death. And the other footage is that of our own country, the Police beating the youth protestors in Islamabad.

The context may be somewhat dissimilar; however the similarities are pretty much profound. Both these footage shows the deep divisions between the Rulers and the ruled, in the Muslim lands. Both show the grievances of the Muslim youth. Both show the passion of Muslim youth to raise their voice for a cause in which they believe.

The entire scenario is indeed tragic. The chaos, confusion and frustration that we see today didn’t existed sometime back. For there was a time when the Ummah united under Khilafah, was a civilization that was the greatest in the world.

In the words of Carly Fiorina, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard Company:

“This civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration.”

The Muslim youth were the pioneers in all fields of Science and Religion alike. The Khilafah under which they lived, catered for the youth so much so, that the Ummah had great Scholars like Imam Shafi in their teens and the likes of Mohammad Bin Qasim, a youth of 20, would be commanding armies for conquests.

The Universities of Muslims, in Baghdad, Cairo, and Damascus were the centers of Learning and guiding beckon for people across the world. Such that the Khaleefah of the Ummah, Khaleefah Hisham II, would receive letters from the George II, Kind of England, requesting:

“…after greeting your majesty we wish to inform you that we have heard of the great progress which the institutes of knowledge and industry in your country enjoy its pure abundance.…So, we wish that our sons learn of these virtues so that it serve as a good beginning in following your example for the sake of spreading the light of knowledge in our country which is surrounded by ignorance, from all sides…”

Such was the state of the Ummah, under Khilafah. Unfortunately today, the situation is very much reversed. In times of such distress, it is a dire need of the hour that we contemplate, over the cause of our misery. And revive the Islamic Khilafah, which would once again uplift the Ummah.

Time for Contemplation

2006-02-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

Recently, Denmark has been the focus of all the fury and rage in the muslim world. However the fact is that these Blasphemous cartoons have already been published in over 30 countries, including Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria etc.

Although some leaders of the western world have apologized for hurting the Muslims feelings, yet the fact that the publications go unabated, goes to show that the issue stems deeper than just isolated case of a publication.

The western state model is based upon the notion of complete separation of State and Religion. On this basic notion, are based the four principles of: Freedom of belief, Freedom of Ownership, Freedom of Expression, and Personal Freedom. From this doctrine emanates the systems of Capitalism, and Democracy, which are meant to ensure the preservation and propagation of the basic founding principles.

That implies that Democracy is in fact a ruling system for the secular doctrine. Thereby, in a secular state, if the majority of people agree upon a certain law, say legalizing homosexuality, than this law is implemented. Similarly, if to ensure personal freedoms, the common man if free to commit adultery and incest. Likewise, it is the ‘self-interest’ which decides the actions of the individual, group, or state under this system. This approach is reflected in the policies of these governments, who engage into colonial occupation, only to keep gas prices down back at home.

Following the same lines, the economic system that emanates from the secular doctrine is only meant to serve a handful. The manifestation of which we find in our times, for example, while Some places in Africa suffer with mass starvation, America dumps food into the sea only to keep the prices in their favor.

Such a system, therefore grants its people the right to express freely. The result of which we can see today: The publication of Blasphemous caricatures.

Contrary to this, the Muslim Ummah, has an altogether different ideology, and that is Islam. In Islam state and religion are inseparable. Both collective and individual freedoms are limited, and actions are solely done on the gauge of Hallal and Haram. The ideology of Muslims, is complete and inclusive. It provides not just a complete and comprehensive system, but also a method to implement that system, a method to preserve the ideology of Islam, and a method to propagate this ideology.

Islamic ideology gives the system of Khilafah, which has its own unique, Ruling system, Judiciary, Social system, Foreign policy, education system and Economic System. All of them emanates from the Quran and Sunnah.

For the Muslim world at large, it is time for deep contemplation. The Ummah cannot go on accepting the tools such as democracy and interest based economies which emanates from the secular doctrines of west, and yet voice out against the freedom of expression embedded in their state apparatus. As an analogy, certainly it will be naïve to borrow their cars, and yet voice out against the car engine.

Genuine and sincere love for the Prophet (pbuh) therefore demands that the Ummah, revives its own system of Khilafah, given by Islam, and our beloved Prophet. And completely reject the secular state models and their values.

By doing so, the world at large, can then be shown the manifestation of Islam as a complete way of life, meant for the betterment of all humankind. Only then will the hypocrisy and shallowness of the capitalist secular states be made visible to all.