Global Economic Crisis, An Islamic Perspective

Idialogue Magazine (Australia) January 2009 Edition

The devastating ripple effect of the American Subprime Mortgage crisis is seen across the world. Meltdowns of the global financial sector, bailout packages for large corporations, corporate collapses, desperate economic stimulus packages, warnings of looming recessions in major developed economies followed by job cuts, and much worse, horrors of a depression have all been envisioned. More than a mere global Financial crisis, we are witnessing the epic saga of a global Economic crisis.

Cause and Effects

What kick started the whole conundrum was the mortgage defaults in the US Subprime Mortgage sector. In the years leading up to 2007, when the crisis began to unfold, major home mortgage sponsors in the US, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae had a total combined outstanding loans of up to USD$5.1 trillion. The loans were given to almost anyone that rocked up to the lenders and wanted to buy a house, despite their ability to service the debt. The loans were supposedly backed by the houses they were funding and the risk of not meeting repayments (credit default risks) was underwritten by insurance companies like AIG. Add to this the complexities of hedging activities to manage risks in a global market with banks and financial institutions from all countries involved, and you have a world wide web of back to back to back series of sophisticated arrangements.

As the US housing bubble burst, borrowers began to default on their mortgages.

At first fears of a financial crisis were played down. US Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke speaking to the board of the Federal Reserve of Chicago said:

"Given the fundamental factors in place that should support the demand for housing, we believe the effect of the troubles in the subprime sector on the broader housing market will likely be limited." (17 May 2007)

However, as big banks like Meryll Lynch started questioning hedged funds of large brokers like Bear Stearns, who had made a couple of bail outs in June 2007, within a span of 2 months the picture was bleak.

Ben Bernanke had to admit that losses in the "fast-unravelling subprime lending market could top $100 billion" (19 July 2007)

At this point the ordinary mind would have to but wonder:

1) Given such a technologically and financially advanced country the USA boasts to be, why wasn’t the crisis detected earlier? Or was it? For after all on September 10, 2003, U.S. Congressman Ron Paul gave a speech to Congress in which he predicted that the high-leveraging and tolerance of poor credit by the GSE would lead to a bailout, and he introduced a bill to abolish these policies, which was rejected[1].

2) Is it a house of cards upon which such an advanced capitalist economy is built where things move from comfort to bleak in such a short span of time?

As compelling a question 1) is, it is beyond the scope of this article.

By September 2008 Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were in need of $50Billion and this saw the US government intervening with corporate rescue packages - a laughable situation for capitalism which, on their boastful principle of self corrective market mechanisms of supply and demand, promotes “no government intervention” policies. It is the breakaway of USA from this notion that led French President Nicolas Sarkozy to declare "Laissez-faire is finished. The all-powerful market that always knows best is finished".

There have been various reasons attributed to the current financial crisis and recklessness on the part of both borrowers and lenders has surfaced in the ensuing blame game.

However what's apparent from all this is the combination of both factors and the hands off approach of the Governments of these countries. Government policies under capitalism are shaped around the notion that resources are scarce and the demand for them is unlimited thus economic policy should correct that imbalance through any measure, fiscal or monetary, by shifting the resources into the hands of the producers of goods and services. These producers are the few in society who are wealthy (“fat casts”) and able to acquire the necessary capital to produce and supply goods and services for society and therefore are considered as the major contributors to GDP and economic growth. Given the scarce resource theory, the approach for economic growth under capitalism is to focus on consumption instead of production. It is perceived that the demand generated from consumption encourages production activity somewhere in the world, where multinational corporations operate. A neat fit under the globalisation ethos.

The Macroeconomics of it

From the macroeconomic angle, growth is generally measured with reference to yearly movement in GDP and the most common approach to measuring and understanding GDP is the expenditure method:

GDP = consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exports - imports), or,

GDP = C + I + G + (X-M)

The C & G in developed capitalist economies is promulgated through debt and aid/ economic stimulus packages.

Such societies revolve around the notion of liquidity (money supply) in any form as being the primary impetus to consumption. Hence the 4 Ms of money supply under capitalism is focused not on the circulation of notes and coins in the economy[2]. Rather the most prominent form of money used in capitalism is credit money. The November 2008 statistics on money circulation in USA shows that credit money is over USD 6 trillion whereas notes and coins only amount to a little over USD 800 billion (six times more debt is possible than what’s available in currency). Thus a capitalist economy thrives on debt as the basis for trade and all economic activity. Add to this EFTPOS and Internet Banking direct debit type transactions and the need for notes and coins in the form of currency is even further reduced. Thus in an economy where the supply of money is primarily in the form of debt, from which usurious profits are derived, nothing but a house of cards scenario is inevitable. No sooner one defaults, and the opportunity for usurious profits are affected, the supply of credit of tightens and the ripple effect is like a whole house of cards crashing down.

In a consumption based economy, liquidity (money supply) becomes fundamental and the control mechanism for that is usury. Thus the “benchmark” interest rates are set by the Reserve Banks of each capitalist Government. When economic activity through consumption is desired, interest rates are wound down to encourage borrowing and flow of credit money and when inflation occurs, interest rates are wound up to restrict the supply of credit money. Thus if the economy is perceived to be in growth mode, then debt in the society is encouraged until people find themselves up to their eye-balls in debt.

This was quite clearly highlighted in a October 2008 Sixty Minute documentary called ‘Generation Debt’ in which Peter Overton revealed that Australians aged between 18 and 28 years have racked up a total debt of $60 Billion. When asked, one particular 21 year old Amanda noted that she only had 5 cents in her wallet, yet that day she had spent $1,500 – all on the credit card of course. This shows the attitude of the average person toward consumption and the use of credit money to finance that consumption.

By September 2008, the consumption-reliant US economy had spiralled out of control. The high prices of assets, including the value of homes, were an artificial escalation that best resembles a Virtual Economy[3] and finally fell below the amount of debt owed on those assets. The results? - mortgage defaults, foreclosures, further reduction in house prices, tightening of credits by banks, reduction in money supply, reduction in consumption, fall in economic growth, recession.

The Microeconomics of it

From the microeconomics perspective, the theory that resources are scarce leads the focus of investors to a constant monopoly situation as the best environment to operate in. Companies move away from optimum production domestically and the exploitation of resources in foreign lands, particular where currency, capital and labour costs provide cost effective business cases, becomes the objective. Their focus for generating growth becomes the stock market and executives of these companies spend much time and effort in strategising schemes that would aid Shareholder Value Added (SVA) and Price/ Earnings Ratio reporting in the market that would result in increased share prices. Their benefit from this increased share prices is not from any equity injection because the companies themselves do not sell the shares. What is traded on the share market are the “issued shares” of the company which are already in the hands of shareholders in the market. The trading in shares happens therefore between those shareholders. However the increased share prices reflect a good ‘carrying value’ of the equity of these companies making for a healthy balance sheet, though it may not be a real or long lasting carrying value. This increased equity is what is sought by the executives of the companies because it provides them with a borrowing capacity which banks and financial institutions rely upon to justify their lending. Thus credit money impetus from the microeconomics angle is also prevalent in a capitalist society. However once market conditions change (e.g due to lack of confidence) and share prices start to plummet so too will the value of the equity in the companies, leading to huge write-offs in the balance sheets of these businesses which affects the “retained earnings” of these companies and therefore their ability to pay dividends on the shares. This cycle further causes the dumping of shares until eventually shareholders are left standing unsecured by any assets of the company holding worthless shares. When banks and financiers move in to stake their claims, we witness corporate collapses like those of HIH, OneTel, Enron; the house of cards scenario playing out again.

Therefore from both the macroeconomics and microeconomics perspective, credit money (debt) is a primary source of liquidity (money supply) giving rise to the usurious industry which thrives upon interest based lending activities, at the peak of which default risk is ignored. In such a case when the base slides it is inevitable the entire system will come crashing down.

These are some key theoretical ‘issues’ with capitalist economic philosophy and its usurious industries.

A Value System in Need?

Yet the greatest kick in the gut for capitalism is its very ideological basis. Capitalism, with secularism as its pillar of thoughts, offers, or supposedly does, 4 types of freedom which form the bases of its value system. These, in light of economics and trade, are as follows:

Freedom of belief – under which the contemplation of one’s existence is limited to his immediate surroundings and the existence of a Creator to whom belongs all that is in the earth and the heavens is not even a point of contemplation. Thus one is master of his own self, having no accountability to anyone. Transactions considered abominable under divinely inspired systems, usury being the most prominent one, are accepted as yet another tool for one’s own economic benefit.

Freedom personal – giving the value of ‘ends justify the means’ leads one to profiteering, slave labouring and exploitation at any cost; corporations are given their own 'separate legal entity' status and are thereby able to create Virtual Economies, lobby governments and shield individuals against any legal action. Bribery and corruption is rife (e.g The Australian Wheat Board Scandal)

Freedom of speech – which no values no bounds and blurs the line between lies and truth; thus deceptive advertising, misinformation of products and/ or a company’s financial performance, deceptive contracts with lock in clauses in fine print, all form part of the immoral norms of conducting business. The 'blame game' becomes rife when things go pear shaped - e.g The Australian Wheat Board Scandal, HIH, OneTel.

Freedom of ownership – promoting the notion that the monopoly situation is ideal, maintaining the scarcity myth and expending all at any cost to achieve what is considered rare is optimum success, even if it means being up to your eye balls in debt; government policy pushes consumption; hoarding is rampant.

These, perceived freedoms instil in the capitalist society values of hedonism which governs actions en masse. These values form the foundation of all of the capitalist societies’ systems, be they the Economic System, Judicial, Social, Educational or the Ruling system. With such values the desire is to be at the top and thrive off others' dependency on you to satisfy their basic needs. With these values your ethos becomes 'feed the man fish' instead of teaching him 'how to fish'.

Thus the matter is not, and should not be, about addressing a corrupt Economic System per se.

The Islamic Alternative

What is needed is a comprehensive new ideology with its own value system; one that views human beings as human beings and not as a means to profit; one that recognises human beings' needs and addresses those needs and not as an avenue for economic growth; one that distributes wealth and resources on a fair and just basis, not based on market forces; one that views human beings as living, breathing, beings and not as a hammer or sickle or other factor of production. And what other ideology is there to provide these values than one that is divine in origin; the Islamic Aqeedah with a unique value system. This unique value system is highlighted in many of the divine text and lives of the Muslims. We recall that during a great time of hunger, when a sahaba was in possession of some meat he sent that dish to his neighbour whom he considered to be more needy, and in turn that sahaba passed that dish to the next, and this generosity, selflessness, care and respect for human life continued on until the dish returned to the original sahaba. This is the essence of the sacrosanct values that the Islamic Ideology provides; uniquely incomprehensible to the profit minded capitalist.

With such a value system the Economic System of Islam would show the world, as it has in the past:

- That the notion that resources are scarce is a misnomer that leads to hoarding, an act strictly forbidden under Islam
- That the Islamic State is duty-bound to provide food, shelter and clothing – therefore basic needs are fulfilled and there won’t be a competition in society to pursue profiteering and exploit humans on their basic needs
- The unique notion that ownership of key economic resources are collectively owned by the public, with the Islamic State as the custodian and companies that mine or exploit these resources are restricted through strictly governed Public Private Partnerships to produce the necessary energy, water and mineral needs for the public
- Debt is frowned upon and will not be a business avenue; banks will play the key role of safe guarding the Ummah’s deposits and the Gold and Silver which would be the basis of the Muslims’ currency, and not as a usury based financial institution
- With a 1.5 billion population the issue will not be to imperialise on profits through foreign investment schemes and cross border usury based funding, rather the Islamic countries, forming the great belt of wilayat will actively aid the productivity of the Islamic State.

These are some key points from the macro-economics angle.

From the micro-economics angle

- The “No Hoarding” rule means no monopoly and encouragement of perfectly competitive markets, giving anyone the opportunity to conduct trade; the absence of Intellectual Property restrictions further opens up the market for trade
- In such a market scenario demand is constantly elastic removing inflationary pressures and therefore liquidity is not a problem
- Usury is haram and therefore outlawed; thus 1) there is no impetus to generate an industry from providing credit 2) even if credit terms were used for trade, they would be specifically to aid genuine consumption and not to exploit someone’s needy situation nor to breed hedonism; leading to genuine production and growth and not a fictitious overstatement of the size of a company or the economy at large
- liquidity pressures are further alleviated from the unique view that to forgive debt is a great reward from Allah(swt)

Once again at the heart of these economic policies is the Ideology, the Islamic Aqeedah. The comprehensive view of human existence connecting this life and the next means that accountability is an inherent factor, without any basis for a false notion of freedom.

The Islamic Aqeedah does put people before profits. Companies are not afforded the recognition of a separate legal entity and therefore their owners are individually liable for all debts of a company. As such the survival of the company at the expense of people’s livelihoods is not the objective under Islam’s economic system. Whereas under capitalism, companies are quick to slash jobs to maintain profits at desired levels and keep their shares at a desired price on the market, the Islamic Aqeedah uniquely respecting the notion of brotherhood leads owners of businesses to compromise profit margins in order to sustain employment and safeguard the needs of their employees – who happen to be their Muslim brothers – so that their livelihood and that of their families are not compromised.

With its unique value system, this Islam waits to be shone to the rest of the world once again as a way of life that will resolve more than just the Global Financial Crisis.


[1] "Fannie and Freddie by Rep. Ron Paul" www. house.gov. Retrieved on 2003-09-10.
[2] M1 is currency, M2, M3, M4 primarily refers to credit money
[3] Refer Dr Al Malkawi’s essay for detailed explanation on Virtual Economies – www.khilafah.com

Interview with Greek Convert on the Anniversary of the destruction of the Khilafah

The following is a brief transcript of an audio interview with a Greek convert in Australia on the occasion of the Destruction of the Khilafah.

Q - How did you convert to Islam?

A - I started enquiring about religion accidentally. It was a mere statement from a Muslims who said: ‘All Muslims will go to Heaven and all non-Muslims will go to Hell”. I was amazed that in this day and age anybody could get away with that statement without understanding what he meant. I approached him and asked him to validate his statement, basically he said: “All Muslims believe in One God and Muhammad is His Messenger”. It was statement that I would later become to recite and cherish until this very day!

That interaction started with me on a journey to learn about the religion I was born with (Christianity- Greek Orthodox) and the deen that I would soon embrace wholeheartedly.

After enquiring with my parents and local priest about the fundamental questions that all human beings will ask in their lifetime, how did I get here? Where will I go after I die etc. It seems that these questions were too problematic for them to answer. So it was often said to me “These are not questions you should ask”! If we are not to ask these questions about the very existence of us being here, how would they react if I ask them to prove that Jesus was the son of god?!

It was then I went to some friends who I knew were Muslims. I went through the same drill of questions,

Q - Being part of Hizb ut-Tahrir (dawah), how does this affect you as a convert?

A - The Hizb has made nurtured me to be a robust dawah carrier/politician, understanding how the past and current events affect the Ummah

The hizb has crystallized my understanding of Islam to be more than just adhering to the individual spiritual matters, like fasting, prayer, and hajj

Islam is not about individuals rather it is a communal religion that ‘Enjoins the good and forbids the evil’.

Therefore the dawah has defined my path how to travel through this temporary life and meet my creator with a clear conscience in the akhirah

It is only by re-establishing the Khilafah that we can truly protect ourselves from the evils of this world.

Q- What do you think the affect of the re-establishment of the Khilafah will have on the Muslims and non-muslims?

A - There is no doubt that this world and the thoughts that people hold are in a mess!

As we know for decades there has been a constant war on Islam, and the western leaders/thinkers have come out openly and proclaimed the following:

From the US: “What we are fighting against is the prospect of a new evil empire". Joseph Lieberman's

Blair has also aligned Islam to an’ evil ideology’.

These are just snippets of the hatred from the western mouths.

Therefore our ideology is being tested like it was during the time of the Prophet (saw) in Mecca,

our sisters are being tested for wearing the hijab, our parents are being tested because of being concerned that our children will be labeled as extremists and terrorist, our youth are concerned about living their Islam and finding a job.

The non-muslims push to isolate us from the mainstream society and look at Islam and the Muslims with a lot of suspicion. And this is living in Australia, but on a global scale we can see the slaughter or innocent muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Kashmir. We see the military occupation of our lands, the rule of kufr on the muslims and the utter slavery from our so called muslim rulers to the West.

The world is crying out today for a state that upholds justice and will work sincerely to alleviate oppression in the world. The Caliphate will uphold the fundamental rights of justice and will not: break its treaties, torture and abuse prisoners, imprison people without charge, oppress minorities and spy on its citizens unlike Capitalism.

I can see that the return of the Khilafah is very much needed.

Pat Buchannan’s statement is worth highlighting when he says:

“If Islamic rule is an idea taking hold among the Islamic masses, how does even the best army on earth stop it?” Pat Buchannan

This Khilafah is not a pie in the sky; the CIA has plotted the return of the Khilafah by 2020.

I make this sincere du’a that Allah (swt) grants us the victory of the Khilafah.

14 yr old Sister's speech (dawah in turkey): will leave you in tears!

This event was held recently by the dawah carriers of Turkey, in the city of Adana.

The topic was Gaza and the Islamic solution to the palestinian problem (the Khilafah). This video shows a fourteen year old sister(!). The entire crowd is left in tears as she speaks as a palestinian child. The links, the pictures, and translation is given here.

I am a palestinian childI have been left hungry for days and now for weeks. I hear in other places children sleep in their warm beds.Their mothers are by their side singing to them songs. Their fathers would kiss them once they wake up in the morning from their beds. They have games and toys to play with... But I, I play and wait for death.

I am a palestinian child

My mother always cries, she wears black because she faces darkness everyday. The enemies of the sun...the children of those oppressors. When they first hit our house with their bombs my father became a shahid. Just like the other Palestinian fathers

Now I am all alone. Without an Owner, just like the other Palestinian children.

I am an orphaned Palestinian young girl. I have brothers and sisters; Azra and A'ishah,5 year old Mohammad and Zeyneb which is 9 years old.We sleep in one bed together, the 5 of us because we have no other bed.

I am a Palestinian child but I, I haven't been able to sleep from the sounds of planes and bombs. In times like this we would hug each other and cry. On a night like this we were struck with fire from the bombs. I screamed out and Cried: "Mother, Mother, Mother!"

My mother did not reply to me for she was covered in red but red did not have a voice.

My mother who always used to wear black was now covered in blood. My mother had become a shahid. Ai'shah's cradle was covered in blood, Mohammad and rest of my sisters had become shahids

I am a Palestinian child, orphaned.

I could not get up then because I had lost a leg. I cried out asking, what was my crime? They said your name is Summaya. This is your crime. Just like those named A'ishah, Fatima and Mohammad. It is because you are a Shahids child like all the rest of the Palestinian children.

They told me it's because I am a palestinian child, 'don't bother' they said to me... 'no one can hear you'. I asked them, 'isn't there anyone else in this world who is just like me', they said '1.5 billion, among them named A'ishah and Ahmad'. I couldn't believe it. 'Where are they? Show me, where are they? Where are the Muslims?. Have they abandoned us for a handful of Yahoud?!'

"So I raise my hands and seek refuge in My Rabb!!"

O Allah, I believe in You and I see refuge in You. I depend on You and trust in You. You are my protector and the Owner of everything. You are the Lord of the Universe and You are my Lord. Oh Allah, Destroy them!I am a Palestinian child, an orphaned child

Please watch, make dua for the Muslims and their steadfastness everywhere around the world and pass it on to others if you find it of benefit.

Rabiul Awwal: The Month of Revival

The following is the draft translation of an article in Tamil

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا (45) وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُنِيرًا“

O Prophet! Truly We have sent thee as a Witness, a Bearer of Glad Tidings, and Warner, and as one who invites to Allah’s (grace) by His leave, and as a lamp spreading light (Siraajan-Munir).” [TMQ 33:45-46]

The month of Rabiul Awwal has special significance in the history of Islam. The birth and the death of our beloved Prophet (saw) happened in this month and the hijrah of Prophet (saw) to Madina to establish the Islamic state which changed the course of history also took place in this month. By scrutinizing these incidents we have lot of things to follow especially in our age of decline. Let us go deep into what they are

Birth of Prophet (saw)

This is the month in which our beloved Prophet (saw) born (9 or 12 of Rabiul Awwal) who liberated the people from darkness (days of jahilliyah) to the light of Islam. We are the best nation because we are the ummah of Mohammed (saw) who was the master of messengers and we have one degree higher grade than other nations, because Allah(swt) says:

,كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ“You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin al ma’roof and forbid al munkar, and you believe in Allah…” [TMQ 3:110]

Allah (swt) praises us as khaira ummah, but we are obliged to think about our current situation and also think about our ancestors actions by which they retained the capacity of khaira ummah. By the plan of kuffar, now we are so fragmented and weakened but it is not a barrier for us to become the leading nation once again, if we work hard in the path of our Prophet (saw) then Allah (swt) will definitely grant us victory.

Allah (swt) says,وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ“So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior(in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers” [TMQ 3 : 139]

The Islamic ummah are obliged to love their Prophet (saw) more than their life and it is directly linked to the Iman. So we must have the power (sultan) to protect the honour of our Prophet Mohammed (saw) at any cost.

Allah (swt) says,النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ“The Prophet is closer to believers than their ownselves and his wives are their (believers) mothers” [TMQ 33:6]

Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:«لا يؤمن عبد حتى أكون أحب إليه من أهله وماله والناس أجمعين»“None of you can believe until I become more beloved to him than his family, wealth and all the people.” (Agreed upon).

But in our days Taghoots are insulting, dishonouring our beloved Prophet (saw) and the one who dishonour our Prophet (saw) is given protection and support by the enemies of Islam, who always fear about the rise of Islam again. All these incidents show us our humiliated situation because we are in a state of unable to protect the honour of our beloved Prophet (saw). But in the past, the one who tried to insult our Prophet (saw) was terrified by the single authority of all Muslims i.e. the Khilafah state. These all are due to one factor, the Khilafah which acted as shield to protect the honour of Islam, our Prophet and Muslims in the past but now we are without that shield, that’s why we are facing several problems. Because of these things Muslims around the world are yearning for the return of such leadership.

Allah (swt) says:وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ“… But honour, power and glory belong to Allah, His Messenger, and to the believers…” [TMQ 63:8]

Sadly Muslims of today follow the Prophet (saw) only in 'spiritual' matters, but Islam is not only a spiritual matter, it is an ideology (deen). So we should renounce such a declined thought and emulate Prophet (saw) in all of our actions especially in politics to change our current state of decline. We see Muslims today restrict themselves only to celebrate Meelad of Prophet (saw) in this month but we should also follow him (saw) as the best politician of the world, because he (saw) is the role model for us in all of our actions not only in spiritual actions.

Allah (swt) says,لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much” [TMQ 33:21]

Lessons from the Hijrah

The Prophet (saw) made hijrah to Madina and he (saw) reached there on Friday 12th of Rabiul Awwal. From the very first day he (saw) established the authority for Islam. That’s why hijrah marked as the happiest moment for the Muslims. In the period of Makkah, the Prophet (saw) strove hard to establish the authority for Islam but this result was not achieved, then next he (saw) tried to seek nusrah (support) from the tribes who lived outskirts of Makkah they refused. In the month of hajj Prophet (saw) met the tribes of Aus and kazraj from Yathrib. They replied in a positive manner to the call and support for Islam. They gave first pledge of al aqaba. Then Prophet (saw) sent Musab ibn Umayr (ra) to them to call and to teach Islam and to gather public opinion in favour of Islam. In Madina the message of Islam reached every single household and many embraced Islam. Then Musab (ra) returned with 75 men from Aus and Kazraj with great victory in the next hajj. They gave second pledge of al aqaba which served as a basis for the Prophet (saw) to establish the Islamic authority in Madina. By the result of this pledge, Muslims who had the capability migrated to Madina first. Then the Prophet (saw) by the permission of Allah (swt) made hijrah to Madina accompanied with Abu bakr (ra). The Muslims of Makkah sacrificed more for the hijrah but at the end they attained a great victory by establishing an entity for Islam in madina. Thus hijrah marked as a turning point for Muslims because afterwards Muslims progressed day by day to a leading nation.

But sadly many Muslims today describe the hijrah as a sad event and compare the hijrah to the situation of refugees and run a way to protect their lives. These all are due to the many so called scholars of our age, they are influenced by the orientalist writers of the history of Prophet (saw) whom always distort the image of Islam. These so called scholars distort the image of Islam directly and indirectly by spreading these kinds of biased history written by Westerners. We should always refer to the authenticated seerah of Prophet (saw) written by the scholars of Islam and act upon that. This is because sunnah is not only following the verbal speech of the Prophet (saw) but also following other kind of actions which Prophet (saw) did in his lifetime. Emulating each and every obligatory action of the Prophet (saw) from his seerah will only lead us to the path of revival and able us to liberate mankind from darkness to the light of Islam.

Allah (swt) also obliges us to unite and work for the superiority of His deen.

Allah (swt) saysوَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ إِلَّا تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُنْ فِتْنَةٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ“And those who disbelieve are allies to one another ,(and) if you (Muslims of the whole world collectively) do not do so (i.e become allies, as one united block with one khalifah- chief muslim ruler for the whole muslim world to make victorious Allah’s religion of Islamic monotheism ), there will be fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism, etc) and oppression on earth, and a great mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism)” [TMQ8:73]

Death of Prophet (saw) and the actions of Sahaba

The Prophet (saw) died on Monday, 12th of Rabiul Awwal. Instead of burying Prophet (saw) the Sahaba (companions) did certain actions which give us a lesson to learn and act. Generally if a Muslim dies, it is obligatory for Muslims to bury him as soon as possible a. But the Sahaba did not bury the Prophet (saw) immediately; rather they involved themselves seriously in selecting the Khalifah for Muslims, who is the one to take care of the affairs of the Muslims. For this they gathered in the courtyard of bani Saida and after the discussion of two days they came to a conclusion that Abu bakr (ra) should be their Khalifah. After appointing the Khalifah, the Sahaba’s then made preparation for the burial of Prophet (saw). By their actions we come to know the importance of appointing an Imam for the Muslims within three days and it should be dealt as life or death issue like the Sahaba did. But now we are living without an Imam who takes care of the affairs of the ummah for more than eight decades. So all the problems we face today is due to the one reason that is we forget the issue which was dealt by the sahaba’s as life or death issue i.e. the Khilafah. We will definitely revive by establishing the Khilafah rashidah, if we have firm belief in Allah (swt) and follow the sunnah of Prophet (saw).

The Prophet (saw) said as narrated in the Musnad of Ahmad bin Hanbal:«تكونُ النّبُوة فيكمّ ما شاءَ اللهُ أن تكون، ثمّ يرْفَعَها إذا شاءَ أن يرْفعُها. ثُمّ تكونُ خِلافةً على مِنهاج النبوَّة، فتكونُ ما شاءَ اللهُ أنْ تكونَ، ثُمّ يرْفعُها. إذا شاءَ الله أنْ يرفعَها. ثُمّ تكونُ مُلْكاً عاضّاً، فيكونُ ما شاءَ الله أنْ يكونَ، ثُمّ يرفعُها إذا شاءَ أنْ يرفعَها، ثُمّ تكونُ مُلْكاً جَبريَّةً، فتكونُ ما شاءَ الله أنْ تكون، ثُمّ يرفعُها إذا شاءَ أنْ يرفعَها. ثُمّ تكونُ خِلافةً على مِنهاج النُّبُوَّة، ثم سكت»"The Prophethood will last among you till Allah wishes it to last, and then Allah will raise it up. Afterwards there will be a Khilafah according to the way of the prophethood so long as Allah wishes it to last, and then Allah will raise it up if He wished. Afterwards there will be an oppressive rule, and it will last so long as Allah wishes it to last, and then Allah will raise it up if He wished. Afterwards there will be a compulsory rule, and it will last as long as Allah wishes it to last, and then Allah will raise it up if He wished. Afterwards there will be a Khilafah according to the way of the Prophethood.” [Ahmad]

The above quoted hadeeth give us information about the matter which will happen in near future by the will of Allah (swt). So Muslims are obliged to work for the return of Khilafah on the sunnah of Prophet (saw). If we do so then Allah (swt) will grant us victory.يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ

وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ“O you who believe!Answer (the call of) Allah and His Messenger when He calls you to that which gives you life.” [TMQ 8:24]

Abu Faraj

National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies – Australia’s Contribution to the Mystification and Secularisation of Islam

When Hitler came to power in Germany, he ordered the public burning of all books that challenged his adopted communist ideology. Centuries before, when Hulaga Khan ransacked Baghdad he ordered the public burning of all Islamic literature. Indeed there are many events in history which show that any literature that was deemed to be of a competing ideology, was seen as irrevocably detrimental to the sovereignty of the ruling elite that ever came to power. Today the public burning of literature may be seen as evil; an ill-minded, weak and desperate attempt to counter ideas with any intellectual aptitude. Yet such desperation to destroy an ideology looms in the dark shadows of modern secular societies; it is the burning of a book of a different kind, one that aims for naught but the subversion of Islam. Overt operations can only be effective when coupled with a concerted covert operation. This covert operation can take many forms and in Australia this has presented itself in the guise of the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies (“NCEIS”).

On 16 July 2006, Julie Bishop MP, as Minister for Education, Science and Training, and Andrew Robb MP, then Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, jointly announced the Australian Government’s decision to provide $8 million over four years towards the establishment of the Centre at an Australian university or consortium of universities.

The Centre was touted as an Australian Government supported initiative under the National Action Plan to Build on Social Cohesion, Harmony and Security. The plan, commissioned by the Council of Australian Governments, was informed by the work of the Government's hand picked Muslim Community Reference Group which met from September 2005 to September 2006.
The Australian Government’s decision to establish a Centre was made after consultation with Islamic religious leaders, Muslim community leaders, members of the higher education sector and members of the wider Australian community.

Religious leaders from the Australian Muslim community met at the Conference of Australian Imams in September 2006. Acknowledging that it was up to Muslims themselves to select their Imams and other religious leaders, the religious leaders at the conference voiced their support for the Centre. They noted that the Centre will be a place of learning and academic endeavour, enabling both Muslim and non-Muslims to deepen their understanding of Muslim cultures and societies.

Muslim Community Reference Group members recommended in October 2005 that a stock-take of Islamic study at Australian universities be undertaken. This stock-take found that many universities were willing to further develop their expertise in providing Islamic education and training options on their campuses. The stock-take also found a lack of courses that could help meet the learning needs of Imams and other Islamic religious leaders and teachers.
The 2004 report Religion, Cultural Diversity and Safeguarding Australia by the Australian Multicultural Foundation and the then Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs recognised the capacity of religious community leaders to promote social capital and peace-building in their community and that professional development programmes for Imams and other Islamic leaders would assist them in their leadership roles in a multi-faith Australian society.

The Centre is hosted by a consortium led by the University of Melbourne and including the University of Western Sydney and Griffith University. It provides university accredited courses and other learning opportunities for all Australians interested in Islamic studies and will also play a leadership role in public debates on contemporary Islam.
On 23 October 2007 the Centre was formally opened, establishing a new undergraduate Islamic studies course and also offering postgraduate study and research opportunities.
The funding provided by the Australian Government is to support the establishment of the Centre, including:

• 40 new commencing student places for Islamic studies at the Centre in 2008 with student numbers estimated to grow to 109 places by 2011.
• Infrastructure funding of $4 million. This initiative of the Australian Government was welcomed by non-Muslim factions of the Australian society.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Grahame Leonard said the initiative, “has objectives we very much applaud” and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff said: “There have to be controls in place, both in terms of who is appointed to teach and what it is that is being taught. The composition and involvement of the centre’s advisory board will therefore be critical.”

Support has also been forthcoming from international financial power houses in the Muslim world. Earlier this year, Khaleej Times reported that the UAE based The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) and the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies (NCEIS) at the University of Melbourne, Australia, entered into an agreement to share information and cooperate in programs. The agreement is under the cover of a series of mutual research cooperation accords that have been signed between the centre and similar academic institutions in several countries, the Chairman of the ECSSR said.

So what is wrong with the idea of the NCEIS?

To the simple, unaware Muslim the NCEIS may seem like a plausible option for a productive platform for the learning and propagation of Islam. In fact the complete opposite can be said of the outcome of the Government funded institution. A closer look at the line-up of the faculty presents a startling revelation of the mindset of these individuals and therefore shows that with this line-up the purpose of the NCEIS is nothing but to distort our Islam.
The so-called experts teaching at the NCEIS are either non-Muslims or modernists and secular Muslims. The prominent amongst the latter are:

Abdulla Saeed (University of Melbourne) who is one of the Co-Directors. His modernist position on Islam calls for a ‘contextual’ interpretation of Islam instead of on the basis of classical jurisprudence, which effectively lends support to compromising some important Islamic values. This is evident in his praise for Muslim majority countries for abandoning the shariah in favour of modern concerns about gender equality and human rights’ (2008). His claim that Australia a ‘non-Muslim country is already Islamic’ simply because it has the principles of justice and fairness shows his total disregard for Islam as the basis of judgement in deciding these principles. Further, in limiting Islam as primarily a relationship between an individual and God, which is based on a set of ethical moral values and norms, and that this can be practised anywhere where there is religious freedom and justice, he totally disregards the collective rights and responsibilities of the Muslim Ummah.

Mohammed Abdalla (Griffith University) – the other of the Co-Directors, asserts that embracing nationalism and patriotism in events such as Anzac Day does not contradict Islamic teaching. In fact he promotes these as basis for Muslims interaction with non-Muslims. Further he glorifies Muslims who have joined Australian armed forces and received medals, even though they may have been complicit in the crimes against the Muslim Ummah in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Courier-Mail, 12 April 2007).

Sharahm Akbarzadeh, Associate Professor, shows a strong implication that Islam is incomplete when he asserts that “[i]f Islam is a living religion, as Muslims believe it to be, then its laws and dictums need to evolve and keep up with the contemporary issues that face Muslims ... It needs to be evolutionary and adaptive” (2008). Akbarzadeh was the Australian representative of an Iranian radical Marxist group, the Sazman-e Kargaran-e Engelabi-ye Iran/Rah-e Kargar (Organisation of Revolutionary Workers of Iran/Worker’s Voice) and therefore cannot be accepted as any legal authority on Islam.

Dr. Muhammad Kamal, another lecturer, teaching Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne. His grounding in Philosophy sees him praise the Mu’tazilah school of thought (Australian Rationalist Magazine 2003), which is widely rejected by mainstream Muslims.

Then there is Dr. Samar Habib, a self confessed lesbian who actively propagates that homosexuality is halal in Islam. Her students have also attributed to her saying that the Hijab is not obligatory in Islam; that Ahadith are ‘Chinese Whispers’; and that Muslim scholars can be ignored, since they are males.

The list of Muslim cohorts forming part of the NCEIS faculty, leading and propagating its ‘reformation of Islam’ agenda, are only a part of a long list individuals who under the guise of intellectualism and re-opening the doors of Ijtihad have justified many acts considered conclusively haraam in Islam. Such individuals have completely misused terminology in order to justify the unjustifiable. For example, Irshad Manji is another who openly supports homosexuality a well known prohibited act according to the Qur’an and Sunnah. She even proudly posted a photo of herself with gay and lesbian Palestinians in Jerusalem on her website.

Can the Muslim community seriously accept these individuals who rubbish our Islam to be representing it as our leaders?

Is this the type of Centre that the Muslim Community, Imams and other religious leaders met with the government to have? Is this the “place of learning and academic endeavour, enabling both Muslim and non-Muslims to deepen their understanding of Muslim cultures and societies” that was called for?

To accept the NCEIS and the individuals behind it would indeed be a near blasphemous insult to our pristine deen.

One can see from the modernist and secular faculty line-up that the agenda of the NCEIS is a reformist one that would result in nothing less than the mystification and secularisation of Islam, reducing it to merely a religion as opposed to an ideology (deen; comprehensive way of life) that deals with all of life’s affairs. And to accept this notion is to say that Allah(swt) as the supreme Creator has no say in any societal or political matters when exactly the opposite is true for Islam. The effects of such an acceptance will be a devastating fitnah for the Muslims and one only needs to look at the prevalence of such fitnah in any present day secular society that does not value any relationship with the Creator to see secularism’s devastating effects. We find in secular societies:

• Individualism is at the core of one’s existence in society and communal activity centres around organised distractions in the form of amusement
• The predominant values are founded upon a shallow concept of life and over time it becomes okay to be gay, accepting sodomy and perhaps even and bestiality have become commonly accepted norms for what seems to be a growing number
• A life of celibacy is preferred over matrimonial harmony leading to the break down of family values
• Alcohol and drugs are common for the fulfilment of pleasures and an outlet for problems/ depression
• Debauchery and lewdness has led to prostitution and even gang rapes
  Unwanted pregnancies are rife leading to abortion issues
• Child pornography and paedophilia are on the rise
  Hedonism has taken root leading to frustrated elements resorting to theft and armed robbery
• Materialistic values divide the society into a class structure with people valued on the basis of the wealth and status
• The care for the elderly and poor is only at the mere leisure of one’s casual gesture and not the primary concern of society

In essence under a secular society the separation of the Creator from everyday life means that there is a void in the value system one falls back on. The concept of individualism takes firm hold and the ‘values void’ is quickly filled up by the notion of freedom. This leaves no room for the accountability of one’s own actions. Thus people walk around with the mindset that they are free to do what they want, wherever they want, with whomever they want and whenever they want. Such a notion of life is contradictory to the values harboured by Islam. Thus were the Muslims to swallow the poisonous version of Islam from the NCEIS, we would see the ultimate numbing of our conscience to the effect that Muslims will limit their shariah to aspects of private life and view Islam merely as a form of spiritual guidance, good enough for ritual acts of worship, morals and conduct; values which can be found as common elements not only in other religions but in atheists as well and thus the relevance of Islam will be diminished in the hearts and minds of the Muslims. Such a state of conscience would result in compromises and result in:

• The Quran being diminished to a book akin to the tales of soothsayers instead of being a complete source of canons and constitution
• The shariyah which embodies governance, societal dealings and international affairs being abandoned
• The bond of brotherhood being replaced by secularism’s championed bonds of patriotism and nationalism breeding disunity amongst Muslims
• The suffering of Muslims around the globe being seen as a small affliction and the deaths of many whether under despotic rulers or invading, looting marauders being written off as statistics
• The essential fabric of ‘enjoining good and forbidding evil’ that breathes life into an Islamic society and keeps it revived being seen as a concept that is alien
• The absence of any seriousness towards life and the meaning of life leading to the acceptance of the humour behind the attacks on our honoured symbols, be it the cartoons of the Prophet (saw) the using of the Quran as target practice or the using of our brother in Iraq as a Christmas tree

This is indeed a matter of serious concern for any sincere Muslim. Meanwhile the push to breed secular Imams and leaders continues at universities.

Why target Universities?

Rhetorically it needs to be asked, “What better way is there for affecting the hearts and minds than to infiltrate the educational system?”

In 2003 a diatribe from the US based Rand Institute in a report entitled, “Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources and Strategies” called for a focus on Education and Youth amongst other recommendations, noting that:

• “committed adult adherents of radical Islamic movements are unlikely to be easily influenced into changing their views.”
• The younger generation “can conceivably be influenced if the message of democratic Islam can be inserted into school curricula and public media in the pertinent countries.”
  

It is well known that universities bring together, from all parts of society, young individuals with an objective to achieve and succeed in life. Therefore these universities serve as the hub where ideas, concepts and values can be exchanged. It is where the next generation of leaders are bred. It therefore presents a fertile working ground for all types of activism. Thus political movements (including young labor, liberal or greenpeace) use this opportunity to attract and groom their members. Islamic movements find no exception either and in fact have been quite successful in redirecting the lives of not only once lost Muslims but many non-Muslims who have converted to Islam. Policy makers fear that such Islamic activism would result in the radicalisation of Muslim students; hence the need for such initiatives as the NCEIS. UWS, one of the universities forming part of the NCEIS consortium, having the biggest Muslim student presence in Sydney, has been carefully selected as the breeding ground for future secular Imams and leaders of the Muslim community here.

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) website does say that the courses under the NCEIS will “help prepare people for work with and in Australian Muslim communities as school teachers, social workers, health professionals, business managers, community leaders and other professionals” This shows a key drive to have Muslims from within our community working to limit our Islamic sentiments and at their hands have imposed secular values upon our hearts and minds and force us to integrate.

Context – the battle for hearts and minds

It has not been sufficient for the West to run scare campaigns to demonise our Islam by referring to it as an evil ideology (Tony Blair 2006). Such scare campaigns are aimed at polarising the Muslim community who are minorities in the West. The scare campaigns are essentially productive tools for exploiting the patriotic sentiments of a people. However given its volatile nature, patriotic sentiments only remain prevalent under a threat scenario. Before long the threat is eliminated and the sentiments vanish. Furthermore society is made up of more than just patriotic sentiments, and such scare tactics therefore builds hostility, further polarisation, no cohesion and eventually there is the risk that concerned citizens will start questioning the validity of their own government’s polices towards Muslims.

To achieve a more complete effect, the dilution of concepts that Muslims hold is essential. The push for pluralism with the beckoning call for tolerance means acceptance of other values even if they are not Islamic. Therefore, under the pretext of “social cohesion, harmony and security” a version of Islam that gives it recognition but relegates it to a lower level is essential to win the hearts and minds of Muslim to successfully implant in them secular, pluralist values.

The NCEIS initiative is not an isolated one. In fact it follows the values debate fired up by Peter Costello and John Howard, the push for recognition of secularism and democracy by new migrants under the new citizenship tests and ASIO’s focus on the Muslim community in their recruitment drive.

What cannot be dismissed also is that the Howard Government did not stop at funding the reformation of Islam only in Australia. In 2007 about $355 Million was aided to Indonesia under the Basic Education Program (BEP), which was to fund the construction or extension of about 2000 schools in 19 Indonesian provinces over a three year period. In March 2007 the then Minster for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, travelled to Indonesia under the auspices of a Sub-Regional Ministerial Meeting on Counter-Terrorism in Jakarta. His visit was also to monitor the progress of the Australian Government’s aid so he visited the BEP-funded Madrasah Tsaniwiyah, an Islamic junior secondary school in Bekasi, near Jakarta. This shows a concerted effort by Australia to address Islamic education beyond its borders.
Furthermore Australia does not act alone in the push to mystify and secularise Islam. In June 2007 Tony Blair pledged to spend £1m improving the teaching of Islamic studies at universities, as Downing Street said more imams should be trained in Britain and in a report, published at the same time by the Markfield Institute, recommended that universities should recruit traditionally trained scholars, consider the appointment of Muslim chaplains or advisers, change syllabuses to focus on aspects of Islam relevant to the contemporary practice of the faith and provide "add-on" elements to help give students an edge in the jobs market. The report also said: "The study of Islam and its civilisation remains anchored in the colonial legacy and mainly serves the diplomatic and foreign services. Teaching and research programmes need to be reorientated."
It should therefore come as no surprise that the agenda to re-educate Muslims about their religion and have Western-friendly Imams is a global agenda!

Yet this analysis will not be complete without looking at Australia’s NCEIS initiative in light of the position that Islam holds and the campaigns to subvert it, both historically and in present times.

In 1924 at the time of the Khilafah’s demise Lord Curzon, the British Foreign Minister announced to the House of Commons:

“We must put an end to anything which brings about any Islamic unity between the sons of the Muslims. As we have already succeeded in finishing off the Caliphate, so we must ensure that there will never arise again unity for the Muslims, whether it be intellectual or cultural unity.”

This encapsulated how the superpower of the day viewed Islam as a threat to its very existence.

In more recent times the fall of Communism in 1990 brought Islam into a direct clash with Capitalism. The former secretary general of NATO Willie Claes stated:

“The Alliance has placed Islam as a target for its hostility in place of the Soviet Union.”

Paul Wolfowitz said at a press conference in Singapore (May 2002):

“It’s true that our war against terrorism is a war against evil people, but it is also ultimately a battle for ideals as well as a battle of minds.”

And in a 2007 report, Building moderate Muslim Networks, the RAND institute declared:

“The struggle underway throughout much of the Muslim world is essentially a war of ideas. Its outcome will determine the future direction of the Muslim world.”

Thus viewing Islam as a threat called for more than military invasion of Muslims’ lands, demonisation of Islam and polarisation of Muslims. There has to be a struggle to win the battle of the hearts and minds of Muslims, which necessitated initiative for the reformation of Islam which means nothing but mystifying and thereby secularising it.

The NCEIS is therefore an extension of the global struggle to win the battle for the hearts and minds of Muslims. The eventual objective of the Western governments is to dilute and destroy Islam. The desperation of their campaigns is evident in the cunning mystification methods adopted by the Western Governments. Such an initiative stands at the pivot of having far reaching effects on the Muslim psyche and our aqeedah. Therefore it cannot be but seen as yet another institution amongst a host of others to subvert Islam by mystifying it and diluting its real value and injecting in our thoughts the poison that secularism is in order that we integrate.

Can the Muslim community in Australia really say that these secular values are the values we want? Can we really say that our Islam is need of such reformation after Allah(swt) has mentioned that our Islam has been perfected?:

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلاَمَ دِينًا فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِّإِثْمٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, Allah is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. [TMQ 5:3]

In the wake of the NCEIS' exposure, it is indeed refreshing to see that a group of scholars have signed a petition to express their dismay at the curricula of the NCEIS. And rightfully so for Allah(swt) informs us

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ
إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا إِنَّمَا يَدْعُو حِزْبَهُ لِيَكُونُوا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ

O mankind! Certainly the promise of Allah is true. Let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the Chief Deceiver deceive you about Allah. Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his adherents, that they may become Companions of the Blazing Fire. [TMQ 35: 5,6]

The Muslim community must reject outright any notion to reform Islam, a comprehensive ideology that has been perfected by the Creator Himself!

Q&A on Sudan's Al Basheer

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This Q&A has been translated from Arabic to English.

Question:

The Movement for Justice & Equality is known to be loyal to France, how could it then meet in Qatar with the Sudanese government and anounce reaching an agreement of fair intentions? Moreover, what is the stand of the concerned countries on this agreement? Does this imply that the United States and Europe are on the verge of coming to a mutual agreement about charging al-Basheer?

Answer:

Yes,negotiations have taken place between the Sudanese government and the Movement for Justice & Equality during the last eight days and they have reached an understanding in Doha on 17th February, 2009. They have referred to this agreement as the Agreement of Fair Intentions and Trust-building.

This agreements calls for the two parties to sit together and hold peace dialogue and work out and agreement to solve the Darfur conflict within a period of three months. It aslo calls foer the twoparties to meet again for anothe round within two weeks.

As for the international community’s stand on this, the US ambassadir to the United Nations has said: “This (agreement) is expected to be a modest begining towards peace“. This statements implies support for the agreement. When the Ambassador was asked as to how this agreement is linked to the Basheer, the Ambassador replied: “I see no connection.“ (al-Sharq al-Awsat 18th February, 2009). This impliers that the American Anbassador was trying to deny that this agreement was an attempt to secure the position of Basheer, everyone understands this. It is likely that the Interenational Court of Justice may issue its decision on Basheer this week.

The threat of the ICJ for several months is an attempt by the Europeans to come to a compromise solution acceptable to the Americans, and in fact the Doha talks are a part of this attempt. It appears that the Doha talks are the first phase towards finding a compromise acceptable to the Europeans and Americans in Sudan.

The Doha talks have been welcomed by the UN Secretary Genral Ban Ki Moon as well as the current president of the UN Security Council, the Japanese Ambassador Yokio Takasu who said: “It is a first step in the right direction to end the conflict in Darfur.“ (al-Jazeerah, 18th February, 2009). These receptive statements fit well with the American gameplan.

France, which has been very active in the matter, has so far not issued any statement on this agreement, as if it is waiting for a decision by the ICJ in the next few days. However, the Sudanese Ambassador to the United Nations, Abdu Mahmoud Abdul Haleem has criticised it saying:

“It (France) is still holding one of the rebel leaders (Abdul Wahid) in a five-star hotel who issues fiery statements which adversly affect the peace process.“ The Ambassador said that the French President Nicholas Sarlozy has informed Basheer during a meeting in which the Ambassador was president, that Abdul Haleem will be deported from France if he hinders the peace process. ( al-Sharq al Awsat, 18th February, 2009). This implies that France is looking forward to reach a compromise solution with Basheer with the participation of the French backed movements.
What is known as the Movement for Justice & Equality, which is loyal to France and supported by it, will only agree the dialogue if France approves of it.

The comprising parties and their host (Qatar)are all the agents of the British which indicates that the British are interested in acheiving certain benefits for themselves form this conflict.
If the decision of the ICJ happens to be a negative one, like for instance if it calls for the arrest of Basheer and prosecuting him, then it is expected that Nasheer may invoke clause 16 in the UN Security Council, which calls for freezing implementation of the ICJ Judgment ofr a period of one year which again may be extended especially since countries like Russia amd China have publicly sipported such a stance apart feom the US which has also backed this either directly or indirectly through its agents.

The US and is agents, led by Egypt have already been active in this approach, Abu al-Ghaith said in a meeting with Basheer: “We woll actively pursue with the UNSC members and seek to implement clause 16 of the ICJ Act to stay any action against Sudan and President Basheer.“ He also pointed out that President Mubarak’s visits to France and Italy, as well as Abu Ghaith’s meeting with the US Secretary of State are aimed at finding a solution to the Darfur crisis. (al-Jazeerah, 15th February, 2009). Sarkozy is aware of the importance of Egypt and Mubarak in the matter which became evident when the Jews disregarded the French initiative on the issue of Gaza, while they accepted the Egyptian iniriative on the subject. Since Sarkozy well understands this, he has called his initiative as the French-Egyptian iniatiative, though others like the Jews have refused to accept this as ‘French-Egyptian‘ iniative and called it as the Egyptian initiative. Hence Mubarak has neen generous with Sarkozy so that France gives up on its attempts to secure an ICJ judgement.

24th Safar, 1430 A.H
18th February, 2009 C.E