Implementing Sharia in government: Muslim governments

With so much talk about Sharia in the news, a natural question to ask is ‘Is there a Muslim country which implements Sharia now?’ After all, as has been mentioned by the tabloids, if Muslims do not want to live in the UK because of the absence of Sharia law, then Muslims can go back to the Muslim world.

The problem that growing numbers of Muslims face when they examine the Muslim World is that none of the Muslim countries implement the Sharia in its totality. Some Muslim governments apply aspects, or parts, notably some parts of personal law in the courts, for example Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Nigeria whilst some like Turkey face opposition from secularists who continue a call for religion to be separated from government, and see religion as a purely personal matter, much like people do in the UK.

Religion and State: government policies

Islamically, religion and State, or politics, are intertwined, so Islam as a creed and set of laws whether personally, communally or in government is followed. Whilst the majority of Muslims conduct their personal affairs according to Sharia, and develop a communal atmosphere, its absence at State level impacts Muslims worldwide in ways of huge proportions. Let’s look at a few examples:

1) Egypt allows US warships easy access through the Suez canal to the Arabian gulf so it may conduct military operations in Iraq, via bases in Qatar and Kuwait for UK and US forces. So many Muslims observe these governments helping the UK and US to kill other Muslims. Aiding foreign powers to kill and wage war is not from Islam, whether those being killed are Muslim or not Muslim.
2) Economic policies in Muslim countries are influenced by western multinational foreign interests (backed by western governments). IMF and World Bank loans and policies severely hamper any form of independent national economic policy. A case in point is the IMF's insistence on Pakistan to rapidly privatise its strategic energy sectors assets including Sui Gas and Pakistan State Oil. This was outlined in the Pakistan Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility Policy Framework Paper, 1998/99-2000/01. As recently as September 2007, the IMF, visiting Pakistan for an annual review of the economy, again demanded that the government of Pakistan put the privatisation programme on track as part of its earlier commitment. Muslim countries do not have independent economic and political will.
3) Interest, in the banking system is allowed throughout the Muslim world with government approval. The banking crisis in Kuwait in 2005/2006 is an example of this, along with corruption and the Kuwaiti government not being interested in its responsibility to look after its financial dealings with its own citizens. Interest, as a financial concept is strictly prohibited in Islam
4) US oil companies take huge profits from Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and even Iran as well as others, all selling oil at cheap prices to suit western oil demands. The Islamic economic system stresses the distribution of wealth to combat poverty which has been completely abandoned by Muslim governments.
5) The Egyptian education system has been practically re-written, particularly history as a subject, excluding much of 1400 years of Islamic history, supplementing it with ancient Egyptian history. This is to steer Muslims away from their Islamic heritage, and towards a foreign cultural heritage.
6) Many Gulf countries have legalised gambling establishments, which have received government licences. Gambling is strictly forbidden in Islam
7) In Pakistan and Bangladesh English common law constitutes the basis of the legal systems. The legal system of Islam is based on the two primary sources, the Qur’an and the Prophetic example, not English common law.
8) Sovereign Wealth Funds of Muslim countries, notably the Gulf States pump billions of dollars into western financial institutions that have lost billions of dollars, (the most recent example being the sub prime loans economic disaster), instead of developing industry, manufacturing and trade in their own countries. Oil money could easily help reduce the poverty faced by much poorer Muslim countries, like Bangladesh. Rich oil countries only have oil wealth, and are totally dependent on western industrial and manufactured goods

These examples, and there are many more, show that the Muslim world is in fact subject to the policies and dictates of western governments or western run political or economic institutions and not the Sharia.

The problem is that the secular western political, economic and legal tradition does not match what the Muslims believe in, hence the difficulty in implementing it in Muslim countries. On the whole, it does not solve people’s problems; there is a conflict of creed versus law. When the scattering of Sharia law is implemented (e.g. partially in criminal law, or divorce) in personal areas, and the outcome is perceived to be detrimental, Sharia law is blamed.

Some Muslims who are economic migrants or political refugees or visitors in the UK are in Britain because of these failed imposed policies to try and lead better lives, leaving the chaos of social, economic, political and judicial failure not of Islamic Sharia law, as it is not implemented, but western secular law implemented in their countries of origin.

Copy and Paste

Teenage girls in England are more likely than ever to fall pregnant whilst at school a report suggests. Whilst this may help with the population problem, teenage pregnancies do reveal underlying factors in promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases (which are also on the rise).

Published in 2005 by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit, titled ‘Teenage Conception Statistics for England’ of which the most recent year for statistics is 2005, the report shows that for under 16 year olds in 2005, there were 7,473 conceptions of which 57.5 per cent led to abortions, just fewer than 4,300 were aborted every year. This means approximately twenty under 16s were conceiving every day and 11.5 per cent aborting every day in 2005.

Whilst this particular year has bucked the downward trend, it will be interesting to see how the 2006 and 2007 results fare.

Although the government is tackling teenage pregnancy with the ‘Teenage Pregnancy Programme’, and is addressing STDs amongst the youth, one might feel this is a losing battle.

Let’s look at the examples; instead of promoting accountability, responsibility and prevention, the emergency morning after pill is available, and debate rages whether this should or should not be available to under 16s. Free condoms are available along with discussions in school about contraception, rather than creating an atmosphere of avoidance. So much so that parents are becoming increasingly concerned that they will not be informed by school authorities if the student has told the school that she is pregnant.

Another example is the recent comments by the Chief Constable of North Wales regarding legalising certain ‘A’ class drugs. Or that clean needles are available in clinics so diseases are not spread by sharing needles.

The very freedom that we enjoy allows adults to behave in a way that, teenagers will emulate, and they will suffer the consequences as adults do. People always say we are 5-10 years behind the Americans. Well, our children maybe 5 to 10 years behind the adults. If major headline grabbing issues occur amongst the adult population, you can bet it will be with our youth soon enough.

It was not so long ago that we saw spates of killings. Now for the past two years, all we see in the newspapers are youths perpetrating murders, whether stabbings or shootings, in the north or the south, even as the New Year ushered in.

And it’s no good blaming absent fathers, or too few youth clubs, or unemployment, or as politicians said it was a ‘black on black’ crime, as if only ethnic minorities were involved.

Young people take the ideas from the people they see, the city they live in and the media that surrounds them.

If Tony Blair can have an illegal war, colonise other countries, kill thousands and take their resources, why can’t drug dealers control their patch and beat people to take more ‘territory’? Why is one illegal? After all, it could be said they are doing exactly the same thing, only on a much smaller scale.

It’s all about copying and doing it yourself. So in our case, teenage girls are falling pregnant. Well…they are only copying you, and the ‘Sex in the City’ lifestyle.

War on Terror, Regime Change, Black Gold. Iraq? No Afghanistan

“British troops fighting in Afghanistan have suffered heavy casualties in their retreat from Kabul to Jalalabad. Of the 4,500 troops most were killed in harassing tactics along the passes until the few remaining troops, taking positions on a hill made their final stand.”

This could sound like a report from Afghanistan today or tomorrow, but actually it’s a description of British troops suffering disaster in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842). The British have had interests in Afghanistan that extends beyond Usama bin Laden.

What does Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, have, which Britain or the US could want? Its strategic location, which the British understood in the mid ninteenth century, is as much a factor now as it was then.

British troops in late 19th century Afghanistan focused on ensuring a puppet regime was in place compliant with British interests in India. These interests were overriding as India was the jewel in the crown, Britain’s primary possession, providing direct access to resources. If London were to lose India, it would be a disaster. If London lost India to a resurgent Russia that was making inroads into Central Asia, it would be catastrophic.

Afghanistan was therefore of strategic importance, much as it is today, for it borders China, Iran, the Central Asian states, Pakistan and is in close proximity to India. The future of global markets and geopolitical transformation, even according to leading political magazines, lies with China and India in the 21st century. US economic, political and military relations with India over the last ten years has increased.

What demands western involvement in Afghanistan today is ostensibly the Taliban, Usama bin Laden, oh and some reconstruction. But this is not the only concern for western nations, primarily the US. Afghanistan’s ‘strategic location’ offers direct access to the oil fields in Central Asia, facilitating the US need for oil diversification. This means the US do not want to be overly reliant on Middle Eastern oil. The oil fields are crying out to be tapped, and piped, but here lies the problem:
Oil needs to be drilled
Pipelines need to be laid
Pipelines need to be laid in safe countries where a government and population can be trusted not to sabotage the pipes – please refer to Iraq as a case study, and the decrease in oil production since the war.
The pipelines have to lead to a port which will be a base for possible refining, and shipping to western consumer nations and industries.
Companies hesitate and decline to invest in all of the above when billions of dollars of investment cannot be guaranteed or secured due to ‘unfriendlies’.
There’s no problem with the casualties the private armies that they employ suffer, but the investment is another matter.

The solution is regime change. Western nations have a long history of regime change, from Central and South America, to Africa and Asia, that an example would be insulting. So the replacement candidate for Afghanistan is……….Hamid Karzai, who reportedly had links with Unacol, the US giant oil company. He was also a key player in the CentGas consortium, which was an attempt to construct a Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline from the Caspian area, through Afghanistan. Another consultant to Unocal at that time was Zalmay Khalilzad, previously US ambassador to Iraq. How the web thickens.

With credentials like these, as Annie would say, you betcha bottom dollar the oil’s gonna flow, beautiful liquid black gold. Afghanistan, to put it bluntly, needs pacification, for if the oil won’t flow through Afghanistan, another possible route is to Ceyhan in Turkey, and that’s a hell of a lot more pipes to lay. Maybe Annie is right, its all about the dollar. So lets be honest with ourselves and ask some questions: if Usama and the Taliban weren’t in Afghanistan, would the UK and US need an armed presence? If Afghanistan did not have strategic value, being surrounded by Iran, Pakistan, China and Central Asia, why would they go?

Afghanistan is another country that’s been caught up in and swallowed by neo-colonialism, and the British troops today are like the British troops in the mid 19th century; expendable pawns used to further ‘Great Game’ politics, back in the day when Britain still had her colonial empire and she was a beacon to the world. Not anymore. Now its supposed to be the Americans, but the economic, political and military colonisation remains the same.

Islam is more than a religion

Is it worth describing Islam as a religion anymore? With so many articles in magazines, newspapers and journals, think tank papers and government reports describing Islam as an ideological counterpart to western liberal secular ideology, let’s just call it what it is. Islam is an ideology, i.e. a belief in a creed which provides a view about personal, familial, communal and governmental matters. This means that Islam is a spiritual and political creed, so a belief in God (Allah) and recognition that Muhammad is the final Messenger provides details for a person’s life, from the cradle to the grave.

Personal in regards to hygiene, eating habits, prayer offered to God, and the recitation of the Qur’an. Familial in the way we marry and rear children and teach them the meaning of life, to be good, to honour their parents and elders, and how to believe and obey God. Communal in the way we should look after our neighbours and protect their rights and honour, and how we should look after those less fortunate than us, and protect them from harm and degradation. Governmental in that Islam provides a model for how its rules and laws should be implemented in society, whether societal, penal, judicial or economic etc.

How can a religion that originated more than 1000 years ago have any applicability in the modern world?

Perhaps one of the most common questions! Humans have not changed over the millennia. Yes, we get from A to B faster, we communicate with other parts of the world in a matter of seconds, and have found far more devastating ways of killing each other, but ultimately we have not changed. We still love, hate, cry, feel pain, jealousy, envy, sadness, happiness, mercy, joy and honour amongst others. We still eat, sleep, procreate and humans above all, still live with other humans. Islam has come to regulate all of this; only Islam is from the Creator who created humans, whereas western liberal secularism is founded on the human mind and thought, primarily as a reaction to corrupt Church practices and beliefs in early modern European history. Western society with all its technology has not solved many issues that affect society and the relationships between people and therefore are increasingly looking towards religion for answers.

Isn’t the point of religion that it be personal between man and God?

This depends what religion you’re talking about. Islam is per se not a religion which only focuses on your personal relationship with God, unlike other religions. Islam addresses your personal relationship to God, your relationship with yourself, and your relationship with other people. It asks potent questions to humans: How did I get here? Why am I here? What is after life? And then answers them. We were created, to come to the belief of our Creator (Allah), and after this life is accountability and judgement. So Muslims must account for their relationship with God and with how they lived with others. This accountability includes actions in both public and private life.

Doesn’t the domination of religion lead to narrow mindedness and backwardness?

In mentality, quite the opposite. It actually frees the mind to deal with other things, as Islam has provided a code of laws so we do not have to do mental gymnastics on what is good and bad. We can concentrate on trying to be good people and creating a better society by using Islam in the way it was supposed to be used. So if a people do not choose to embrace Islam, this is their choice, but Muslims assert that we can make society a better place because of Islam. Medieval Europe 600AD to 1500AD may be to some a place of backwardness, but that same time in the Islamic lands was a time of science, culture, learning, knowledge, piety and understanding which western academics are beginning to rediscover. Islamic Spain; Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Iran in the 9th 10th and 11th centuries are examples of this. Istanbul in the 16th century offered sanctuary to the Jews as well as Muslims who were persecuted and tortured by Christians in the Spanish Inquisition.

Isn’t it just all down to interpretation?

In some aspects Islam is open to interpretation to people who have knowledge. If a man had learnt the names and functions of a surgeon’s tools, you still would not allow them to operate on another person the next day. Years of study and knowledge go into making a surgeon. Years of study and knowledge go into making a scholar who can interpret those aspects of Islam which are open to interpretation. In most things Muslims are agreed upon, but in a some issues, there is valid differences of opinion, but what all Muslims understand from the Qur’an is that Islam came from God, for humans in this life so that we may put ourselves in good stead in the afterlife, by the will and mercy of Allah.

Belief through thinking

Each religion has its own position regarding how belief should be attained and, as such, instructs its followers to come to believe according to this way as the optimum way. Islam also instructs people. In the Qur’an, Allah (God) invites people to reflect and think, ponder and contemplate on the things around them and come to an understanding that the universe and everything in it was created by a Creator. This Creator is omnipotent (all powerful), and independent (of everything in creation). Many verses of the Qur’an state this invitation, such as:

Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alteration of night and day, these are indeed signs for men of understanding (chapter 3 verse 190)

Behold! In the creation of heaven and earth and the differences of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and in the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth are signs for people who have sense (chapter 2, verse 164)

The Creator, who did not leave humans without purpose, alone and without guidance, therefore sent Prophets and Messengers who were divinely guided to preach the message of God so that they may worship Him.

Blind faith

This means that Muslims do not have blind faith in a religion that they cannot prove; so God can be proven to exist by thinking and contemplation. Blind faith is a European Christian solution to the questions of belief the clergy could not answer. Blind faith is dangerous, for why would someone believe in something that cannot be proven. Adherence to such a belief would be shaky and weak, built upon doubtful ideas. Islam is not a theory, or a possibility, but a belief that should and can be proved, definitely and conclusively. Islam is a belief that asks humankind to approach it by thinking so as to do away with blind faith and doubt, so the very foundations of belief are strong, like a knot which cannot be opened.

Personal belief

When Muslims gather together, they have a commonality, a shared belief, arrived at by contemplation, so Islam is a communal belief, not a personal matter for an individual to follow and not care about others. A shared experience in belief further binds people together, not about a dream that I had that I cannot prove to others, but as a discussion point enhancing our understanding in a shared belief in a Creator.

Experiments to find God

How does one find God in a laboratory? Science and its theories cannot prove the existence of God, neither can they disprove it, so some scientists believe in God, and some do not. The existence of Allah is established by thinking about the environment around you. You do not need to be a scientist in a white coat, or a professor to start, just a normal person who begins to question what life is all about, and their purpose.

Muslims are 100% sure of the existence in Allah. This does not turn people into fanatical puritans who view everyone who do not believe with contempt. To the contrary it nurtures a love for humanity and the hope that others would one day arrive at these conclusions about life through thought. This unshakable belief creates a harmony in Muslims, so that life is not huge peaks and troughs of happiness and depression. Islam creates a stable character who should be constant in his mental and physical well being. This means that Islam is not extreme, but in line with man and his heart and his mind.

Racism: How Islam Eradicated it

The Arab world of the 7th century was one of tribal loyalties and conflict. Lineage was everything and a person was known from his tribe and genealogy before he was known as an individual. Loyalty to ones tribe was paramount and wars between tribes were frequent and fundamental.

A similar picture could be seen in many parts of the world including Africa, Europe and Asia. In Britain, the 7th century saw the invasion of the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes each taking different parts of the country. Kings of different regions were expected to be constantly at war and their power was only as strong as their abilities in battle. Thus there were kings of Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria to name but a few. Ultimately they were invaded by the Vikings and the Normans.

It was in this tribal society that Islam emerged. It rapidly gained followers from different tribes and different races, each adopting the new Islamic identity that overtook tribal allegiances. Tribes that had for years been at war with each other embraced the new religion and old feuds were abandoned in the spirit of brotherhood. Over just 20 years from the emergence of Muhammed as a Prophet, almost all the tribes of the Arabian peninsula had been united as one nation and by 100 years this unity had extended to India, Africa, central Asia, China and Europe. This melting pot of tolerance was governed by statements from the Qur’an and the Prophet’s last sermon before he died in which he stated:

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.

These words are sacred to Muslims.

Weren’t Muslims complicit in selling slaves to the West?

Unfortunately there were Muslims involved in the slave trade. However, Islam began the movement to liberate slaves by making it praiseworthy to free slaves and compulsory in some cases.

Slavery under Islam was very different from that in Western Europe and North America. In the West, the impression of slavery is one of ... Roots. Images are conjured of poor illiterate black men being whipped while picking cotton or laying down railways while their women were raped and abused.

Slavery that existed under Islam was completely different. Slavery was not an issue of racial discrimination. At the time of the Prophet Muhammed (saw) people freed their slaves and later these slaves married their old Masters own daughters! Imagine a white farmer during the times of slavery freeing their slave and marrying them to their daughter. This was happening in Islam more than 1000 years ago.

Being a slave was a social class which did not restrict ones opportunities. There were “slaves” under Islamic states who were generals of armies or even political leaders.

If Islam Unites People, why is there so much division within the Islamic World

It is sadly true that today, the Muslim world is divided and in many cases there is distrust and conflict between Muslims of different regions. This is under the influence of nationalism and secularism, not Islam. It is infact the remnants of Islam that exist within these countries that bridge the divisions that have crept in.

During the Islamic era, Arabs settled in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Central Asia and India. People intermarried and there was certainly no question of double standards between people of different races. Compare this with the lack of integration and later massacres when the French landed in Algeria, the Italians in Lybia and the British in India.

It is Islam that has the ability to unite the people again.

What is Sharia?

Most people’s impression of Sharia law is one of blood and gore at a Taliban-style football pitch come public execution arena.

So when the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, head of the Anglican Church, suggested that some aspects of Sharia law should be incorporated into British law a tirade of criticism was launched at him.

But many Muslims think Sharia is an important part of their lives. So what is it really all about?

Broadly speaking, Sharia is the name given to law derived from Islam. It covers politics, economics, criminal law, business, contracts, family life, hygiene and social issues. Though there are similarities with Western secular law in terms of the rights it gives and the principles and values that it upholds, it differs completely in its source and methodology.

Is Sharia Law Medieval and Unfit for Modern Society?

1000 years ago, European countries were ruled over by Kings and the Church with laws that maintained an unfair feudal system, oppressed women and pursued almost continuous warfare. Europe would never dream of going back to those uncivilised non-progressive laws, so why would Muslims look towards laws of that era?

The Islamic world prospered under Sharia law in the past. This differs from Europe where progress only really began when the Church was separated from politics and secularism was established. Under secularism, Muslim countries have failed to achieve the progress that they enjoyed under Islamic law.

Muslims want appropriate laws for the modern age. The Sharia approaches law from the perspective of the problems that face human beings. While technology may have progressed and societies have become more complex, the core relationships between people remain of the same kind and were successfully governed by Sharia law in the past.

Laws made by man in a secular system are vulnerable to the prejudices and inadequacies of the men and women who invent these laws. They are also vulnerable to corruption and undue influence by the rich and powerful. We can see many countries that have suffered from corruption and civil unrest when attempting to implement secular systems.

Muslims believe that the Sharia comes from God (Allah). It is the application of God’s laws upon human beings. It is based upon text that everyone can access and includes checks and balances to ensure that anyone who feels the law is incorrect or unfairly applied can challenge it through the court system. It transcends tribal loyalties, regional interests or the influence of the rich and powerful. Therefore it should be very resistant to corruption and able to unite people under its rule.

So How is Sharia Law Derived in the Modern Day?

Sharia Law is based upon the Qur’an (the revelation from Allah) and the example of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh).

In some cases, they give a direct verdict on a specific human problem and in others scholars of Islam are needed to derive a verdict from these sources using various judicial principles.

In recent years, Islamic Scholars have brought forward explanations of the Islamic stance on modern developments such as stem cell research, cloning and organ transplant. Such opinions at their core must be underpinned by the Qur’an and the example of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh).

Aren’t there Many Different Opinions in the Sharia – doesn’t this create conflict?

All Islamic opinions are based on the Qur’an and the example of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). Therefore, if there is a difference of opinion, the scholars who have derived this opinion and their followers must have respect for the others as they are all Islamic opinions. There should be no conflict over a difference of opinion.

For public matters, the leader of an Islamic State would be free to adopt whichever opinion he believed to be strongest and then all people including scholars with different interpretations would be bound to obey the law of the land. They would still have the right to argue the case for the opinion they believe to be stronger. In private matters people are free to decide which opinion they believe to be the strongest and follow it.

Secular systems also have a wide difference of opinion on the solutions to problems and what laws should be applied. Those with majority support usually take power and implement their opinions on what is best. This can lead to disastrous results including unpopular pre-emptive wars, economic recessions, tribal conflicts or even civil war.

But doesn’t Sharia Law invade People’s Private lives?

Sharia law includes laws about the private lives of Muslims such as the rights of husbands and wives over each other, the way people eat, drink and even sleep! But these things are not regulated by the state, rather they are between the individual and God.

In fact, the Sharia prohibits an Islamic State from spying on its citizens. This is in stark contrast to Western Countries where CCTV watches the streets, personal information is stored by government (and lost), phones are tapped and confidential conversations are bugged. Actually secular western systems invade the private lives of their citizens far more than would be permitted by the Sharia.

So do Muslims support the Archbishop in asking for Sharia law in Britain?

The Sharia has laws on how Muslims should behave when living under non-Islamic governments. In general, they are bound to follow the laws of that land as citizens of that state providing it does not force them to disobey God. In general Muslims are able to follow their religion and obey the laws of Britain without there being any conflict.

Today, there are no Muslim countries that implement the Sharia to the true spirit and letter of its law. It would be difficult for a Muslim to believe that the Qur’an is the Word of God without believing that His laws are good for mankind. However Muslims who advocate the Sharia would wish to see Muslims in Muslim countries apply it successfully in a holistic manner as it was intended to be rather than as an adjunct to British law.

With the media hysteria surrounding Islam in the West, Muslims born and raised in Western Countries are more concerned that laws will be made that directly prevent them from following their religion making emigration to a Muslim country their only choice. Unfortunately the current political classes seem intent on controlling every aspect of Muslim life in Britain including a politically correct interpretation of Islam. We are not far from a state where thoughts themselves are policed.

Economic Colonisation: The Forgotten Killer

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” Hitler’s Henchman Joseph Goebbels

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."
G. W. Bush

Many will argue that these statements can be applied to the rhetoric on the war on terror; the so called imminent danger, the potential loss of many innocent lives.

But how real is this threat? How many of us are suffering the consequences of daily attacks? Many of us were shocked and saddened by the events of 7/7, but since then what has happened? Not many of us live in constant fear. The media constantly spews a climate of fear, fraudulently attempting to terrify the masses into believing that terrorism is the only plague to our otherwise civilised world. But even in the 21st century, a century of abundance and waste, a war on want would save far more lives than any war on terror!

What terrorist has murdered millions or destroyed nations? The answer does not come from a race, religious group or a political party, but a force that has mass support across the political spectrum. This terrorist is called “Debt,” the most efficient killer in the world.

'Relieved of their annual debt repayments, the severely indebted countries could use the funds for investments that in Africa alone would save the lives of about 21 million children by 2000 and provide 90 million girls and women with access to basic education.'
UNDP Human Development Report 1997, p. 93

Ten years after the UNDP report, it is evident that politics have not changed and debt repayments continue, the sum of which is beyond both decency and taste. Those who benefit from these debt repayments are those who bank roll institutions like the IMF, the World Bank and the Paris Club. These are the high rollers, multi-millionaires or billionaires and Western Central Banks. It is this way that wealth flows from the very poorest people in the world to the richest.

‘God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East ' proclaimed Bush in 2006. Why doesn’t his God instruct him to deal with poverty and debt? Perhaps he is really listening to the rich and influential and not God at all!

Even so, economists have continued to inform the world (the eager poor to be precise) that there will be enough growth in wealth for everybody, and they are right, everyone can be fed and provided with shelter and clothing. However, the reality is so very different,

Furthermore economists have been telling the world (the eager poor to be precise) that there will be enough growth and wealth for everyone. They are right, everyone can be fed and be provided with shelter and clothing. But the reality is so very different; we live in an unequal world.

“225 people own more wealth than the poorest 2.5 billion people"
UNDP Human Development Report 1998

So who is driving this force of mass indiscriminate killing?

"There is a very broad consensus among African governments that the IMF and World Bank terms are often harsh and unsuitable generated severely adverse effects on the overall economies of these countries especially with regard to agriculture, manufacture and foreign trade"
Conference of the Institute for African Alternatives, Onimode, B. [ed.], The IMF, the World Bank Bank and African Debt, Zed Books, 1989.

Capitalism itself relies on the philosophy of self-interest, profit maximisation and greed to enhance production. This leads to a desire to control all available resources to harness their economic potential. Practically it leads to the rich and powerful seeking to control the financial affairs of as much of humanity as possible. The capitalist economic system itself that dominates the world directly leads to this situation. It does indeed produce growth and wealth. Never has the world been as wealthy as it is today, but this wealth does not find its way to the poor and this is its perpetual weakness.

So what can we do? What is the solution?

Well first off, charity pop concerts are not the solution. The good willed people of Britain attending charity concerts to end poverty have been (deliberately I may add) given false hopes. The millions raised are barely enough to pay off the interest Africa has accrued for a few hours.

Some $700 million per day now flows in debt repayment from the developing world to the developed world
UNDP Human Development Report, 1997

Evidently, even if we had a concert a day, it would not be enough. We would need at least 700 concerts a day. If you attempt to transform a system from within, the system changes you. Therefore, a new model, a new paradigm, a fresh perspective on this issue is needed. If we all want to stop this rampant killer that is responsible for the equivalent of 21,000 9/11’s and over a million 7/7’s each year, then we must provide a sincere and valid solution.

"…and give up what remains of your demand for interest… Deal not unjustly and you shall not be dealt with unjustly” 2: 278-279

“…Freeing a slave or feeding on a day of hunger an orphaned relative or a poor man in the dust; then to be one of those who have iman and urge each other to steadfastness and urge each other to compassion…” Surat al-Balad: 13-17

“…that is because they say, 'Trade is the same as interest.' But God has permitted trade and He has forbidden usury.” 2:275

“Give your relatives their due, and the very poor ….” Surat al-Isra': 26

It is a lie that the current financial world order is fair to the poor or that developed nations are not directly responsible for the exploitation of the resources of the poorest people on this earth. It is a lie that these economic policies do not directly kill millions. It is true that the capitalist economic system itself is responsible for the death of tens of millions of human beings. It is time for a war on want.

Women under the Sharia?

It is widely believed in the West that Islam subjugates women. Many believe that men force women to cover their hair, to stay at home chained to the stove, that women remain uneducated and weak as second class citizens within an Islamic society. They therefore call for the liberation of Muslim women through the abandonment of Islamic tradition, on a Western image.

So how does Islam view women and are they subordinate second class citizens.

Are women equal to men in Islam?

Yes.

Women are equal to men in Islam in so much as that both men and women are addressed by God (Allah) in His revelation the Qur’an with rights, duties and prohibitions. Men and women will be accounted for what God asked of them and will not be accountable for what was not asked of them.

However, men and women were addressed differently by God in the Qur’an and so by His Wisdom he has made men and women the same in some things and different in others.

For example, both men and women pray five times each day, fast the month of Ramadhan and have the right to own property. Also both men and women are not allowed to steal, murder or have sexual relationships outside of marriage and the penalties for men and women are the same under the Sharia.

However, women are not obliged to pray at the Mosque on Fridays, to provide monetarily for their families or to join the army during times of war as men are.

Are women discouraged from working in Islam?

No.

Women can work and are encouraged to gain a good education. In Western societies, women are strongly encouraged to work. If a woman chooses to stay at home and look after her children, this is derided within society and many women feel pressurised to work, even in low income jobs in order to raise their status within society and self-esteem. This has an impact on their family lives and their children. Currently Britain has real problems with violence from teenagers responsible for vandalism, theft and even murder, teenage pregnancies, broken homes and families. Politicians are struggling to find an answer to the problems facing the youth in Britain today.

In Islam, the highest and most respected position within society is that of a mother. Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) said “Paradise (Heaven) is at your mothers feet,” to symbolise the very high status that motherhood holds.

In Islam, women are regarded as being crucial to the vitality and well-being of the entire society. Children are the future of all nations and they deserve the best possible start in life. Who is better placed to raise well balanced, well mannered and successful children than their mothers?

Therefore Muslim women do not feel pressurised to work and choose to stay at home and give their children the best possible start in life as nothing is regarded with more respect in Islamic society.

Why are two female witnesses equal to one male witness in a Sharia court?

In most cases in Islam, the testimony of a woman is equal to that of a man. Indeed women can be the Sharia court judges themselves as Aisha, the Prophet’s wife was.

To illustrate this, the Sharia itself is based upon the example of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), much of which was reported by his wives, daughters or other women individually and their individual testimony is considered to be as valuable by scholars as the testimony of men. A single woman is equivalent to a man in sighting the moon for the advent of Ramadhan, one of the pillars of Islam.

So the law itself is based on the testimony of women, the scholars who derive this law can be women and the judges who apply the law can be women it is clearly not the case that women are considered to be second to men in the eyes of the law or less reliable witnesses. There are some cases where the testimony of a woman is valued above that of a man such as cases of adultery as follows:

... And as for those who accuse their own wives (of adultery), but have no witnesses except themselves, let each of these call God Four times to witness that he is indeed telling the truth. But (as for the wife, all) chastisement shall be averted from her by her calling God four times to witness that he is indeed telling a lie. [Qur’an 24 6,8)

The stipulation of requiring two women to replace one man as witness is mentioned in the Qur’an specifically regarding the writing of a contract for a loan as follows:

... And if he who contracts the debt is weak of mind or body, or, is not able to dictate himself, then let him who watches over his interests dictate equitably. And call upon two of your men to act as witnesses; and if two men are not available, then a man and two women from among such as are acceptable to you as witnesses, so that if one of them should make a mistake, the other could remind her. [Qur’an 2:282]

This is understood by the fact that men and women take different roles in society and there are some spheres in public life that most women will not be familiar with. The Islamic Scholar Taqiuddin an-Nabhani explained in his book “The Social System in Islam;” “... the testimony of two women is equal to the testimony of one man in actions which take place amongst the male community and in the public life.”

Some scholars have extended this to serious violent crime such as murder on the premise that women were normally protected from such crimes and may require support in their testimony although this is not stipulated in the Qur’an or example of the Prophet. It is unfortunate that in the 21st century under liberal secularism, no-one is safe from violent crimes including the elderly, women and children and so all are required as witnesses for such crimes frequently.

These judgements on witnesses are made on a case by case basis according to the facts of the crime or dispute in question. The Sharia does have mechanisms to differentiate between men and women and in what situation their witness is more useful but this in no way implies that the testimony of a woman is less reliable than that of a man in Islam or that they are inferior in the eyes of the law.

What about honour crimes?

Honour crimes are neither Islamic nor honourable. They bring only shame to the perpetrator and his family and “honour” killings are murders of the most serious nature.

The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) always sought to forgive those who committed sins in private and urged Muslims to conceal the faults that people had in their private lives, not publicise them or murder them for such errors. The Sharia is clear about these matters and if Muslims were properly educated concerning it, such crimes could be eradicated.

Horrific though they are, honour crimes are relatively rare in comparison to the 1 in 4 women in the UK today who are victims of domestic violence according to home office statistics. Sometimes this results in permanent disability or even death. This violence is not spurred by a desire to restore respect to the family but more often by alcohol, drugs, anger and a complete lack of respect for women. Many women feel unable to escape from violent relationships with insufficient support from family, the police or social workers.

Honour crimes can be eradicated from Muslim societies with education and the appropriate application of Sharia law. Unfortunately, secular law has repeatedly failed to deal with Western problems of domestic violence and these statistics are swept under the carpet whilst women in the West continue to suffer.

Why do women have to cover their bodies and hair?

Allah tells women to cover themselves so that they be recognised as pious Muslim women and are not bothered by men. It is a dress code intended to ensure respect and decency in the interactions between men and women in society.

This dress code is not as some have suggested to subjugate women nor to prevent men from lechery or worse. It is completely incorrect in Islam to say that a woman who does not cover is “asking for trouble.” Whether a woman is covered Islamically or not, a Muslim man is obliged to lower his gaze, treat her with respect and decency and her dress code is not seen as a criterion or justification for any form of illicit action.

Western societies have a different dress code. In general both men and women, but particularly women attempt to adhere to the fashions of the day. In general this promotes female images likely to be attractive to men. Often this includes a relative increase in the amount of skin displayed and a relative reduction in the amount of cloth as covering.

SEXUALISATION

Observing Western Society it is apparent that this does not promote men to treat women with respect and decency or vice versa. Men are lecherous and often speak of women in the most derogatory terms. Women are almost traded as commodities and objects of lust or desire by corporations in their advertising. Women feel under pressure to adhere to unrealistic images of perfection undoubtedly related to low self-esteem, eating disorders and depression. The Western dress code achieves an admiration of a sort but affords no real respect.

God in His Greatness has given Muslims a different dress code as part of a comprehensive social system and it is not surprising that many Muslim women choose it over other dress codes.

Women are not subordinate to men.

Women and men are not the same in Islam. God by His Knowledge has made for men and women different roles, rights, responsibilities and duties. Men have been given the responsibility of protecting women, providing for them and upholding their dignity. This does not make women less than men in any way but enhances the balance and harmony that exists within an enlightened Islamic society.

Homosexuality: A Frank Discussion

In the recent division within the Anglican Church, several Bishops expressed the view that homosexuality is “unnatural” because it does not occur in other species. One may ask ‘are not human beings part of nature?’

What does nature have to do with anything anyway? Is it natural to wear clothes, drive cars, use money or fire satellites into orbit? Other species don’t do that either. Should we therefore refrain from space travel as our sons hamster has not reached the moon?

Some species abandon their young as infants, some eat their own babies, some have hundreds of mates and some canabilise their husbands. Are these “natural” traits ones we should emulate?

Human beings are part of nature, so if human’s do it then its natural by definition!

So cannibalism, paedophilia and incest are also part of nature. Equally racism, Nazism and communism are part of human nature. Could we not go further and claim that war, genocide and oppression are part of human nature.

What relevance does natural or unnatural have on the actions of man. Such arguments have no rational extension.

Islam takes a different stance on sexuality. Islam sees the human being as a human being and so treats our human problems in an exclusively human way. From an Islamo-psychological perspective the human being has instincts, drives and needs. Failing to satisfy our instincts and drives can lead to misery and so the suppression of “human nature” is seen as oppressive.

Therefore, brilliant medieval Islamic scholars described human nature including in it three core instincts: procreation, survival and sanctification. These encompass all human drives. So it was Islam which, many years before the likes of Freud and Jung, actually announced the liberating position on who we are and said “it’s ok to be human.” So Muslims do not claim that homosexuality is unnatural.

However, Islam just like any other way of life has a frame of reference. Most Western countries have laws that prevent the sexual abuse of children, polyandry and cannibalism. If it were argued that these crimes were really an expression of human nature, most would reject them as completely inappropriate actions.

Islam, like many other spiritual traditions, argues that homosexuality is not the right way to manifest the instinct of procreation. It is a behaviour that negates the Islamic vision of society which is one of extended families connected by marriage between men and women. Hence Islam has viewed the public expression of homosexuality as a crime and as a result has placed a mechanism in which to protect its vision for society.

This doesn’t mean that homosexuals are to be seen as anything other than human. The Islamic tradition argues that one must be just and express sincere kindness to all people. Homosexuality is just one of many sexual practices that do not fit with the Islamic vision of society such as sex outside of marriage, wife-swapping and swingers parties! Many Muslims have had their own internal struggles with expressing their procreation instinct. With their conviction in the Islamic way of life, they have successfully re-constructed their dispositions to be in line with what they love, agree with and submit to - Islam.

Some people object to Islam making the public expression of homosexuality a criminal act. This is subjective and only strikes a chord amongst those who cannot escape the social constructs in their own societies.

There are societies past and present which accepted paedophilia and canabilism as normal parts of human life and they would find Western society oppressive preventing them from carrying out these practices. Like-wise some societies may view the legalisation of abortion and the enslavement of animals for human purposes as barbaric too.

A persons judgement is based on his or her culture and societal norms and from these norms there can be no universal rights and wrongs.

Islam does not change with the tide or the fashion of the day. It treats the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve as human beings until the end of time. In the United States and Denmark there is an association called NAMBLA whose goal is“… to end the oppression of men and boys who have mutually consensual relationships”, in other words to allow paedophilia. One wonders whether this type of expression of the procreation instinct will one day be allowed as social norms and our understanding of genetics and nature gradually change. Who draws the line and where should it be drawn?

To end it must be pointed out that Islam strongly reprimands those who spy on their neighbours, back-bite or falsely accuse people of crimes without evidence. Islam is not concerned with spying on people’s private lives. To keep things in context, those who believe in Islam will generally agree that there are bigger fish to fry than a disagreement about homosexuality. At a time when billions of Muslims and non-Muslims – human beings – are starving, destitute and ravaged with curable diseases and are overlooked in the name of liberal democracy and laissez faire economics, the focus must be on solving these important disasters of our generation.

Remembering the Holocaust

Each year, people of all religions in Britain remember the Holocaust during a dedicated memorial day. The Muslim Council of Britain had boycotted the memorial since 2001, announcing that it was too narrow a memorial and ignored subsequent genocides such as Rwanda and Srebrenica. Many accused them of anti-Semitism.

But why would a Muslim have any objection to remembering the Holocaust. Of all the things that Muslims can be accused of, the Holocaust is not one of them. Muslims and Islam had nothing whatsoever to do with this massacre of Jews in Europe. Most ordinary Muslims probably had no idea that it had even happened until Israel was established and it was cited as a justification.

Christian Europe has an infamous history of persecuting the Jewish race. The holocaust was the worst of over 1000 years of persecution and oppression that the Jews suffered in every European country including Britain.

In contrast, the Islamic world had a much more accepting view towards Jews. Under almost all Islamic administrations since the Prophet Muhammed, Jews lived in peace, security and prosperity. At the foundation of the first Islamic state in Madinah, the constitution written by the Prophet Muhammed himself stated concerning the Jewish tribes that lived there that:

“The Jews of Banu `Awf are one nation with the Muslims; the Jews have their religion and the Muslims have theirs,” and “The Jew who follows us is surely entitled to our support and the same equal rights as any one of us. He shall not be wronged nor his enemy be assisted.”
These traditions continued throughout the history of Islam.

It was under Christian Monarchies and conservative Christian Secular Democracies that anti-Semitism flourished. In Nazi Germany, the low-grade anti-semitism that had been allowed to fester for centuries in Christian Europe, crystallised through white-supremacist ideology into the holocaust. Nothing similar has ever been perpetrated by Muslims.

So as Muslims, we agree that the Holocaust was really bad and European Christians and atheists should not have done it. It was very evil and we strongly disapprove. It is an odd sort of transference of guilt if Muslims are accused of anti-Semitism for not attending the Holocaust Memorial. This is one crime Muslims are completely innocent of.

Terrorism in Our Town Centres

Legal lawlessness consumes the town centres of Great British towns and cities week after week. Friday and Saturday nights see armies of young men and women, high on adrenaline and lager, parading through the streets.

The streets fill with noise, loud arguments and profanity float through the air and sexual disinhibition takes hold. As sporadic brawls break out and teenage girls arrive at A&E departments, so drunk they cannot speak, their friends swearing a spiked drink has left them paralytic and vomiting, the United Kingdom government thinks hard and comes up with a solution.

With a spattering of triumphalism and a “George Bush” intelligent look on their faces, they announce that pubs will be able to open all night, mega casinos will be legalised and the antisocial will be ordered to behave with an ASBO.

With the problem solved, the leaders of the Labour party can concentrate on more pressing issues like updating Trident nuclear weapons, selling knighthoods and finding terrorists.

Meanwhile the streets burn. Alcohol related violence is common and can mutilate or even kill. Large parts of the population are afraid to walk alone in the streets at night. Mugging and “happy slapping” are common.

The motivation for an unprovoked assault on a complete stranger could simply be the notoriety obtained from its filming and posting on the internet. Paul Fawcett, a spokesman for victim support said there was now "no other reason for the assault, such as money or drugs, other than the gratification of inflicting pain".

Those who confront these gangs of youth roaming the streets can risk their lives as has been the case with several potential heroes over the last few years.

In response to this huge problem, the response of Home Secretary John Reid last summer was that the public should “stop moaning and take action” against anti-social behaviour.

It is easy to understand why the home office is reluctant to tackle this problem. Over the last year they have shown that they can’t keep track of who criminals are, where they are, what nationality they hold and cannot appropriately organise what needs to be done with them. But to lay the responsibility for law and order at the feet of the British public is passing the buck with a capital bucking P.

Young people are out of control because they have few aspirations, little appreciation of the value and purpose of their lives, dysfunctional celebrity role models, ample time on their hands with no boundaries and open access to intoxicating drugs such as alcohol.

Fines, ASBO’s, vigilante-ism, community service projects and custodial terms, all solutions attempted by this government, fail to address the root causes of town-centre terrorism.

Young people need a philosophy to life and contemporary western society fails to give them one. Human civilisation has lasted for thousands of years and many have sought to explain and find the meaning of life itself. Over the millennia these religions, philosophies or ideologies have lit the lives of billions of people and avoided the mass production of yobs. They found answers to the questions that forms a huge hole in the middle of modern Western philosophy. It is time to remove the disapproving looks from those who seek guidance in them.

Panic On the Streets of London

With murders in South, East, and West London of youngsters, knife and gun crime has profiled heavily in the media and government circles, so much so, the government is thinking of reducing the age of conviction for such crimes, if it hasn’t already.

Many people have opinions as to why these crimes occur of which these are some: absentee fathers, drugs, unemployment, gangs, lack of youth clubs, alienation, no job prospects.

Maybe some of the perpetrators are affected by some or all of these factors. But does this really explain why those murders and possible future murders occur? I’m not a psychologist, a social worker or a police officer but anybody can see that this just doesn’t add up.

In society today the general trend of self centeredness and individualism built upon self interest and benefit create a climate where young people seek to express their individuality and self-gratification as much as is possible. That’s not to say that it wasn’t like that in the 60s, 70s or 80s, but over time societal values and norms have gradually eroded to the point where some 21st century youths find no values or limits except for their own perceptions of what they want in life.

And maybe that’s the problem. Can one of the murderers really claim that not having a youth club or job prospects was a reason for the committing murder?

Not everyone with an absentee father turns out to be a killer. Not everyone in a gang kills. What many people, not just youth, lack is purpose, vision, direction; not just in employment or school, but in life. A direction for their lives, which they do not get from government sponsored projects or schemes. People need focus and direction which will fill a void and give meaning and purpose to their existence. You could say there is a spiritual vacuum today, so much so, that only self interest and benefit rule. A truly utilitarian society that Jeremy Bentham would be proud of.

This spiritual vacuum is akin to an apple without a core, a sea without life, indeed a human without a purpose in life. Spirituality, especially in Islam, provides this basis in humans. Islam’s spiritual model is comprehensive in its approach to life, a feature which is unique, and which the western experience is unaccustomed to, but which would lead to the fulfilment of our very beings.

By no means is this a golden path which if trodden on, all would be well, but spirituality provides that accountability to a higher authority, which would keep us in check when all else fails.