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O you who believe, respond to the call of Allah and His Messenger when He calls you to that which would give you life..

JUMADA AL ULA / JUMADA AL THANI 1429 ··· JUNE/JULY 2008 ··· ISSUE: 01

PALESTINE THE 60 YEAR NIGHTMARE

THE INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE OF THE QUR’AN

FOOD CRISIS - THE FAILURE OF CAPITALIST ECONOMICS ANDTHE ISLAMIC SOLUTION

HOW FREE IS SPEECH?

STAND FOR ISLAM

KMAG june2008_02:Layout 1 6/18/2008 5:25 PM

2 :: Khilafah Magazine :: June/July 2008

MUBARAK GASSES GAZAA pipeline supplying Israel with Egyptiannatural gas for the first time began flowingMay 1, state-owned Israel Electric Corp. said.In the first stage of the deal, signed in 2005with East Mediterranean Gas Co., the gaswill be delivered to power plants in Ashdodand Tel Aviv and will enable Israel Electricto increase electricity production fromnatural gas. Israel will receive an annualsupply of 1.7 billion cubic meters ofEgyptian natural gas over 20 years.At the same time the Israeli fuel blockade ofGaza means that over 1 million remain atgrave risk.

THE NEW SOLDIERS OFFORTUNEThe New York Times recently revealed thatthe Pentagon "roped in" more than 75retired military officers to propagandise forthem on national television. After beingextensively wined and dined by officials andgiven flattering audiences with DonaldRumsfeld it was difficult to discern criticismof American invasion tactics. Although notdirectly on the Pentagon payroll many ofthe officers have business ties to thelucrative US defense industry, an obviousconflict of interest.

UK ANTI TERROR LAWIMPRISONS MASTERSSTUDENTA masters student researching terror tacticswho was arrested and detained for six daysafter his university informed police about al-Qaeda related material he downloaded hasspoken about the "psychological torture" heendured in custody.Despite his Nottingham Universitysupervisors insisting the materials weredirectly relevant to his research, RizwaanSabir, 22, was held for nearly a week underthe Terrorism Act, accused of downloadingthe materials for illegal use. The student hadobtained a copy of the al-Qaeda trainingmanual from a US government website forhis research.The case highlights what lecturers areclaiming is a direct assault on academicfreedom led by the government which, inits attempt to establish a "prevent agenda"

against terrorist activity, is putting pressureon academics to become police informers.Sabir's solicitor said: "This could have beendealt with sensibly if the university haddiscussed the issue with Rizwaan and histutors. This is the worrying aspect of theextension of detention [under the TerrorismAct]. They can use hugely powerful arrestpowers before investigating." The British government plans to extend thedetention without charge or trial periodfrom 28 to 42 days.

BUSH PRAISE FOR"PEACEFUL" ISRAELThe same month that the EconomistIntelligence Unit ranked Israel as 136th (outof 140 countries) in the World Peace Index,President Bush lavished praise on the roguestate in his address to the Knesset. The Gulfnews reported that gob-smacked Israeli lawmakers were pleasantly shocked by thespeech which included:"You have forged a free and modern societybased on the love of liberty, a passion forjustice, and a respect for human dignity" and"You have worked tirelessly for peace".Overlooking the usurping of land, bombingneighbours, expanding colonies in the Westbank, constructing the apartheid wall,demolishing homes, tearing down 100 yearold olive trees and keeping the people ofGaza imprisoned and in the dark perhapsBush was confused with the Economist'sranking (which measures both domesticpeace and how they interact with theoutside world) of his own nation in thePeace index at 97th.

US 'CLOSE' TO IRAQMILITARY DEALThe US government is close to reaching anagreement with the Iraqi government overits long term military role in the countrybut will not seek "permanent" bases in thenation.Bush administration officials told Al Jazeerathat they expect to finalise a deal by theend of July over the so-called Status ofForces agreement, or SOFA.The agreement if ratified will replace thecurrent United Nations mandate authorising

US troops to remain in the nation, whichexpires in December 2008.In response to called protests against theagreement by prominent Muslims in IraqDavid Satterfield, a senior adviser on Iraq atthe US state department, told Al Jazeera thatthe agreement would make explicit that theUS was not seeking "permanent" militarybases in the country.The Transnational Institute currently reportsUS military bases in foreign lands at 737including many dating back to World War II.

BRITISH MUSLIM ACCUSESUK GOVERNMENT OFCOLLUSION IN TORTUREHuman rights groups and MPs demandinvestigation. The demand came as the manalleged that British officials "outsourced" historture to Pakistan's Inter-ServicesIntelligence agency in an attempt to extractinformation from him.Amnesty International said the Britishgovernment needed to explain what stepsare taken to ensure suspects are nottortured after they are detained in Pakistanat the request of British counter-terrorismofficials. In a letter to the Guardian, KateAllen, Amnesty's UK director, added:"Complicity in torture is a crime and youdon't defeat terrorism by committingfurther crimes."He is the fourth man to claim that he wastortured after being detained in Pakistanduring a British-led counter-terrorisminvestigation. He said that for severalmonths the ISI kept him in a pitch-black cellnot much bigger than a coffin, and that hewas brought out to be beaten, whipped andsubjected to electric shocks. On oneoccasion, he alleges, he was kept hoodedand interrogated by people speakingEnglish, with both British and Americanaccents.A court in Pakistan eventually ruled thatthere was insufficient evidence to convictthe man on terrorism charges.�

NEWSBITES


Khilafah Magazine :: June/July 2008 :: 3

Asalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi waBarakatahu

We welcome you to the re-launch ofKhilafah magazine. We pray Allah swtaccepts it from us and that youappreciate its slim line digestible size.The magazine makes reappearance in avery different time from before. Thepast three years have seen a relentlessmedia and political onslaught againstIslam that started with accusations ofviolence and terrorism against Muslims,labelling some as moderate and someextremist. But it has now descendedinto a full blown attack on Islam itself -upon the aqueedah and the systems.The attacks on Shariah, the hudood, thewomen's dress code targets and distortsthe public and political manifestationsof Islamic rules, but the accompanyingsmears on our Beloved Prophet (SAW)and the recent call in Holland ban theQuran prove that Islam's enemies atleast, realise the impossibility ofseparating the political from thespiritual when it comes to Islam.

When Muslims said the war on terrorwas a war on Islam, people accused usof exaggeration, but the proof is nowclear for all to see - and this mediacampaign is little more than warpropaganda that tries to radicalise thewider non-Muslim society against Islam,so western governments can pursuetheir brutal policies in the Muslimworld without the opposition theyfaced before the war on Iraq. The smearcampaign also serves to intimidate andcoerce our community into compliancewith liberal values and subjugation tothe state's agenda: that we should laughwhen Rasullah (SAW) is insulted (mayAllah forbid) and be silent whenMuslim lands are invaded.

Against this background Hizb ut-TahrirBritain has launched a campaign set tolast several months titled 'Stand forIslam' that aims to confront this smearcampaign. Our community watches theattacks on Islam in anger and despair:anger from the casual insults of thatwhich we revere, and despair notknowing how to respond. Hot headedor violent responses are clearlycounterproductive, but silence in theface of such attacks on our deen is alsounacceptable.

Our campaign aims first to empowerour community with an understandingof the attacks and how to respond. Wehave to know our deen and live by it,not only so we please Allah and secureour own Iman, but so that this societythat is a sea of chaos and decline hassome islands of stability and sanity inits midst. That requires acomprehensive understanding of Islam,most especially the forgotten andneglected political aspects. This needsto be coupled by highlighting ourconcerns about the failings of thewestern way of life that harm so manypeople. The hypocrisy of insulting theProphet under the defence of freespeech is obvious when free speech isset aside in a call to ban the Quran. Thetragedy of the values system that causesfamily and moral collapse needs tocontrasted with the beautiful values ofIslam. The dangers of the globalcapitalist system that is causing faminearound the world as well as collapse inthe financial markets needs to be setagainst the detailed systems and justiceof Islam.

Our campaign will also address thetragedy that is Palestine, which this yearfaces its sixtieth year under the

occupation of Israeli terrorism. Weknow that standing for Islam alsomeans standing with the Ummahagainst oppression, and no whereepitomises this more than the blessedland of Israa and Miraj. This is a landthat will only be liberated by theKhilafah when it returns. For thecurrent despots in the Muslim worldonly collude with external powersperpetuating the misery and bloodshed.They call this a peace process, but it islittle more than an attempt to normaliseand legitimise the theft of the land, andthe subjugation and expulsion of itspeople.

If we stand for Islam, we stand for ourunity - within the UK and with the restof the Islamic world. If we stand forIslam, we stand against policies thatsupport invasion and occupation of ourlands. If we stand for Islam, we standfor a community that exemplifies thebest of the noble Islamic values, thatinteracts with our neighbours in a waythat is caring and decent, carrying themessage of Islam wherever we are. Ifwe stand for Islam, we stand for thereturn of the Khilafah Rashida in theMuslim world, and will do all we can toaid this effort. Brothers and sister, westand for Islam: will you stand with us?

O you who believe, answer (the callof) Allah and His Messenger when hecalls you to that which gives you life(Translated meaning Surah Al-Anfal8:24)�

Dr Abdul Wahid

Editorial



On the sixtieth anniversary of thecoming into being of the state of Israel,Israel‘s many supporters are celebratingwhat they see as a great achievement.For them Israel has been a culminationof a dream created from amongst theashes of Auschwitz, from the grotesqueanti-Semitism of not just Germany butthe whole of Europe, a state that againstall odds has survived in one piecedespite being surrounded by hostileenemies. The proponents of Israelbelieve it is a democracy and thereforeshould be treated as a nation fightingterrorism, a victim of other people’sterror and hate. Such a narrative wouldbe a criminal distortion of the truth. Forfar from Israel being a victim or having

an anniversary that should becelebrated, Israel will go down in historyas one of the most brutal nations thatthe world has ever seen.

It is a matter of historical fact that Israelwas founded by terrorists from the Sterngang and Irgun and it is therefore nogreat surprise that it has implemented60 years of state terrorism against thePalestinian people. 60 years of illegaloccupation, 60 years of creating anapartheid system which the old NationalParty in South Africa would be proud of,60 years of depriving the Palestinianpeople of the right to live in dignity; 60years of cruel and oppressive acts; 60years of torture, 60 years of punishing

roadblocks and 60 years of murderingPalestinian men, women and children.This is the real legacy of the state ofIsrael to the history of mankind. Israel isa state created through violence andremains a militant nation today, spendingvast sums on defence and security moreakin to a large military base than amodern nation addressing the problemsof its people. Indeed Jews all over theworld have voted with their feet, mosthaving decided to live abroad in theUnited States and Europe preferringprosperity over living in the ‘promisedland‘. Israel has violence at its core, astate geared for war and revenge, whereevery adult citizen (bar the ultraorthodox and the well connected)undergo military service. It is no wonderthat Israel constantly attacks itsneighbours, or threatens to bomb themback to the stone age as it did withLebanon in the summer of 2006. In oneof the more bitter ironies of history,while the world applauded NelsonMandela’s fight against apartheid, todaywestern governments celebrate Israel’sracist 60th anniversary.

So after decades of wars, bloodshed andfailed negotiations what should we do.Most western governments as well asthe dictators in the Muslim worldbelieve in a two state solution. Howevera two state solution would be suicidalfor the Palestinian Muslims. Why is this?

Palestinethe 60 Year Nightmare

Sajjad Khan



1. Giving up any land to foreign occupiers is prohibited from the texts of Islam and would only appease Israel’s aggression and ethnic cleansing. “Allah forbids youwith regard to those who fight youfor your deen, and drive you out of your homes, and support othersin driving you out, from turning to them for support/protection. Such that do so are zaalimun (wrongdoers)” [TMQ Mumtahana:9]

2. The two state solution is seen as Israel’s last chance to protect its illegal gains. Israel has significant challenges in the years ahead whichthreatens it. This is why Israeli Prime Minister Olmert is on record in saying the following “If the day comes when the two state solution collapses and we face a South African style struggle for equal voting rights, then as soon as that happens, the state of Israel is finished.”

3. A Palestinian state created out of the remnants of pre 1967 is not a viable state, it will have no real resources, no real sovereignty and would be reliant on Israel for its survival. Just look at Israel’s repeated interventions in Gaza, a territory Israel claims it has left.

So the Muslim world should respondwith one voice to the sixtiethanniversary, that it will never recognisethe state of Israel (this is no differentfrom the west which does not recogniseNorthern Cyprus or Taiwan. Nor Russia

which refuses to recognise Kosovo) andthat it remains committed to liberatingthe whole of historical Palestine by acapable and professional armed force ifnecessary (again no different from thewest‘s mantra in the first Gulf war). Ofcourse no such messages will be givenby the existing despotic Muslimgovernments who while attacking Israelin their speeches are in realityprotecting it. It is only the return of theIslamic Khilafah that cancomprehensively address this problem,and that would deploy the necessaryarmed forces capable of liberating thisland. As Salahadeen demonstrated in the13th century, the reality of overcomingforeign occupation requires politicalunity in Muslim lands and to marshal allof the ummah’s resources. Though theKhilafah should never take the militaryoption off the table in reversing theoccupation, the Khilafah would alsoenjoy a strong suite of economic anddiplomatic assets. The Khilafah wouldhave a strong position to dictate toEurope, Japan and other nations thatthey need to review their support forIsrael against their future strategicrelationship with the Muslim world.Specifically the Muslim world has:

1. The bulk of the future reserves of oil and significant gas reserves

2. A population of 1.3 billion which, unlike the west, is not ageing

3. The ability to keep vital waterways like the Straits of Hormuz and Suez Canal open, waterways through which a significant volume of goodsand oil flow

4. Hundreds of billions of dollars which are invested abroad

Of course the Khilafah’s opposition toIsrael does not equate to a policy oftreating individual Jews unjustly, or anethnic cleansing of the region, as Israelhas perpetuated against the Palestinians.Jews, Muslims and Christians livedlargely in security under an Islamicgovernment for much of the lastfourteen centuries in Palestine, in IslamicSpain and under the Ottoman Caliphate.Unlike Israel’s apartheid system, anIslamic state is not a racial state anddoes not treat Non Muslims as secondclass citizens. The Prophet Muhammadmade this very clear when he stated the: “Anyone who harms a Dhimmi (NonMuslim citizen), harms me.”

Of course many in Israel and their rightwing supporters abroad will celebrateIsrael’s sixtieth anniversary with prideand satisfaction. However Israel lacksstrategic depth and having nuclearsubmarines stationed offshore is nosubstitution for having a sustainable longterm strategy for survival. Israeli policiesover the last 60 years have been barbaricand inhuman and they should not beallowed to continue. With demographicand other trends going against Israel, andthe region increasingly embracing itsIslamic identity, the re-establishment ofthe Islamic Caliphate is now the onlyviable option for liberating Palestine anddelivering justice to the region.�

Muslim governments who whileattacking Israel in their speeches are inreality protecting it.


The Qur’an. The Eternal Word of the Creatorto His Creation sent down through Jibreel,the Ruh al-ameen and conveyed by His finalMessenger Muhammad al-Mujtaba (may thepeace and blessings of Allah be upon himand his family) to guide mankind out of thedepths of darkness to the light of the justiceof Islam. This is the Book that we recite andrecite again at every opportunity to findsolace and guidance in its meanings whileour hearts quake with the sound of itsrhythm and cadences.

However this blessed Kitaab that we have inour hands today faced many an obstacle andmuch opposition before its conveyance wascomplete. The chiefs of the Quraysh ofMakkah opposed its recital and call realisingthat should the Message of the Qur’an beembraced by the people then the gamewould be up and their days of presiding overa social order based on idolatry, injustice andimmorality would be numbered. Initially theychose to ignore it thinking it will die of itsown accord but when they witnessed itspermeation in the public atmosphere theyresolved to put a stop to its dissemination bythe Messenger (saw) and the early Muslimconverts. Their cowardly resolution isrecorded in the Qur’an itself: ‘And thosewho disbelieve say: “Listen not to thisQur'ân, and make noise (laghw) in themidst of its (recitation) that you mayovercome.” [TMQ 41:26]

The answer of the Mushriks to theintellectual call of the Qur’an was to ban andprevent people from hearing its recital. It isreported by Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) that Abu Jahl toldpeople to shout in the face of the Messengerwhen he recited the Qur’an so that peoplecould not hear what was being recited.Mujahid said: ‘laghw (in this ayah) refers tomaking noise by whistling and clapping.’(Tafseer al-Jami’ li-ahkam al-Qur’an of al-Qurtubi). So thought was faced withobstacles and suppression. But that was notenough; the Quraysh used other means tosilence the intellectual call of the Qur’an.They resorted to propaganda, torture andfinally boycott. They labelled the Prophet as amadman, sorcerer or soothsayer in order todiscredit him. It is reported that when Tufayl

b. ‘Amr al-Dawsi came to Makkah during theearly period of the Prophet’s da’wah there,Quraysh approached him to warn andprevent him from listening to the Prophet.They said: ‘O Tufayl, you have come to ourtown. This man who claims that he is aProphet has ruined our authority andshattered our community. We are afraid thathe would succeed in undermining you andyour authority among your people just as hehas done with us. Don't speak to the man.On no account listen to anything he has tosay. He has the speech of a sorcerer, causingdivision between father and son, betweenbrother and brother and between husbandand wife.’

But of course truth cannot be kept awayfrom the one who seeks it and so lets listento what happened next in Tufayl’s ownwords and how he came to embrace thetruth: ‘The following morning I went to theSacred Mosque to make tawaaf around theKa’bah as an act of worship to the idols thatwe made pilgrimage to and glorified. Iinserted a piece of cotton in my ears out offear that something of the speech ofMuhammad would reach my hearing. As soonas I entered the Mosque, I saw him standingnear the Ka’bah. He was praying in a fashionwhich was different from our prayer. Hiswhole manner of worship was different. Thescene captivated me. His worship made metremble and I felt drawn to him, despitemyself, until I was quite close to him. Notwithstanding the precaution I had taken, Godwilled that some of what he was sayingshould reach my hearing and I heard aspeech that was so beautiful that I said tomyself, "What are you doing, Tufayl? You are aperceptive poet. You can distinguish betweenthe good and the bad in poetry. Whatprevents you from listening to what this manis saying? If what comes from him is good,accept it, and if it is bad, reject it. " Iremained there until the Prophet left for hishome. I followed him as he entered hishouse, and I entered also and said, "OMuhammad, your people have said certainthings to me about you. By God, they kept onfrightening me away from your message sothat I even blocked my ears to keep out yourwords. Despite this, God caused me to hear

something of it and I found it good. So tellme more about your mission...’ Brothers and sister, that was then. Now wesee a rising global Muslim consciousness andreassertion of the Islamic identity whether inthe Middle East, Far East, South East Asia or inthe West. And today we also hear voices inthe West saying that Islam is backward, thatthe problem is Islam and not Muslims, that itwill cause separatism and division in society,its beliefs and laws are medieval andbarbaric, its political system totalitarian andits view of women is misogynistic; indeedsome have crossed a certain threshold andpushed the limit and uttered what manymaybe are feeling but dare not articulateright now: that perhaps even the Qur’anneeds to be proscribed as its verses are notin tune with western liberal values. Much ofthe western media has stoked and fanned thefire of hate and ignorance by leading thiscampaign, culminating in the publication ofthe vile cartoons of the Prophet (saw) whichperhaps represents the high-water mark ofgutter defamatory journalism though no one


Kamal Abu Zahra

The IntellectualChallenge of the Qur'an



is holding their breath. Governments on theirpart have matched this propagandaonslaught by passing more draconian antiterror legislation, oppressive control orders, avague and arbitrary offence of glorificationand there are plans to extend the number ofdays an anti terror suspect can be detainedwithout charge and consequently trial. Butthe striking thing about all this is that justlike the Quraysh, who were unable to meetthought with thought - the backlash againstIslam has been far from intellectual. Thelanguage has been sometimes one of hatredand fear as with the immigration debate orthe Muslim schools issue, and at times ofignorance as we saw with the Shariah lawcommotion in response to the statements ofthe archbishop of Canterbury. Where anostensibly sober discussion has beenattempted the result always has been that theother side has not been represented - ratherapologists and the emasculated have beenwheeled out as the representatives of theMuslims. So Muslims in the West, what arethey to do? Should they lie low and pray thestorm blows over; although that seems highlyunlikely given the direction of the currenttide, or perhaps respond with appeasementand say what western neo-con xenophobeswant to hear? Will that really place theirDeen in a sure footing or will it be theslippery slope towards assimilation into thealien self destructive values of thexenophobe?

At a juncture like this it is worthwhilepausing and reflecting on the Qur’an andseeing what we can glean from how theQur’an faced the onslaught on the Deen atits inception. A scrutiny of the verses whichdealt with propaganda and attacks of thetime shows that the Quranic method(minhaj) of address (khitaab) was to respondintellectually, challenging the erroneousthought by highlighting its inherentcontradictions and affecting the emotionsthrough articulating its thought in ways thatopened up the hearts and minds to theeternal truths of its Message.

The Qur’an did not dwell long on thepropaganda attacks but summarily dismissedthem. For example, when Quraysh spread thepropaganda that the Prophet has learnt theQur’an from a Christian youth named Jabr,the Qur’an retorted: "We know indeed that

they say it is a man that taught him. Thetongue of him they wickedly point to isnotably foreign, while this is Arabic, pureand clear." [TMQ 16:103] Indeed the Qur’anthen challenged Quraysh to bring a surah likeit if they were to prove their contention thatit is from man and not God. When Qurayshbegan their ad homonym attacks on theProphet by claiming he was possessed, Allah(swt) instructed the Prophet to say: Say [O Prophet!] had Allah pleased, I wouldnever have recited it to you nor would Hehave made it known to you. A whole life-time have I dwelt amongst you before itwas revealed. Have you then no sense. [TMQ10:16]

The Prophet told them, a life time have Ispent with you and you saw no madness, sowhy the claim now? Read the followingverses of surah at-Tur and reflect on themanner in which each of the attacks of theMushrikeen is dealt with by highlighting thecontradictions in their claims: Therefore (O Muhammad), remind andpreach. By the Grace of Allâh, you areneither a soothsayer, nor a madman. Or dothey say: "(Muhammad is) a poet! We awaitfor him some calamity by time.!" Say (OMuhammad to them): "Wait! I am with you,among the waiters!" Do their mindscommand them this [i.e. to tell a lie againstyou] or are they people exceeding thebounds. Or do they say: "He (Muhammad)has forged it (this Qur'ân)?" Nay! Theybelieve not! Let them then produce a recitallike unto it (the Qur'ân) if they aretruthful. Were they created by nothing, orwere they themselves the creators? Or didthey create the heavens and the earth? Nay,but they have no firm Belief. Or are withthem the treasures of your Lord? Or arethey the tyrants with the authority to do asthey like? Or have they a stairway (toheaven), by means of which they listen (tothe talks of the angels)? Then let theirlistener produce some manifest proof. Orhas He (Allâh) only daughters and youhave sons? Or is it that you (OMuhammad) ask a wage from them (foryour preaching) so that they are burdenedwith a load of debt? Or that the Ghaib(unseen) is with them, and they write itdown? Or do they intend a plot (againstyou O Muhammad)? But those whodisbelieve are themselves in a plot! Or have

they an ilâh (a god) other than Allâh?Glorified be Allâh from all that they ascribeas partners (to Him) [TMQ 52:29-43]

Having swiftly dismissed the propaganda theQur’an preferred to engage in an expositionof the viewpoint about life, beliefs andthought of the opponents in a challengingstyle and at the same time stir their emotionstowards the truth. For example, ponder thefollowing verse which addresses theMushrik’s refusal to believe that man can beresurrected after death and consequently theaccountability in the Hereafter:

‘O mankind! If you are in doubt about theResurrection, then verily! We have createdyou from dust, then from a Nutfah (sexualdischarge), then from a clot then from alittle lump of flesh, some formed and someunformed (miscarriage), that We may make(it) clear to you (i.e. to show you Our Powerand Ability to do what We will). And Wecause whom We will to remain in thewombs for an appointed term, then Webring you out as infants then (give yougrowth) that you may reach your age offull strength. And among you there is hewho dies (young), and among you there ishe who is brought back to the miserable oldage, so that he knows nothing after havingknown. And you see the earth barren, butwhen We send down water (rain) on it, it isstirred (to life), it swells and puts forthevery lovely kind (of growth).’ [TMQ 22:5]

See how these verses talk about the creationof man from dust in the beginning and thestages of development of the foetus and thenthrough the stages of adolescence and oldage. The Creator who created from dust andnurtured and sustained His creation in thisway can certainly resurrect him again fromdust without a shadow of a doubt! It isreported that once a Mushrik, Ubayy b.Khalaf, came to the Prophet (saw) holdingsome dry bones in his hands and crushingthem to dust and saying: who will bringthese bones back to life after they haveturned to dust? The response that camechallenged the man’s erroneous thought butalso made him think and feel for what thecorrect answer must be. This incident hasbeen recorded for us in the Qur’an in surahYasin: Yet behold! He (stands forth) as anopen opponent. And he puts forth for Us aparable, and forgets his own creation. Hesays: "Who will give life to these bones whenthey have rotted away and became dust?"Say: (O Muhammad) "He will give life tothem Who created them for the first time!And He is the All-Knower of every creation!"He, Who produces for you fire out of thegreen tree, when behold! You kindletherewith. Is not He, Who created theheavens and the earth Able to create the

Having swiftly dismissed the propaganda the Qur'anpreferred to engage in an exposition of theviewpoint about life, beliefs and thought of theopponents in a challenging style and at the sametime stir their emotions towards the truth.



like of them? Yes, indeed! He is the All-Knowing Supreme Creator. Verily, HisCommand, when He intends a thing, isonly that He says to it, "Be!" and it is! SoGlorified is He and Exalted above all thatthey associate with Him, and in WhoseHands is the dominion of all things, and toHim you shall be returned.’ [TMQ 36:78-83]

Today how many in the West turn to atheismor if they believe in a God take the view thatman is not accountable to God in the publicsphere as religion should have no say intemporal matters.

Again and again the Qur’an challenged theQuraysh to question and think about thevalidity of their thoughts, social practises andway of life. The Quraysh worshipped idolsand so the Qur’an relates the story ofIbrahim (as) who questioned the idolatrouspractise of his people: ‘Then they (theworshippers of idols) came, towards him,hastening. He (Ibrahim) said: "Worship youthat which you (yourselves) carve? "WhileAllâh has created you and what you make!’[TMQ 37:94-96]

Today how many propose that manmadelaws and rules should be enacted and thenthe people shall bow to them withobedience? Is it not demeaning for man tosubmit to that which is lesser than him?

The Quraysh believed that Allah haddaughters and yet they mistreated theirwomen and even buried their daughters aliveand so the Qur’an pointed out thiscontradiction: ‘Is it for you the males andfor Him the females?’ [TMQ 53:21]

Today the West claims to have liberatedwomen but we find she is often reduced tothe status of a mere sexual object. Inregards to their social practise ofinfanticide the Qur’an asked a damningquestion: ‘And when the female (infant)buried alive (as the pagan Arabs used todo) shall be questioned. For what sin shewas killed?’ [TMQ 81:8-9] Today we shouldask what kind of society accepts thepractise of indiscriminate abortionsbecause it gets in the way of a woman’scareer prospects.

The Quraysh, men and women, used tomake circumbulation (tawaaf) round theKa’bah naked and their justification fordoing this was that it was the custom oftheir forefathers. So consider then how theQur’an addressed this argument: ‘O Children of Adam! We have bestowedraiment upon you to cover yourselves andas an adornment, and the garment ofrighteousness, that is better…. [TMQ 7:26]

Here the verse evokes in them a sense ofshame by highlighting what clothes signify;that they are an adornment to cover shameand a mark of piety; so how can one maketawaaf, an act of worship, in such a state. TheQur’an reminds and warns them not todeceive themselves as their father Adam wasdeceived by Shaytan when due their fall theywere stripped of their garments: ‘O Childrenof Adam! Let not Shaitân (Satan) deceiveyou, as he got your parents [Adam andHawwa (Eve)] out of Paradise, strippingthem of their garments, to show them theirprivate parts…’ [TQ 7:27]

This also refutes their claim that they arefollowing their forefathers as Adam and Hawawere made to feel shame due to a deceptionand their emulation by Quraysh would alsobe due to their own self deception. TheQur’an then censures them for followingtraditions and customs blindly without regardto whether it was according to Allah’scommand or not; ‘And when they commit aFâhisha (evil indecency such as goingaround the Ka'bah in a naked state, theysay: "We found our fathers doing it, andAllâh has commanded us of it." Say: "Nay,Allâh never commands of Fâhisha (evilindecency). Do you say of Allâh what youknow not?’ [TMQ 7:28]

And yet today, we see the celebration andcarnival of indecency and people vying tosee how far they can go. Does this dignifyman or does it debase him to a level beneathhis stature? Not to mention the social ills thatcome with such degenerate values - valueswhich if society was a ship then they wouldact as bores in the ship’s hull.

These are just some of the verses relating tohow the Qur’an dealt with the attack on theDeen by the Quraysh and addressed theirideas and practises. Having considered these

verses we can conclude that the method ofthe Qur’an was to respond intellectually inits clarification of the truth and exposition ofthe fallacy of kufr. It challenged theerroneous thought by highlighting theinherent contradiction within it or itscontradiction with reality. In addition to thisthe Qur’an connected the correct thoughtsto the emotions of the people in order toendear them to the truth through wisdomand beautiful speech. The solution that itpresented was in harmony with the fitra(nature) of man and suited to his dispositionas a human being. This is how the Qur’anresponded and this is how we must alsorespond.

Today Islam is being attacked and the virtuesof secular liberalism are extolled or sold to usin the guise of a reformed Islam. In such asituation we are required to robustlyarticulate the Islamic intellectual response. Indoing so we must emulate the minhaj of theQur’an; we must dispel the evil propagandaagainst our Deen by explaining Islam tothose around us in a way that agrees withthe mind and at the same time moves thehearts, such that when the cotton wool istaken out of the ears, the truthfulness of ourmessage penetrates the soul of the one whohears it. And all the time we must insure thatwe repel the evil in ways that are best andthen perhaps in the most avowed an enemywe will find a close friend:

And who is better in speech than he whoinvites (men) to Allâh, and does righteousdeeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."The good deed and the evil deed cannot beequal. Repel (the evil) with one which isbetter then verily! he, between whom andyou there was enmity, (will become) asthough he was a close friend.’ [TMQ 41:33-34]�


The spate of food riots seen across thedeveloping world in recent months lays barethe fragility of globalisation and is anindictment on the World Bank and IMF andtheir dogmatic free market liberalisationagenda.

Several near term factors have combined topropel the price of grains includingincreasing food demand in industrialisingChina and Indian, droughts in Australia andCentral Europe and perhaps more insidiouslygreedy market speculation as traders shiftinto food commodities and away frombeleaguered equities due to the effects of thecredit crunch in the West. The increasing useof ever greater amounts of vital land to growbio-fuels to power apparently moreenvironmentally friendly cars in the West hasalso contributed to tightening supplies.

World Bank and the IMF chiefs have beenquick to absolve responsibility citing many ofthe above issues as the causes for the foodcrises. The doubling in grain prices has madevital staple foods inaccessible for the billionsliving in poverty in the developing world.Furthermore the halving purchasing power ithas plunged millions more into food-poverty- living on less than a dollar a day, as definedby international economists.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF managingdirector, and Robert Zoellick, World Bankpresident, conveniently did not attributeblame for the troubles on the policies oftheir corruption ridden and failinginstitutions, however. The World Bank and theIMF have presided over the developmentagenda of developing countries for decadesyet poverty levels in most "Third World"countries have worsened appreciatively.

This is evidenced by rising numbers inpoverty in Africa, South Asia, Middle East andLatin America as recorded in the recentlypublished World Development Report, 2008.Given the food crisis it is apt that the 2008report focused on using agriculture to aideconomic development. As ever the reportpeddled the time-old agenda the World Bankand IMF have pushed for decades: pooreconomies need to reduce tariffs and taxeson agricultural imports and exports and toliberalise domestic markets.

However, it is important to note that: � World Bank and IMF policies have been

unsuccessfully pursued by developing countries as part of economic development plans aligned to World Bankstructural adjustment programmes for decades.

� Several past crises in developing countries have resulted from over exposure to global commodities price crashes.

� North America and Western Europe heavily protect their agricultural sectors (US farm subsides and the EU's Common Agricultural Policy).

� The main direct beneficiaries of liberalisation will be net exporters of grain in the US (US accounts for 30% of world wheat exports and 60% of world maize trade) and Europe and the westernmultinational agrochemical corporations like Monsanto and Dupont.

Egypt, where people have been killed inseveral riots, has pursued the World Bank andIMF agenda in detail and has consequentlyincreased dependency on wheat importsfrom about 40% of total consumption in the1960s to over 50% according to recentlyavailable estimates. Self-sufficiency in foodsupplies has been spurned even thoughEgypt has one of the highest per capitawheat consumption levels in the world andthe majority of its poor households spendbetween 70-80% of income on food.

Egyptian economists bred of a diet of IMFand World Bank policies have argued thatself-sufficiency is unimportant since accessto imports will ensure supplies. However,access is meaningless if the price of vitalfood supplies is beyond the means ofordinary citizens. What responsiblegovernment would leave the feeding itspeople to be met by imports where falseincentives (US government subsidies) can


Food Crisis - The Failure of CapitalistEconomics and the Islamic solution

Arif Samid


divert production to bio fuels or to feedingcattle for meat or to price speculation fromtraders siting in western capitals that seefood commodity price inflation as a 'niceearner'.

The roots of the current food crisis lie withthe failed policies of the World Bank and IMF.Policies designed in Washington and Londonyet not implemented in the US or Europe -both of whom pursue a policy of foodsecurity, and therefore need open overseasmarkets to sell (or dump) theiroverproduction. These policies bring themisery of harsh capitalism to the world'smost vulnerable who have no welfare stateto fall back on.

The abject failure of capitalism to provide forthe most basic of man's needs has to becontrasted with the viewpoint of Islam. Thisis beautifully illustrated in a renowned sayingfrom the Prophet (saw).

"The Son of Adam has no better right thanthat he would have a house wherein he maylive, a piece of clothing whereby he mayhide his nakedness and a piece of bread andsome water." [Tirmidhi]

The Prophet was referring to the right ofevery human being to food, clothing andshelter. The scholars have derived from thisthat it is the state or the Caliph whoultimately guarantees these rights.

The ultimate blame for the food crisistherefore lies with traitorous rulers in theMuslim world, like Mubarak, who implementcapitalist policies wholesale and oblivious tothe harm and despair that is being inflectedon the weakest in society - those that aresponsible state should be most concernedabout. These rulers are the key instrumentsof the Western governments to guarantee

their interests through liberalisation ofmarkets and the suppression of the desire forthe end of Western dominance and thereimplementation of Islam.

The Islamic Economic system implementedby the Khilafah (Caliphate), with Egypt as apotential province (wilayah), has a number ofeconomic Shariah instruments to address thecurrent crisis. It could use land reforms, inthe shape of redistribution of unutilised land.In the Islamic state landowners must ensurethat their lands remain productive. If they failto use the land within 3 years, it is given tosomeone who will use it. This is based on theijma of the sahabah on the saying of Umaribn Al-Khattab (ra): "The one who circles aland has no right in it after 3 years."

Also Islam prohibits price fixing according tothe following narrated by Imam Ahmed (ra):"Prices increased at the time of theMessenger of Allah (saw), so they said, OMessenger of Allah, we wish you would price(fix the prices). He (saw) said: "Indeed Allahis the Creator, the holder (Qabidh), theOpen-handed (Basit), the Provider (Raziq),the Pricer (who fixes prices); and I wish Iwill meet Allah and nobody demands(complains) of me for unjust acts I didagainst him, neither in blood or property."

Thus land reform together with theprohibition on price fixing will create avibrant and competitive agricultural sectorproviding basic needs for society as well asjobs and incomes in the rural economy -where according to World Bank statisticsthree quarters of the developing world'spoor live.

The public ownership of assets such as thevast energy resources in the Muslim world,according to the ahadith of the Prophet(saw) that "Muslims are partners in threethings: in water, pastures and fire" [AbuDawud], means that the Islamic state coulduse the petro-dollars to investment indeveloping and upgrading agriculturalinfrastructure including research anddevelopment in new seed technologies.

Grain yields (output per hectare of land) inthe developing world are less than half of thelevels in the West and therefore productionin developing counties including Egypt couldeasily be doubled using the same amount ofland as today by more investment in seedsand fertilizer. Indeed, in Egypt wheatconsumption levels justify production attwice current levels.

Today's poverty stricken Egypt contraststarkly with the time of the second Caliph ofIslam Umar ibn-al Khattab (ra) when Egyptwas the breadbasket of Africa. Its beenreported that when Madinah experienced afamine Umar (ra) ordered his governor ofEgypt, 'Amr bin al-As, to dig a canal from theRiver Nile to the Red Sea to transport grainto the Arabian Peninsula. Umar did not eatanything more than oil and dry bread untilhe was sure that everyone in Madinah wasfull.

Indeed, the present situation could not bemore different. Today it is Saudi Arabia that isawash with wealth namely petro-dollars fromthe price of oil exceeding $100 a barrelwhile Muslims in Egypt riot for a lack ofbasic needs. Yet there will be no caravanreturning from Madina to Cairo. Undoubtedly,this is due to the nationalism established byour rulers which has led to the politicaldivision of the Ummah and the absence ofthe Islamic state.

The Prophet (saw) said:

"Any community, whosoever they are, if aperson among them became hungry, theywill be removed from the protection of Allahthe Blessed, the Supreme." [Ahmed]�



It was in the name of freedom of speech, weare told, that editors across Europe insisted onpublishing the highly insulting cartoons of theProphet Muhammad (SAW). Offending Muslimsacross the globe was necessary, it appears, tomake a point - that freedom of speech is aninviolable right.

The recent remarks by the right wing DutchMP, Geert Wilders, openly calling for thebanning of the Quran by describing it as fascisttext at the root of terrorism and calling for thedeportation of those who do not agree withthe Dutch/European values, has also beenprotected under the provision of freedom ofspeech.

So it appears the west will go to great lengthsto guarantee this provision, doing so in the faceof large demonstrations, threats and backlash.But freedom of speech is a farce and itsapplication selective.

There are numerous 'speech' related offencesacross countries that claim to be the bastionsof free speech. There are limits and laws thatprevent the incitement of racial hatred andincitement to acts of violence and murder.Numerous European countries includingAustria, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany,Greece, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and some USstates all have acts against blasphemy. In theUS, the constitutional right to free speech canbe suspended if it is deemed likely to causeimminent lawlessness.

And the scope of speech related offences hasbeen consistently expanded in Britain since7/7, with the introduction of offences relatedto the 'glorification' of terrorism, a speechcrime that can lead to prosecution and lengthysentencing.

It would appear that whilst preaching freedomof speech, the west acknowledge that speechneeds limits, protected by law to preventsociety descending into hatred, violence and,ultimately, chaos.

We must also ask what type of a society wouldemerge if people were granted the 'right' toinsult, offend and ridicule each other, as a rightin itself. For there is a difference betweenbelieving 'speak the truth and the truth mayoffend' and granting the right to offend per se,a belief upon which western comedy isnotoriously premised: at the height of thecontroversy over the Danish cartoons,arguments that defended an archaic, peculiarand divisive European tradition were mingledwith the right to free speech.

Such attitudes erode the common social bondsthat gel society by doing away with respectand working in mutual partnership, leading toanti social undercurrents and attitudes, all ofwhich the west is now coincidently tryingdesperately to confront. How can a societyclaim to be civilised when it believes it ok tooffend and ridicule en mass and then protectthe culprits? The growing social breakdownand atomisation of western society allundermine those very claims to civilisation.

In the case of the Danish cartoons and thedeafening silence that has met right wingantagonism towards Islam, such as theprovocations of Geert Wilders, the westernmedia and parts of its intelligentsia appear tohave been keen to make a point particular toMuslims.

The west believes its civilisation is premised onnumerous liberties, free speech being one, thatcannot be compromised because they wereinstrumental in unlocking Europe from aprolonged period of backwardness. Arepressive religious authority was ultimatelydone away with through the triumph of theseliberties. As many editorials alluded to then andsince, making a stand against a similarbackward religious force required, it appeared,that Muslims be taught a lesson: liberal valuesare sacrosanct, and the west will not bedragged back to the dark ages by a pre-modern,unreformed religious complaint.

Islam and Muslims, however, will not belectured about the ability to account fromthose who believe nothing of much value pre-dated their local, continental reformation. Acentral concept to Islam is the notion of'enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong',an idea which has its own, distinctphilosophical origin and which requires societyopenly challenge and account those chargedwith managing their affairs, through individualor organised political activity. The routes of thisnotion are well documented, in ahadith andayah, and the attitudes of the early Caliphs,such as Abu Bakr (ra), requesting he bechallenged if he failed to obey Allah (swt) andhis Messenger (SAW), and numerous others

challenges to leading Companions over theadministration of public affairs, such as was thecase with Omar bin al Khattab and thedistribution of the spoils.

Importantly, in this debate about free speech,Muslims are not afraid of being challengedabout their beliefs or debating, explaining, orproving them. The Islamic doctrine is built on arational, intellectual basis that requires thinkingas part of adopting its creed, versus blind orancestral faith. This is poignantly described inthe challenge that Allah (swt) puts forward forthose who rejected the message of the ProphetMohammed (saw), and who often resorted tomocking, ridicule and even physical violenceagainst his Companions.

Allah (swt) says in Surah al-Baqarah Verse 23:

"And if you are in doubt concerning thatwhich We have sent down (i.e. the Qur'ân) toOur slave (Muhammad Peace be upon him ),then produce a Sûrah (chapter) of the likethereof and call your witnesses (supportersand helpers) besides Allâh, if you aretruthful."

The challenge is intellectual and is issued tothe masters of the language in which theQuran is written - produce one chapter, theshortest of which is 3 verses, like that of theQuran. To undermine Islam totally, and thebelief of millions of Muslims, this is the onlychallenge that needs to be met, rather thanhaving to resort to insults. But despite scores ofattempts over history, none has ever yieldedany results, as many western critics of Islamhave accepted. Professor E.H. Palmer wrote in1820: "That the best of Arab writers has neversucceeded in producing anything equal inmerit to the Qur'an itself is not surprising".

The key point here, is that whilst the westbelieve that offence and insults are somehowan acceptable method of challenging analternative, a right that must be defended;whereas Islam invites to honest debate. Andwhilst the west may believe that their contestwith any thought system routed in the believein God was finished centuries ago, because oftheir defeat of the Church, the growing trendtowards Islam challenges this assumption andchallenges the west to meet it with anintellectual debate, before peculiar traditions ofinsult and offence are forwarded in the nameof defending free speech.�


How free is speech?

.... Muslims are not afraid ofbeing challenged abouttheir beliefs or debating,explaining, or provingthem.

Akmal Asghar


Know the argumentsand ‘Stand for Islam’

How to respond tothe Attacks on Islam

Islam’s answer tothe Global Economic Crisis

Is Sharia’ justabout Punishments?

How Islam raisedthe Status of Women

How Islam tackledthe Racism problem

KHILAFAH – New Leadershipfor the Muslim World

Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain

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