Dr. Firoz Mahboob Kamal

The enemies' foot soldiers

Because of long colonial occupation, the Muslims have forgotten their civilizational role. Such a role now looks alien to them. They have forgotten the Islamic mission, vision and objective. As a result, they no more fight as the Army of Allah Sub'hana wa Ta'la. And those who don't have their own business possess no option but to become an obedient salesman for others. It is a pity that Muslims have become the salesman of western ideologies and the footsoldier of their wars. Mercenarism has become their profession. Hence, more than a million Muslims fought enemies' war in the First World War; and the legacy continues. And now they are fighting enemies' war and killing Muslims in Muslim countries. That is why the Americans were not alone in their occupational wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria; these mercenaries were also with them.

During the long colonial occupation of Muslim countries, the prime objective of the imperialists was not to raise colonies of their people. The main emphasis was to expand cultural and ideological converts who will work as their khalifa –the viceroy in the occupied lands. Such a strategy has produced fruits. Even after their departure, the army, police, judicial and bureaucratic enclaves in most cities of the former colonies indeed work as the colonies of these cultural and ideological converts. The newly constructed NGO enclaves in Muslim cities also merged with the same cultural and ideological islands. Generating such armies of cultural converts received so much importance for protecting the imperialists' interests that Lord Cromer –the former British Consul-General and Her Majesty's agent in Egypt and a well-known imperialist statesman, wrote that there is no question of giving independence to a Muslim country until a generation of such converts is fully ready to take over the charge.

The success of the colonial project has been enormous. The colonialists left the Muslim lands, but the rule remained in the hands of these colonial products to pursue the same colonial strategy. Pakistan presents an eye-catching example of success. After the departure of the British, the charge of the State of Pakistan was taken by them. There is a long list of these colonial servants. The most prominent of them are Ghulam Muhammad (bureaucratic servant of the British, later on, Governor-General of Pakistan), General Iskander Mirza (military servant of the British, later on, President of Pakistan), General Ayub Khan (military servant of the British, later on, President of Pakistan), Justice Munir (a servant in the British judiciary, later on, Chief Justice of Pakistan) and General Yahiya Khan (military servant of the British, later on, President of Pakistan). Hence to dismantle the Islamic project of Pakistan –as was envisioned at its creation, the British didn't need to fire a single bullet. The most obedient servants perfectly did the job. During their long rule, they kept the door of democracy closed in Pakistan.

Moreover, they even dismembered the country to fit into the enemy agenda. The same production sites –built by the colonial imperialists are still serving the same purpose. Hence the enemy's occupation hasn't ended. Prophet (peace be upon him) 's Islam that entails Qur'anic education, sharia, hudud, Muslim unity, jihad, and other basics has no space in this predominantly Muslim country. Thus, the Muslims are not allowed to learn and fully practice their faith in their homelands, especially in their judiciary, politics, education and civil and military administrations.

Despite the long rule in the Muslim world, the western imperialists couldn't create too many religious converts. But their success in producing cultural converts is vast. The colonial educational system with its thousands of schools, colleges and academies and cultural institutions like clubs, casinos, pubs, theatres, music industry, film industry, radio, television, wine shops, sex industry, and sex tourism worked as powerful tools for such conversion. Even the state institutions like the army, judiciary, bureaucracy and the state media worked as a robust industry for cultural cum ideological transformation. These institutions still survive to accomplish the same task. Like the predecessors, the new generation of the products is equally committed to eradicating any Islamic projects and Islamists' organizations in the Muslim lands. Hence, the imperialists need not deploy their soldiers to kill the Islamists. These home-grown watchdogs are doing the job rather more aggressively. The massacres of the Islamists in Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Algeria, Syria and many other countries give factual evidence to that. The USA and NATO only need to pass on their heavy appreciations and much-needed strategies, arms, and ammunition.

 The slave industry

Education and cultural institutions are the most potent tools for moulding and manipulating humans' souls, character, behaviour and deeds. Making or breaking of a nation starts in educational institutes. Hence, Allah –the All-Wise and His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) didn't initiate the refinement of men and women with mere prescriptions for prayers; the starting point was education. So it is very significant to note that Iqra (read) is the first word of the Holy Qur'an. The same tool can be effectively used to push the humans in the opposition direction. The colonialists didn't fail to understand its strength either. They used education as an industry of indoctrination of their colonial subjects, thus caused enormous moral perversion. They showed their talent in taming and training dogs and other animals and taming and manipulating the minds of humans. They built many educational institutions in the occupied lands. But the primary purpose of these institutions was not to bring any moral highness in the students, instead cause moral, ideological and cultural degradation to the extent that serving the colonial masters as the most obedient slave received the highest priority in life. In India, the British colonialists established thousands of such schools, colleges and universities. But the total number of the discoverer, scientists, social reformers or philosophers produced by all these institutions was fewer than the products of a single affiliated college of Oxford or Cambridge or London University. But the huge success of these colonial institutions lies elsewhere. These could produce millions of the most obedient servants for the British Empire -who even celebrated such servile status as a decoration piece in their life. Therefore, to rule India for 190 years, the British didn't need to import their people in millions; these Indian slaves did the job for them quite effectively. Their success in taming the Indians was so massive that the so-called educated Indian Muslims, along with other Indians, ran the administration for the colonial masters and fought shoulder to shoulder with the British to occupy other Muslim lands and kill the fellow Muslims. When Iraq, Palestine, and other Arab lands were occupied by the British, most of the foot soldiers were non-British, and the number of Muslims was huge. These institutions thus proved to be the most potent slave industry in whole human history. The pets never forget their masters. So the British legacy didn't die in India. The British Commonwealth –the legacy of colonization, but the British-induced laws, judiciary, education, bureaucracy, and culture still flourish in the former colonies.

Even in modern days, most of the cultural, ideological and political foot soldiers of the anti-Islamic coalition in former colonies are the products of these colonial institutions. Although they are grossly misfitted amidst their Islamist countrymen, they readily fit in any non-Muslim civil, military or business bodies in any part of the world. Hence, after arrival in any non-Muslim countries, these cultural cum educational products only need to change their inherited tag –the nationality. The colonization of Muslim minds thus has worked overwhelmingly in the globalization of western ideas, values and cultures. So, Islam is badly defeated in its lands. So the infidels' courts, anti-Islamic laws, brothel houses, music industry, sex industry, sex tourism, pornography, long beaches with scarcely dressed men and women still survive in Muslim countries, instead of with more propensity and glamour than the colonial era. The obligatory sharia law, Islamic values, Islamic dress code, and science of Islamic governance of state survive only on the bookshelves. During the last days of their rule in India, the British colonialists, despite their all efforts, couldn't stop the emergence of the largest Muslim state –Pakistan on the world map. The newly jubilant pan-Islamists of the Indian subcontinent could do the job. In those days, the Muslims' pan-Islamic beliefs could encourage them to transcending the ethnic, linguistic and geographic boundaries to achieve that miraculous success. But within only 23 years, the deep-seated colonial establishments like the army, the subservient bureaucracy and the political and cultural pets of the imperialists could easily undo the whole Islamic project of the Indian Muslims.

The evils of occupation

The Holy Qur'an is the greatest gift of Allah –the Almighty for the whole of humankind. The success in this world and the hereafter wholly depends on strict adherence to the Qur'anic guidance. Only this way, man or woman can please his Creator and reach haven –the summit of the true success in life. But such advice does not come through the mere recitation of this Holy book, instead of by its deep understanding. Hence understanding Qur'an is the most critical task in life; and most crucial for humans' moral, behavioural and intellectual development. And the state –the most powerful organization on earth can't be kept outside this essential human development enterprise. Hence, learning and disseminating Quranic knowledge –the essential source of knowledge on earth is an individual's duty and the most important service delivery sector of the state. The real success or failure is decided here.

Islam sets its hierarchy of priorities: both for the individuals and the state. Building roads, creating hospitals, constructing industries, developing agriculture and making scientific discoveries are fundamental in any country. But such works can't get priority over building humans. The early Muslims could raise the most refined civilization on the earth only due to full adherence to the hierarchy of priorities delineated in the Holy Qur'an. They didn't build pyramids or the Taj Mahal but made towering humans. But such a hierarchy of priorities crumbles under the occupation of the non-Muslims and the non-Islamists. They set new priorities: both for individuals and the state. And in the new set of preferences, promoting deviation from the Qur'anic road map stands on the top. Instead of following the Divine roadmap, servitude to the rulers instead receives much importance. The state-induced perversion may even go to the extent that people may worship their rulers as gods –as happened in the days of Pharaoh and Nimrod. And in modern days, such indoctrination has turned into a massive state-run industry.

Non-incorporation of Qur'anic knowledge in education indeed nullifies Allah's most important project on earth. Hence, it is the greatest curse of the occupation of Muslim land by non-Muslims and non-Islamists. Allah –the Almighty initiates His works through education. Education is His most incredible tool to show the right path –the siratul mustaqeem to the believers. But the non-Muslims and the non-Islamists use this tool to cause deviation from the Divine way. It is precisely the satanic project. In the void of Qur'anic teaching, even the most educated men or women in any society grow up like another predator species on earth. In the name of enhancing professional skills, the educational institutions then increase hunting skills. The whole world thus becomes the wildest hunting ground. The concepts of colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, survival of the fittest, ethnic cleansing and the World Wars took birth in such dehumanized recipe of education.

Education: the first casualty

Under the occupation of non-Muslims and non-Islamists, Islamic education becomes the first casualty. It is Satan's priority. Hence, it is the most catastrophic outcome of the enemy occupation. How can Muslims grow up with the Islamic faith without Islamic education? The economic plunder by the colonialists is indeed peanuts in comparison to the educational damage. The fate of Muslims is decided not in mosques and madrasas but on the frontiers. Muslims now have million of mosques and madrasas. But what is the result? Could that protect Muslims' lives, dignity and liberty? To save Muslims from the catastrophic consequences, the Islamic prescription is quite severe. To repel any foreign aggression against a Muslim state, jihad becomes an obligatory ibadah on every believing man. In the early days of Islam, the Muslims paid the highest sacrifice to fortify the defence. More than 60 percent of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) had to sacrifice their life to meet the enemy challenges. Spending even a few minutes in the frontier as a defender of the Muslim state has been valued as superior ibadah than spending the whole night in nafal prayers.-(Saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him). But in later days, the Muslims deplorably failed to protect the border. Instead of defending the border, they are even inviting the enemies. As the Arab Muslims invited the British colonial army in 1917. And in 1971, the Bengali Muslims invited kuffar army of India. All the calamities, deviations and perversions in the Muslims' life, indeed owe to such betrayal against the Qur'anic command.

Muslims could build a huge number of mosques and madrasas even in an occupied land -as happened in India under British occupation. But it was impossible to teach true Islam in those mosques and madrasas. The occupying army would never tolerate such teachings of Islamic fundamentals that could cause a revolt against their rule. Like today, even in those colonial days, the imperialist rulers kept close monitoring on every school and mosque. In the name of education, they allowed only pseudo-education to cause perversion in Muslims' beliefs and deeds. It only helped sustain the enemy occupation. Even in a non-Muslim country like today's India, thousands of religious madrasas are allowed to operate. The British, too, built religious madrasa in India. For example, the Kolkata Aliya Madrasa was a British project. But what is the outcome? With the increase in such madrasas, the deviation from Islam has not diminished. Instead, it has greatly increased. In those madrasas, Tableeghi Islam, Sufi Islam and other brands of Islam got their origin, but not the prophetic Islam that entails jihad, sharia, hudud, pan-Islamic Muslim unity and khalifa. The enemies had their embedded cronies in the Muslim army, judiciary, bureaucracy and politics, and in the religious institutions like mosques and madrasas.

The invading army always firstly takes control of the country's cantonments. Muslims' real cantonments are their mosques and madrasas. These are the most important institutions of Islam. Hence, it will be wishful thinking that these fortresses of Islam will be allowed to remain unoccupied under any enemy occupation. In fact, like Muslim countries, mosques and madrasas are also the enemy's most occupied territory. Such occupation was so detrimental that in the name of religious education, they corrupted the fundamental teachings of Islam. Hence, the prophetic Islam with jihad, Shariat and khilafat, is alien in the fields of politics and in the premise of mosques and madrasas. In colonial days, the deviation of Indian ulamas was so massive that they joined even secular politics. In those decisive days of the independence movement in India, thousands of Deobandi ulama constitute the workforce of the secular Indian National Congress. Even the Hindu secularists celebrate their contributions to their political cause. In the mid-eighties, the visit of Indira Gandhi –the Prime Minister of India to Deoband Madrasa –the biggest madrasa of the Indian Muslims, is indeed the recognition of such contribution.

The greatest crime

The most important marker of a civilization lies in its law. Its goods, buildings, highways, science, and industries show material progress but don't depict moral health. The law of a country depicts the true picture of moral development and humanization of humans' souls, minds, societies and states. Ancient Egyptians also built so-called civilization; they made many wondrous pyramids. But there was no civilized law that would guarantee equality and justice to the weaker people. Instead, slaughtering the Israelites and using them as slaves was the law. Like cattle markets, slave markets also flourished. The Greeks and the Romans also built civilizations, but those were built on bloody exploitation of the weaker people. The Roman laws were somewhat divisive instead of bringing equality among people of various races, colours, and religion. The non-Greeks or non-Romans had no right. Killings of slaves by the aristocrats instead received legality and were accepted as a sport.

On the other hand, the failures of western civilization are also huge. It is indeed the tail end of Greco-Roman civilization. Its major features are imperialism, colonization, capitalism, slave trade, plunder of weaker nations, ethnic cleansing, atom bombs, chemical bombs, biological weapons, and World Wars. They killed more than 75 million people only in two World Wars -the sum of all genocidal killings in whole human history will stand much fewer than that. Their killing machines are still active all over the world.

The greatest failure of humans is not in inventing engines, industries and weapons of mass destruction; instead in defining what is right or wrong. A country's law indeed portrays such failure. It needs a nonpartisan approach with a holistic understanding of the seen and the unseen -which humans can never possess. This stands beyond human wisdom. It requires equal love for all humans of all colours and ethnicities. So the Westerners took thousands of years to understand that racism, slavery, ethnic cleansing, colonialism are a crime. Islam understood it as a crime from day one. Their understandings of same-sex marriage, drugs, alcoholism and homosexuality are still full of ignorance. Formulating law with equality and justice is the sole domain of Allah –the All-knower. That is why even the greatest men of humankind –the prophets, needed the Divine guidance to frame laws. So the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) was given canons in the Torah, and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was given shariah in the Holy Qur'an. That is why sharia –the final testament of Allah, is the best law on earth. The Muslims could build the greatest civilization on earth only because of the shariah. But those who stand with the Satanic mission and fight against the Divine project deliberately oppose shariah. Their enmity is not only against Muslims, somewhat against Allah –the Most Merciful. And such opposition to sharia is indeed the greatest crime against humankind –as it foils the most beneficial project of Allah Subhan wa Ta'la for His human creation.

Before the colonial era, every Muslim country had sharia as the state law. In fact, besides sharia law, they were not supposed to know and practise any other law. But the imperialists outlawed sharia in all Muslim countries that came under their rule. It is the greatest crime that the colonial power has committed in the occupied Muslim lands. Even after their departure, the secular rulers are being provoked to continue the same war against sharia. All imperialists consider sharia incompatible with their western laws and values. In many Muslim countries, even raising demand for sharia is a punishable crime. Such efforts are labelled as extremism, and the political parties with a commitment to sharia are outlawed. Thousands of Islamists in Bangladesh, Egypt, Syria and Algeria and in many other Muslim countries are being killed or put behind the bar on the same pretext. Islam has been given no role to guide the country's judiciary, education, politics and civil governance. Whereas in the early days of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his rightly guided khalifa did not have any other law apart from the Qur'anic law. And Holy Qur'an and Prophet (peace be upon him) 's tradition were the only guiding compass in the state. The Muslims have deviated from that prophetic path. And the state has become a powerful institution to sustain such deviation. Hence, the state works as a satanic tool. Therefore the question arises, how can the Muslims earn success –both here and in the hereafter, with such deviation?

The inevitable war

The USA and the other NATO countries want to maintain the ongoing cultural and ideological occupation at any cost. Whenever there see some visible efforts to end the occupation, these imperialists come to the forefront with the army, missiles and drones to reinforce the occupation. Occupation of Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Mali and bombardment of Somalia and Gaza, the war in Syria, a military coup in Egypt, bombing in Waziristan and massacre in Dhaka are nothing but the pertinent parts of the same project to perpetuate the occupation. But it is true, wherever there is an occupation, there starts the resistance. So, the war against occupation is inevitable. Indeed such war has already begun almost everywhere. Since the Islamists are in the forefront and want to end such occupation and bring back the Muslims to the original faith and to the path of unity, glory, and global power, they are labelled as the enemies of the West. Hence they want to annihilate them. They are given a new tag of terrorism and fundamentalism only to justify such annihilation. However, such new narratives are not new. Such vocabularies of terrorism and fundamentalism are being used again and again by the imperialists against those who resist their invasion of Muslim lands. 

Such abusive narratives couldn't save their colonial empire. Can they save their current cultural and ideological empire? They couldn't win a war against 35 million Afghans. How can they win a global war against more than 1.5 billion Muslims?