On Monday July 1st, as reported by world media, the Egyptian armed forces issued a 48 hour ultimatum to President Mohammed Morsi stating: "The armed forces repeat their call for the people's demands to be met and give everyone 48 hours as a last chance…The national security of the state is in severe danger…[the armed forces] will be obliged by its patriotic and historic responsibilities... to announce a road map for the future and the steps for overseeing its implementation, with participation of all patriotic and sincere parties and movements”. Shortly thereafter, Morsi rejected the ultimatum. After the 48 hour ultimatum passed, the U.S. backed army ousted the elected government and put into power the head of Egypt's supreme constitutional court, Adli Mansour – who hails from the era of Mubarak. As reported by Reuters, “He was hired in the state's administrative court in 1970 and stayed there until he became the vice chairman of the court in 1992 before moving to the supreme constitutional court where he served as its first deputy.”
The Era of Mubarak Never Ended
The events in Egypt confirm that the former regime still rules and controls Egypt's affairs and this has been represented by the 48 hour notice given by the Armed Forces to the president: he had to comply with their demands or face removal by force. The new ruling junta headed by Adli Mansour has wasted no time in arresting our brothers who were part of the elected government. Mohammed Morsi and his family were placed under house arrest. May Allah (swt) protect them from the brutal torture that the Mubarak regime was notoriously famous for. Ameen.
The leadership of the Egyptian armed forces has been – till today – loyal to the US. As reported in AFP on Feb 1, 2011, Senator Lindsey Graham stated the following:
"Every American should be very appreciative of the fact that for years we've been providing aid to the Egyptian army in terms of equipment and training, because that army is our ace in the hole, as a world, to make sure Egypt doesn't go into a radical state. It is my belief that the Egyptian army will protect the Egyptian people from becoming a radical Islamic state." Sen. Lindsey Graham
The Senator’s words clearly enunciate the political reality of Egypt: regardless of who holds presidential office in Egypt– the real ruler is the U.S. who uses the army to impose its will upon the people of Egypt, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
A replay of what happened in Algeria?
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:
"The Muslim is not stung (tricked) from the same hole twice." [Bukhari]
One of the greatest tragedies of what we are seeing unfold in Egypt is that this is not the first time that the Ummah has been invited to the promise of victory through the ballot box – only to be overthrown by the army. This happened in the 1990s in Algeria: Muslims voted en masse for the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) with the hopes that they would implement Islam – only to have their hopes crushed by the brutal regime. Throughout the 1990’s the Algerian regime used the army and foreign mercenaries to conduct horrific massacres of men, women and children and then blame it upon Islamic groups, in an attempt to discredit them and tarnish the image of Islam amongst the wider population. Some of these acts of slaughter, often over a period of hours, occurred near army barracks and its residences making it inconceivable that they would or could take place without the army’s prior consent. Western governments, such as the French, were also implicated in these atrocities through the covert military assistance they gave in helicopters, night goggle vision, aerial surveillance and the sale of military equipment through private security companies.
Why Does the US Subjugate and Colonize the Ummah?
Before we examine the way forward for Egypt, it is important to first look at the political reality of Egypt and why the Ummah can never make deals with the US, UK, France, Russia or any other colonial power – with the hopes of reviving the Ummah.
The deeper lesson from the events in Egypt is that the U.S. is a colonial power that seeks to control the affairs of the Ummah. We have seen successive U.S. administrations, whether Democrat or Republican, all working to subjugate the Muslim lands.
The answer begins with the fact that America has firmly embraced the secular aqeedah (doctrine), which separates between “church and state”. As a result, laws governing public affairs are legislated based on the whims and desires of human beings. This aqeedah motivates the individuals who adhere to this way of life (i.e. Capitalism) to seek material benefits at any cost. The Capitalists do not limit themselves to spreading secularism, but work to dominate other nations as it is in their benefit to do so. For example, between the 16th and 19th century, Italy, England, France, and other European nations embarked on campaigns to colonize the Muslim world to force the Ummah to adopt secular laws in public affairs, steal our resources and make us subservient to them intellectually. Since America upholds the same secular aqeedah as these other nations, it now also seeks to colonize and subjugate the Ummah – as is clear from its actions in Iraq, its support for Israel and, most importantly, its support and imposition of ruthless tyrants, like Karimov, Sharif, and Karzai, across the Muslim world. It was the US, after all, who paid Mubarak billions of dollars over the decades to oppress the Ummah in Egypt – until he outlived his usefulness.
The objective to dominate the Muslim Ummah was expressed in the “Carter Doctrine” in 1980 when then U.S. President, Jimmy Carter stated in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: “An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.” Carter established the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) and gave it the responsibility for combat operations in the Gulf. Three years later, Ronald Reagan elevated the RDJTF, naming it Central Command (CENTCOM). CENTCOM has been the main American presence in many military operations, including the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. With this understanding, it is clear that the objectives of American foreign policy run counter to those of the Muslim Ummah.
Given the political reality of the U.S. in Egypt - and the Muslim lands more generally - it is impossible for Muslims to implement the Deen of Allah (swt) by working through the current system. America seeks to dominate the Ummah and therefore will never let the Ummah attain power from within the system.
What is the way forward?
Given the domination of the U.S. and other colonial powers over our affairs, we found ourselves in a situation similar to RasulAllah (saw) when he was in Makkah.
With respect to working through the system, we must first recognize that RasulAllah (saw) was offered a much better deal (by the Quraish) than the current colonial powers are offering the Muslim political parties that endeavour to bring Islam back as a way of life. The Quraish offered RasulAllah (saw) the Kingship – a position that never existed amongst Arabs! What did RasulAllah (saw) do? He (saw) rejected their offer. As Allah (swt) revealed:
“Your companion [Muhammad] has not strayed, nor has he erred, Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination.”
[TMQ 53:2-3]
That is, he rejected this offer not because he (saw) was pragmatic, but because this was a command from Allah (swt).
So how did he (saw) attain authority?
We see that the Prophet (saw) took decisive steps in establishing the Islamic State:
1. Private Call – In the initial years the Prophet (saw) would invite to Islam those people who he knew personally. When they accepted Islam, he would spend some time to teach them the thoughts of Islam while establishing in them an Islamic personality that would enable them to carry the message of Islam despite any barriers or obstacles that lay in their path.
2. Inviting Society to Islam – The Prophet (saw) was ordered by Allah (swt) to invite people to Islam publicly. It was at this time that the Prophet (saw), with a core group of Muslims (the Sahabah), undertook the task of engaging in discussion and dialogue with the rest of society. Not only did they discuss the issues surrounding the rituals of Islam, but they also discussed the weaknesses of the Quraish tribal system. In effect, the Prophet (saw) and the Sahabah created a political vacuum by exposing the flaws, limitations and contradictions of the current system while presenting Islam as the solution.
3. Seeking of Nusra – After years of public interaction with the Quraish, and after enduring their propaganda, torture and boycott, Allah (swt) ordered the Prophet (saw) to seek Nusra (material support) from the people of power. The Prophet (saw) along with Abu Bakr (ra) began to meet the tribal leaders. Abu Bakr with his knowledge of lineage would assess the tribes in terms of their power and strength. The Prophet (saw) would then invite them to Islam and seek from them the support to rule in the area that they controlled. The Prophet (saw) discussed with many tribes until he met with the Aws and Khazraj – 2 tribes from Medina that gave him the Nusrah and support to establish the Islamic State
A Sincere Call to the Ummah
To our brothers and sisters: We invite you to consider the turn of events in Egypt as an opportunity. How can this be an opportunity? It is an opportunity to reflect on the sunnah and the wahy revealed to RasulAllah (saw) on how to work to re-establish the Deen of Allah (swt). As we commented earlier, the method that we, your brothers and sisters in Hizb ut-Tahrir, have followed is not based on a political genius. Rather, it is based on what Allah (swt) has revealed to us all.
If we apply what our beloved Messenger showed us to the reality of Egypt, we realize that Allah (swt) wants us first to attain the support of the army because they are the real power brokers in Egypt. If they submit to Allah (swt), then we can implement the constitution of Islam – free of any concepts that are alien to this Deen. This constitution is ready for your review with all the ahadith and ayat backing up every single article. It is only through the application of Islam that Egypt will be able to overcome its economic, political, social and other problems.
May Allah (swt) guide us to follow the Sunnah of RasulAllah (saw) and make good come out of this tragedy. May He (swt) protect us from the evil of the tyrants that rule us – be they in Egypt, Al-Sham, Pakistan or elsewhere. Ameen!
“O you who believe, answer the call of Allah and His messenger when He calls you to that which gives you life.” [TMQ 8:24]
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