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March 8, 2013 Special Dispatch No. 5230

Article In Leading Bangladeshi Daily Traces The Roots Of 'Islamic Totalitarianism'

March 8, 2013
Bangladesh | Special Dispatch No. 5230

In the Islamic nation of Bangladesh, the secular government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has initiated a series of measures against Islamic fundamentalist groups and terrorist organizations in recent years. One of her government's key initiatives has been the establishment of an International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). The tribunal has tried several Bangladeshi leaders for collaborating with the Pakistan Army in committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 war, which resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

The country's secular forces are aligned with the government, while the right-wing forces are led by the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former Prime Minister Begum Khalida Zia. Leaders from the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have been indicted by the tribunal for crimes such as rape and murder during the 1971 liberation war.

In early 2013, as the tribune convicted several leaders, violent protests were organized by the rival groups in the capital Dhaka, leading to the killings of dozens of civilians and policemen. Among the top people convicted of various war crimes and sentenced to death and life imprisonment are Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Abul Kalam Azad, Abdul Quader Mollah, and Delwar Hossain Sayedee.

Supporters of BNP and members of the Jamaat's students wing Islami Chhatra Shibir have organized protests against the government, while liberal forces in the country are led by Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, which came to power following elections in 2008. During several rounds of protests by both sides, tens of thousands of Bangladeshis have turned out in Shahbag Square of Dhaka, as well as in various small towns. The protests are also seen as a struggle between liberal and fundamentalist forces in the country.

In a recent article, a Bangladeshi daily traced the roots of what it called "Islamic totalitarianism" in Bangladesh. The article, "The Rise Of Islamic Totalitarianism," was written by Shahrazad Jafer and published by Daily Ittefaq, a leading newspaper. The following are excerpts:[1]

"A Power Is Rising Slowly In Bangladesh; It Violates Our Liberty… The Adversary Is Not A Man But An Ideology [Of Islamic Totalitarianism]"; 11th Century Theologian Al-Ghazali Advocated "Unquestioning Faith... Faith Became The Absolute Authority, The Final Arbiter; Reason Was Abandoned"

"A power is rising slowly in Bangladesh; it violates our liberty and life. It violates our very existence. The adversary is not a man but an ideology; the man is but a mere tool. To defeat it, one needs to understand its history, identity, and goal. With razor-sharp clarity, one needs to know its adversary and to know that the only defense against it is secularism.

"Rebirth of Faith: Al‑Ghazali

"The Islamic Golden Age from 8th to 12th century was once the pinnacle of science, philosophy, and art. The people of Baghdad were studying and debating the works of Aristotle and other Greek philosophers. They were fascinated by the teachings of Aristotle on logic and attempted to combine both logic and faith.

"[Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad] Al-Ghazali [1058-1111], a Muslim philosopher, was distressed by the conflict between Islam (submission to faith) and the Golden Age (reason and science). He sought solitude in the desert in search of an answer to this dilemma. He returned with a simple answer: unquestioning faith. Consequently, faith became the absolute authority, the final arbiter. Reason was abandoned and criticism [became] impossible since we could not question an infallible god.

"This was the rebirth of faith into the Muslim society and the end of the age of Enlightenment. Al-Ghazali became known as the man who saved Islam and was given the unique title of 'Hujjat-Al-Islam' – The Proof of Islam."

"[Egyptian Theologian Hasan Al-Banna] Decreed That Muslims Needed To Rediscover The Teachings Of Al‑Ghazali And Proclaim Themselves 'Holy Warriors' In The Path Of Allah"; "Al‑Banna's Ideological Movement Found Its Institutional Form In 'The Muslim Brotherhood' That He Founded In 1928"

"The Fountainhead: Hasan Al‑Banna

"Egypt in 1928 was under British occupation and exposed to new ideas, such as nationalism, communism, fascism, and the rejection of Islam. The country was a hotbed of dialogue. Confronted by this, Hasan Al-Banna, a schoolteacher, hating the British occupation in Egypt and its exposure to Western ideas, started reflecting on this sordid impiety of Muslim society. He sought reasons for the fall of the once-mighty Ottoman Empire. What had led to its decline? Why were the Muslims under the shadow of the West?

"The problem he identified was that shari'a law – i.e. religious law – no longer governed man's thought and action. The Muslims had failed to live up to the dictates of Islam, so unbelief and godlessness had led to the fall of the Muslim empire. Al‑Banna, therefore, believed that God was using the West to punish the Muslims for their continuing impiety.

"As a solution, he decreed that Muslims needed to rediscover the teachings of Al‑Ghazali and proclaim themselves 'holy warriors' in the path of Allah, never resting until the last non-believer converted to Islam and lived under its reign. Al‑Banna's ideological movement found its institutional form in 'The Muslim Brotherhood' that he founded in 1928. This was the fountainhead of Islamic Totalitarianism.

"Its proclaimed goal was – and still is – to establish a global regime of shari'a law in which the Koran is the constitution and God's rule is the ultimate law. They called for holy war – jihad for the global dominion of Islam and for the establishment of God's law. By 1949, the Muslim Brotherhood had more than 2,000 branches with 500,000 active members and 1,000,000 sympathizers.

"In 1952 Gamal Nasser, a colonel in the Egyptian army, started the Egyptian Revolution to overthrow the monarchy and to end the British occupation in Egypt. He brought forth the furor of nationalism. During this revolution, Nasser allied with the Muslim Brotherhood against their common enemy, the West. After coming to power, he turned against them, killed 100 and publicly hanged six. The Nasser regime forced the Muslim Brotherhood into hiding and exile. Many of them fled to Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan, Algeria, Lebanon, and Iran."

Egyptian Educator Sayyid Qutb Argued That "The Modern World Was Even Lower Than The Pre-Muhammadan Barbarism... Men Had Sunk Even Further To The Point That They Claimed 'The Right To Create Values, To Pass Laws And Regulations... In Disregard Of What Allah Prescribed'"

"But the Ideology Strengthens: Sayyid Qutb

"[Egyptian educator and Islamist theorist] Sayyid Qutb, a former ally of Nasser and a leading member of the Brotherhood, was jailed for 12 years to curtail his powerful influence on the moderates. But Qutb was an articulate and prolific writer and from behind the iron bars, he strengthened the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology further. Qutb wrote 24 books in jail that were smuggled into Saudi Arabia. His last book, Milestones, is a 30-volume commentary on the Koran.

"Qutb believed that the modern world was even lower than the pre-Muhammadan barbarism. But unlike the first jahiliyya (state of ignorance), men had sunk even further to the point that they claimed 'the right to create values, to pass laws and regulations, and to choose one's way in life, in disregard of what Allah prescribed.'

"Instructing the faithful in how to realize the ideal, Qutb wrote, 'The establishment of Allah's kingdom on earth, the elimination of the reign of man, the wresting of sovereignty from the usurpers and its restoration to Allah, and the abolition of human laws and implementation of the divine law (shari'a) cannot be achieved through sermons and preaching. The righteous fighters must employ Jihad.'

"The goal was to ensure 'that the obedience of all people be for God alone, everywhere. For the object of this religion is all humanity and its sphere of action is the whole earth.' He called for vanguards to help him spread Islam.

"In the spirit of Arab nationalism, Nasser of Egypt formed another alliance with Syria and Jordan to attack Israel and was defeated in Six Days [War] in 1967. The Nasser regime in Egypt crumbled along with nationalism and socialism. In this intellectual vacuum entered the Muslim Brotherhood. Their ideology was on the rise. The tide was turning."

"Oil Was Discovered In Saudi Arabia In The 1950s"; "Intellectuals From The Brotherhood... Became Faculty Members Of The University of Madina"; "The Brotherhood... Sent Intellectuals To Indonesia, Philippines, And Bangladesh"

"Saudi Arabia

"Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia in the 1950s. Money poured in, and the Saudis intended to educate their citizens. The need for universities, schools, and teachers arose. Coincidently, triggered by the persecution of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, intellectuals from the Brotherhood fled to Saudi [Arabia] and thus became faculty members of the University of Madina, the largest university of Saudi Arabia during that time. This acted as a catalyzer for spreading their philosophy throughout the country.

"By 1960, due to Saudi Arabia's financial backing, Qutb's violent arm of the Muslim Brotherhood took prominent shape. Crimes like apostasy and blasphemy became punishable by death, 'often by stoning or beheading on a Riyadh plaza…. known locally as 'the chop-chop square.'

"In Mecca, fifteen schoolgirls were burned alive. 'The religious police (Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice) stopped schoolgirls from leaving the burning building and hindered rescue workers because the girls were not wearing correct Islamic dress.'

"The combination of Egyptian ideology, Saudi warrior Wahhabi mentality, and oil money saw an explosion of Muslim Brotherhood activities. The Brotherhood, along with its 'vanguard,' built mosques and madrassas, and sent intellectuals to Indonesia, Philippines, and Bangladesh. Victory was still not achieved on the soil of Saudi Arabia as it was a monarchy and thereby an apostate. Victory lay in Iran."

"From Its Birth In A Small Village In Ismailiya [In Egypt], The Ideology Traveled To Cairo And To Saudi Arabia, Gaining In Wrath And Finding Its Vengeance In Iran"; Khomeini Declared: "Islam Wants To Create Mujahid (Holy Warrior)… Islam Is A Serious Religion"

"Iran

"From its birth in a small village in Ismailiya [in Egypt], the ideology traveled to Cairo and to Saudi Arabia, gaining in wrath and finding its vengeance in Iran. From 1950 to 1979, the Shah of Iran tried to westernize, secularize, and nationalize Iran. He was oppressive, and used 'shock therapy' of westernization in the capital of Tehran. Much of the population never benefitted. The conservative religious middle-class traders in the bazaars were threatened economically by the westernization and therefore aligned themselves with the clergy.

"Ruhollah Khomeini, a religious cleric, offered an alternative to... Shah's tyranny, giving the oppressed majority a voice that could no longer be ignored. In 1979, Khomeini reached his goal: the Shah was overthrown. Iran became a theocracy under shari'a law. The taverns were destroyed and the movie theatres were closed. Khomeini noted, 'Islam wants to create mujahid (holy warrior)…Islam is a serious religion. There is no debauchery in Islam.' The regime banned music, poetry, books, and newspapers, and it censored films. Critics were enemies of Islam and their murder was justified.

"Iran forbade 'prohibited acts' – a term so vague it could encompass simple association between two individuals of different sexes. The ruling clerics could describe anything from walking in the park to sitting next to each other as un-Islamic. Women were compelled to wear all-encompassing veils and were flogged for immodesty. 'The Iranian revolution,' declared Khomeini, 'is not exclusively that of Iran, because Islam does not belong to any particular people…. we will export our revolution throughout the world because it is an Islamic revolution. The struggle will continue until the calls 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah' are echoed all over the world.'

"Since 1979, Iran has remained the inspiration, the beacon, and the lighthouse for all the fellow believers. Iran finances, trains, arms, and plans the holy warriors for global dominion."

"There Is Also An Insidious Rise Of Islamic Totalitarianism In Bangladesh.... The Rising Minority Has Instilled Fear And Terror In The Moderate Majority"; "Abul A'la Maududi Founded Jamaat‑e‑Islami in 1941.... That Is Fueled By [Teachings Of] Qutb"

"The Islamist Spring

"In Egypt, within due course, the Muslim Brotherhood won the majority in every association, not among the poverty-stricken, but among doctors, lawyers, engineers, and farmers' associations. In June 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mohammad Morsi won Egypt's presidential election.

"Tunisia now has Islamists as leaders, with Libya heading in the same direction. If or when the Assad regime falls in Syria, the local chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood is poised to take over."

"The Adversary Close to Home

"There is also an insidious rise of Islamic Totalitarianism in Bangladesh. It is a slow but steady movement upward. The rising minority has instilled fear and terror in the moderate majority. We hear them as bodies are hacked, blood is spilled, and fire rages across burnt vehicles. Faith and force go hand in hand.

"Abul A'la Maududi founded Jamaat‑e‑Islami in 1941. Jamaat, the offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood that is fueled by Qutb, teaches in the words of its founder: 'Islam is not a 'religion' in the sense this term is commonly understood. It is a system encompassing all fields of living. Islam means politics, economics, legislation, science, humanism, health, psychology, and sociology. That if an Islamic society consciously resolves not to accept the shari'a, and decides to enact its own constitution and laws or borrow them from any other source in disregard of the shari'a, such a society breaks its contract with God and forfeits its right to be called 'Islamic.'

"The student wing of the organization, Bangladesh Islami Chatra Shibir, was also founded in 1941. It has recruited youth for the Taliban and Al‑Qaeda during the Taliban's reign in Afghanistan. They kill by slitting nerves and crushing skulls with stones, since human life is cheap in the fight for global shari'a. Shibir's center of power lies in the universities."

"Only One Power Determines The Course Of History: The Power Of Ideas"; "One Needs To Identify The Enemy As The Vicious Ideology Of Islamic Totalitarianism... That Needs To Be Defeated By A Stronger, Freedom-Embracing Ideology"

"What Can One Do?

"Only one power determines the course of history: the power of ideas. It is not about Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah, or Jamaat. Banning the concrete groups will not stop them. Terrorist groups will have to be banned and dealt with in the same coin as any murderer. But to stop them, one needs to fight them on principle. One needs to identify the enemy as the vicious ideology of Islamic Totalitarianism that is slowly but consistently rising all around us, and that needs to be defeated by a stronger, freedom-embracing ideology.

"Throughout the course of history, the moderates have appeased and conceded to the radicals. When the moderates agree to let shari'a law dictate a part of their lives, they have already embraced the ideal of the radicals as the proper source of law. By their sanction, the radicals hold the moral high ground. Thus everyone is anti-Islam and the only true followers are the radicals who uphold shari'a law in its totality.

"If the moderates in Bangladesh are to rise up against the holy warriors, the radicals, they must know the following: 'The holy warriors hold that Islam must shape every last detail of man's life. The moderates accept the ideal of Islam but shy away from the vision of total state. Moderates might agree to allow shari'a to govern schools, say, but not commerce; to dictate marriage laws, but not punishments for blasphemy, apostasy, or adultery. Yet in doing so, moderates ultimately advance the agenda of the totalitarians, since even delimited applications of Islam to government constitute an endorsement of it as the proper source of law.... If Islam is the ideal, why practice it in moderation?...'

"Embrace secular government and individualism. Let religion be where it belongs, as a private and personal choice of morality that does not affect others. Let us stand up for the principle of separation of religion and state – separation of mosque and state. Remember the teachings of history – 'A majority without an ideology is a helpless mob, to be taken over by anyone.' Today we are faced with a very simple and fundamental question: Is the ideology of the majority – secularism – ready to take a united stand or will this secular majority stand by and continue to watch the radical ideology succeed in driving the nation to become another Afghanistan or Pakistan?"


Endnote:

[1] ClickIttefaq.com (Bangladesh), March 7, 2013. The original English of the article has been mildly edited for clarity and standardization.

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