3. POLITICAL NOTES

 

On Political Problems

Human beings are motivated by a self-preservative, a socio-sexual and a self-extensive urge. But the order of their value is the reverse of their urgency. We need to be able to preserve ourselves first otherwise reproduction and social organization have no meaning. But this has no meaning unless there is development and progress, and this is not possible without social organization. Thus History teaches us that there can be no Democracy without some measure of economic development. And there can be no Psychological or Spiritual progress without Democracy, since this requires personal initiative, creativity and responsibility. The human being and the child, too, develops through the same stages. He is concerned first with his own physical needs before he develops a social conscience, and only later do his interests expand. Democracy developed in the West only after the emigration to newly discovered lands and after an Industrial Revolution which involved a great amount of repression and the exploitation of the resources and peoples all over the world. It is, therefore, unreasonable to expect that Democracy should have developed in the under-developed lands, particularly when they are constantly threatened by the self-interest of foreign exploiters. But it is also unreasonable to expect a spiritual civilization to flourish in societies where family life is disrupted owing to the economic conditions they have set up. It is families alone that produce love, equality, tolerance, cooperation, respect for individuals and interest in their welfare and development. Without such love there can only be compulsion and fear.

The history of civilization and biological evolution shows that development for a species, society or nation is not inevitable. It can be arrested at a lower stage.. Economic conditions can be such that, despite a great amount of wealth, insecurity persists or that greed has multiplied desires far beyond need. Competition has this effect. Social conditions may be such that the socio-sexual needs are not satisfied and the frustration so caused engages psychological energy and effort exclusively at this level. On the other hand a degree of psycho-spiritual development is required to create good social conditions. And a degree of social development is required to produce good economic conditions - where crime and disorder are rampant economic development is hampered. The three must go together.

When people live in communities they have to give up some of their freedom in return for the advantages they gain. But having created a society, the advantages a person gets also depends on the nature of the society as a whole, and the nature of the society depends on the quality of the people in it. A relatively wealthy man in a poor and ignorant community may be worse off than a relatively poor man in a more highly developed community. It is an advantage, therefore, for the individual himself that he should also work for the community as a whole. There is, however, often a conflict between these two interests, the personal and the social. The social interest is much more remote and people differ in their capacities to identify themselves with the community. Instead, the community pays people to look after the social interest, thus making it dependant on their self-interest. It is, however, possible to sacrifice the personal interest of the people to the social interest to such an extent that the social interest itself is negated. For instance, the collective personal interests of all members of the community may be sacrificed as may have happened under Communism. It is also possible to sacrifice the social interest to such an extent as to negate personal interests. And this may be the case in Capitalist systems.

To this we must add a third interest, namely the spiritual or psychological interest, the capacity of man to adapt, develop and evolve. Man is dependant also on the environment, nature, including his own, and the rest of the cosmos. The ability to identify oneself with the world process is even rarer. It is perfectly possible to sacrifice psychological welfare to either the economic or the social good and vice versa with beneficial or harmful results. Certain organizations such as Churches have employed priests to carry out this responsibility. But many of them are conditioned by an obsolete mode of thinking and their effect is hampered by the mentality of the people conditioned by the contemporary culture.

The relationship between these three motives is governed by the nature of the physical environment, the social conditions and the ideology or value systems. These three interact. Climatic or geographical conditions, which change deserts into fertile lands or vice versa, will affect how people live and think and relate to each other. On the other hand people can migrate to more fertile lands or import food in return for some other product if political conditions allow or they can through their organizations and technology improve their land through irrigation and other means.   

 The relationships between people in communities are governed by power. Power means capability and the transfer of power increases this in some people at the expense of others. It may be used to shift the balance between advantages and disadvantages in a negative direction for some and a positive direction for others, or between the personal, social and psychological interests. The distribution of power itself depends on the ideologies of people or their psychology. The level of social development depends on the level of psychological development and vice versa.

Human welfare is, therefore, facilitated or threatened by cosmic factors or their social conditions or by their own psychology. Violence and its causes appear to be the main danger, threatening to destroy mankind.

 

There are a number of dangerous features about present human beings and their organizations throughout the world which are likely to continue creating increasing social and political problems. These may be described as follows:-

1. Though human beings have a spiritual as well as a social nature, their selfishness has been exaggerated by the conditions of life, especially when competition is emphasized. Power is, therefore, used for personal advantages at the expense of others. Indeed, it is desired, sought and worshipped for its own sake with no other purpose in mind. This creates conflicts which selfishness itself would lead people to avoid. But this can often be done by suppressing the opposition. Compromises are reached when the disadvantages of doing so are less than the disadvantages of conflict. Compromises are not, therefore, always equal and as soon as conditions change these compromises are broken. The power of individuals may be opposed by others who combine together to do this, and their number may vary from time to time. Groups oppose groups. Politics, though correctly seen as involving the distribution of power, the purpose of this is usually to curb excessive power, to increase power in limited ways for certain purposes, or the equalization of power. Islam is not against the acquisition and distribution of power, but the purpose ought to be its use for the general good. This is impossible unless the social and international conditions are non-competitive. This can be achieved by ensuring national self-sufficiency and adequate defense.

 

2. Democracy often means that the opinions and desires of everyone are equally valid. Therefore, at the political level, no value Judgements can be made, and politics can only be about power. This leads to cynicism and disrespect for all authority, and makes the pursuit of any kind of goal or ideal impossible. However, the prestige, magnetism or fame of individuals often creates large followings which have very little to do with the merits of the individual or his ideas. It, then, becomes necessary, in order to gain power - which is required even if a person wishes to do some good - to seek publicity and artificially creatte a positive image while destroying that of the opponents. Experts are used to do this. The image itself becomes the goal, and has no connection with the merits of the person.  One of the fundamental features of Islam is that the Prophet is a man. The implication is that the prestige of someone should not mislead people. Attention should be placed on what is on offer, on the goals and ideals and the methods of achieving them, not on the person. But this is impossible while people remain impressed by superficialities. A better educational system appears to be a pre-requisite.

 

3. Psychological experiments show that people can be made to believe or do anything within a very short time. This can be done through a kind of subtle hypnosis of which both the victim and the perpetrator may be unconscious. The method consists of ;- (a) selective emphasis on certain ideas or events to which attention is repeatedly drawn. (b) using terms which have emotional significance such as slogans or have sentimental or ethical value, (c) associating ideas with people or institutions which have prestige, power and authority, (d) playing on fears, prejudices, greed, self-interest and the desire for the sensational and exciting to relieve boredom. Some group or situation could be presented as a threat. There is, thus, no connection between opinions and truth or goodness.

 

4. Mental conditioning takes place not merely normally owing to the laziness and inertia of the mind, but is also done deliberately through various training, regimentation and propaganda techniques. This is carried out by large organizations such as the military, political parties, interest groups, industries, the media and even by educational system. The behaviour of people is then controlled by others. The question may be asked: If human beings are to be turned into robots for the sake of the power and efficiency of the State, Nation or particular institutions, what purpose does the State, nation or institution serve? They are after all human creations and ought to serve man, not the other way round.

Connected with this is the control of information by the few. This may be done deliberately by Governments or those who hold power, but it also takes place unintentionally because those who control information suffer from prejudices, fantasies, misinformation, ignorance, intellectual blindness in certain directions particularly at the dictates of self-interest. There can be no self-determination and control of human affairs or democracy if the people do not possess the necessary information. The gathering and distribution of information must be completely free and all obstruction or distortion of this should be regarded as criminal offences.

Misinformation, partial, superficial and biased information, distortion, selective reporting, the propagation of prejudices and trivia, the appeal to baser emotions, all these are increasing. Journalists do a great amount of harm by concentrating their attention on valueless gossip, perversions and the sensational. It is not, of course, possible to be completely free of bias. That is why freedom of the press is required. Every wrong idea can be opposed by others. Different newspapers take different points of view and cater for different people. The theory is that freedom of thought and discussion ensures that the truth is more likely to be found. The problem is that:-

(a) People select only newspapers or other reading matter they like. They, therefore, only get a biased view.

(b) People have numerous interests. They do not have the time to study and verify the statements made by newspapers and magazines. Nor do they differentiate between fact and opinion.

(c) The aim of reporters and journalists is usually to fill newspaper space as quickly as possible, to create news when nothing of importance has occurred. Reports, therefore, tend to be inaccurate, superficial and haphazard. Newspapers and magazines do not only report facts, but they select them, interpret them usually in a biased and distorted manner and, by affecting the readers, create and modify events.

(d) The freedom of the press is regarded as essential to Democracy, but it is untrue that the Press is free since it is controlled by the profit motive of the few owners, the conventions regulating journalism, the power structure and current fashions of thought. Most newspapers exist as commercial enterprises. They have to make a profit. In order to do this they have to use methods which have nothing to do with the truth. to increase the sale of newspapers by attracting readers through the sensational, the scandalous, through gossip and trivia. They have to cater for base impulses, arouse passions and so on. The purpose of newspapers is mainly to entertain and to make propaganda rather than to objectively inform, motivate or educate.

(e) The journalists have too much power. Most people take their information and opinions from journalists. But there are only a very few of them, and they cannot be regarded as having the highest intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, integrity and moral uprightness.

(f) Freedom is mistaken for license. The press regards itself as being above the principles of morality. The values on which a society is based tend to be gradually eroded. It is untrue that such freedom is essential for Democracy. No community allows freedom of crime and criminals. Nor is incitement to crime allowed. It is perfectly possible to prosecute journalists for publishing what is harmful without inhibiting the freedom of genuine information. There is no virtue, for instance, in constantly publishing pictures of naked girls or reporting perverse sex scandals in lurid details. There is a difference between an academic examination of facts and statistics and whetting low appetites. Impressions are even more powerful than food and drink and can be nutritional, catalytic or poisonous. Poisons are always regulated.

(g) All writings have to be selective. Newspapers in particular, concentrate on a narrow spectrum of subjects. The frequency with which some kinds of events are reported does not bear a relationship to the frequency with which those events occur in reality. The impressions and effects produced by the written word are, therefore, quite different from those which the real situation would produce. This information affects behaviour. The impression given by newspapers, for instance, is that crime is more prevalent than it actually is. The same applies to radio and television. All this arises because, in societies in which man himself is regarded as supreme, the distinction between truth and human opinion is not understood and valued.

 Newspapers ought never to be owned by single individuals, but the journalists collectively. The journalists should be required to be well educated in the fields in which they report, and practice their craft only under license issued when these conditions are met. They ought, perhaps, also to have some other profession from which they make a living, in which their knowledge and expertise is developed, and report only in this field. Each newspaper ought to be required to differentiate between facts and opinions. If it presents an opinion, it should also present its opposite, and to point out the difficulties and problems connected with a particular stance, and to present alternatives. The widest spectrum of opinion is necessary to ensure that something useful will be produced and will survive. It ought to deal with the widest possible number of subjects. Newspapers have a responsibility towards the society and ought to be governed by the principles of morality.

The function of journalists should be to gather information, but also opinions, and to present them in accordance with their importance and contexts. Journals which, and Journalists who, can be shown to deliberately suppress and distort the truth, do inadequate research, create mischief or distress, create prejudice, arouse irrational passions and create hysteria, propagate immorality ought to be prosecuted by the law. However, this is difficult since honest mistakes can be made. However, a person can certainly be prosecuted for not taking reasonable precautions or making adequate efforts. Whereas it is legitimate for reporters to exert themselves to the utmost in the pursuit of truth and to expose malpractices there is absolutely no justification for the invasion of what is purely private. The Newspaper should be divided into several sections each dealing with a particular subject. e.g. Politics, Economics, Industry, Science, Art, Civics, Law, Sport and so on. And each section ought to consist of several kinds of reports, one by reporters who are experts in the relevant field but who specialize in gathering and presenting information only. They will then be subject to the judgment of all the other experts in that field. They form their own Unions. One section should be devoted to reports made by persons actually working in the different fields, and another where the general public can air its own views, settle their arguments or even make constructive suggestions.

 

5. One of the worst aspects of the Western Way of Life is the Debate. It goes with Party Politics, both being integral to the confrontative and combative attitude. This occurs not only in schools and colleges, but also in Law Courts and in Science, Art and in Politics. The Debate appears to be connected with the way Western Logic works. One of its fundamental axioms is that:- Something is either A or not-A. It is extended to say that something is either A or B, and that it cannot be both A and B. This is, of course, quite contrary to facts. At least in mathematics it is recognized that a series can be constructed between opposites. Between black and white there are various combinations creating shades of grey,

 

In order to support this artificial Logic it is necessary to define ones words in such a way as to exclude certain aspects of a real situation.

In a Debate an opposition is created, two sides or parties are formed, and a proposition is chosen which must be defended by one party and opposed by the other. It is a contest, a kind of game which has winners and losers. The purpose is not to get at the truth, but to win. In order to do this only those facts, interpretations and relationships will be sought and selected which will enable them to win, and all other facts will be ignored. Bias is built into the system. Each side believes that it has the necessary qualifications in knowledge, ability and motivation to arrive at the truth. Yet it is fairly easy to see that the search for truth requires quite different methods. It requires impartial investigation, meditation, calculation, discussion and tests by experimentation and even inspiration. It requires receptivity. And this must be preceded by a proper development of the appropriate faculties for observation, thinking, and above all for consciousness and insight. It also requires an appropriate language, methodology and instrumentation. The results have to be tested by application and by the consensus of experts. But the test of a debate is usually a vote by an audience which may be the contestants themselves. The majority vote wins, quite irrespective of whether that audience has any qualifications in knowledge, expertise or even ability to understand or judge. In many cases the debate is quite irrelevant since the audience votes according to its prejudices, self-interest, conditioning or fantasies.

The Problem with Party Politics, whether there is only one, two or many Parties, is the tendency to become doctrinaire. That is to say, it is not what is good or true which counts but what conforms to some theory. Or it is to be fickle, to change opinion according to expediency, the vagaries of public opinion and short term gains. A further result of this is that the nation is divided into conflicting groups. A policy or action is considered useful if it benefits the aim of the party, and harmful if goes against that aim. But the aim itself has little to do with the general good.

 

6. While politicians and others speak of peace, the glorification of war and violence can be seen in films and television, magazines and novels. We see here a hypocrisy which is the more dangerous because it is unrealized. Consider, for instance, what kind of heroes are admired. Great warriors, people like Alexander the Great or Caesar, who should have been seen as evil criminals, are regarded with awe and honour. Even the Cathedrals contain the honoured graves of Generals who have gone round the world murdering and pillaging. In other places those are honoured who have accumulated large fortunes for themselves by exploiting others. The fact is that people do like wars and destruction, mainly to get rid of the frustrations which are produced by the restrictions of rules and regulations and other obstructions to freedom. Nothing whatever has been done to channel aggression into more useful directions. Most of those whom the people admire and adulate, and by so doing, give power to, are rather primitive, immature people of not very high characters. Moral development has lagged disproportionately behind technological progress. The Islamic view is that since man has a higher cosmic purpose, the self-sacrifice of human beings for these higher purposes is certainly a moral good, but only when such higher goals are served. Life is a battle against degenerative tendencies and evil, and aggressiveness is required to solve the problems involved. But it is a means to an end, not an end in itself, and becomes evil when it negates the end.

 

7. The majority of people are comparatively low in intelligence and education, rather irrational, possessed of low value system, materialistic and selfish, short sighted with little initiative, creativity, self-discipline or sense of responsibility. They are unable to cooperate and must be led, and are quite willing to leave responsibility in the hands of others. They are usually interested only in drinking, sport, sex, gossip and popular music rather than in matters of science, art, philosophy and politics or anything which has importance for their life.. They tend to be lazy, greedy, ignorant and confused, consumers rather than investors, security seeking rather than enterprising, followers rather than leaders, cowards rather than self-assertive. This makes them gullible and easily manipulated. It is this condition which allows them to be exploited and repressed by the minority, and it is this repression which keeps them in that condition by those who wish to control them. This is why they need leaders to think for them, act for them and force and control them. But this state of affairs is the result of the slave mentality. Being in a position of subservience they have not learnt responsibility, creativity and initiative. And conversely not having these virtues they have to be made subservient otherwise chaos would prevail and the society would remain completely undeveloped and primitive. This fact is often used as a justification for maintaining this state of repression and coercion. A vicious circle exists which may on occasions become a spiral either downwards or upwards. Some societies have tried by revolution to alter this condition, but the self-same tendencies re-established the original or worse conditions. It cannot be doubted that the political conditions cannot improve while people remain in the same psychologically primitive state. The only truly effective political action can only be that which will lead to psychological development. It is necessary that the society have a strong value system which stimulates and encourages striving in this direction.

 Political movements which were founded to improve the state of the people, such as the Labour Party in Britain, invariably found that they could not rely on the support of the people. They tended to undermine their own party with irresponsible behaviour. Though attempts were made to provide universal education and health from taxes in order to equalize opportunities and enable a greater proportion of the population, the fact is that people do not like paying tax. Indeed, the economy could not work but for investment in new industries, and it is only the rich and powerful who had the inclination and could afford to do this. The policy then has to be to create a class of rich and powerful people, and to do this, money and responsibility has to be transferred from the poor to the rich. Thus, for any political party to succeed it was necessary to please and serve the interest of those who already had the power. This power tends to concentrate in the large multi-national companies which are in a position to dictate policies to national governments. The policies pursued by Governments are those which are in the narrow interest of commerce and all the real and important psychological, social and environmental problems are ignored. In order that commercial enterprises should be efficient and fit for competition, the power of the managers had to be increased at the expense of the workers. There is, therefore, an increasing erosion of human rights.

The accelerating rate of technological changes brought about by competition and the profit motive produces mass unemployment which further reduces the taxes while increasing the pressure on them. The result is that the State can no longer afford to run the Educational, Health and Welfare Services which are everywhere breaking down. It is the rich who can afford the best education, health and welfare services. The gap between the rich minority and poor majority, therefore, continued to increase. The poor being deprived of these are pushed further back into ignorance and squalor where crime and escapism flourish and further exploitation becomes possible. Since most things depend on money this, in fact, creates two species of human beings between which there is little connection. Nor can the deprived cope with the rapid social changes brought about by technological progress. Political unrest grows and to cope with this ever more repressive measures are taken both by the State and Industries. There is, therefore, a tendency for the political situation to worsen, and this may well lead to mass revolt unless the more sophisticated organization, techniques and weaponry of the modern State succeeds in containing it with much greater efficiency. 

 

8. Power tends to be concentrated in a professional Army and Police Force. These are required for three purposes:- (a) to further the ambitions of a nation or rather its rulers against other nations. (b) for defense against other nations which are similarly motivated. (c) to control the people within the nation. This implies that the nation creates a body of people who have no other function but to be professional killers and coercers, and are trained as such. The professional soldier because he deals in coercion and death and because he lives as a parasite on the earnings and resources of other people tends often to be a moral degenerate. Governments who control them can send them against their own people or against other nations, irrespective of any moral considerations. The soldier is taught only to obey and has no opinions himself. He has been reduced to a machine. A strong separate military force is also a threat to the community since it can, and often has, overthrown, controlled or taken over governments.

In Islam there should be no professional armies. Each citizen has the duty to defend the community against attack, but not to begin an aggression. Nor is he permitted to dominate, coerce or kill other citizens and Muslims. Though a Muslim community may enter into mutual defense pacts and has the obligation to fulfill the terms of any treaty it enters with other communities, it has no right to wage wars, military, political, psychological, industrial or secret, in remote areas on the grounds of self-interest. But defense against those who engage in such activities against the Muslim community may require retaliation. Each individual has his own constructive professions and his own conscience. Under modern conditions this would mean that each citizen would need to give up some time, perhaps a month or so every year, or/and several months every few years for National service. As the whole population could join it in rotation there would still be a Standing army which could be expanded or reduced according to need. Military training should be part of normal education. Some permanent military officers will still be necessary, but their function is to provide the training and organization.

Military training and service for a community has certain benefits which should also be considered. They can teach skills, endurance, courage, alertness, self-discipline, positive effort in the face of opposition. All must die. Dying in the service of something useful is preferable to dying through degeneration and old age. Risking life concentrates the mind on one’s mortality, thereby making life more precious, urgent and intense. This prevents procrastination to some future which never comes. The juxtaposition of life and death provides the stimulus which creates energy and awareness. Opportunities are seized and utilized. Doing anything new involves some risk and danger. The inability to deal with fear and anxiety leads to a life of security, comfort and complacency which produce stagnation. Indeed, the Muslim world appears to have degenerated just from these causes. Danger and risk as well as common purpose create companionship, cooperation, solidarity, self-sacrifice and heroism.

The sophistication of modern weaponry makes wars between large armies obsolete. They are too destructive and as such counter-productive. And yet this cannot be allowed to mean that smaller, poorer and technologically less advanced peoples should be at the mercy of the self-interest of the more powerful nations. Some system will have to be created which makes an invasion or aggression too costly for an enemy. War, in future, will have to be conducted by armies of guerrilla fighters who can infiltrate the enemy territories in order to destroy strategic installations. War is also fought on many other fronts, on the economic, financial, political, diplomatic, sociological, psychological, technological and ideological. This requires that the soldier be intelligent, independent, highly motivated and have multiple skills. He must develop his own initiative, creativity and responsibility while still working cooperatively. This requires quite a different kind of training. However, this is often counter-productive because the enemy can still bomb and destroy the people and country at home. Obviously, defense against this is also necessary.

The Professional Police is often no better than a professional Army. The same National Service could provide the nation with a Police force, an Army and Relief Force which could be deployed wherever disasters such as Earthquakes and Floods or Famines strike. We are not speaking here of Detective work which must obviously be left to professionals.

 

9. One of the main causes of conflict between peoples is tribalism, racialism or nationalism. This would be impossible if the only allegiance of the people was to Allah or even to Religion in its proper meaning. However, this does not prevent a conflict between those who have such an allegiance and those who have narrower ones. It is not only the case that one nation exploits another for its own advantages, but that one section, region, group or company tries to dominate and exploit another. Hence, there are a great number of independence movements even within nations. Were it not for the fact that each nation restricts the resources, goods, people and information coming into it or going out of it, there would not have been the great differences in wealth in the world we see today. People would migrate to places where resources were abundant and wealth would be equalized. Even the entrepreneurs would spread themselves out to develop the less endowed lands. The movement of people would also create a more uniform culture, facilitating mutual understanding, mutual stimulation and development. The development of Europe took place because just of this freedom, but it is they who denied it to others. Thus some nations possess little, starve and have few facilities for health or education, while other nations waste the resources of the world and suffer the diseases of excessive self-indulgence. Nor would there be any need to waste such huge resources in men, materials and ingenuity to uphold great armies if there were no nations. It is clear that it is the artificial man-made boundaries which are one of the major causes of human misery.

It is not possible to point to animals, where territorialism and group conflicts are also found, in order to justify this behaviour on the grounds that it is natural. Animals are driven by instincts alone and are concerned with survival, but man possess greater intelligence and strives for more than what is necessary for survival. Indeed, these conflicts negate the instinct for survival. He possesses greater capacity for awareness, fellow feeling and control. He ought to have been able to arrange his affairs better. It can hardly be denied that he not only functions far below his capacities, but that these faculties have become diseased. 

Though there are laws governing the relationship between individuals within a nation, there are no such laws governing the relationship between nations, and no impartial power to enforce them. Very often the very actions which would be considered criminal when committed against a nation or its citizen are considered patriotic and praiseworthy when committed against another nation or its citizens. Laws often vary according to which class of people they are applied to. Even the language used changes accordingly. A Freedom Fighter, for instance becomes a Terrorist according to point of view. The citizens of each nation swear their allegiance to their king or flag. A World Government seems to be the Ideal. But nations do not wish to give up their sovereignty and selfishness to produce such a body. The rich want to remain rich and continue to exploit the poor. Thus an enormous amount of wealth, which could have been much better utilized to produce world prosperity, is wasted in the creation of the means of destruction.

A United Nations Organization was in fact set up by the nations of the world after the Word Wars. But this was rendered ineffective because it incorporated the self-centered interests of the nations, and gave only some of the powerful nations the right to veto any decision. This organization is, therefore, effective only when the self-interest of a powerful nation is involved and it is able, through economic or political means, to persuade other nations to agree. Rarely world public opinion, influenced by the media, shames it into reluctantly doing something good. A World Government is probably only likely when a non-territorial organization is set up which can transcend nationalism. Commercial organizations which also transcend nationality, have already been set up and many ideologies successfully cross borders. Politics is, therefore, backwards, and is becoming progressively incompatible and obstructive to further progress.

Islam envisages just such a world organization. The Islamic Law contains laws regulating inter-national and inter-communal relationships. The Muslim does not swear allegiance to a king or flag, but to Allah, and therefore undertakes to abide by the Moral Law. When he injures someone he offends against Allah irrespective of what nation or class the person may belong to. There are no double standards. The Muslim is not just a citizen of the world but of the Universe. Though in the past the Muslim community was able to defend itself militarily this is hardly possible now. Even political, economic and cultural means are closed to it. But this need not remain the case.

A World Government, however, would create its own problems. People are different and require different conditions. A single political system could become tyrannical for a large number of people, leading to tensions and revolts. It could become a dictatorship, specially when the remoteness of the centre of control from the people increases. If it imposed a uniform system throughout the world and this proved defective, then we would have a world disaster with little possibility of recovery. There would be no community outside it which could have established a new form. Nature always produces variety in order to ensure that something will develop and survive. A single World State is incompatible with Nature and Evolutionary Process. The only solution to this is that only the Military Power should be vested in a World Government, and it should confine itself to Order, leaving every community to run its own affairs. Since nationhood also becomes redundant, all local communities within nations can then become independent of central control.

 

10. The problem of coercion. People differ in their abilities, knowledge, vigour and social responsibility. It is in the interest of the population as a whole that those with greater ability, knowledge and social sensibility should have the greatest power. The generality of people, who are relatively inferior in these qualities are forced to conform and work to various degrees in all societies. They may be forced to do what is in the interest of other people, the society as a whole, or even to do what is good for themselves. If they are not forced then the social conditions may become so chaotic that little self-fulfillment is possible at all. Even the honest individual will, in his own self-defense, have to adopt the same behaviour. If the legal system did not exist, and there were no police, courts and jails, then robbery, swindling and violence would be rife and there would be no security within which learning, manufacture and business transactions could be carried out. Instead of working and producing, theft and looting would be used to acquire the means to life. This is self-defeating. There would soon be no products to loot. Those who were in the beginning much more morally and socially responsible would soon, in self-defense, have to adopt the life styles of the thieves, swindlers and men of violence. But the existence of laws does not prevent crime. Coercion does not induce morality. In fact it reverses it by teaching people that might is right. One other method is widely used, namely mental conditioning. But this, too does violence to human self-determination. It attempts to reduce man to an automaton, thereby reversing evolution.  Moral behaviour can be cultivated better by the cultivation of the capacity for awareness, empathy and self-control. This requires education. Coercion is only justifiable when these methods fail, in the case of the unintelligent for the protection of the society.

It is supposed that people work only in their own self-interest. But people do not always know what is in their self-interest, do not always have the ability to do so, and are not necessarily motivated enough to do so. They may be lazy, greedy, and have inner compulsions, addictions and phobias. If there were no masters, bosses and officers to give the orders and compel men to carry out the various tasks under pain of punishment and loss of their livelihood they would do little by themselves. It is easier to give the orders than to carry out the work. These tasks have been made artificially into a matter of self-interest. The officers, too, have other officers above them. Thus a hierarchy is produced. The democratic political system works by ensuring that there is no absolute master. Those at the top of the hierarchy are, or should be, servants, answerable to a body, a parliament, which in turn is, or should be, responsible to the whole electorate. This is not always the case, and is achieved to various limited degrees only. The whole structure depends on compulsions and artificial self-interests. The society has become a kind of machine. The cultural system is such that all political ideas are directed towards creating only such mechanisms. This has the advantage of stability, but not of development. But since human beings also have social and spiritual needs, self-interest must also includes these, usually regarded as unselfish, motives. The individual malfunctions and suffers when these are not fulfilled. Clearly self-interest is understood in too narrow a sense.

The greatest achievements of mankind, in the arts, sciences, philosophy, literature technology, commerce, architecture, social organizations, charities, ideas and so on are, however, not achieved by compulsion at all, but by inner motivations and voluntary efforts of individuals or groups. It is true, however, that these people are few in number and depend on the nature of the culture with which they are surrounded. The quality of this culture, in its turn, depends on the educational level and the number of people of this quality. This is normally uncontrolled and unpredictable.

There is, however, a third source of behaviour which combines the other two. This consists of the value system current in a society. The whole society could be motivated by the desire for development. The leaders inform, educate, persuade, advise, encourage and stimulate the people or create conditions in which energy, interest and action is channeled in constructive directions. The individual sees his own limitations and recognizes the superior qualities of others and voluntarily subordinates himself to their guidance. he also ties to cultivate the same qualities within himself and those above him encourage and help him to do so. This should not be confused with hero-worship, idolatry and imitation since its aim is the elaboration of a person’s own potentialities. Those having these qualities feel the obligation to use them for the general good. The whole culture is deliberately created to propagate and maintain this kind of relationship.

 

11. Experts. It has been recommended in these pages that most affairs should be left to the appropriate experts to deal with. But history shows that those who are normally called experts or authorities on a subject have often proved to be wrong. They have been so entrenched in certain opinions as to be obstructions to further progress. This has been the case with Priests as well as Engineers, Artists, Businessmen, Politicians and Scientists. It has, therefore, been essential to remove a group of experts or authorities and replace them with another. And yet a person who has studied a subject thoroughly and has great experience in working in a field is more likely to be correct than one who has no such knowledge and experience.

The problem seems to lie in this, that there is a tendency for people to form habits of thought, to become conditioned by that which they learn. They loose their mental flexibility. They interpret every new experience in terms of their past ones, and deal with every new problem with past solutions. In the meantime the world continues to change and they become increasingly maladapted. The expert, moreover, because of his prestige and power, begins to exploit these to his own personal advantage and to the detriment of the rest of Society. When these experts form their own exclusive organizations such as a Church, a Scientific Society or a Political party, then soon their purposes change. The means become their ends. The main purpose of these organizations becomes the urge for self-perpetuation, to protect their prestige and privileges.

There is a tendency to establish officially recognized, that is, government approved bodies. This has two opposite effects. On the one hand it discourages charlatans, that is, persons with little knowledge but great ambitions who want to exploit the gullibility of people. But on the other hand it tends to nip in the bud or obstruct the development of alternative ways of thinking, new knowledge and expertise. Every thing has to have a beginning. When science first began it was regarded by officialdom in the same light as many of the subjects, cults or movements now considered peculiar, strange, superstitious, eccentric or heretical. Some of these unorthodox ideas may, in time, develop into something very useful and powerful. What is called science now may fade away as primitive superstition. There is no guarantee whatever that what one person or group of people think is true and certain is, in fact, true or certain. Ultimately, only Allah is the judge. Therefore, the following duties are incumbent on every Muslim citizen:-

(a) The continuous search for knowledge and understanding.

(b) Discussion and consultation.

(c) Holding all opinions tentatively.

(d) Not criticizing and arguing with those who have superior knowledge or expertise.

(e) Questioning the experts to increase their own knowledge

(f) The experts must provide explanations for their actions.

(g) The expert must educate others.

 

The problem is the way people are educated. The emphasis is on the inculcation of facts, and only certain kind of facts, rather than on the capacity for observation, interpretation and manipulation of facts and their relationship. The individual is conditioned by them and grows arrogant. Little or nothing is done to show the student that there are many alternative ways of looking at things, of interpreting and arranging facts, and that meaning and values are of equal importance.

When we speak of an expert here we speak of one who has been educated in a special way. He is one in whom flexibility of mind has been developed. Not only does he possess knowledge in a field, but he sees this in its context as part of, and in relation to, all other fields of knowledge. He also increases his ability to see possibilities and the areas of his ignorance. In general, the greater the circle of knowledge the greater is the circumference which touches the outer area of ignorance. The greater the number of facts the greater is also the number of inter-connections that can be made. Knowledge ought to create humility and, indeed, depends on humility. The greater the arrogance, the more a person thinks he knows already, the less he can be taught, or will learn.

Though the organization of the various experts is to be encouraged in order that exchange and development of ideas can take place, they must also be encouraged to enter into other organizations containing other experts where similar exchanges and development can take place. Each of these organizations like the Political ones mentioned earlier must not be controlled from the centre and the top but organized from the bottom upwards. There must always be room for the development of new organizations and the demise of old ones.

 

12. The progress and development of a society always depends upon a small number of leaders, and the quality of these leaders. The higher the quality the fewer of them exist. The quality of the leader will also depend on the quality of the people who follow him. A person cannot be a leader unless others support him. Thus, it is true that movements depend on the people in general and that it depends also on leaders. We cannot either identify the two or separate them completely. Responsibility rests on both. Most people are not leaders. The leader requires intelligence, the ability to express himself, vigour and social appeal. He has a well developed interest which a section of the community recognizes as common to them all, and he represents that aspect of that community. This is always a restricted part of the total. Given any particular interest, its strength will differ in different people. There is, therefore, always someone in whom it is most pronounced. Any given situation will produce a leader and a leader will create appropriate movements or situations. Since people have a number of characteristics and interests, each of which can be most pronounced in different people, there ought to be a variety of leaders, each in different fields. The choice of a single leader implies a narrowing down of interests, unless that interest is sufficiently fundamental and comprehensive to include most things. The leader ought to be one in whom ability is combined with moral excellence and awareness.

Some political systems suppress the number of leaders that can arise in it. Others create leaders artificial, by creating positions in organizations and promoting people into them. But a person so promoted creates resentment and rivalry rather than respect and his power becomes oppressive rather than acceptable. Some organizations train people for leadership. This is only possible if it is known what the qualities of leadership are and how to inculcate them. It also requires a selection of suitable people, and this requires a broad field from which such choices can be made. This choice is limited where a large section of the people is deprived of the means of development. Modern political systems elect a leader from among those who are selected by a small number of political parties. True leadership, however, depends upon the respect, affection and loyalty with which the followers regard the leader. This depends on their value systems which also stimulates the arising of leaders. The Social system must be constructed to increase the number and quality of leaders that can arise in it.

 

13. There is always evil in the world because of three factors, (a), human nature - not only because of human perversity, but mainly because of human ignorance and weaknesses (conditioning, temptations, errors, compulsions). (b) the kinds of organizations they have created (c) the physical situation they find themselves in. It is not possible to get rid of an evil merely by getting rid of one set of leaders and installing another. When the new set gets into power then they will fall into the same temptations. It is only possible to remove the evil by changing the material circumstances, the social conditions and the nature of people.

Many movements have begun with the highest of ideals, but have turned into their own opposites. The reason for this is that movements once begun acquire their own momentum. The movement affects people other than those who initiate them and their reactions are unpredictable. Neither have the initiators taken into consideration all aspects of the situation they are dealing with, nor do they have the abilities required to deal with complex situations. Apart from this the initiators identify themselves with the movement. Their personal egos, prejudices, interest and idiosyncrasies become involved, and events affecting the movement are seen as personal threats. The desire to gain and maintain power become ends in themselves. Rationalization, excuse making, making means into ends, finding scapegoats and so on, distort the whole movement. Enthusiasm vanes and the leaders become tired. What started as conscious effort becomes a matter of habit. Ideals should, therefore, be applied in small manageable doses in accordance with abilities. The successful great revolutions in history have usually taken place either by great men of whom there are very few in number, by the efforts of a great number of independent people or by circumstances over which no one had any control.

 

14. It is very easy for people to get trapped into narrow ideologies and movements as the great number of cults which arise world-wide show. People want to belong to something which gives them a sense of significance, hope and purpose. There is a hypnotic quality to these ideas, specially when:- (a) they are systematized in a way as to support each other; (b) they are simplified by exaggerating a certain small number of features and focusing attention on them, while suppressing and distorting other features — this is like Tunnel vision or a view through tinted glasses. (c) they create a vicious circle by which certain experiences create interest and this interest leads people to search and select similar experiences which reinforces their attitude - they read only books or magazines on the subject of interest or only the newspapers whose opinions they share. Being narrow these ideologies always fail, and the over all result of failed Ideologies is disillusionment with all ideologies. When this happens people become bewildered and lose a sense of purpose and direction. Their energies are wasted frivolously. This in turn eventually leads them to adopt another ideology with the same results. The only way of avoiding this is by remaining aware of limits and expanding ones view. It is necessary to embrace an Ideology which is all comprehensive and, therefore, possesses the potentiality for adaptation and expansion.

It is easy to become habituated or mentally trapped by a set of conditions. This is particularly the case when a certain atmosphere of fear and anger exists or when troubles or guilt feelings need to be relieved by some outer scapegoat to focus on. The people who carried out the murder, brutality, degradation, tortures and exterminations in Fascist and other tyrannical regimes such as the Inquisition and various terrorists organizations, were probably no worse than anyone else, and anyone could be conditioned in the same way. It is only after the destruction of Nazism that hindsight allowed people to see the horrors they had supported or routinely committed, and they wonder how they got into this situation. Other nations who condemn these horrors remain unaware that they too are committing exactly the same horrors. They find excuses for these, unaware that those whom they condemned also had their excuses. Consciousness is dulled into a state of sleep and only special circumstances create an awakening. Such circumstances may not arise for a long time. It is necessary to admit the possibility that one may be asleep now and that one may need to bring about a rude awakening deliberately though this may be painful, to prevent a greater disaster. The notion of Satan is not a frivolous one.

 

15. Political changes are brought about in three ways:- (a) either automatically without control because of accumulation of changing social circumstances, (b) or they are imposed on people from outside by other nations, (c) or they are deliberately introduced by common discussion and consent or by sections of the people concerned. If it is deliberately introduced then this can take three forms:- (i) gradual reformation. (ii) revolutions, that is, rapid and radical change, which may or may not involve armed conflicts e.g. the Industrial Revolution or Revolutions in science are different from the French or Communist Revolutions. (iii) the introduction of a new ‘seed’ which may grow and gradually or rapidly replace other institutions.

Changes always involve some stress and may be accompanied by violence to various degrees. In general the degree of violence depends on whether change has been obstructed to the point where internal pressures have built up sufficiently to explode and neutralize the obstructive forces. The obstructive forces may, however, be strong enough to cause transformation in the internal pressures. The direction of change is then distorted.

The word Revolution is ordinarily used to refer to violent social changes particularly when they are uncontrolled. Many revolutions bring no changes at all, merely replacing one set of rulers by another. They are often wholly destructive and merely make way for new developments rather than introducing anything new themselves. It destroys both the harmful and the beneficial. Others introduce untested new forms without removing old ones, and these produce their own new set of problems. A new inexperienced set of leaders have to undergo a period of learning. They will inevitably make mistakes. These mistakes create large consequences and cannot be reversed. This is because small deviations in the beginning of a process will, as it gathers momentum , create ever greater divergence, like the two arms of an angle. They usually loose control of events which, then, control them. The end result of revolutions is usually worse than the situation which caused it. The sensible method of dealing with change is to control it in a manner so as to reduce the stresses and the destruction.

Hence gradual reform, one item at a time is regarded as the better policy. It is more controllable, less stressful and mistakes can be reversed. However, since all things in a system are interdependent, the possibility of reform are very limited. These reforms are undertaken by principles already well established. The flexibility of the mind is restricted by past conditioning, and those who undertake it are usually diverted from their aims. Often a more radical change is required.

According to the laws of complex systems which we shall examine later, any system of interacting units, and a political system is one of these, will continue to develop by its own inner logic until it reaches a crisis point and then begin to collapse like a pile of sand. New forms arise out of the rubble and some of these grow again. There has to be a new inner reorganization to maintain its stability and growth. There are usually several separate points or peaks where stability can be attained, the intermediate points being unstable. It is only possible to go from one peak to another by first descending. It is not possible to reconstruct without dismantling. Organic life over comes this problem by means of the arising of a new generation and the death of the old.

 Knowledge of this allows man a third system of dealing with political change - to create and sow Seeds. This consists of gathering experience, knowledge and ideas and constructing new forms, organizations and methods, or allowing them to arise. These will develop, change and multiply according to success or failure, replacing others. New forms of commercial organization do, in fact arise in this way. The same can happen in the political field. Experimental institutions, social laboratories for the study, development and application of new ideas and forms are set up. This is exactly what the Prophets Moses and Muhammad did.

On Existing Political Systems

The Islamic attitude towards Politics can, perhaps, be better understood from a criticism of present political systems. We shall begin with what is today called ‘Democracy’. Criticism may be made on the following grounds:-

1. The purpose of elections is to return representatives of the people to an assembly whose purpose is not to govern but to question and curb the power of the government. But as the majority of those elected also form the government this function is annulled. They do not, in fact, question it but support it.

2. The elected members do not represent the people but political parties. The political parties have a hierarchy in which the power is concentrated in the hands of the few. It is, therefore, in the interest of all members who wish to gain promotion and power to conform to their wishes.  In effect the Party Organization controls the opinions of the members. For the sake of solidarity the members have to suppress their own opinions, knowledge, experience and conscience or be deemed disloyal, be disciplined and perhaps expelled. The great number of possible opinions is severely reduced to the number of Political Parties.

3. The number of political parties must always be limited since this reduces power and makes government difficult. It always reduces variety and falls far short of the variety which actually exists in a society. Government is, therefore, always oppressive.

4. It is not the people who govern, but Government is imposed on the people. The State is something other than the people against which they must always struggle. No demonstrations, protests and riots would exist unless this was so. This is why freedoms and rights have to be defined in Law, but no duties and obligations. As the elected members are ineffective it is the Law which protects people. However, the Law is created by those in power and serves their interests. It has no connection with justice , morality, goodness or truth. The protection of freedoms and rights arises by accident owing to the self-interest of those seeking to maintain their power against would be dictators and tyrants.

5. The different Interest Groups in a community do not necessarily find support in these Assemblies, but the members have their own personal interests. They may act on behalf of others in return for payment or other advantages, that is, when these other interests are made into a personal interest for them. This does not depend on the merit of the case but on the ability to pay or bestow advantages. Once a person is elected, it becomes an advantage for large firms to offer them directorships. Many elected persons hold numerous directorships or other positions of influence on the Boards of many commercial companies. One wonders how they can distribute their attention and efforts effectively in all these roles as well as representing those who elected them. There will necessarily be a contradiction of a interest. One finds also that only a small proportion of those elected are, in fact, present in the debates and discussions, having more urgent personal interests elsewhere.

6. The Editors of Newspapers and publicity agents often have a much greater power than members of the Assemblies. They influence opinions and can make or break the careers of politicians. These, too, are few in number and have their own interests.

7. Since the elected members are non-experts they have to rely on the permanent professional Bureaucracy of government departments. This, too, is a hierarchy with power concentrated in the hands of the few. It has its own traditions, rules, procedures, dogmas, habits of thought, action and attitudes, and interests in self-perpetuation, power, and prestige. It can and does act quite independently and exerts control over governments by manipulating information and events.

8. Large Industrial and Commercial firms, specially those operating on an international scale have greater power over people and events. They can ignore or manipulate governments. If conditions do not suit them in one place they can transfer operations to another.

9. The candidates for election are not personally known to the electorate. They do not, therefore, constitute a true Leadership. They can and do deceive people. They do not have to possess great abilities, be morally upright or set an example. for the people. Yet they do influence the people both directly by their competence and by the general tone of public life.

10. The candidates do not require any qualifications whatever, neither academic, nor of ability or of character. There is no other profession where this would be tolerated. The candidates are not interviewed by the prospective employers, the electorate. Though the politicians are said to be the servants of the people, the fact is that they turn out to be their masters. Apart from this they often set a bad example of behaviour to the rest of the country.

11. The failure of governments to deal with affairs is all too evident both at the national and the international level. Their views are neither far sighted nor comprehensive owing to the fact that each government has a short term in office, consists of people with narrow expertise, devotes itself to some restricted policy, depends for power on pleasing a section of the people and concerns itself with the interests of a small region. They will not act until there is a crisis and they are forced to act when it is usually too late to avert a major disaster. 

12. Candidates present themselves for election periodically to the people. They canvass for votes. Though it may be the case that some of these have a genuine desire to obtain power only to change the social conditions for the better, there is no way of distinguishing them from those who seek power for themselves or for some party interest. These self-assertive, selfish people cannot be considered good for the society and ought to be the last to whom power should be given. They are not people of the highest intelligence, ability, motivation or knowledge. A politician does not relate to other people in a genuinely friendly or human manner, but sees others in terms of a threat or usefulness to himself and an instrument to be manipulated. They have narrow interests and allegiances and cause the disintegration of humanity into warring groups. Politics in the West is tied in with commercial interests. If we define a psychopath as one for whom power and material wealth is of greater importance than the life and welfare of people then many politicians are psychopaths with criminal tendencies. This statement requires no explicit evidence since any student of national and international politics can verify this for himself. The politician is not a person of the highest moral standards. It is asserted by many that if he has the abilities and talents required for his job then his morality is irrelevant. But this cannot be so. He sets an example which spreads corruption throughout the society. In so far as all aspects of life are inter-related this will also affect general thinking, motivation and behaviour as well as the economic, political and cultural situation, all of which affect each other.

13. The candidates, in order to get votes, will use a great number of gimmicks, deception and all kinds of trickery. Oratory, mud-slinging, scandal-mongering, methods of publicity and propaganda designed to create emotional support is used instead of reason. Electioneering is showmanship, theatricals, glitter and hypnosis and borders on the immoral and criminal. Most politicians are untrustworthy. The purpose of the elections is said to be to determine the will of the people, but the methods used neutralize this purpose. It is only at election time that certain forms of justice can be extracted from the candidates. Methods used by politicians to deceive and manipulate the public include:- gimmicks, hypes to make mountains out of molehills in order to hide and divert attention from what is important, crisis management, damage control, spin doctoring i,e twisting information, creating red herrings, dressing expediency or self-interest in a moral garb, propaganda designed to present the false as truth, the use of publicity agents to exaggerate some features at the expense of others, deliberate misinterpretation, cultivated vagueness, ambiguity, circumlocution and meaninglessness, news and media management, filibustering - talking non-stop to prevent useful discussion, leaking selective information, the use of bribes or veiled threats, emotion management by playing on greed, fears and prejudices, scandal mongering, the use of front men who can be sacrificed if things go wrong, conspiracies and secret agreements between politicians, giving journalists what they want to hear, and what they want to hear is something sensational so that they can gain promotion. All these tactics ought, in fact, to be regarded as criminal offences in a Democracy.

14. Since Political Parties depend on costly publicity, those who have the power and the wealth dictate what the policies should be. The real power is held by invisible men, groups or classes who remain behind the scenes. The members of government are usually merely front men who can be blamed and replaced. Those with the greatest wealth, either their own or obtained from other sources, will gain power. If the money is obtained from other wealthy people then these will only provide it if their interest is likely to be served. In effect the politicians will be under the control of these interests. Publicity and propaganda would not be undertaken if it was not thought to be effective. The Party having most to spend is, therefore, at an advantage. This cannot be regarded as Democratic unless the word is redefined. In particular, newspaper owners determine who gets good publicity and who gets bad. Things are not very much different in this respect between Dictatorships, where a single Political Party is devoted to a single Ideology, and the United States of America, where there are two main Political Parties, but both are devoted to the same Capitalist Ideology.

15. In so far as the Leaders depend on the amount of popularity they can achieve, they have to cater to general prejudices, fantasies and ignorance rather than to truth, virtue or usefulness. Or they have to manipulate opinion in devious ways. Politicians seldom say what they mean or mean what they say. They say what they think people want to hear or merely express their own hopes which have little connection with reality. They often make promises which they do not or cannot or have no intention of keeping when in office. This creates general cynicism and mistrust.

16. The electorate cannot be expected to be experts in the field of politics, economics and the other subjects which the politicians are expected to deal with, and cannot, therefore, judge the policies the politicians present them with. In fact the politicians are very seldom experts in the fields they have to deal with themselves. They are therefore, in the hands of other experts or else an obstruction to them. Governments are, therefore, run by opinion, fantasy, and illusions, by subjective rather than objective factors.

17. The elected candidates do not make the policies. The Policies are made elsewhere by a minority in secret and under the influence of power groups. They are merely presented for debate in these Assemblies. These Assemblies can only vote yes or no or suggest amendments. Since the party with a majority of elected representatives holds the power these policies are usually adopted. The debate turns out to be a useless exercise and as such consists of futile squabbles, mutual accusations and abuse and other unsavoury spectacles. If one listens to the debates in these Assemblies one finds little that is constructive. It consists mainly of attack, defense, self-congratulation, mud-slinging, point scoring, repetition of slogans, posturing, one-upmanship, excuse making, diversionary tactics, avoidance of uncomfortable facts or questions, frivolities, biased selection of facts, gross emotionalism, devious usage of language, circumlocution and so on.

18. The membership of the Political parties is very small and is diminishing in all Western countries as people are becoming more and more disillusioned with them. Membership of other pressure groups, Cultural and charitable Societies such as those concerned with environmental matters or animal rights are far greater, have greater relevance, but have little power. It is likely, in the near future, that these organizations will combine and curb the power of political parties, in the same way as these, in the past, curbed the power of the monarchs and the aristocracy. This process should be encouraged. The conditions of life are changing making environmental, social and cultural factors more important than commerce.

19. The electorate has no say in political matters. They are merely given a choice between the policies constructed for them. If they do not agree with some or all of the policies of a particular Party then their choice is between not voting at all or voting for a set of policies which they may consider the least of two evils.

20. There is no doubt that the existence of a single Ideology makes Government so much easier. It, therefore, becomes necessary to ensure conformity of opinion. This is done by means of propaganda and the control of information through the media. This is because, owing to the fact that Government finds itself controlling more and more aspects of life, they are eroding the freedom in which people can live according to their own consciences. It is becoming less and less tolerant and able to deal with multiple ideologies. Unfortunately, these ideologies tend to be the result of mere speculation based on partial knowledge. Truth must, of course, be everywhere the same. But by choosing different sets of data and arranging them in different ways, a great number of different ideologies can be created. None of these can be said to be wholly true or wholly false. To say that one is more true or false than another involves further speculation, guesswork and prejudice. Generally speaking opinions tend to be governed by genetic, temperamental or accidental factors. Now, it is a perfectly intelligent thing to do to adapt ones policies to suit particular places, peoples and times. But this is not what happens. The particular opinions formed by accidental circumstances are mistaken for general truths to be applied to all. What is required is the exact opposite of this situation. Namely, the Government must be able to incorporate a variety of different Ideologies suitable for different temperamental types and situations, and there ought to be a methodology to obtain objective and adaptable policies. It may even be necessary to establish experimental organizations, the study of which can provide the principles which can be more generally applied. It ought also to be possible for people to migrate from one system to another more suitable to themselves. This is, of course, impossible where States are based on territory and migration is strictly controlled for selfish economic reasons. Government is becoming more and more centralized and ignores local needs, opinions and conditions.

21. Each Party presents a number of Policies about a number of different issues; say “a”, “b”, “c”, “d”...etc. If an elector agrees with policy “a” of one Party but not with “b”, “c” and “d” etc, and agrees with policy “b” of another Party, but not with “a”, “b” and “d” etc, then his vote for one party is a mere compromise between what he likes and does not. He may well find himself on the same side as somebody having completely opposite opinions. Some people vote for one Party because of policies “a”, “b”, while others vote for it because of policies “d” and “e”.

It turns out that it is a complete accident that certain people vote for certain parties and that a particular party has a majority. The mixture of opinions supporting one Party is no different from the mixture supporting another. The same thing is also true of religions. It is perfectly possible that two people belonging to different sects have the same opinions while two people belonging to the self-same sect have different opinions. Parties and sects of this kind are mere illusions. In fact there can only be as many parties as there are people, and no one ought to compromise himself by joining an illusion. If a Party is elected because a great number of the population agree with one of its policies, “a”, this does not at all imply that the Government has a mandate to apply its policies “b”, “c” or “d”. And if it has a majority support in an area where the population is greater, this cannot mean that it has support in an area where it was rejected.

22. When the Political Parties carry out a debate, each has to defend its own position and attack that of the other. This creates division and entrenched positions. Artificial dichotomies are created. This is not conducive to impartial, objective and intelligent learning and planning. What is required is (a) the identification of the problem; (b) the gathering of relevant knowledge; (c) discussion and exchange of ideas; (d) further research and meditation; (e) finally intelligent planning. This may require the contribution of ideas from a wider population and from experts. A great deal of research needs to be done into the opinions, needs and conditions of people. Time is needed to educate and prepare people. A completely different ethos is required where people are willing to learn and search for the truth and for that which maximizes benefits rather than merely to accept and defend some position.

23. The electorate consists mainly of people who are impressed by trivialities and irrelevant matters. No political education has been undertaken. Politicians and publicists take advantage of this. Certain classes will only vote for certain parties by tradition regardless of policies or the ability of the candidates. Some people will vote because the candidate is handsome or has kissed a certain baby, has used a certain familiar phrase, has a particular mannerism or manner of speech, or is perceived as charming. Others will vote for a party with which they wish to associate themselves for egotistic or subservient reasons. Though election depend on irrational factors, yet there is little doubt that irrational factors must also be taken into considerations. They ought however, to be counteracted if man is to obtain control over his affairs. In fact the rivalry of Parties tends to exaggerate the influence of irrational factors. Oratory, for instance, and showmanship is widely used. Politics is a serious matter but has been converted into a farce.

24. The nation is divided territorially into several Constituencies. The population may or may not be equally divided between these, but each elects only one person. For instance, 95% of the people in one area may elect a member of one party, but in two other areas 55% may elect two candidates belonging to another party. If the other 45% supported the first party then obviously the first party has a greater number of votes but fewer elected candidates. The case is even worse if there are more than one party. A candidate may be elected by 35% of people, for instance, because the other 65% is divided among the other Political Parties. The will of the majority has obviously not been done. Add to this the fact that only 75% of the voters actually vote, and that only the few in each Party actually design the policies and run the Government when elected. If the Parties are internally Democratic and vote for the Policies which the Party is to adopt, then the same procedure is adopted but this time within the confines of the Party Membership only. Democracy, in other words, has been rigged so that the few can continue to hold all the power. Even when there is proportional representation it often happens that some minority party holds the balance of power. People, therefore, tend to vote not for any particular policy or person but to get rid of parties or people they do not like. But the result is accidental since people cannot co-ordinate their votes. The voters are not organized.

25. Though each person is given a vote, not all vote. Many are lethargic, apathetic or just disinterested. Some are more vociferous than others or more self-opinionated. Some have greater influence on or power to sway others. It may be argued that this is as it should be. People ought to have power equal to their abilities. But abilities may be applied in good, bad or indifferent ways. The fact that someone is loud, vigorous and pushy is not a guarantee that what he says or wishes to do is valuable or sensible, or that they will be beneficial or even effective. Political systems do not differentiate between good or evil, but deal only in power. This may be justified on the grounds that we have to deal in realities and not in ideals. There is a diversity of opinion as to what is good or evil, and this does produce conflict. In the absence of objective or common criteria all value systems must be allowed to exist and methods must be adopted whereby conflicts are reduced in order to create a tolerable existence for all. In many countries these conflicts have not been reduced. Certainly, on the international scale they still flourish. One method of reducing conflicts is to substitute military power by election. But one could look forward to a higher stage of development where election is replaced by some more objective criteria. Research for instance. Reality could be the arbiter. This is what is meant by “Surrender to Allah”.

26. The candidates are chosen by the Party not the electorate and may be placed in constituencies where they do not live and which they know nothing about. They cannot represent the people there. In effect the people do not chose their own leaders.

27. The Assembly or Parliament does not represent the people as a whole. Its members are not drawn from all the various professions, interest groups and sections. They are usually lawyers or business men whose interest and competence is, therefore, narrow.

28. The Party having the majority of elected members form the Government. Thus, in effect, half or more of the population exist unrepresented for the duration of the Government.

29. The elected government lasts for a certain fixed period. During this time they can do as they please with complete immunity. It becomes a dictatorship. Though this gives them time to do a certain amount of planning for the short term, it is too short a time for any long term planning. The party in power often arranges affairs to the disadvantage of an opposing party. As the time for re-election comes near the Government in power is in a position to offer bribes in order to gain re-election. The opposition has no power to do this.

30. The position of the representatives or members of parliament is ambiguous. Are they leaders showing the way, or are they representatives of the people of a certain territory, or of a political party or some interest? There is big difference between these functions, but none is made except according to the expediency of the time. They are paid for their function and this produces their interest in maintaining their position rather than in the work they do or ought to do. Apart from this they also have other financial interests. These interests govern their opinions or create conflicts. They divide their loyalties but also their time and energy. They cannot give full attention to their political duties. Many discussions or debates are sparsely attended and the decision is made by the few who happened to be present. Many politicians seek power or use their position only to facilitate their own narrow interests. There are, therefore, always scandals which bring politics into disrepute and create wide spread cynicism. The politician should, of course, if he is to deal with realities, be in contact with the real situation, and this is ensured if he has outside interests. The Islamic view, however, is that the political function is part of his social and professional responsibilities. He brings his experience, expertise and interests into the communal sphere along with others, where they are discussed, modified and coordinated.

31. Generally speaking the Politicians have to be persons of relatively rather primitive psychological development and of relatively low intellectual and moral capacity, or they must behave as if they were. This may be because they must appeal to, and be understood by, the masses. Primitive instincts of selfishness and belligerence have to be aroused. They are unlikely to solve any real problems but create many of their own. For instance, by appealing to the aggressive, selfish, belligerent side of people’s nature they not only gain support but create the very conditions in which one set of politicians is required to counteract those in another country. They make themselves necessary. Aggression begets aggression. It creates fear and suspicion which lead to armament for self-defense, which in turn creates fear and suspicion in others. The egotistic desire for “greatness” leads to the desire to exploit and dominate others, and to the fear that others may wish to do the same to them. This in turn justifies, for security reasons, many kinds of suppression. The situation so created keeps the people in a primitive state of development.

32. One of the worst aspects of Government is secrecy. Secrecy is kept for “Security reasons”. In fact it deprives the electorate and the other Political Parties of the information on which correct decisions can be made. It allows Governments and their secret agencies to carry out activities on both the national and international fields which the people would never have tolerated.

33. The policies made by Political Parties which are not in power can often not be implemented when they come to power because, not having been in power, they are based on ignorance of the real situation. Promises are made which cannot be kept. Or else if the policies are implemented they create a great deal of suffering and unforeseen side effects which must be dealt with. When Power changes hand from one political party to another there is no continuity of Policy or planning. One Party undoes what the other constructs. Time and effort is wasted and there are erratic swings. There is uncertainty in the international and business fields.

34. Democracies allow freedom of speech and freedom of the press. This makes people believe that they are free. In fact these freedoms are licenses for some people to abuse others and for the press to snoop into private lives in order to extract information which they can convert into scandals. Governments do, in fact, prevent the press from publishing that which is not in their interest, but this privilege is not allowed to others. There is no freedom of information and no equivalent freedom of action. Argumentation and conflicting opinions cancel each other out, leaving the Politicians to do as they like. Freedom of speech also has the effect of making people think that any opinion no matter how stupid or ignorant is as good as another no matter how wise or expert. This allows a proliferation of such opinions and adds confusion and arrogance. However, some beneficial results could be obtained if it leads to the search for supporting facts and increasing sophistication in arguments and discussions. This, however, is obstructed by the arrogance.

35. In order to make the people governable it is often necessary to distract their attention and energies in frivolous or even harmful directions. This is done by lying, flattery, circumlocution, encouraging sport and gambling, pageantry, scandal, gossip, and even the encouragement of pornography, alcohol and drugs. At other times international incidents and conflicts are deliberately created to produce unity and support for the government.

36. The idea that the will of the majority should be carried out often leads to the oppression of the minority. In fact everyone finds himself in the minority some time. If a person has, say, ten different needs or opinions, then he may be in agreement with a majority in respect of some of these but only with a minority in others. This is not a great problem as long as the Government limits its power to certain areas only, leaving people free to fulfill most of their own desires in other areas. Where Governments impose control there people have to organize together to form pressure groups to obtain what they want. They lose their independence and they have to use propaganda, bribes, threats, deception and other ways of persuading people to support their cause. The pressure groups so formed are often opposed by other pressure groups.

37. Governments work not only through direct action but also by Legislation and the setting up of Civil Services and Bureaucracies which can only work through certain rules, regulations and procedures. The number of these must necessarily be limited otherwise the complexity becomes too difficult to handle. If the number is too limited than the capacity to cover a diversity of situations also becomes limited. If the number is increased then the increased complexity prevents timely and efficient application. If the number of rules is reduced and the discretionary power of the officials increased, then the possibility of prejudice and abuse of power is increased. Thus, there is an inner contradiction in this system.

38. The Laws created by governments and Legislative bodies tend to be based on prejudices, expediency, sectional interests and the vagaries of the political power struggle. There are seldom objective elements in them.

39. One of the things democracy is accused of is that by giving power to the ordinary man the result has been the encouragement of mediocrity, leading to degeneration. The rich, for instance, cannot always directly exploit the poor, but have to manufacture goods which the masses can buy. Since profit and power are the only criteria, quality will be ignored. Mass production, therefore, replaces quality production. Machines replace human skill. The less sophisticated and unrefined tastes overwhelm the more cultivated ones. A Welfare state comes into being which encourages the survival and multiplication of the less able, the genetically defective and the less vigorous. Thus degeneration and a general decline of standards of behaviour and discipline sets in, because the standards of excellence could only be upheld by the few. It also leads to wastage of resources since it is only the few who can use them usefully. On the other hand the general standard of living, in wealth and education as well as in opportunity, capability and freedom could not have risen if only the few were regarded as important. And this would also have affected the standard of life of these few. Much depends on the size of the market. It depends, however, also on its quality. There is an inverse relationship between quantity and quality. The greater the quality the less quantity is required. Quantity is limited, but quality is not. Concentration of attention and effort on quantity must, therefore, lead to problems.

40. In so far as everyone is allowed to do as they like there is no concerted and organized effort towards a goal. A great many activities cancel each other out. Psychological energy is squandered instead of being channeled. This is perhaps a good things in view of the fact that the world experienced a concerted effort in the form of Hitler and the like, who come to power, attempted world domination, and caused much oppression and destruction.. But it may be argued that it is not at all necessary that such concerted effort should take a destructive, egotistical and primitive direction. Unfortunately, the arousal of a community to concerted effort tends to need the use of mass hysteria. This can only be obtained by suspending the higher faculties of the mind. There is a certain amount of mass hysteria and hypnosis present in all democratic societies which varies in intensity from time to time. The U.S.A, the champions of Democracy underwent an anti-Communist hysteria during which much injustice was done. There are war hysterias and anti-war hysterias which have nothing to do with facts or requirements.

41. People are kept in a psychologically primitive condition, in so far that they cannot be relied upon to do anything without what is called an incentive. That is, something which carries a reward or avoids a punishment. Not many will do things because it is right, wise or good. The communists discovered this when they tried to reorganize society. They found it necessary to use compulsion and fear of punishment when they got rid of the profit motive. From this point of view Capitalism is more natural. However, having based their system squarely on greed they have also got rid of the possibility of further development. A large part of their Film industry is devoted to the fantasy of super-heroes with a sense of justice, compassion and selflessness who single-handedly fight on the side of the weak, the oppressed and the helpless, and win out against great odds and powerful corrupt oppressors. Films of this kind owe their great popularity to the fact that such corruption, oppression and exploitation is widely prevalent. It is prevalent also because the depicted counter measures use exactly the same methods as those which bring about the injustice.

42. The function of government is regarded as being in a restricted sphere. The tendency is to concentrate attention on economics. It is only recently that they have become aware that their view of economics is too narrow, and that it should not merely include Ecology, but that economics should be considered a part of Ecology. In the Social sphere, the tendency is to concentrate attention on politics and Law, though some attention is being forced on to Physical Health, Education, and Social Services. There are, however, a whole range of other matters which affect these. There is the whole question of Social Relations, marriages and families, Civics and Culture. No attention is given to the Psychological factor, though this must be considered most important since it affects everything else.

43. In the pursuit of self-interest the nations flout the interests of other nations. Power is pursued not merely for self-defense, but in order to further these interests. They create resentment, chaos and deprivations in other nations which sow the seeds of further conflicts. They create rather than solve problems. It is not difficult to determine that governments tend to be stupid. and had they been individuals they would have been recognized as psychopathic and criminal minded.

44. Since people do not, in fact, have power to determine the conditions of their own lives, there are always strikes, demonstrations, revolts and political as well as economic disruptions which bring considerable amounts of destruction and suffering, though they are not as bad as the revolutions and civil wars used to be. Most strikes and revolts are the result either of the ignorance of those involved, the stupidity and arrogance of managers, politicians and others who have control, the lack of adequate communication and consultation between the two, or because of inadequate flexibility and opportunities for diversity.

45. A study of the History of Politics shows that all governments, politicians or their special Agencies, often composed of psychopaths, in pursuit of their own self-interest or that of certain power groups, carry out a policy of deception, intrigue, subversion, sabotage, manipulation, interference, corruption, mischief making, destabilization, incitement, lying propaganda, persecution, oppression, exploitation, torture, aggression, banditry, thuggery, criminality, mass murder, hypocrisy, blackmail, extortion, double dealing, falsification, violations of promises, treaties and human rights. They carry this out not only against foreign nations but also against their own citizens. Though the Nazis, Fascists, Communists and other nations have been accused of persecution, atrocities, torture, mass murders and so on, everyone of the Democracies have carried out the same in secret. It is only the defeated nations who are generally exposed. Politics is a cesspool of conspiracies, mud slinging, lying deception, expediency, secrecy, misinformation, word twisting, deviousness, circumlocution, jostling for power and trampling over people rather than about the truth, the useful or the good. Innumerable secret dangerous atomic, chemical and biological experiments have been carried out on people by their own government agencies, killing and maiming thousands of people, probably greater in number than the enemies they have killed or maimed. It is generally supposed that only Nazis, Communists or Fascists use these methods, but they have been used by all Governments including the British, French and Americans. There is nothing admirable about them or the Empires they set up. Every other nation is forced to adopt the same methods in self-defense and retaliation. The present political problems in the world are consequences of such past activities. It is impossible that the world situation can improve unless the politicians, those who think like them , and the agencies they have set up, are removed. These are both the effects and causes of war. There is, in fact, no true peace at any time.

46. Since Democracies do not cater for all aspects of life, there is no coordination and control because factors coming from one department of life produce unpredictable results in those which governments are attempting to control. Though there is a great amount of injustice, differences in wealth, oppression and organized crime, the Government itself remains immune from blame, and there is no focal point against which there can be mass revolt. No one is, in fact responsible for anything, though scapegoats can be found. Reforms and changes to the local focal points, an office or an official, can always be promised and made. Diversification and division of power distributes responsibility as well as blame.

47. The government departments as well as commercial firms are to a large extent self-sufficient units, which regard themselves as separate units, goals in themselves, concerned mainly with self-preservation and not with the social good. They are regarded by the people as foreign institutions which dominate and often oppress them rather than being their servants. The Military often uses their own soldiers as guinea-pigs in experiments; industries create pollution; drug companies produce poisons; food manufacturers adulterate foods; diseases are spread by research institutes; newspapers spread lies; housing departments evict people; the police is used against whole sections of the community; government departments and industrial companies carry out secret activities or make secret agreements among themselves or with foreign lands without regard to the people; and so on. They have to be fought against in courts.  People speak about what “they” are doing or should do, rather than about “we”. This is a good indication that the word ‘Democracy’ does not apply to any real situation, but only to an idea.

48. The State is becoming larger, more powerful, costly, unwieldy and oppressive. Whereas it controlled only a few percent of the national income a century ago, this has grown to almost 50%. in some countries. The People have become proportionately powerless. People expect and depend more and more on the State to provide their needs, instead of relying on themselves; and the State, because it is an unintelligent machine, is becoming less capable of providing it. The idea that the size and power of the State should be steadily reduced is gaining ground. A system which abolishes the State is compatible with Islam.

49. Politics sacrifices compassion to reason, and goodness to power, feelings and motives to intellect, values and meanings to facts. There is more talk and argument than action. The result, since there are no objective goals, must be vicious circles in the same place without controlled progress.

50. It is unlikely that political action solve any real problems though it creates them. Governments do not control affairs, affairs control governments. There is an increasing disenchantment throughout the Western World with politics, politicians, political parties. In fact, they are increasingly seen as corrupt, creators rather than solvers of problems, and mostly irrelevant to the real problems of the world. A nation which distrusts its leaders and sees them as objects of jokes can hardly be in an enviable position. The real forces are psychological, sociological and environmental in nature. The real work is carried out by scientists, technologists and those involved in the charities and the creation of culture. There is direct action or pressure from groups for such things as preventing environmental pollution, food adulteration, cruelty to animals, children and the elderly, crime prevention, matters concerning education, health, consumer affairs, human rights, organizations for Law reform, mediation in disputes and so on. It is these which do any real work. It merely requires these societies to join together into one organization and replace political parties as governing bodies to become compatible with the Islamic ideal.

51. The most dangerous aspect of existing political systems in an age of scientific research and technology is the fact that there are numerous powerful independent firms and government departments which are virtual dictatorships responsible and accountable to no one outside competent enough. Politicians come and go and rarely possess sufficient information about the affairs and activities of these firms and little power of control. Indeed, they depend on them for information and power and are manipulated by them. It is not unusual for politicians who take their responsibilities seriously to be removed by smear campaigns, legal and political traps or even by assassination.

52. Though governments have brought unity and order, and even progress, this has been done indirectly through some of the non-political institutions which they have been forced to create. In fact the purpose of the political system is not to do this, but to channel the power struggle. An examination of the discussions, debates and actions of governments and political parties shows that they are always irrational, concerned with achieving dominance and power, and nothing sober, intelligent or objectively purposeful can be expected from them.

53. Though the perception of the dangers of the destructiveness of war for both victor and vanquished resulting from international competition for wealth, power and prestige has led to the formation of international bodies including the United Nations, the fact is that these have merely become another platform and even an instrument for the same struggle. It has, therefore, proved ineffective in bringing world order and in many cases made things worse. Indeed, powerful nations such as the United States are known to have sabotaged its independent efforts and the institution itself, quite apart from the direct mischief they have created in other nations. It is probably fair to say that the United States has the most thoroughly corrupt political system to be found anywhere, but that their prosperity obscures this fact even from their own citizens while presenting it as an ideal for others. We may conclude that no improvement in the human condition can be expected as long as such political systems exist.

54. The problem connected with Democracy, as understood in the West, is this:- that people are unequal in intelligence, ability, knowledge and moral qualities. Though they are treated equally for political and cultural purposes they are not treated equally for economic purposes. The result is that though great oppression and tyranny is prevented, Governments cannot do what is objectively good, true, useful or aesthetic, but must do what a large proportion of the people want or they have to manipulate and deceive them. This means that rogues can do likewise in their own interests. But a true Democracy can only work if the people are well informed, capable, virtuous and wise and willing to follow those who are better endowed in these respects. Under more natural conditions people choose such leaders for themselves in their own interest. But Democratic organizations do not allow this to take place.

 

An ideal political system, some people suppose, would be one in which the power is in the hands of those who have the greatest amount of knowledge, virtue and ability. However, if they had dictatorial powers they would deprive others of the freedom and power which is necessary for them to develop the qualities of self-reliance, enterprise, creativity, initiative, responsibility, self-control. The Islamic ideal would be a system in which those with the greatest consciousness, conscience and will undertake to lead, educate and guide the rest of the community to develop the same. Then only can it be ensured that there will be a steady arising of good quality leaders and the society will continue to develop.

It is not, in fact, possible to improve political conditions under the present system of competing parties. They are fighting a war for power and this is their main aim, and the average intelligence of the candidates remains low. Things could, perhaps, be different if the leaders had some religious belief and undertook to serve only God, not any particular ideology, group or sect - that is, they adhere to only that which is true, good, useful and beautiful in the objective sense. It is not sufficient that they should adhere to what they call their conscience since this turns out to consist of prejudices, fantasies and rationalizations of their own self-interest. Deception and self-deception is a particular powerful force in a war. The existence of these qualities will, however, also need to be recognized by the people who must be motivated by the same values. otherwise we get an oppressive dictatorship.  

The justification for Democracy is that if the power is in the hands of a single person, group or class, then they will exploit the rest of the people for their own advantages, that those who possess the power are neither persons of the greatest knowledge, nor of the greatest ability, and certainly not of the greatest virtue. In the end it is knowledge, ability and virtue which are the real sources of power. Since the advantages a person can gain are proportional to the advantages possessed by the community of which he is part, it turns out that such systems are not even advantageous to these individuals. It is necessary, therefore, to distribute power, to empower the people. The combined self-interest, ability and knowledge of all will then be employed. It may, however, be argued that if those who have acquired position and power in a community are lacking in the mentioned qualities, then the whole community must also be lacking in them. The over all state of the society is not, therefore, improved by much. It will still be run by ignorance and superstition, selfishness and stupidity, incompetence and automatisms. Apart from this the hierarchical organization created by Democracies, creates a great number of centers of power which proportionally reduce that of the general population. The abuses of power both deliberately and inadvertently have increased. The heads of these organizations generally form a closed and secret class of their own. They support each other to maintain their power and privileges. It is only disputes and power struggles among them which causes some to be deposed in favour of others.

Experience shows that people are generally apathetic and lethargic. If a meeting is called, usually by a few concerned people, to discuss and deal with a social question, then attendance is generally poor, few of these have anything to contribute, and fewer still are willing to carry out any work. Most are perfectly happy to delegate all responsibilities to a committee. Those elected to such committees are either themselves apathetic or the movement collapses, or have ambitions of their own. It, therefore, turns out in every case that the people who gain power are those who are the most energetic, vociferous and ambitious and are left to do just as they like. A struggle for dominance ensues between them. This, it can be observed, happens also among apes. The political system cannot be other than it is while human beings remain as they are.

It cannot be otherwise also because of other human weaknesses. Most people are easily tempted and manipulated by the offers of wealth, position, power, privileges, fame, honours, pleasure, specially of a sexual kind, and the fear of loss. Not many have any convictions or the courage to carry them out. Most people are also fickle and easily swayed by emotional means, by oratory, words, prejudice, rationalizations, hysteria, pomp, glitter, show, and theatre. Those who have the power control others by all these means, and only those can gain power who can use these means most effectively or ingratiate themselves with the powerful. We, therefore, have a vicious circle which cannot easily be broken. The same ideas, values and attitudes are perpetuated. Change is, therefore, only brought about by factors coming from outside the system and these are always resisted. There is, therefore, a need to establish conditions which allow new systems to arise. 

 

Much is spoken about the conscience with which the representatives vote, the awareness of problems which they have and the will or power to control affairs. From the Islamic point of view unregenerate man does not have consciousness, conscience or will, but merely habits of thought, feeling and action conditioned into him, which he rationalizes. It is not difficult to establish by observation and experiment that this is so. It is for this reason that (a) he must follow the guidance of a religion created by someone who does or did possess these qualities. Only a community so guided is likely to be right and do what is beneficial. He must undergo a discipline which will regenerate these faculties. (b) a leadership should be chosen and obeyed in whom these faculties are developing and who act with responsibility, objectivity and justice. (c) The power of this leadership must be judged, obeyed and curbed in accordance with the values and principles of this religion. These three requirements are inter-dependant. Such leaders cannot be chosen, of course, unless the criteria are correct and, therefore, come from the religion. It is the leaders who will guide people into an adequate interpretation of religion as well as into the discipline which ensures their development. And this discipline ensures that people can judge the other two.

 

Nevertheless, despite criticisms it is necessary to state that the Democratic System is better than any other system so far produced. The virtue of this system of government is that:-

(a) It recognizes the existence of opposites, ideologies and their antithesis, good as well as evil forces. It incorporates them as well as the third reconciling factor.

(b) Invention, production and the benefits of work used to be directed towards the few privileged people. It is now directed to a much wider population.  It allows the people to satisfy their own needs instead of relying on someone else to determine or dictate what these are or should be.

(c) It allows the flourishing of talents, enterprise and achievement. Unlike tyrannical, totalitarian or patronistic systems it leaves the initiative, creativity and responsibility of some people in tact. If these are crushed then only three other alternatives remain:- Either complete chaos, or else domination by some dictator or power group, or control by some more vigorous nation.

(d) It allows those who have greater intelligence, ability and wisdom greater power and influence and to get their own way, and even provides them with an incentive to persuade and educate the people. Though each person has one vote, the men of greater ability still have a greater influence on opinions and actions.

(e) It allows diversity. This allows the fulfillment of the diverse needs of a diverse population. This is in accordance with nature. Diversity allows the arising of new forms from which a selection of superior forms can be made. Whereas much more can be achieved by the concentration of efforts in a narrower band of directions, it is not possible to predict that these will be ultimately useful and well adapted to changing circumstances. However, diversity also means that energy is scattered in useless and mutually contradictory directions. One effort cancels out another. Greater knowledge and wisdom could avoid this.

(f) It provides the possibility of change, growth, development, and adjustment to changing conditions. There is always hope and no blood shed and destruction is required to remove what has become inefficient, complacent, tyrannical or obsolete. Where there is no possibility of change unrest, uprisings and revolutions are the only alternatives. These not only create chaos and destruction, but, by removing those who have the experience and expertise, it has to replace them with those who do not have suitable qualifications. The result inevitably is even worse conditions until such expertise is developed. New political parties can be formed. There is still within Democracy the possibility of the arising of different ideologies and better political systems. Experimentation is still possible. Evolution requires such experimentation.

(g) The political party, because it depends on votes, has to create policies which are not only (a) good in their opinion, but are (b) useful and (c) acceptable to the public. The three are not the same, a mistake made by Dictatorships. It becomes the responsibility of the Party to educate the people to accept it, or to modify their policies until they conform to the needs or benefit of a majority and become acceptable.

(h) The ability to choose between different political parties constitutes a safety valve so that mistakes can be rectified and blame for worsening conditions can be placed somewhere, deserved or not. This relieves tensions. Oppression and tyranny have limits. People cannot be deceived by words beyond a certain threshold of pain, and they can change the Government. When the conditions of life deteriorate for whatever the reason, they can always find scapegoats in the government. This encourages aspirants to power to provide some kind of solution.

(i) There is less excuse or possibility for insurrection and bloody revolutions. There are outlets for the more ambitious and vigorous to fulfill their desires for power without military means. In the absence of human moral development, it caters for, and channels the baser human impulses into an area which is less socially destructive than armed conflict. It has socialized conflict. The ambitious power-seekers can find an outlet for themselves through the ballot box. instead of having to create armed insurrection and revolt. Politicians are made necessary in one place because they exist in the opposite camp, and the problems of the world are created by conflicts between them. The police, the armies and the secret services which governments have to create in order to maintain their power, too, absorb those with psychopathic tendencies. This allows other developments to continue without too much interference.

(j) It minimizes the amount of control or interference with human ideas, desires and ambitions. It is, therefore less oppressive. It allows the free arising of ideas and forms which can be criticized, opposed, mixed and synthesized. Errors can, therefore, be removed. The possibility of the arising of what is truer, more useful or good is increased. Stagnation due to rigidity is removed.

(k) It is a matter of observation that most people are relatively ignorant, lazy, greedy and irresponsible, subject to fickleness, prejudice, suggestible, interested in trivialities, futilities, scandals, gossip, superficialities, without self-discipline and unable to think for themselves. They often need to be coerced to do what is in their own interest. Democracy provides and limits the amount of coercion and even stimulates education.

(l) It cannot be denied that most people are materialistic, selfish, and willing to sacrifice other people, their environment and their own future or psychological welfare for immediate benefits. Those with greater advantages will, therefore, exploit those with fewer. History shows that there have been many who have taken up the fight against corruption and oppression in the interest of the people, but that the people have always been too cowardly, unintelligent and short sighted to support them. Indeed, they have abandoned, betrayed and sacrificed their benefactors. It is not surprising that few can be found who consider the self-sacrifice and hardships involved worthwhile. Democracy creates a balance of power, though this is precarious and requires constant vigil.

There is an evolutionary process even in Politics. It is not possible to set up a better political system except by going through a form of Democracy.

The so called Democracies of ancient Greece and Rome, much admired by the West, rested upon slavery and much cruelty. The modern employee is still virtually a slave who has to do the bidding of his employer on pain of dismissal and loss of his livelihood. In the present day all communities are riddled with class distinctions, even under communism. The ruling classes expect to dictate terms to the working classes and the government and industrialists do not, in fact, manage with the consent of the workers but impose their wills on them with the aid of the law, the military and the police. This is not to say that it is not sometimes necessary to do so owing to the irresponsibility, selfishness and stupidity of many worker and their trade organizations. But this self-seeking is not confined to them. It is an integral part of the nature of the ruling classes too. Confrontation is, therefore, inevitable. The fault for this lies as much in the managers who continue to be arrogant and provocative. There is little doubt that humanity has not reached a state of development where real Democracy could exist.  

 

The argument which governs the Western Capitalist Democracies is that everyone should be allowed to pursue his own best interest, and this will ensure the general good and a just society. This, however, assumes that

1. Everyone knows what his best interest is.

2. That everyone has an equal ability to fulfill his desires and needs.

3. That all have equal opportunities and means.

 

This is not the case. Much talent is lost because people do not have the opportunities for education or the wherewithal to pursue some enterprise. The development of organization has increased the power of the few over the many. The result is that these few have an enormous power with which they can now do what was impossible to do in bygone ages. But it also means that others have, relatively speaking, far less power, and cannot do what was possible to do in the past. Diversity has been sacrificed to power, quality to quantity.

Modern democracies certainly provide a far from ideal form of government, but people being what they are, they probably provide the best that can be done. The disadvantage of thinking in this way, however, is that it maintains and even propagates these baser tendencies.

Yet it is possible to modify Democracy by means of the Democratic process. If, in fact, the opinions of the people are created by the press, politicians, industry and various power groups and the economic, political, legal and cultural conditions determine whether they can be fulfilled or not, then it is perfectly legitimate to arrange things more deliberately and intelligently to produce more objective benefits. The main objection to doing this is that some dictator, political party or power group would arise and manipulate the system according to their own self-interest or prejudices. They would also come into conflict with other power groups with the same tendencies, leading to chaos. Indeed, Democracies tend to be just such struggles between power groups and work only as long as there is some kind of balance between them. The solution to this problem is that:-

1. There is a common consensus that only objective principles as far as they can be determined should be applied.

2. That research will be done to establish these by those who are properly qualified.

3. That all have the right and should be given the opportunities to acquire such abilities.

4. That the value of variety is recognized not only because it caters for people who are different, but also because variety enriches and allows the emergence of what is superior.

In other words, the power has to be shifted to the educational system in which the teachers and researchers are independent and not controlled by ideological, political or commercial interests. But this educational system must Be a fully comprehensive one which concerns itself with human development.

It is evident that the higher values are derived from the religions and that all of them have a common goal. They differ only in the formulations and techniques. These cannot be regarded as justifications for conflict. It is possible to form a world-wide government based on these common goal and on tolerance, and indeed, on support and encouragement from a variety of formulations and techniques. Only a single world-wide military force is required to ensure peace, leaving all other concerns to local institutions, mutual agreements and free organization.

On Political requirements for Islam

The Muslim countries will, if they are to have any power, influence and even independence, have to create a Pan-Islamic organization into which they pool their resources for their common benefit. They cannot otherwise compete with the rest of the world. This organization will have to have the following functions:-

1. To create a Central Assembly consisting of the Representatives from each country, directly elected by the population of each country. The numbers each country sends should be proportional to the populations.

2. A proportion of the national taxes, say 10%, should go to this organization

3. To provide a centrally controlled common Military Force, and perhaps also a Police, replacing all national ones.

4. The Organization should not interfere with the internal affairs of the members, but deal exclusively with matters common to all. It should provide a common foreign policy.

5. The borders between Muslim countries should be gradually abolished. There should be no import or export restrictions and taxes, nor should the movement of peoples be hampered by passports.

6. All communities which are at present oppressed by others and looking for independence should be given the right of self-determination. This becomes possible when they have the right to send their own representatives to both the National and the Pan-Islamic Assemblies. 

7. The purpose of the Organization should be to devise, plan and implement the overall development of the member nations in several fields:- (a) Scientific Research. (b) Education. (c) Industrial and Economic development. (d) Health, psychological, moral and physical. (e) Political Reformation (f) Cultural Development (g) Environmental affairs.

 8. In time a common currency, language and ideology will have to be established. Islam is already the common religion, but it should be able to tolerate all sectional differences. This can be done if it is agreed that Islam refers to the spirit, the essence, that which is universal, rather than to the letter, the form, the particular; that the vessels or vehicles can legitimately be diverse; that the application can vary with people and circumstances. The same tolerance is extended also to all other religions.

All this is probably too much to hope for, given the stupidity and selfishness of people, particularly of those who control governments. Even their self-interests should have told them that an organization such as this would be to their great advantage, but they allow trivialities to destroy them. It is so much easier to blame foreign powers for their troubles. They then have to make no effort, can continue to wallow in self-pity, and retain the false dignity which self-examination would have destroyed.

 

Countries or areas where Muslim populations are in the majority but are dominated by foreign governments or governments dominated by non-Muslims, or even commercially, politically or culturally dominated, there it is the duty of Muslims to overthrow such governments and obtain independence, but not necessarily by military means. They could do so by negotiation, or by making it more profitable to relinquish control for those who have the power, or to use the political and cultural means in democratic systems.

If the countries where Muslims are in the minority allow them to practice their religion freely, then though there is no political problem, the Muslims are bound to be affected by the surrounding culture unless they are spiritually strong enough through knowledge and conviction, and this they must cultivate. If they are not strong enough, then they are obliged to migrate to countries where they can practice their religion freely. However, here, too, it is possible to influence government policies if Muslims take advantage of the political system in large enough numbers.

Where they are oppressed, be it by foreign powers or people from among themselves, there is nothing else to be done but to take courage in their own hands and retaliate in the best possible way, or to migrate and return another day, or to resign to the realities of the situation until they can be changed.

On Future Political Systems

Communities which are organized achieve more and are more powerful than those which are not, and, therefore, have advantages over them. But organization always means that some people have power over others whose actions they can coordinate and control. But does it always have to mean that those who are controlled should always function as extensions of those who have control, their faculties and limbs and brains as it were? Or is it possible that the controllers are merely Coordinators, performing a social function like anyone else? There is also a third possibility which seems under the present state of human development, even more remote. Is it possible that all the individuals in a community have a well defined aim obtained from mutual consultation and conferences, and that then they all act independently but cooperatively in accordance with that aim, the predetermined plan, and in accordance with the needs of that situation? A good communication and information network would be required for this.

If we look around the world, the overwhelming impression is that whereas human progress depends on the advances in science, technology and organization, most of the misery in the world, the wars and civil wars, the oppression, persecution and injustice, the poverty and disease, the prejudices, ignorance and unreasoning hysteria, all are caused by political and commercial interests and conflicts, and therefore by those who have the political and commercial power, the Politicians and Capitalists. But yet the progress is not independent of these interests, and they are the targets of blame only because they have the most power. The characteristics which drive them, greed, selfishness, obsession, ambition are distributed throughout the society. A corrupt oppressive Religious Hierarchy was replaced in the past by a Feudal Aristocracy. The Feudal Aristocracy was merely replaced by the Capitalists. If one gets rid of the Capitalist, as the communists did, then they are merely replaced by another power group, the Politicians who were no better or worse and had no commercial talent. If one gets rid of the Politicians then they might be replaced by a Scientific and Technical Hierarchy which will be just as oppressive. It appears that power is gradually passing into those countries in the East where such new Hierarchies are gaining power. However, all these changes bring about new conditions which allow certain other more hopeful situations to arise. A form of partial Democracy did arise under Capitalism because commerce depends on it and increased prosperity also increased individual education and freedom. It may well be that eventually the new forms of organization mentioned above will arise.

The Western or American policy is to organize things in such a way as to increase human freedom and choice since this facilitates enterprise. But it also produces disorder and lack of discipline. The new emerging nations in Asia follow a different policy. Here social discipline is more important. The Islamic ideal is spiritual discipline, self-surrender to the Universal God. This is likely to be much more important in the future when pressure on this planets resources and its reaction on human welfare make it more evident that human beings cannot be the goal in themselves. Then only will the third form of organization come into its own and civilization and power may return to Muslim Communities. This does not refer to any existing nation, but to any people whose behaviour approximates to the ideal of surrender to objective principles.

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