Freedom First

Freedom First

Islamic groups are still condemning the prohibiting of democracy and renouncing the violations of freedom of expression and speech, arguing that currently Islamic nations are afflicted with authoritarian regimes This made modernist Islamic scholar Sheikh Al-Qaradawi advocate the call and demand for  freedom as the highest priority required prior to the enforcement of Sharia. (The first battle of Islamic awakening movement, in recent days, is the battle for freedom, so all who truly care about Islam must stand united and call for promoting liberty indispensably defending it as no alternative for) “Min Fiqh al-Dawla fi’l-Islam” (On the Jurisprudence of the State in Islam)

 

 

It is not necessary for those who need to be reminded that Liberty is one of Shariah’s purposes because it  desires to address the masses of the Islamic movement that has always thought that Islamic law is just sanctions and injunctions limiting the freedoms of expression and speech, urging him to address them with correct ways. This means that we also need to restore a culture of freedom for further deepening and spread of our ideology.

 Islamic discourses are non-reassuring or even intimidating as the Islamic movement’s general trend is accelerating towards deeper understanding of democracy where they are keen to participate in standing in the face of tyranny to delve into the vast horizons of democracy. Perhaps the bitter experiences they have endured with the scourge of tyranny are the main driver of demand.

 

The dilemma today is not primarily to convince the Islamists with democracy, but in convincing autocratic tyrants that military rulers have no roots in the community, where they did not hesitate to repeatedly boast that they will not recognize the Islamic movements’ growing popularity”.

 

 

The external support for incumbent regimes is still the only obstacle we face in the soul’s longing for freedom to get a fair share of democracy which is stretched across the vast continents of the world except the Arab.  In addition to this the aspects of modern Islamic discourse concerns us more as the contemporary Islam’s promise of hope- against the extremist trends, reluctant to move with freedom and democracy defend them to the end, giving  the believers full and complete confidence in linking the fate of the Islamic project with promoting awareness and recognition that they are the sole source of authority rather than mistrusting them with the wrongful imposition of guardianship constituting a major infringement of Muslim’s civil rights.

 

B- Reluctance to move to the principles of citizenship to as a legal basis for the distribution of rights and duties and equality before the law regardless of differences in religion, sex, and creed. There is still within reliable Islamic mainstream centrist reluctance in the recognition of secular parties in a Muslim country, while the Muslim Brotherhood’s instrument provides recognition of pluralism as a step toward it.

 

The first Constitution ever known in history, the constitution of Al-Madina, has realized peace between the warring tribes and recognized the right of the establishment of the State on the principle of citizenship as it is characterized by “Islamic Paper” made between religion and citizenship was viewed as “Immigrants and Supporters and their Followers as a Nation Without People,”. The paper approved Jewish tribes as “a nation without people,” The people were gathered and described as ” a nation without a people” as the nation’s politics, on the basis of citizenship as well as the historical model of the Islamic state was founded on the legitimacy of Islamic conquest that had collapsed and been replaced by national States on the basis of equal citizenship.

 

There is no real support to justify fear from Islam in the case of attempting to apply freedom and pluralism in general as all what happened to all Islam and Muslims in their absence. Narrow-minded people and the tyranny remains a very real danger to Muslims. In fact, Freedom is goodness, which brings blessing to our nation and Islam’s great objective, no longer human rights is being purified where Allah’s religion is faced with most serious threat. How palatable is the Islamists asking of the ruling parties, which are mostly secular governments, recognition of their legitimacy, while they are not ready to reciprocate?

 

 

It is a dualism which can not be justified under any circumstances. Is necessary that an Islamic nation share exile and repression instead of mutual recognition and power? The city-state of Medina has not proven that they eliminated any group because of differences in religion, , due to differences in policy as it emerges from the principle of Islam, “There is no compulsion in religion” as it is a fortiori in politics. Different political parties can arise in light of the Islamic state as long as their loyalty to this country is committed to peace, thus they can contribute to building mutual understanding between peoples, nations and religions according to Allah Almighty as saying “O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! The noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct” [al-Hujurat: 13].

 

C- The mandate for women in Islam is widely viewed that Islam prohibits women’s mandate as one of the definite fundamentals of religion! That issue belongs like most of politics and governance to the legitimate interests and manages worldly affairs. Some have stretched out ways aimed to restrict women’s rights to the extent to deprive the entire society and the Islamic movement of women’s participation in political affairs even the right to vote and to be elected as revealed with the struggle of Kuwaiti women to gain access to the right of political participation and addressing the Islamic movement depriving them of any participation as Amir Decree save the situation on their political rights. Although the mother movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, recognized women’s political participation at all levels except head of state in line with traditional Islamic jurisprudence preventing women from taking Caliph’s post or spiritual head of the Islamic Umma based on an prophetic tradition ” No people will ever prosper who appoint a woman in charge of their affairs,”.

 

 

Hadith is not a definitive indication on what they want, it is- as Sheikh Mohammed al-Ghazali, explained an alternating between telling the Persians failure and Muslims successfully tidings, so it is a description of an incident related to Chosroes’ daughter and being a legislative provision. How palatable to adopt a rule in constitutional jurisprudence which eliminates the rights of half of the society. It is the duty to participate in public political affairs as a basis dedicated for definitive texts endorsed the equality such as the provisions of the mandate to “enjoin good and forbid evil “as Almighty Allah says “The believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil” “AL TAWBAH: 71”

 

 

If we assume that the mentioned Hadith is a definition on the prevention of appointing women as rulers since  this post has been entirely removed and replaced by an unlimited number of princes  and regional presidencies, particularly where the State has, in recent days, turned into an institution governed by laws and arrangements aimed to prevent unilateralism and almost turning  the presidency into a symbolic institution, with the resolution according to  law, is made after consultation by the concerned Authority.

 

 

The mandate for women in Islam is widely viewed that Islam prohibits women’s mandate as one of the definite fundamentals of religion. This allegation belongs like most political and governmental affairs to the legitimate interests in worldly affairs.

 

 

It is often attested to achieve public interest regardless of gender. The nation’s interests in appointing  a ruler comes not from sex, but from an individual’s competence and efficiency in achieving justice which is the sublime purpose of the political legitimacy as a whole where justice lies with God’s law. Abu Ala Mawdudi was not among those who believe that women’s participation in the parliamentary and presidential elections is an inherent right for women. He found himself subject to a difficult choice with two candidates of the opposite sex; however he chose the women believing her more suitable for the post. This demonstrated the practicing of the script in the holy Quran which recites “And the male is not like the female,” “Ale Imran: 36” It was fun for Mary’s mother, who had been waiting for a male boy, she delivered female. A divine reassurance was revealed: Do not be sorrow as the female was given is the best of the male, who had hoped (Interpretation of liberation and enlightenment).

 

 

This debate reminds us of a relevant incident at an Islamic Group’s Conference in Pakistan at a time when Benazir Bhutto rose to power and Nawaz Sharif was in the opposition where he attended the conference as a visitor and soon he made a petition to the invited scholars throughout the Muslim world with a fatwa urging them to sign it, banning women from participation as the head of an Islamic government or head of an Islamic state, citing mutawatir hadith. Once I received the petition found it difficult to be fooled by such a professional politician seeking to take advantage of learning from our culture. Then, I asked my college: what are the basic specifications that you want to be available in your Governors? Is not Justice according to the Islamic law? If he established justice and righteousness in the land as your will, then examine insignificant specifications such as race, color, and the tribe.

 

 

D- Non-Muslim leadership over Muslim is another problem arousing considerable controversy among Islamists and their connection with non-Muslim citizens especially on a provision for consultation to establish the Muslim Brotherhood’s legitimate party in which they have had reservations on the assumption of non-Muslim to be a head of the Islamic state. Although most Arab constitutions have proclaimed Islam as the official religion in which they unanimously agreed that Muslims shall assume the post of the head of state and the Brotherhood adopted the same situation which has raised a wide wave of protest against them especially since the Movement’s stance has not wavered. Nevertheless they imitated well-known position in traditional Islamic politics but in my opinion did not appreciate the conditions surrounding them well especially since the issue is purely hypothetical as Egypt’s popular reality is far from any possibility of any Copt assuming leadership, even if demanded by the Muslim Brotherhood.

 

Egyptian Christian Copts do not find their way to win posts even the People’s Assembly unless a limited number of them are directly appointed by the head of state as the ruling party does not accept their nomination among its candidates due to the lack of their chances for success. Is it possible to assume a head of state? It has not far from the Army’s grip, which makes the controversy over the issue purely theoretical and part of the campaign against the Brotherhood in order to intimidate people and further incite them. So, it was incumbent on them to miss the opportunity on the crafty men. They kept silent on this issue because Al-Shatby considered as ” it was pointless fighting”, or can they afford to commit themselves to do so without implying that it’s a constitutional requirement.

 

 

If we assume that a Coptic figure enjoys wide and great popularity making him eligible to meet the conditions for this prestigious position to win in free and fair elections, it will not be a national disaster or a religious sin. The Islamic nation is immune from aberrations if relieve them of their freedom of choice. In fact, Egypt has witnessed high-qualified Coptic leaders with national and popular acceptance such as Makram Ebeid, some of whom were advisers and very close to the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood movement Hassan al-Banna.

 

Christian Faris Khoury went on to become Prime minister in Syria. He performed well and his relations with Islam and the Islamists were excellent. He did not destroy his country rather good memories were left behind; I wish all those rebel Muslims who succeeded had walked in his footsteps.

 

 

They expanded on strenuous controversy about fairest and the most efficient ” Set me over the store-houses of the land: I will indeed guard them, as one that knows (their importance).” Joseph: 55”, “O my (dear) father! engage him on wages: truly the best of men for thee to employ is the (man) who is strong and trusty” ” Stories: 26”, Search for masculinity, femininity and the belief that the Islamic movement’s draft and the democratic movement that seeks to liberate all States of the scourge of tyranny, regardless of candidate’s genuine piety, righteousness “.

 

 

The problem today is stern and severe male Muslims rule perhaps if they were female, even if affiliated to a religious minority not belonging to a Muslim-majority, they may have been more reluctant to suppress us fearing that they may be accused of doing it in spite and malice. “Maybe that’s why the post-colonial successors more atrocities than them.

 

 

Perhaps Kawarej preferred to elect non-Qurashi in order to be easier to depose. Nigeria’s army Generals was more powerful and punishable than the Civil Christian who democratically-elected. In remote past, some legitimate politics quoted that the Almighty Allah grants victory to the fair State even though they are non-Muslims and surely Allah does not guide the unjust people even if they are Muslims. Islamic states are primarily attained justice, efficiency, public interests and warding off evil. When we abandon the debate to the arena of reality, we discover that going into this issue have no value in Islam.

 

We must counter our real problem, with the tyranny and all forms of discrimination and domination. The reality is that the believers forced out of the Dar al-Islam (The Abode of Islam) controlled by unjust rulers to Dar al-Kufr ((land of disbelief)) governed by rulers give people’s right to express their will. We want to live to see the day when freedom of expression is guaranteed to all.

 

We face very complex incidents which can’t be dealt with single-mindedness. Sudan’s Islamists find themselves under conquer a fact which obliged them to make heavy concessions to maintain internal unity such as recognition of the right of self-determination for the people of the South, participation in the political power and the sharing of wealth, recognizing the concept of citizenship on the basis of the right to vote and hold public office allowing non-Muslim’s the right to hold jobs and assume head of state. Why do we not move except under extreme necessity? Why do we not understand the world’s requirements? 

 

E- The nation’s public is the main guarantor of some Islamists’ reservations on democracy in the sense that they chose to depend on the popular will through the ballot boxes where they quote from the Muslim Brotherhood’s draft. The draft includes a proposal to a panel of senior scholars responsible for providing the Shura to the People’s Assembly in everything related to religion without a binding opinion. However, anti-propaganda spreads the worst interpretation by recalling Wilayat al Faqih (The authority of a leading jurist as the Leader of society).

 

Here it is true to believe in the ideals of the proposed owners  as their opponents came to lie in wait of more opportunities to demonize them and intimidate them seizing the gains of the modern society and wanting to return to the era of clerical rule.

 

 

 

Once again, the Brotherhood has not really needed to propose a panel of senior Islamic scholars to give advice to the People’s Assembly in order to ensure the compatibility of laws with the Constitution providing for the Sharia as the main source of legislation. A mission must be entrusted to an elected constitutional council, or the State Council enriched with qualified and experienced judges to ensure its task is done well rather than appointing scholars belonging to a weak institution like Al-Azhar where the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar may be marginalized and made an object of ridicule.

 

 

The first concern was to provide guarantees of freedom of speech and expression, Freedom of the press and fair elections and the narrowing of the opportunities for tyranny and the secretion of institutions isolated from the will of the people.  There is no fear of Islam to be deviated by elected deputies expressing the nation’s will. But danger always comes from dictators.  Breaking the shackles that constrains peoples were the top priorities of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) according the Holy Quran “He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them” “Al-A’raf: 157”.