The New Form of Colonialism and the Dangers to the Muslim Ummah


Introduction

Amongst the many problems that have engulfed the Muslim Ummah are the deep scars that physical colonisation left in its wake. The Crusades, the Tartars invasion of the Abbasid Khilafah, the Napoleonic Wars, the conquest of North Africa, the colonisation of the Indian Sub-Continent by the British and that of Africa by numerous European powers are just some examples.

All these are instances of wars initiated with the intention of direct invasion against those resisting physical colonisation and removing the enemy from the invaded lands. If the invader were to be victorious it would mean the direct rule of the conqueror over the vanquished.

In the modern era the prevalence of physical colonisation has diminished. Many nations with a past history of colonisation have attained independence such as Pakistan, Algeria and Somalia. But nevertheless the spectre of colonialism is still present in a new guise; a style far more subtle and sophisticated than the now archaic physical colonisation. Political, economic, military and cultural domination is still maintained through international organisations and bodies such as the United Nations organisation, the Security Council, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, UNESCO, and the like. These organisations are controlled by the dominant world powers that run them according to their political interests and desires. These organisations and committees are nothing more than tools used to aid this disguised form of colonialism. Furthermore the prevalence of embassies, diplomatic missions, cultural expeditions and labour exchanges sweeping the width and the breadth of Third World nations, ensures the interests of the colonialist states dominates over the Muslims.

This type of cultural, economic, social and political invasion is the new face of colonialism. It is known as Neo-colonialism; an indirect colonialism much more dangerous than its first cousin. This is because direct invasion agitates the survival instinct in people, so the conquered people become affected and angered by feelings of fear for survival and self-defence, pushing them to stand up against the colonialists, to force them out of their invaded lands. Therefore the powers existing within the threatened lands will unite until the desired goal is achieved. This is why direct colonialism is less dangerous than indirect colonialism, despite the lives lost and the blood shed because of it, which is the reality of physical war with the enemy.

The tools of Neo-Colonialism

''Colonies do not cease to be colonies because they are independent.''[Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister]

Politics in the international arena is conducted according to the doctrine of self-interest. Morality, philanthropy or altruism are not factors that motivate the modern-day colonisers. As such, neo-colonialism treads a twisted path, using perverse and concealed styles that few people come to notice. For this reason indirect colonialism is far more dangerous than the direct colonialism of old, and its dangers come from two fronts: internal and external.

On the external front the dominant powers exert influence over the weaker, smaller states. This is done in order to monopolise on interests and benefits that increases their strength to mould the world into a shape they desire. To achieve this they take advantage of what they have of power and influence and use a host of international organisations and bodies as pressuring tools to achieve their will.

United Nations

The United Nations and the Security Council is one such example. When it is decided to send armies into areas that have fallen into a state of war, they do not intervene for the sake of the protection of humanity. The security of nations and establishing peace is not their purpose as they claim or as some tend to believe, rather it is to support their allies who participate in achieving their interests and objectives. This was the situation in the Balkans and in Bosnia and Herzegovina where it was revealed that the UN and the Security Council supplied the Serbs with weapons and revealed to them the strategic locations within the Muslim territory, while forcing the Muslims to abide by the arms embargo. In addition, they would restrict the Muslims to certain areas using the excuse that this was to protect them from the Serbs. Failing to shy away from ridiculing public opinion and international law they would force their intervention and forge 'peace talks' between the two sides. And to throw dust over the eyes of those watching, they openly offered a 'humanitarian' hand to those states affected by the war with meagre amounts of food, medicine leftovers and rejected clothing. The situation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is just one illustration; Palestine is another scenario, all the more repulsive and horrific.

IMF and World Bank

As for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, their control over the weaker states is an economic one. They burden the developing nations with large, high interest, long-term loans, to give the lending states the authority to interfere with the economy of the indebted states; controlling them politically and economically. By locking underdeveloped nations into such long-term loan agreements, the IMF meddles with the currency of the indebted state, increasing the interest rates or decreasing them, according to what they see as beneficial. They play an active role in causing internal turbulence and revolts when they stipulate on the countries that fall under their influence the freezing of wages, increasing customs on goods and commodities, or forcing countries to cease the subsidising of products which are essential to the lives of the people.

The massive uprisings that took place in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan, which were called 'the Bread Revolutions', are famous citations. However the instigators of this, namely the IMF and World Bank, are still seen as saviours. Their advice and solutions are continuously sought after by the politically naïve.

Moreover, when the weaker states apply for loans in order to build factories for heavy industry, facilities for technological and scientific research and such constructive projects, these applications are usually rejected by the IMF. These powerful states will not lend one penny unless they are confident that the results achieved will be of no significant value to the applicant state. The 'developing' states thus remain under their influence, never becoming anything more than consumer states, consuming what they produce for her and depriving her of the right to compete in the world market. Rather these loans are only to be spent on unproductive projects such as paving and repairing new roads, building unused bridges, hotels for tourism and other fallacious projects.

As for the loans spent on agricultural developments, the IMF does this in order to mislead and deceive the people. For how is agricultural development meant to be achieved when the ruling governments in these countries prevent barren lands from being cultivated by the people? This especially when the authorities do not commence their development, nor do they give the people living on the lands permission to develop them.

As for what we hear regarding the financial assistance offered by the larger states to our lands, these are immediately spent on the ruling structure, especially the departments of internal security. They are granted unparalleled generosity to enforce the authority and control of such tyrannical governments over the people, ensuring their continued existence in power. An example of this is Tunisia, a small country with limited capabilities and few natural resources. Despite this, it has a very powerful ministry, considered to be one of the most important ministries in influence and authority over other ministries. This is no other than the Ministry of Internal Affairs, having the largest budget of all other ministries including the Ministry of Defence, resulting in the fact that the presence of a Tunisian police officer became more powerful than that of a military officer. The budget of this ministry reached 100 million dinars at one point, which is approximately twelve to fifteen per cent of the country's budget, a figure increasing during the ruling periods of Mizaali and Ben-Ali. The influence of this ministry extends across many national administrations normally separate from this ministry. It is responsible for the direct supervision of all security authorities: including police in all its forms, intelligence agencies and the national guard - which is usually supervised by the Ministry of Defence as is the case in Algeria. It also supervises the running and administration of prisons - which in most countries is supervised by the Ministry of Justice, as well as the supervision of governors and mayors, even religious activities and slogans are under their direct supervision. This extraordinary amount of attention paid to this ministry is a clear indication that the colonialist states support these oppressive, hired governments who suppress their people with a clenched iron fist.

UNESCO & UNICEF

As for UNESCO and UNICEF, these organisations initially seem to be international organisations whose duty is ending illiteracy and helping the world's poverty stricken children. But the real truth is that their duty is to spread depravity and moral, social and cultural corruption. So using the pretence of decreasing illiteracy, they send cultural programmes to these poor countries which filter through to even the villages and rural areas. These programmes are western style and contradict Islamic principles. One of the effects of these programmes is the introduction of mixed schools for boys and girls as well as sex education programs taught to young teens, male and female, using the excuse of solving the children's sexual and psychological problems. They also try to initiate women's rights and contraception issues. As for women's liberation, this means pushing her to remove her Hijab and acting in a shameful manner, distancing herself from the basic norms and principles of Islam; abandoning the Islamic Ahkam Shar'ia. On the other hand they use contraception issues to keep the Muslim Ummah from increasing in size and thus increasing in power and control.

These organisations try to convince us by presenting some analytical studies, showing - according to their opinion - the dangers of demographic development on our lives geographically and the imbalance between food production and world population. The media, especially forms such as television, transmit alarming pictures of starvation and drought in Africa and Asia to gain peoples' sympathies and agitate their emotion. They consequently gain public support for their despicable programs practised on weak nations whilst trying to hide their groping, thieving hands from the honey pot they call the 'developing world'. The claims, that the rate of demographic growth does not match the wealth available in the world or domestic production in some developing countries, are absolutely ridiculous. Those who hold this opinion move to convince others that their opinion is correct and purport their sincerity to the idea of offering a higher standard of living to the world's impoverished. However, the statistics we hold show surprising differences. The percentage rates at which the world's natural resources are divided upon its citizens does not correspond with the world's population in order for it to meet their basic needs. For the world's population has reached 5.5 billion people, and only 25% of this number live in developed countries, while the remaining 75% live in the Third World. The people of Western Europe, America and Japan alone consume 80% of the world's fuel resources, 85% of wood and 80% of foodstuffs. As for the citizens of the Third World, whose population is over 4 billion people, their use of the world's natural resources do not exceed a sixth, or 17%, of all available resources, even though they account for 75% of the world's population. Meanwhile, the average income of a European citizen is approximately 20 times the income of a citizen of the Third World, even though it is well known that what is called the 'Third World' is very rich in natural resources, land and agriculture; capable of meeting not only all basic needs but also the extra luxuries for billions of people. According to one scientist, specialising in the sciences of nature, the resources available in the world are sufficient to offer a standard of living equal to that of a Swiss farmer to more than 57 billion people, on the condition that these resources are distributed properly. Despite these shocking figures the colonialists and their intellectuals sell lies, which totally contradict the clear evidences that exist, with their meetings, conferences and advertisements calling people to use birth control to ensure 'a better way of life'.

The enemies within: Agent rulers

The aims of neo-colonialism could not be achieved were it not for the internal factors. This threat comes from inside the borders of the Islamic lands. Here the disbelieving colonialists have managed to cross over the physical barriers separating the Muslim Ummah from the Kuffar to strike at us from between our lines. This bridge that has been tied over our defences is the agent rulers and traitors who come from our lineage. These fabricators, who eat out of the hands of the Kafir colonialist, became their accomplices from the inside. Using this dual strategy, adopted by the disbelieving colonialist via his agent rulers, the Islamic lands have become fine feeding pasture for their greedy and gluttonous desires. This period is of the ugliest and most repulsive situations known in the history of human struggle, for the history of man has never witnessed such a filthy display of open betrayal and blatant treachery with the enemy; nor have we ever heard of a nation who betrayed herself through herself in this despicable manner for the sake of an enemy nation. So we find the puppet Arab regimes feeds off $1 billion handouts by America and does not turn her forces to liberate Palestine. Rather she fires bullets on her own peoples. We witness the treachery of the Hashimites in Jordan who for years have pushed the British agenda within the Middle East at the expense of her own peoples.

However, this Ummah, which holds such a mighty, deep-rooted history, lived through periods swaying from strength to weakness, having to face all sorts of wars and invasions. Such as the invasion by the Tartars and the Crusaders, whom she repulsed due to her own sincerity and truthfulness. So, the monstrous Tartars, who attacked her and poured out all of their hate and enmity upon her, quickly became Muslim Mujahideen, carrying her Rayah (flag of war) of ''Laa 'ilaaha 'illa Allah''. As for the Crusaders, who were full of hatred and anger towards Islam and the Muslims, they were met by a man sent by Allah (swt), sincere to his Deen, his Creator (swt), and his people. He purified Jerusalem and the Islamic lands, pushing back their attack and enmity and wiping all traces of them off the lands, until the name 'Salah Al-Deen Al-Ayyubi' remained a symbol of pride for this Ummah. Such was the case with 'Haroon Al-Rasheed', 'Al-Mu'tasim Billah' and the Khalifah 'Abdul Hamid'. Although it has been mentioned that this Ummah has lived through periods swaying between strength and weakness, she has never lived through betrayals like these of today, which have corrupted her personality and stepped on her honour at the hands of her sons.

Life today has been turned inside out, where the man who is sincere and trustworthy towards his Ummah is labelled a fundamentalist and a terrorist; and the cheap, lowly traitor is considered an example of manliness, courage, strength and honour! Like this, the betrayal of these cheaply rented agents opened a small path through our defences for this invisible occupation to cross our borders, control our lives and rape our resources. But most people are unaware of what is transpiring around them and what is being planned for them, meanwhile thinking well of their current leaders. There are some who do not merely attempt to justify the positions and blatant treachery of the rulers, but they also claim that the Kafir colonialist has had a positive effect on our culture and civilisation. They say that when the disbelieving colonialist attacked and invaded our lands, it was because of this that we were liberated from our backward state which we were stuck in!

"It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths as a saying: What they say is nothing but falsehood."[ Al-Kahf: 5]

How the enemies within were established

At the end of the 17th Century the West began to notice an intellectual weakness in the Muslims as well as their falling behind in the areas of science and technology. This filled the West with greed and desire to get their hands on the wealth of these Islamic lands; taking great care in handling this matter and thinking very carefully of how to handle this massive superpower. Years of physical confrontations had yielded little results, to some the possibility of defeating Mujahideen who valued death more than life was an impossibility. So the West contemplated and finally reached an evil scheme to enable him to achieve the desired results quickly, eliminating interminable years of struggle which they would have otherwise have had to face. This plan, which they laid out, focused on the main source of the Muslims strength and life in order to destroy it. This source was the Aqeeda (creed), full of life inside him, as well as all the thoughts, which emanate from it. From the West's perspective the only possible way to conquer the Muslims was to work to dry up the sources of this spirit and instilling doubt in the 'Aqeeda. So they began to slither into the skin of the Ummah in order for them to reach this beating heart, tearing out the arteries, separating them from the body. During these days, they knew the Islamic State as 'The Sick Man of Europe', and it was the golden opportunity for them to overpower it and lay the final blow in its final hours. So the matter was not difficult at all, all that was needed was to speed up the process. Indeed these aspirations came true as the great fortress collapsed and the weak body fell to the ground.

This outcome was inevitable, for they proceeded to draw out some individuals of our own flesh and blood living within the lands at the time, who turned away from their Deen and Ummah. The West had discovered in them a fascination with the corrupt Western culture and civilisation, so they spent much time and effort preparing them intellectually and politically to the extent, which satisfied their interests. They then quickly returned them back to our lands and helped them to reach sensitive positions in the governmental structure of the state, so that they may spew out the poisons that they were fed in the disbelieving Western states. Thoughts which were previously unknown to the Ummah were instilled in her, thoughts such as tribalism and nationalism, tearing apart her concrete foundations; then adding other thoughts, like democracy and freedoms, causing her to leave many of her Islamic obligations, changing her loyalties from Allah (swt) and His Prophet (saw), to secularism and the thought of separating Islam from politics; and from loyalty to the Muslims, to serving the disbelievers - the Kuffar, the enemies of the Ummah, the sons of Zionists and the Crusaders.

These vile Colonialist enemies designed an evil strategy to ensure their active existence with our defences, in the heart of our lands, to overpower and control us politically and economically so that we lose all capability of resisting them or competing with them in the international political arena. Like this, the Ummah was lost, unable to find a sincere leader to run her affairs correctly and this is why we see her today scattered from her lands, running away from the dictators, hungry because of the strategy of starving the people and living in hardship due to the system imposed upon them.

As for the disbelieving colonialists, you see them entering our lands and living there safely, wandering around it however they wish, establishing their success upon our wealth and resources. What is strange about all this is not the amount of influence the colonialist has upon us, nor the agents who work for them. Rather it is the ignorance and lack of awareness of the Muslims towards what befalls them and what they experience of hardships due to the actions of these enemies.

This is how the disbelieving colonialists, using his prepared agents, managed to enter our lands, spreading their poison, implementing their conspiracies, exploiting our wealth and misleading our sons. All this attained without using a direct hand, rather using the hands of men who speak our language and wear our clothes, who sold their Deen for worldly desires, or rather, for other peoples' worldly desires. They were a primary element in the destruction of the Khilafah State and are standing in the way of those who are working to correct that which went awry.

The colonialists, using this new strategy of political, economic and intellectual occupation, managed to achieve what they were incapable of achieving using their military might. Thus, indirect occupation or neo-colonialism is far more dangerous than direct occupation and causes far more destruction and damage. This new type of colonialism kills with a silent death, except for those who hear and are aware. The old style killed before a group of people, witnessed by the aware as well as the ignorant and resistance is far greater towards that which is seen than towards that which is undertaken secretly, behind closed doors.

The Islamic Ummah must become aware of what goes on around her, preventing her enemies from breaking through her defences; not only their armies but also their intellectual, cultural, economic and political poisons. Also preventing the agents of her enemies from remaining established in their positions of authority, ruling over her head, being used as advanced strategic positions for her enemies. This is how the Ummah will save herself from these vile schemes and truly revive, assuming her position and role once again, the finest Ummah brought forth to mankind, who orders the Ma'ruf and forbids the Munkar, returning the authority of Islam and the Muslims, raising the flag of the honourable Messenger of Allah (saw), and she truly is capable of achieving this, with the mercy of Allah (swt).

Verily, Allah will give victory to those who aid His (cause); for verily Allah is Full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will[ Al-Hajj: 40]