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In the name of Allah the One, the Unique. May peace and
blessings be upon His Messenger, his family
and Companions.
'O those who believe, be upholders of justice-
witnesses for Allah, even though against (the interest of) yourselves or the
parents, and the kinsmen. One may be rich or poor, Allah is better caretaker
of both. So do not follow desires, lest you should swerve. And if you twist
or avoid (the evidence), then, Allah is all-aware of what you do.' (Al Quran
4:135)
In the verse of the Quran mentioned above and in various other
verses of the Quran Muslims are instructed
to uphold justice and be true witnesses. Every Prophet (as) from Prophet Adam
(as)
until the last and seal of the Prophets, the Prophet Mohammad (saw) concerned
themselves with implementation of justice upon the earth
and it's natural consequence of peace.
Allah says in the Quran:
'We have sent Our Messengers with clear signs and We
have sent with them the Book and the Balance so that people stand firm with
justice and we sent the iron in which there is great awe, and benefits for
people.' (Al Quran 57:25).
The reference given to the sending down of iron at the end of
the verse indicates that in the instance where
good counsel is not enough the persons guilty of injustice may be punished so as
to deter them from such
acts in the future.
Further Allah I states:
'Be steadfast for Allah as witnesses for Justice.
And malice against a people should not bid you to not doing justice. Do
justice. That is nearer to Taqwa. And fear Allah. Surely, Allah is all-aware
of what they do.' (Al Quran 5:8)
In the above verse and that of An Nisa (4:135) Allah I instructs us to uphold
and establish justice upon
the earth. In doing so Allah I provides some guidelines. We are told that we
should be just in our decision-making and not be influenced by family ties,
social standing, and allow personal feelings of malice and other sentiments to
infringe in being just witnesses. As a result of the recent New York tragedy we
often hear the question being asked by the media 'George Bush says that you are
with us or against us which one are you?'
It should be remembered that approximately a thousand Muslims died as a result
of the tragic events that occurred on the 11th September 2001. Our response as
Muslims is that we are on the side of justice, and in
light of the above verses of the Quran, we would request others to be calm and
to judge the case pending on
it's facts before taking any action that could further effect the lives of
millions of other innocent souls. As we
have seen previously the criminal justice system of the United Kingdom and
International laws theoretically do not assign punishment without a due process
of law that requires guilt to be proven. We should put aside emotions and other
prejudices and provide justice for the whole of mankind, showing that those who
have a legitimate complaint can have recourse to a system that is just to all.
George Bush informed the world that one of the reasons for this attack upon
the USA was 'because we are
the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world.' However, US
foreign policy has been very selective as to whom it wishes to shine this
'beacon of light' upon. We have seen that many of the police states that are
restrictive and oppressive of basic human rights and a stark contrast to the
icon of democracy have
been supported and maintained by American help, much to the agitation of the
population of these countries. Acts of terrorism against the innocent civilians
of the Middle East have gone unpunished. An example is that of the campaign of
terror that saw the persecution, rape, and mass murder of the Palestinian
refugees in the Sabra and Chatila camps that resulted in the loss of 1800 lives
on the 16th September 1982, an act orchestrated and overseen by the present
Prime Minster Ariel Sharon. This has been followed by a number of other
massacres and atrocities that have been committed by Israel, one of the only so
call 'Democracies' in the Middle East,
upon a civilian population that in no way represents a military force. However,
we have never seen or heard in such instances any emotional, and stirring
speeches regarding democracy or liberty, in contrast we have only heard calls
for restraint.
In Srebrenicia (Bosnia) in 1995 over 8000 Muslims disappeared in one single
day a number larger than the number killed in New York, since then it has been
established that they were brutally murdered by the pursuing Serbian army, with
evidence of mass rape and torture that took place under the very noses of the UN
Dutch battalion which was positioned there to secure the safe haven set up by
the UN. The bodies were not even exhumed until a year later, countries that have
harbored and supported these fugitives have not even been censured. The
perpetrators of this act of genocide are still at large arrogantly flouting and
ignoring the War
crime indictments leveled against them. Why have Radovan Karadzic and Radco
Miladic not been brought to justice in the years that followed the massacre even
though their whereabouts are known to the authorities pursuing them. Ironically,
those countries that claim to uphold democracy, and justice are unwilling to
take
action against those whom there is clear evidence. Yet on the other hand they
are willing to blast into oblivion
a nation already ravaged by war and poverty whom they claim are a repressive,
barbaric and a vile regime.
Even though such a regime who apparently are in opposition to civilisation and
justice are offering to hand
over the alleged perpetrator of this crime if clear and substantial evidence can
be produced to a neutral country where the suspect may receive a fair trial.
In Chechnya since 1999, 45,000 Muslims have been killed and twice the number
wounded out of a population of 850,000, where half the population is homeless.
Weapons banned by the Geneva Conventions, such as fuel air explosives, are being
used which inflict maximum civilian casualties, not to mention the atrocities
committed in the filtration (concentration) camps. The former Russian Minister
Sergei Stephanson said "To win this war, one has to destroy the entire male
population of Chechnya".
In the past ten years since the carnage and the great loss to civilian life
that has been the result of the Gulf war, the UN estimates that over one million
Iraqi civilians, that also includes the 600, 000 innocent children below the age
of five, have died as a result of US sanctions alone. It is reported that one of
the main causes of loss of life among civilians is the result of lack of clean
drinking water; the water purification plants being destroyed during US bombing.
Deaths commonly the result of diarrhea and dysentery primarily, and other
diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and polio- all caused by bacteria and viruses
in contaminated water. Sanctions have prevented Iraqi's from acquiring the
easily available medicines that treat such diseases and repair of water
purification plants. When the former secretary of state Madeline Albright for
the USA was asked by CBS's 60 Minutes, correspondent Lesley Stahl about these
600,000 children and whether it was 'worth it.' She replied '�we think the price
is worth it�' General Powell remarked regarding the number of Iraqi's killed
'its really not a number I'm terribly interested in.' Do these words in any way
convey even a faint notion of concern for the sanctity of human life on the part
of those who hail the flag of decency and civilization.
How many innocent lives are to be lost in Afghanistan. The USA and it's
allies intend to bomb one of the most devastated and starvation-haunted
countries in the world that was only ten years ago pillaged and plundered by the
Red army. Christian aid and other charities have warned of the catastrophic
implications upon the civilian population that George Bush aims to liberate and
free. They state that approximately a quarter of the population (4-5 million)
may perish during the following weeks and months. Is this a price worth paying?
One may well ask in light of the words of the leaders of the civilized world as
to where lies the concern for the 'sanctity of human life,' or rather is life of
children, women, and the elderly expendable depending on whose national
interests are to be served
In light of events both past and present we who claim to be the upholders of
justice should strive to utilize our faculties of perception, scrutiny and
objectivity so far as its implication on the welfare of humanity is concerned.
The life of any being irrespective of race, culture or language is a gift to
humanity which is irreplaceable, and hence, those entrusted with positions of
authority who claim to act in the name of humanity should in themselves
inculcate such lofty ideals rather than to use these as hollow slogans to
manipulate the minds of the masses to serve their ulterior motives.
We as Muslims must adopt all legitimate means at our disposal in order to
discharge our moral and Islamic responsibilities by standing up for truth and
justice in all their forms. The sanctity of one Muslim should not be
underestimated in the sight of Allah (swt) as mentioned in a famous narration
from Abdullah bin Umar (ra) who relates;
"I saw the Prophet (saw) performing tawaf around the
Ka'bah and saying 'How pure you are! And how pure is your fragrance! And how
great you are! And how great is your sanctity! By He in whose hands lies the
soul of Muhammad, the sanctity of a believer is greater with Allah than even
your sanctity. (The sanctity) of his wealth, his blood, that we think
nothing of him but good." (Ibn Majah)
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