Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Why and how should we confront capitalism? (2/2)

Part one of this article is at P1 
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Fortunately we are at a point where we have not lost all to global capitalism yet. Our leaders are rapidly pushing us in that direction in the name of progress but like in almost all fields, thanks to corruption, the progress is slow. So we have a God sent opportunity to take stock of our situation and think of ways to fight this global menace.


As I said earlier the most lethal weapon that these capitalistic corporations possess is capital.  They use capital both as a weapon and as a reward to subjugate us. “Look if you let us implement our policies you will become ‘advanced’ and we will give you so many billions of dollars” they say. And through our educated class they have already brainwashed us into thinking that the amount of dollars is what matters ultimately and progress means automation, mass production etc. We do not realize that this, interest based, debt generated paper money is a fraud (Please see note at end). And worse part is that this fraud is now being Islamized by so called Islamic banking and Islamic finance. Other than the superficial prefix of Islam, practically there is no difference between the two. So we need to confront this fraud monetary/financial system and explain its reality to our people. Some of the proponents of Islamic banking/finance say that this is short term solution and is needed to provide an alternative. These folks are either deluding themselves or others; I am not sure which is it. What I am sure of is that on 29th October 2013, British Prime Minister David Cameron, announced that he wants city of London be become a hub of global Islamic finance and that London Stock Exchange will launch an Islamic Market Index (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/world-islamic-economic-forum-prime-ministers-speech). Why do you think that a British PM has become so fond of Sharia? Because the fox knows very well that in reality it is the same capitalistic system and as such poses no real threat to them. Moreover they can control and manipulate it much easily if they are in control of the numbers, much like the manipulation of LIBOR.
The ethical short comings in our society in general, and in our business people particularly are a reality that we have to accept. MNCs use this excuse to malign our local businesses in our own eyes and ultimately take over. I can go on and on about adulteration in food, deception in weights and measures, frauds in contract etc, but that won’t solve the problem. We have to revive the Islamic teachings in this area and the imams in our mosques are the best way for this. A significant percentage of Pakistanis do attend Jumma. It is during the Jumma khutba that the imams should emphasize the importance of fair business. I know this problem will not go away with a couple of sermons, but until we get a state where Sharia is implemented this is the least we can do. Prophet Shoaib (PBUH) admonished his nation regarding similar business practices but they did not pay any attention and were destroyed. Similarly if our business people do not change their habits they will also face destruction in the form of capitalistic onslaught.
A related issue is the growing individualism in our society. Capitalism thrives on and promotes individualism because it generates an atomized society. If you live in a family which has children, parents and grandparents then you don’t need child day care centers, old people homes. One meal is shared between three generations, the effort to prepare, the utensils needed in the process, the energy consumed in the process etc is all shared. On the other hand if you split the family, then you will need money to pay strangers to take care of your children and grandparents in private child care and old people homes, once again, funneling money into capitalist structure. On a philosophical level an atomized society is much easier to control and manipulate, because members of such a society are afraid of and on guard from each other. But every human being needs protection and support in his/her hour of need. In a capitalistic society this need for protection and support is provided by capitalistic institutions like insurance companies. Islam puts this responsibility on the family. When it was brought to the notice of Hazrat Umer that no one is caring for an old man he inquired about his children. He was told that the old man has no children. He further inquired about any other relatives to which he was informed that the old man has a nephew. Hazrat Umer ordered the nephew to take care of the old man. Umer could have easily set a stipend for the old man but that would have violated the order of responsibility in an Islamic society.
Every society has a set of core beliefs around which it organizes itself. Those beliefs act like gravitational pull and keep the society intact. If the members of the society lose faith or have weak faith in those beliefs then the society disintegrates and reorganization takes place around new belief system. The interim period is marked by chaos, lawlessness, violence etc. I believe we are in such a period. Our belief in Tauheed, Quran & Sunnah is very weak. I know people will challenge me and point me to superficial facts like growing number of mosques, number of people going to Hajj (), religious channels on TV etc. But as I said these are superficialities, if we really believed in Tauheed, Quran & Sunnah then we would not fall in the capitalistic trap. The very fact that capitalism is taking over our society is a proof that the god of capitalism is replacing Allah in our hearts. We may deny it all we want to but our desires for fancy houses, cars, clothes, shopping malls etc. clearly point to where our belief lies. “Your craze for more and more and mutual rivalry for worldly gains has made you heedless. Until (in the same craze) you reach the graves.” ( Quran 102:1,2 )


Note : Here are some quotes from people who are very well acquainted with this system:
"Banks lend by creating credit. They create the means of payment out of nothing."
Ralph M. Hawtrey, former Secretary of the British Treasury
“The modern banking system manufactures money out of nothing. The process is perhaps the most astounding piece of sleight of hand that was ever invented. Banking was conceived in iniquity (injustice) and born in sin. Bankers own the Earth. Take it away from them, but leave them the power to create money, and with the flick of the pen they will create enough money to buy it back again...
Take this great power away from them and all great fortunes like mine will disappear, and they ought to disappear, for then this would be a better and happier world to live in. But if you want to continue to be slaves of the banks and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let bankers continue to create money and control credit’.”
Sir Josiah Stamp Director, Bank of England 1928-1941
(reputed to be the 2nd richest man in Britain at the time)

“The study of money, above all other fields in economics, is one in which complexity is used to disguise truth or to evade truth, not to reveal it.”
John Kenneth Galbraith , economist, author, Money: Whence it came, where it went - 1975, p15

Nadeem Ghafoor Chaudhry, Dr. Hafiz Mohammad Zubair
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore
{chnadeem,mzubair}@ciitlahore.edu.pk

4 comments:

Naseem H said...

I agree with every thought behind this whole article. but the thing is that we never discussed or wrote on the Islamic Social System, we, in muslim society, talk more of rituals, Salat, Hajj, which are extremely important, but confining discussion only around these topics is not right. Islam is a religion which offers a whole philosophy of life. I listened to great scholars but i never listened to them talking of Islamic Social system, how an islamic society should be fabricated, social responsibilities of its members, how it should be organized, the tenants of its economic activity. I never saw the Ulema appreciating the philosophy of Islam, and even its five basic pillars tells lot more than we are taught.

Rizwan Ishtiaq said...

JizahkaAllah
you always force me to think in new directions. Although the 1st part showing the problems but in second part the solution you purposed, i agree with them.
as we can see now a days they are offering us courses like Islamic finance, banking, investment etc
My question is, what you think are the going to teach us in its true Islamic sense?
If not, where should we get the exact knowledge about all these, normally no one likes to discuss on these topics.

Unknown said...

No doubt many professionals are already finished in our society and some are in dying stage while others are in close monitoring to compete by capitalist hands.
But I want to say that this is because ones collective effort to knockout himself from his aged profession. Islam would protect one's profession, but on the conditions that one follow its teachings. But now, if a butcher adulterated his product against the teaching of Islam, he would get profit but not long term blessings. Sadly all of Islam teaching are not followed by Muslims any more but by the western countries capitalists and hence getting BLESSINGS.

arslan said...

Sir it is very highly recommended documentary for you plz must watch it : Four.Horsemen.2012