global civil society - how things can be in the future

by Khalid Thu May 13, 2004 14:10

The concept of secularism constitutes the bedrock of contemporary western political thought, forming the system of governance dominant throughout the world today. Its basic idea is based upon the concept of detaching religion from the affairs of the state, ensuring that the political system of the state is void of having any religious grounding, leaving the people free to run their affairs according to their own will.
Secularism is the belief that politics and religion should remain detached, allowing the people to believe in whatever religious belief they wish to adopt whilst ensuring that their political life is free from their religious persuasions. Hence in a secular society it is required that even the most devout of people maintain this dichotomy between their religion and the rest of life’s affairs.
If one were to look into the history of Christianity in the western world it is clearly evident that the experience of religion in the west is a bleak one. The only experience of religion in the west was one where the Church as a ruling institution was used to exploit and suppress the masses. The landlords and barrens used Christianity to subjugate the people into a false sense of religion believing that they were in fact destined by god to do so, causing widespread corruption, and unhappiness. Hence when the church was abolished as a governing body by separating it from the state this brought about a vast change leading to the industrial revolution, from which mass scientific and technological progression occurred. Ever since, the church (i.e. religion) has taken a back seat when it comes to dealing with the affairs of the people, rather religion as a concept is seen as an impediment to progression in the modern world.
This secularisation of Christianity is seen to be the turning point for the western world from where it was able to advance to reach the status it has today. To the extent whereby today Christianity itself is adapted to become more flexible in order to suit modern day life by becoming more tolerant to a diversity of people within society. Secularism has been attributed to success and development whereas religion is seen as a failure in contemporary western society.
After this separation between church and state it was understood that both parties had differing roles and that they would coexist by avoiding confrontation with one another. The church acted as the religious institution responsible for providing moralistic and religious judgement whereas the state was responsible for welfare and political judgement.
Over time, naturally there arose conflict between the needs of the people within society and their religious beliefs. When liberalism and equality led to the call for the reformation of the church it resulted in the church bowing to pressure by accepting trade on Sundays, women priests, homosexuals etc. the church caved in to the will of the people leading to an eventual compromise of religious beliefs in order to maintain the advancement of secular society. Therefore it was no longer adequate for the church as an institution to be detached from the governing body, rather it also needed amendment in order to cater for the needs and practices of a progressive secular society. The church eventually became subservient to the state, with the political system moulding the church so that it suits the needs of the time, leaving the state to dictate the agenda. Leading to a new era in the history of secularism, that of post-secularism.

The notion of secularism is not a new phenomenon as far as the Muslims are concerned, rather it dates back prior to the Messenger Muhammad (saw) in Arabia. If we look to the Arabian society during jahiliyyah (before Islam) we can see the way in which they clearly practised secularism. The Arabs of Quraysh were staunch secularists as we have come to know from studying the revelation. The society of Arabia observed religious tolerance between the differing beliefs prominent at the time, these consisted of idol worshipers (polytheists), Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians. Yet we find that all of these people lived together with a certain level of tolerance, governed by a specific law and order, the fact that there existed different religious beliefs did not affect their political system as this involved people from the various faiths. The Arabs clearly viewed their religious beliefs as being distinct from their system of governance and kept the two separate.
In fact the similarity between the Arabs in jahiliyyah and the moderate secular Muslims of today is striking. During the era of jahiliyyah the Arab mushrikeen as part of their religion believed in Allah (swt) and in Angels, they would look after the Kabah, sanctifying it and would make tawaaf around it, they elevated the sacred month and even made qurbaani, yet the people viewed these ritual acts as being separate to other actions. These rituals only regulated certain aspects of their life and hence various ills were committed outside of them. The Arab mushrik were secularists in that they would implement a few rituals as part of their belief but would not extend this to other aspects of life, namely their political system.
“And if you (O Muhammad SAW) ask them: "Who has created the heavens and the earth," they will certainly say: "Allah." Say: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah!" But most of them know not.” [EMQ 31:25]
The idols that they revered were believed to be intermediataries to Allah (swt) that they used in order to become closer to god and did not consider them to be gods themselves. Yet the Quraysh were called mushrik for the very reason that they associated partners with Allah (swt), they elevated and sanctified their idols as gods, worshipping them, praying to them and consoling them in times of need whether in terms of their ritual acts or otherwise. They also referred to their whims and desires when it came to other areas of life such as economic transactions, social conduct and in ruling as Allah (swt) tells us in the Quran:
“Woe to Al-Mutaffifin (those who give less in measure and weight (decrease the rights of others)), Those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, demand full measure, And when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due.” [83:1-3]
“And when the female (infant) buried alive (as the pagan Arabs used to do) shall be questioned. For what sin she was killed?” [81:8-9]
“They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah)…” [9:31]
Today we find a very similar situation with those Muslims who carry a secular mentality thinking that by performing certain ritual acts they have relieved themselves of the burden of obeying their creator, whilst in all other aspects of their life they refer to sources other than the Shariah of Allah (swt). Some Muslims carry this diseased mentality of believing that they can live life in the manner that befits them, indulging in haram and kufr, underestimating the implications of their actions. Some have refused to follow the shairah whilst others compromise their belief, both of which are in grave error.
The one who refuses to practice Islam is clearly in a state of jahiliyyah, this ignorance and arrogance towards the deen could result in such a person leaving the fold of Islam completely. Such people are by-products of today’s society that teaches us to do as we please and not to commit ourselves to the constraints of religious beliefs. They believe that religion is backward and is not worthy of being followed in modern times. Shaytaan has diverted these individuals by tempting them with the desires and luxuries of the dunyah, he has blackened their hearts and stimulated their desires taking them from the path of Allah (swt) and luring them onto the path to hell.
As for those who try to strike a balance between the dunyah and their deen, they fall flat on their faces in doing so. They see Islam as a secular belief being comparable to any other religion, trying to assimilate into the western society adopting the western culture whilst trying to maintain their Islamic identity. In doing so they end up compromising their belief and abandoning portions of their deen, to the extent whereby they begin to deny and change the laws of Allah (swt) in order to suit their needs. Such people are ashamed of Islam and distort it in order to appease their nafs, only accepting those things that seem easy and make rational sense whilst abandoning anything that may disrupt their daily routine or the comfort of their lifestyle. They believe Islam to be outdated and in need of reformation, to make it adaptable to the modern world. Whilst there are others who for the sake of their interests and benefit adapt the laws of Allah (swt) to suit their situation, or for the sake of suffering a little difficulty or sacrificing for the sake of Allah (swt) compromise their deen for purposes of ease, such people are doomed just as much as those who abandon the Deen of Islam. These people have fallen into the trap of shaytaan making their desires precede the revelation in terms of importance. They have relegated the shariah of Allah (swt) to the level of a religion like any other, holding their interests and benefit above all else. As for those who are involved in changing the laws of Allah (swt) in order to justify the haram, then they are in greater danger because what they commit is clear kufr.
“Have you seen him who takes his own lust (vain desires) as his ilah (god), and Allah knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who then will guide him after Allah? Will you not then remember?” [45:23]
With the revival of Islam taking place throughout the world, more notably the call for political Islam, the Muslims also face this attack of post-secularism. The threat of Islam being implemented as a political authority is more realistic than ever before, hence the dire need to destroy this motion and thus defuse the inevitable threat it would pose to the secular world.
Those Muslims who call for Islam as a non-secular system of life, who strive to implement Islam comprehensively within their lives and refuse to compromise the command of Allah (swt) against the will of any person or government, pose a serious threat to the status quo. Their refusal to allow themselves to be subject to reformation in order to become subservient to the ‘law of the land’ is something that hinders modern western society.
The proposals made by the British government to integrate the Muslim community into western society have shed light on their true campaign to secularise Islam and Muslims. In this era of post-secularism they see that it is no longer sufficient for Muslims to carry Islam as a secular belief, rather they see the need to modify Islam in order for it to become adaptable to modern lifestyle. In order to destroy the concept of Islam as a political authority and to involve Muslims within the practices of society (e.g. elections, MP’s, Lords, police force, army, navy, stock markets, entertainment etc.) they require Islam to undergo the process of post-secularisation, resulting in Islam being unlawfully adapted and manipulated so that it too can become subservient to the law of the land. Hence the government outlined certain proposals in order to achieve this plan:
• To allow greater control over the mosques by the state
• The need to regulate the Imams of the mosques ensuring that they speak English and are well equipped with the understanding of secular western lifestyle.
• To control the curriculum within Islamic schools and institutions
• To set up institutions that are to act as references and representatives for the Muslim community promoting a purely modern post-secular Islam.
These proposals are aimed at producing a Muslim community that becomes subservient to the secular needs of the time, to ensure that the new generation of Muslims are deprived of attaining the correct understanding of Islam. Their aim is to produce generations that are subordinate to the command of the regime, Muslims who see no wrong with integrating into western lifestyle, that pose no threat to modern society. By doing this they have achieved their result of degrading Islam to the level of other religions.
This agenda is not only confined to the west, rather we can see it in operation throughout the world in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries alike. Government scholars, Muslim academics and intellectuals have gained prominence in becoming reference points for Islam. Preaching to the masses the post-secular agenda of their counterparts. It is these very people who feel that Islam does not seem to be valid for the modern world and that it requires amendment, hence they try to change the understanding of Islam. They try to justify certain ideas through manipulating and misinterpreting texts. These very people justify the bombardment of Muslims in Afghanistan, they justify the illegitimate rulers and regimes throughout the world, they pacify the masses into believing that individual ritual worship is the key to success, they degrade the honour and true meaning of Jihad and the mujahid, they appease the west by taking an apologetic stance. In effect they aim to post-secularise Islam.
Currently there exists a massive drive throughout the Muslim world where this idea of post-secularism is gaining momentum calling for the reformation of their political, economic, social and educational systems.
There is a widespread call for the reformation of the social system by pushing for the idea of equality and liberation for women. They have proposed giving women more involvement in governmental affairs, dispelling the idea that the main role of the woman is to look after the house, her husband and rear her children. They aim to make the covering of the awrah for the woman insignificant as long as her heart is ‘clean’ degrading the woman to the level of an object, as is the case in the west. They are encouraging the development of western social passtimes like clubs, pubs and discos as being the main source of entertainment. They are further inflicting damage by allowing access to tv channels from all over the world which aim to corrupt the masses and limit the level and quality of information available to the people, at the same time setting up channels throughout the Muslim world airing soap operas, gameshows, films and programmes depicting the western way of life and pushing their evil concepts. They have news channels and agencies to propagate their lies and propaganda to the people to distort the way they perceive world events, all of which is in order to distance the Muslims from their Islamic values and to ensure that we leave Islam and turn towards their way of life as Allah (swt) clearly states in the Quran.
“They wish that you disbelieve, as they have disbelieved, so that you all become equal (like one another)…” [4:89]
The process of educational reform involves the altering of the syllabi beginning at schools and filtering through to the universities. They have already revised textbooks for schools so that they are more suitable to their agenda, removing certain concepts such as wars and major historical events. They have begun to remove certain Islamic literature from the public libraries and changed the teaching curriculum within the madrassa’s. They have proposed to change the teaching of certain key concepts so that their resultant meaning and application is subdued, concepts like jihad and walaa wal baraa being the main targets. They have enforced more state control over the mosques, madrassa’s, their imams and teachers in order to control what is taught and discussed in these arenas. They have even set up committees and organisations of so-called scholars to fulfil their agenda of reformation by giving them funding, backing and credence for being the main reference points for Islamic affairs. These committees are responsible for justifying the campaign of reformation by issuing edicts and false fatawa backing these proposals and hitting out at those who oppose it, namely the so-called Islamic fundamentalists.
Allah (swt) has blessed the Muslim world with the richness of resources like gold, oil, diamonds and gas, commodities that are not restricted to a company, board of directors, shareholders or government, rather they are the property of the Muslim ummah. Yet with the current economic domination of the western world we find that these resources are being usurped from our lands for the benefit of the kuffar, which in turn are used by them against us. Whenever new resources are unearthed they manipulate world politics in order to gain control over them, the gas in the Caspian basin and the oil in Iraq are clear examples of how they will fight and kill in order to establish economical interests abroad at the expense of Muslims. The aim of the western nations is to make the Muslim world more accepting to them achieving their economic interests in our lands and to prevent the hoarding of them or to use them as a tool for political blackmail.
The political situation in the Muslim world is abysmal to say the least, throughout the Middle East we find an array of dictatorial regimes that rule by brutal force, some of whom have been in power for decades. Over the years after having faced the oppression of these regimes there has been growing unease and discontent between the people and their governments, this has led to problems internally, which has had implications externally. The Muslims after suffering for decades are realising the need for Islam and are increasingly turning towards an Islamic solution for the problems encountered, realising that at the brunt of which the western world is to blame. This for the western nations poses a major threat as the rise of Islam is the impetus behind this post secular attack, which aims to distance the Muslims from it. Hence the western regimes believe that the removal of these dictators and the establishment of ‘democracies’ will lessen the severity of the regime in the minds of the people making them believe that they are working towards establishing a modern progressive society. This will diffuse the masses and prevent them from looking to other alternative systems of governance, namely Islam.
The idea behind these initiatives is to indoctrinate the new generation of Muslims with concepts like tolerance, freedom, liberalism etc. to be seen as being the norm, taking them away from the strict adherence to Islamic principles. This will result in the next generation of Muslims having a much more secular mentality whereby they regard their religion as being insignificant as do the people in the west, this will lessen the importance given to Islamic values and will distance them from Islam, making them look up to the western world as being their model to emulate.
“Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you (O Muhammad Peace be upon him ) till you follow their religion…” [2:120]
The unfortunate reality is that there are some Muslims who have adopted this idea of reformation and are working with these governments to enforce it within our lands. They are the advocates of post-secular reform with the full backing and consent of the western superpowers.
Compare this in contrast with the revelation of Allah (swt), which explicitly states our stance with regards to the whole idea of secularism:
“O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion) and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan (Satan). Verily! He is to you a plain enemy” [2:208]
Allah (swt) quite clearly in the Quran has commanded those who believe to live their lives according to the revelation provided for them, thus entailing the need to believe, judge and act according to Islam. This comprehensive system of governance provided for us is to act as the sole reference for our actions in this life, the only source for our judgement and rationale.
Islam by nature is not subject to secularisation or reformation, to believe that Islam is no longer valid in today’s reality and that it requires amendment is kufr. As for the one who practices some of Islam leaving other parts to his own will and desire, the punishment is clear:
“Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.” [2:208]
Oh Muslims, it is imperative for us to understand the truth from the falsehood, not to be fooled by those who aim to fulfil this agenda of the kuffar. It is important for us to understand this conspiracy to secularise Islam and to actively work against it and expose the proponents of it. It is paramount that the Muslims understand Islam as a complete and comprehensive system of life and teach it as such, a system that combines both spiritual and political authority, to actively engage in working towards bringing about a positive change by uprooting the current secular system of governance and replacing it with the implementation of Islam.
Our only defence against this conspiracy is to respond to the command of Allah (swt) and to work towards making its application a reality.
Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the Fâsiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah). [24:55]

by dunk Thu May 13, 2004 14:20

in response to above post re islam?
your point?

i have recieved some emails from people, only 1 imc response, roughly that its not a good idea as face to face contact is best in dealing with local issues
yes, but on the wider lever, where we also can sometimes engage, this is a system that would be very effective

it is a pity that there has been so little comment on this project.

how will the global society of 30 years time engage with itself. this may not be a solution but at least its an attempt to do something, and from that much would be learned

by pc Thu May 13, 2004 20:13

erm the social forum has been difficult to get off the ground here....

imho one reason is that it means another meeting...

its seems to have increased the workload of people rather then decrease....

the concept of social forum, is that people from groups with lots of varying causes and ideas meet others who inevitable be striving for similar things... that the social forum is something that happens once or twice a year rather then being an ongoing group that campaigns on issues by itself i think

but the amount of organsation required means those people willing to give up there time spend a good few months organising the social forum rather then doing work for other issues and neglecting them... or in reverse when theres something coming up like madyay then its impossible to organise a future isf ....

also because the last/first national isf was in eh september was it, alot of students had the time to help out in their summer hols...

the sf are about getting people face to face and seeing what others are up to here and abroad

my proposal was that the isf should help in decreases the hard working campaigners workload....

for example you often see a couple of groups arranging things in the ever useful teachers club.... perhaps the isf could facilitate the arranging of monthly, public or national meetings (ie not the run of the mill meetings) of various groups to be held on the same weekend, sameday, times on same day not clashing... if they were going to be held on those weekends anyone if you get my drift

enabling multi-campaign campaigners get lots of things done on one day , allowing campaigners from other groups sit in on other meetings they might have a small interest in while they're up in dublin for the weekend...

of course as long as this falls within the isf remit.... im new to this game so im sure some people who been at it for years have more experienced ideas on overlap and workload of multi-campaigners.... please say

by sony-youth Fri May 21, 2004 16:48

The new technology certainly can provide new means through which communication can take place but what is important is communication, not the technology. Communication of the kind you are talking about (those that contribute to a mass public sphere) have taken place using various technologies at a gathering pace certainly for the past 500 years (printing press, international postal system, international telegram/telephone, SW radio, cinema, satellite television, mobile phone) and arguably longer. The current technologies allow an integration of previous technologies and an apparent “democratization” of some of them but this does not necessarily mean that they will be used to do the kind of projects you are talking about.

Just because conferences of the kind you mention here and elsewhere are possible to host doesn’t mean that they actually will (or should, or must) take place. Do people want them? What’s are they for? You seem really hung up on this but the practicalities of the communication are much more fundamental. What are you going to discuss, for what reason? Do other people want to talk about it with you? Is there (pragmatically) a desire for conferences of the kind and size you are discussing?

If you think so, then sure its possible, even bearing in mind the disparates in access to communication technology of this kind between world regions, but I don’t think the reason for past failed attempts or disinterest is down to ignorance or unwillingness to use the technology by people. I think its just that communication of the kind you are discussing is way to much. It sound like a once in a lifetime kind of project. The logistics alone are enormous, then try going about writing up an agenda! How many languages are you supporting and where are you getting your translators from on the day?

Etc. etc.

by dunk Fri May 21, 2004 22:32

in 6000 years time they will look back and say
500 bc something funny happened to civilisation
and then again in 2000 ad

id like to share an idea with you...

::new AGORA::

the AGORA was the space in ancient greece where philosophers, mathmaticians, scientists, artists and anyone who was interested came to COMMUNICATE @ 3000 years ago. there were amazing thinkers such as socrates, pythagores, democritus, hereclitus, aristotle and good old plato

they discussed, explored, played with and loved IDEAS.
this is where man developed most of the principles we use today; law, philosoophy, science, religion, reason, logic, mathematics and more.

from here western civilisation BLOSSOMED to what we have today.

there have been some earth shattering breakthroughs in science during the 20th century that have resulted in a PARADIGM (something just short of infinite)SHIFT in the scientific worldview. in the 20´s we developed the tools to look into the atom, which we thought was the smallest solid piece of matter. we found that in fact 99.9% of the atom is pure emptiness and that that it is minute particles that zoom around that give the appearance of solidity. so the scientific world found out that existence is nothing more than dynamic everchanging forms of energy......
which is what the EASTERN world has been telling us for thousands of years in its religions.

chaos theory has also profoundly affected our view of things with its FRACTAL thinking and viewing.

so we are remembering again that life is strange.

along with this we have developed amazing communication systems that allow people to be anywhere in the world while being able to communicate with someone else anywhere in the world; phones, internet, webcast, chatrooms.....

so we have the stuff, but where are we talking and what are we talking about?

lovers of life and ideas traveled from everywhere to come to the ancient greek agora in athens, to be part of the dynamic and progressive open system that was the COMMUNICATION SPACE of yesteryear

we are aware that we are going through the next major shift in world history, we are part of the NETWORK AGE. the new agora is an attempt to further explore these ideas.

http://easa.antville.org/stories/469840/

by dunk Mon May 24, 2004 13:21

present event/ exhibition @ planet
::red archive::

an OPEN system looking at the relationship between art and politics, running for the month of may

indymedia ireland is one of the many networks who are participating in it. work is in project arts centre @ trendy temple bar
last saturday part of imc-ie team put on a "communication action" to bring the media to the streets, then bring people affected by what they were informed about back to the gallery where we put on 2 screenings,
they have gone back now and, some, looked at indymedia for the first time

by dunk Fri Jul 16, 2004 14:35

first isf/ dsf meeting in a while 3 nights ago

london crew are looking at setting up something as outlined above during esf there in oct 15th

developing a web conference type system as indymedia as tek crew to facilitate to make it possible for all to participate in world social forum when it happens
its a tool already used by lots in business world, should be simple to do, jsut needs some work, all the tools are there

by dunk Tue Jan 23, 2007 19:33

changing the world: collaboration needed
at
http://indymedia.ie/article/80584
explains

or main IMC page at
https://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/WorldSocialForum2007

livin´ and learnin´