Somalia: Separation of Religion from Corruption

[dhulQarnayn]

by Abdullahi Dool, hornheritage@aol.com

 

[2:269] He [Allah] grants wisdom to whom He pleases; and he to whom wisdom is granted indeed receives a benefit overflowing. But none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.

 

“…Say: ‘Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endowed with understanding that receive admonition.’” Qur’an 39:9

 

I am grateful to Idris Ahmed Osman. His article (Religion and Rule) has given me the opportunity to examine in depth some of the issues lingering from my last article (Separation of Religion and State). What we are engaged in is a national debate and the aim should always be to educate and help build awareness so that our nation may move forward.

 

Seldom is there the need to explain the obvious. Those who lead a Muslim society will naturally base their decisions on their religious beliefs and values. Those values are based on righteousness, compassion and peaceful coexistence with all mankind and with peoples of other faiths. There is no need to point out that religion is one of our Qiyam (values). When we write we should not lose sight that the reader is knowledgeable.

 

It is true Islam guides us (Muslims) on all aspects of life such as legal, social, political, financial (banking) etc. However, separation of religion from modern politics is not distancing from the path of Allah. It is to safeguard the position of religion as the moral guardian of society. It is also to spare both religion and politics from damaging one another. Modern politics attracts evils such as greed, envy, corruption, selfishness and many mor e. Mixing religion and politics will benefit neither religion nor politics.

 

Let us not bring Umar Ibn Al-Khattab into this. The reverence of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab did not come by accident. Umar Ibn Al-Khattab was not egoistic, tribalist, money-minded and a lover of the limelight. He was not after power per se. He was an exemplary man: a Khadim: servant of the people — as every politician should be. Umar Ibn Al-Khattab was a righteous man and an able leader. He was never after worldly possessions. He was anointed by the Prophet to carry forward his legacy.

 

The world today is a different place from the days of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab. In those days the people were pure hearted. The followers in those days were receptive to their leaders. It is true, even then there were mischief-makers such as the Khawarij who went against Ali Ibn Abi Talib (the Caliph and inheritor of the Prophet’s legacy) and called him an apostate (Mushrik). [1]

 

There were also the mischief-makers who murdered the Prophet’s grandsons Hassan and Hussain. Didn’t they also murder Othman Ibn Afan, the Caliph? The world today is even more awash with troublemakers. Worse mischief-makers are today on the march in multitudes with no Caliph to stop them. They are everywhere packaging themselves as true Muslims. What are they? They are conniving murderers who lust after power and affluence.

 

The Prophet himself foresaw the tribulations and trials of this modern era. He warned Muslims that charlatans will emerge from within. The examples are all around us. Today, the biggest challenge in the Muslim World is the threat coming from the enemy within. These individuals are driven by conflict. Their agenda is to dominate and oppress. It is the nature of extremists to disrespect civil liberties and deprive others of their freedom. In pursuit of power at any cost, the extremists have forgotten the one cardinal message of the Qur’an that Islam requires a Muslim to be a good person! They take things out of context and misuse the message of Allah to indulge in crimes against humanity.

 

We have seen how back home hundreds have been murdered in cold-blood in the name of religion. Ironically, many were gunned down as they exited from mosques. What type of Muslims are those who murder when the faithful finish their prayers. Where does the Qur’an permit the killing of the innocent? One of the latest examples of such senseless and incomprehensible crime is the brutal murder of Osman Ali Ahmed, the head of the UNDP on 6 July 2008 in Mogadishu. Osman Ali Ahmed has remained in the capital amid the 18 years of violence and destruction to distribute relief and aid to the needy.His life was snuffed out as he emerged out of a mosque.

 

It is a fact of life that humans interpret or misinterpret things to their liking, dislike or understanding. People can distort or take things out of context. The Prophet was aware of this human deficiency. Didn’t he say:"What I fear most for my nation is a man who mis-explains the Qur'an and takes it out of context."[2] It is true that people have different capacities of understanding for similar things. The more knowledgeable an individual, the better one’s understanding. Many things require intellectual understanding. This enables the person to see things from different perspectives.

 

Judgment is for judgment day. Let Allah judge the deeds of His creation. In reaction to my last article, I received many correspondence covering myriad issues. There were many wise and positive suggestions. One person has suggested stoning those who commit adultery. First and foremost, the Qur’an says no one should be convicted without a complete proof. No less than four persons are required to have witnessed the act of adultery. Otherwise, one will be guilty of slander. How is one going to prove this? Who can place cameras in every building?

 

Another person has suggested anyone who did not fast during Ramadan should be severely punished. I pointed out: “What if the fast was broken because of illness?” So what are the obligations of a Muslim state in a modern world? A balance should be struck between the wellbeing of society and civil liberties. During Ramadan no one should be allowed to eat in public. Those caught once should be cautioned. Those caught again should be re-educated. It is possible that such individuals did not have a family life or good upbringing. The state should rely more on educating than using the stick. It should never resort to draconian ways. What about the needy masses who have little to go by? The state has moral duty to provide for the needy.

 

There is a difference between what we see and what the extremists see in the Qur’an. What we see is beauty, His Grace and Infinite Wisdom, Guidance, Compassion and Mercy. Another important aspect is repentance. It is repeated in the Qur’an that those who repent after wrongdoing are forgiven: “Do they not know that Allah accepts repentance from His servants and takes the alms and that Allah is the Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful?” Sura 9. [3]

 

The state has the obligation to look after its citizens. It has no time chasing after petty matters. The state is required to guide, regulate, facilitate and care for its society. The sick need caring. The homeless and the displaced need looking after. The hungry need feeding. It is immoral to allow people to go hungry under their flag. The state has also the duty to fight public immorality. Public immorality is obscenities committed in the open. For that matter no government should tolerate kerb-crawling or the practice of selling one’s dignity or body.

 

When it comes to human correction, I am from a household where my late father has never flogged anyone — but taught and guided by example. Abuse can harm children and turn them into damaged adults. A government should never flog its citizens as though they were cattle. It should never depend on punishment alone to keep its citizens in line. In this modern age, flogging is not acceptable. Those who have committed crimes should be sent to correctional facilities for re-education. Let us not forget that people do not grow on trees. Let us also keep in mind that humans are the most precious assets on this Kingdom of His Majesty.

 

Running a nation in a modern and complex world will require special qualities, knowledge and talent. Everything depends on knowledge. Even simple horse-riding requires training. That is why there are trainers who make a living out of their professions. It is a dangerous belief if our people think that it takes nothing to run a nation. While we should uphold our Islamic religion, values and heritage, separation of religion and politics will make the state function effectively and accountably.

 

Somali politics is unclean and tainted. Let us not bring opprobrium to our religion by throwing it together with politics. If we put religion and politics together — religion will be used as a loophole to remain in public office and escape from public eviction. In all functioning democracies public confidence is withdrawn without delay from those who abuse power. One of the reasons why the system of democracy has become the success it is, is because of its checks and balances. This would not have been possible without separation of religion and politics. In the UK, the Westminster Parliament (the oldest functioning institution) is 700 years old. It has never been stronger. Mechanisms are in place to reform and correct the system. The independent media is at the forefront of accountability in public life. When you mix religion and politics, how can anyone go after those who breach trust?

 

Politics is my field but I know my religion from my good upbringing. Our dedication is to our nation. What we have learned, we have learned to contribute to the wellbeing of our nation. One of the crimes committed against the Somali nation by individuals, is the wasting away of our human resources. In our prime, when we should have been looking after the nation and its interests, half of the nation has been exiled.

 

We know politics has not delivered yet for the Somali nation. This does not mean politics is the wrong application. The main reason why politics has failed to deliver for the nation is because Somali politics has not been about honesty and integrity as it should be. Power has become a much sought after commodity. It is seen as the quickest route to wealth and privilege. The solution is to establish accountability and the mechanism to safeguard the practice of clean government.

 

We are not examining issues from a shallow point. Without politics there can be no functioning society. Unfortunately, the profession of politics has Achilles heels.It attracts crooks, the same way a drop of honey attracts insects. We are also aware that anyone can hide behind the cloak of respectability of religion. We have seen how anyone can abuse the honourable position of Imams. It is only the Almighty who has the power to know the inner being and feelings of His creations. In progressive politics accountability is a must. What we need is to hold those who go into our political system (public domain) — accountable.

 

Leaders are the product of their time. We cannot compare past leaders with today’s leaders. While technology has enhanced the quality of life, the fast pace of life is fuelling greed, selfishness and decadence. That is why Somali politics is tainted and unclean. It is only separation which can make it possible for religion to retain its position as the moral guardian of society. It is imperative that the judiciary of the nation is independent and free from state manipulation. That way it will ensure our society to be governed by laws and not by men.

 

In this age, Fatwa is one of the most abused words in the Muslim world. Our purpose in life is not to instigate conflict, disharmony and division. These are the work of Shaydan (the devil). Somalia may be in a terrible state, but at least what has been damaged is not our religion. For the past 18 years what we have been robbed of is not our religion but our homeland, nationhood, security etc.

Fanaticism has no place in Islam. Islam is the religion of moderation. Islam commands us to desist from transgression. This is not a monolithic world. This is a diverse and interdependent world where there are multi-nations and faiths with which we share common humanity. A common religion on its own does not guarantee peace and harmony either. The best example is Somalia where Muslim Somalis fight one another on the lines of clan and sub-clan. Let us not delude ourselves. Your true brother is anyone who wants your wellbeing and progress.

 

Our politics has become like a muddied pond in which anyone can have a go. Stateless Somalia has become like the Somali proverb: Nin jirran boqol u talisay. (A sick man gets advice from a hundred). No-one in their right mind is suggesting the formation of a government which denies Muslim Somalis to live in accordance with our religion. What we want is a forward-moving nation which upholds our religion. A nation that is at peace with itself and with the rest of mankind: a government that will meet the needs of its people.

 

We know what works! In a modern world Somalia shall require modern governance. We have the knowledge of our divine obligations. Islam has laws which regulate followers — individually as well as collectively. What we also know is that power can corrupt the individual. Humans have also the capacity to abuse. Without mechanisms to ensure sound governing, the trust of public office will be abused. Mixing religion and politics will bring neither sound politics nor spare religion from the stain of modern politics. Somali politics is a mess. It has been so for a long time. What we are endeavouring for is to find a way, to one day establish the mechanisms to clean our politics. If we throw religion together with politics the outcome will make both religion and politics worse of. These are the realities of modern statecraft!

 

Notes:

1. Ali Ibn Talib was the son-in-law of the Prophet .He was the first intellectual Muslim thinker.

2. Bukhari narrated by the route of Ibn 'Umar, that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, described the Khawarij as those who took the verses revealed about the blasphemers and attributed them to the believers!

3. Sura 9, verses 102-106 more on repentance.

[jamaal7777]

I am sorry folks for the extra length but in short I am against the formation of an Islamic state back home. You don’t really need to read any further for the rest is just an attempt at explaining my views.

 

I think the author is right and i for one agree with him absolutely. Religion is very much a personal thing. I pray without being forced to do so and so i would like to keep it.

 

I want my obedience and reliance on ALLAH swt to be from me and not because i fear punishment from the government. I want to be able to claim outright all the rewards from my obedience and not have to share with a wadaad or a government that which without them forcing me, the chances could have, supposedly, been me ending up as a sinner.

 

Most of all, if we are to go by the reality as is displayed by the Islamic states, we would be much better off with the separation of state and religion. As the writer points out there seems to be no mechanism that forces the law to be respected equally by the public and the rulers. The public are forced by the police and maybe the military but the rulers seem to be above the law in practice. Who is going to bring them to obey the law when they can hire or fire whoever they want and all the powers are vested in them. Everybody is made to believe to be owing the rulers, thank you for giving me food, shelter, peace and even a little bit more for self indulgence. If this is not idolisation I don’t know what is.

 

All the power sooner or later accumulates to the people at the top and why not declare themselves kings. Most of them have already. In my business i get to meet a lot of people and just this week i met a kuwaiti and not too far back two saudis. They have all been convinced by their states that the wealth belongs to the ruling families. The Kuwaiti argued, that the ruling family bought the land piece by piece from their grandfathers in exchange for peace and upkeep.

 

They were all grateful because they say we get given all we want because we are natives. Even our scholarships to come here to the uk was paid for us out of their kindness.

 

I am very opposed to grooming people like that. I would rather that the government set clear and just procedures to acquiring property. And although pieces of land can be bought by individuals, not all the land is to be bought by one individual or entity-a family or an organisation. As concerns wealth, since all transactions are to be done honestly, a disadvantaged people can be robbed off their land even by purchase. If buyers find themselves bequeathed with wealth, education and skills and the sellers plagued by poverty, ignorance and chaos, then the buyers will, unless they are honest with the reasons as to why they want to buy their land, simply get it for peanuts and not for what it is worth in the free market.

 

Any such transaction, if justice is to prevail, are then to be seen as nothing more than cheating and ought not to be honoured or enforced by law or by any means. Another tactic that can be used is to engineer desperation. Increasing the needs to trade quickly and or reducing the readily available market is another unjust way of acquiring wealth. This forces selling at the cheapest prices from the sellers by increasing their dependency or urgency for particular goods while reducing choice. Warlords, dictators and kings all use these methods to some extent.

 

In the west you may have heard of anti-competition laws or anti trust laws. Big companies get sued some even fragmented just for growing too big because they inhibit competition it is said. What about land or natural recourses of the whole country? can one man or family own everything or the majority of it. I think not.

 

 

Imagine Bill Gates buying Puntland or any more states and asking all the people to vacate because it is now his private property.

 

But even more important is the fact that to use force against anybody, one needs justification. The use of force by many governments is normally justified by claiming a mandate to serve and to protect. They are then limited to fighting injustices or stopping them from happening and creating opportunities. This I have to say seems to work. What however does not work is when force is used for anything other than to bring about justice.

 

We must spread or strengthen religion the way it is meant to be spread or strengthened and that is by dawa when dealing with adults and instilling when it is our young ones and never by force.

 

In fact forcing anybody including our children to religion increases the chances that they get repelled by it just as persuasion increases the chances that they be attracted to it.

 

If however we are to adopt sharia, since we are not already an Islamic state and we are all adults thus dawa is right here, it has then to be by popular support, I reckon just as is to be required for Somaliland’s independence, first a chance is to be given for both sides to present their case to the people. This may involve a sufficient period for campaigning is to agreed upon. Secondly a greater majority must be established than forty nine-fifty or something ****** like that. It has to be over seventy five percent of the inhabitants of each distinct area at least. Even more preferably. A seventy five percent or more of the entire as a whole is only to be valid if the minimum for each distinct area , say seventy five percent, is reached.

 

Our current state, however, invalidates any plebiscite at present. This is so because if such a plebiscite is to be held at this time for either of the two question, sharia law and cessation of Somaliland it will be like taking advantage of conditions that blind them and force them to choose one way rather than the other.

 

Although I am still convinced that the people will probably choose NO to sharia in most parts of the country, some, especially those who now live in the war zones and areas which have high levels of corruption and lawlessness will tend to choose YES. Emotions will probably overwhelm and compel them. In the same way Somaliland will also now be overwhelmed by patriotic emotions fuelled by ugly past history and lack of a better alternative that will safeguard their rights as well letting them benefit from the social, economic and political goods that unity into a larger whole can most definitely bring about.

 

Our history, culture and traditions are all liberal. Everybody in the whole of Somalia was free to do whatever they wanted including rooming about a large area with no one to force them to follow any rules except by our common culture as can be heard from our poems and songs. People knew what to do and what not because they wanted to be seen favourably by their fellow Somalis and never because of force.

 

Another obstacle is the one of affordability. The Arabs can now do it because they rely heavily on large profits from the sale of fossil fuels. Have no doubt that otherwise they would not have been able to contain a large populous even by the treat of force for who will pay all the manpower needed for such a force to operate efficiently . They now supplement that threat of force with rewards in the form of cash and other bribes. Somalia is however poor and can afford neither hiring a large force just to contain the people nor can any government get enough cash to bribe them. Even the Arabs cant really afford to do keep doing things this way but who is going to wake them up. It is too good while it last but they must also know that it is not sustainable. The fossils will run out sooner or later and the world that is already moved so far will be even further away. So they wont catch up.

 

Going down this route is a truly slippery slope. There is nowhere to go but down. If you are horrified by the large numbers of lost lives and property over the years of civil war like I am, then know that wars don’t come about by themselves. The revolution that saw the overthrow of the former dictator was in part maybe a large part, caused by economic hardships. The government had no more money and the people had nothing, no jobs, no money and no real liberty. If you install any system that forces the individual to be timid and stresses obedience even by force you will be one of those that will have contributed to another fall to come maybe not now but without a doubt someday. In order that the people be productive they need all the freedom that they can get as well as an efficient government. I cant see how any government can be efficient that ventures into enforcing morality not justice. The more responsibility the government takes on the more powers it needs and the more expensive it will be for everybody. Besides the less freedom the people have the more dependent they will become and the less productive.

 

Do you really want to see grown up lashed on the streets for sins that are between and ALLAH. You will create a society full fear whose people are in reality not moral or ethical for you really need personal choice for that. One is not aamin or trustworthy that wont steal from you because the punishment, if found out, is too severe even to contemplate. One is trustworthy because they wont steal period.

 

As I understand and I stand correction, our prophet was not trustworthy because of fear of man or their institutions.

 

But really what do they really want. I mean those that want an Islamic government ? Do we not already have masjids almost in every corner in most Islamic nations. Are the hundreds that join in prayer not enough of a motivation to anybody to join in. Are they then argueing that the few that continue working or chatting on the benches more enough to lure them to change their minds not to join in the prayer ? Or is it that when they force everyone else to pray even though not a clear distinction can then be made as to whether one is then praying for fear or love of ALLAH or simply because they fear their fellow brothers or citizens, they will still get more rewards in the hereafter. Or is it then that they want to avoid their duties as commanded them by ALLAH to bring up responsible Muslims and they would rather create an environment whereby the village or the government can do it for them while they sit around cafes or on benches praising each other.

 

Unless they tell us, we shall of course never know the truth. The thing is I teach my children to be good human beings and to be good Muslims. I take it upon me to do that and so I commit time to talk them , to play with them , to do their homework with them and to make them understand things. I want them not to fear me but to understand why because I wont always be with them. I want them to drive themselves, to be in full command of their lives. I want them to experience things and not only to rely on theory which is what I can offer.

 

I do not want to make invalids people who are already able. I would rather help make them more capable.

 

We have to wake up before its too late.

 

Seek not to force rather seek to make understand.