Post by maruf on Jul 8, 2004 0:18:16 GMT -5
Political analysis
Current research on the public's consumption of television pro gramming indicates that the average
viewer has an attention span of approximately five minutes prior to losing interest and zapping the silver screen to something more "interesting." Even viewers of world news prefer to see events in neatly packaged sound & picture bites. A major ramification from this stark reality is that unless one is politically aware, one is likely to succumb to the journalistic hooks of sensationalism that the Western media juggernaut has come to master & foist on an unsuspecting public.
To possess political awareness is to view the world from a particular ideological perspective. For the Muslims, this perspective springs from the Islamic 'Aqeedah. For instance, the Muslims would not view the world from a humanitarian perspective nor from any other perspective which does not take into account his or her criteria of assessment. This criteria is the Islamic scale upon which all events & actions are placed. It is through the Islamic 'Aqeedah that a Muslim is guided to correctly assess world affairs. Therefore, a Muslim should not become duped into believing what he sees or reads in the media solely based on a superficial presentation of current political situations. Rather, the politically
cognizant Muslim views the world in its entirety and with the declaration that there is no deity but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger. The Muslims must constantly struggle against any concepts & practices that oppose this perspective.
For example, the current political trend in the world would dictate that one should support the formation of a sovereign Palestinian state. This trend is nourished by the Capitalist perspective which takes benefit as its doctrinal basis. Muslims must defy this trend. For example, they must be on the lookout for any form of nationalism within the Ummah, seek to eradicate the very seeds of this capitalist virus, and work for the unity of the Ummah in real terms.For unity to materialize in real terms is to adhere to the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger (saw) & bring the Ummah under one political leadership. This would mean to view the current regimes in the Muslim World as categorically invalidated by Islamic Shari'ah.
The Prophet (saw) said: I was commanded to fight the people until they say that there is no deity but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." Related by Ibn Umar (ra) [Bukhari & Muslim]
Muslims cannot afford to possess a limited attention span & superficial understanding towards world events. We must critically analyze political events & social trends in an unemotional manner. The Muslim must be perpetually engaged in a struggle against inserting any personal biases in judgment. Muslims must rule according to Islam in every nook & cranny of life. Facts must be comprehended as they are. The Muslim limits himself to what Allah and His Messenger have
decided, and he must look at the world, its events, and all matters according to the perspective of Islam. It is with this enlightened outlook on life that directs the Muslim towards the goal of establishing the call to Islam on a global scale.
Current research on the public's consumption of television pro gramming indicates that the average
viewer has an attention span of approximately five minutes prior to losing interest and zapping the silver screen to something more "interesting." Even viewers of world news prefer to see events in neatly packaged sound & picture bites. A major ramification from this stark reality is that unless one is politically aware, one is likely to succumb to the journalistic hooks of sensationalism that the Western media juggernaut has come to master & foist on an unsuspecting public.
To possess political awareness is to view the world from a particular ideological perspective. For the Muslims, this perspective springs from the Islamic 'Aqeedah. For instance, the Muslims would not view the world from a humanitarian perspective nor from any other perspective which does not take into account his or her criteria of assessment. This criteria is the Islamic scale upon which all events & actions are placed. It is through the Islamic 'Aqeedah that a Muslim is guided to correctly assess world affairs. Therefore, a Muslim should not become duped into believing what he sees or reads in the media solely based on a superficial presentation of current political situations. Rather, the politically
cognizant Muslim views the world in its entirety and with the declaration that there is no deity but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger. The Muslims must constantly struggle against any concepts & practices that oppose this perspective.
For example, the current political trend in the world would dictate that one should support the formation of a sovereign Palestinian state. This trend is nourished by the Capitalist perspective which takes benefit as its doctrinal basis. Muslims must defy this trend. For example, they must be on the lookout for any form of nationalism within the Ummah, seek to eradicate the very seeds of this capitalist virus, and work for the unity of the Ummah in real terms.For unity to materialize in real terms is to adhere to the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger (saw) & bring the Ummah under one political leadership. This would mean to view the current regimes in the Muslim World as categorically invalidated by Islamic Shari'ah.
The Prophet (saw) said: I was commanded to fight the people until they say that there is no deity but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." Related by Ibn Umar (ra) [Bukhari & Muslim]
Muslims cannot afford to possess a limited attention span & superficial understanding towards world events. We must critically analyze political events & social trends in an unemotional manner. The Muslim must be perpetually engaged in a struggle against inserting any personal biases in judgment. Muslims must rule according to Islam in every nook & cranny of life. Facts must be comprehended as they are. The Muslim limits himself to what Allah and His Messenger have
decided, and he must look at the world, its events, and all matters according to the perspective of Islam. It is with this enlightened outlook on life that directs the Muslim towards the goal of establishing the call to Islam on a global scale.