You’re 36, you’re beautiful, and you’re mine!

by Abu Dharr February, 2015 The Islamic revolution in Iran turns 36 this month. To survive in a cruel world dominated by greedy barons and vultures is a remarkable achievement. Islamic revolutions don’t come easy. Islamic revolutions are not the products of political negotiations. And Islamic revolutions are not cheap. This basic understanding has escaped the aging leaders of Islamic movements in Arab and non-Arab countries. This has been a difficult lesson to learn. What attests to this are the past four to five years of upheavals, internecine warfare, and mass arrests and detentions of Islamic activists from the Islamic sunrise in Indonesia to the Islamic sunset in Morocco and Algeria. Libya is a failing state; Somalia is a failed state; Tunisia is an unfulfilled state; Egypt is a frustrating state; Sudan is a fledgling state; Turkey is a fluctuating state; and Iraq and Syria are factionalized states. We can go on and on describing such states as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria just to name a few. But there is one state that stands out; and that state is the Islamic State in Iran. This Islamic resourceful ingenuity has withstood the test of time. Enemies came at it from all directions. There were the internal seculars and sectarians, there were the external Zionists and imperialists; there were wars and assassinations. You can say that the same forces that have been at work against the Islamic movements in Egypt (the deep state), in Tunisia (the secular parties), in Libya (the combination of seculars and sectarians), in Turkey (the military), etc; all these and others were busy hatching their plots and deploying their forces to defeat the Islamic Revolution in Iran and they were all defeated, hands down!

Even the sanctions and economic warfare could not change the course of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The Islamic Revolution continues to build its infrastructure not giving in to shoddy upper class lifestyles or to the gratification that comes from the contemptible consumerism across the Gulf in Dubai, Doha, Dammam and other markets of materialistic acquisitions and indulgences. Granted, there are individuals and even identities within Islamic Iran who want to “break loose” from the distinct discipline and societal self-restraint that are requisites of an Islamic practical paradigm. The Qur’an and the Prophet (pbuh) teach us that every society shall have its malcontents, mutineers, and munafiqs. The Islamic Revolution in Iran triumphed over the large-scale threats it endured from them with patience and purpose. Not only was the Islamic Revolution successful in affixing Islam to Iran, it went a step further and secured a forward Islamic base in Lebanon. Hizbullah is the natural extension of Islamic Iran onto the borders of occupied Palestine. For anyone who is not afraid to listen to the truth, Hizbullah — the projection of the Islamic Revolution hundreds of miles away — is the only force that has put the fear of God into the Zionist occupation. Zionist civilian and military personnel are scared stiff of Hizbullah and the Islamic resistance. Some of us may need a memory boost: prior to the Islamic Revolution and Hizbullah, the Arabian regimes and their client, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), were flourishing failures who limped from one setback and defeat to another. Then came the no-nonsense Islamic combatants, hailing from a history that understands martyrdom and jihad to show the cowards of Zion midday stars and nocturnal nightmares.

When the Arabian rulers were sleeping at the wheel, these re-embodiments of the sacrifices of Badr and Uhud, Siffin and Karbala’ engaged and gripped the Zionists hiding behind their technological military with a fierce and uncompromising military confrontation that eventually kicked the Israelis out of Lebanon (in 2000), and sapped their morale and arrogance in the heroic defense of Lebanon (in 2006). Imam Khomeini (may he be engulfed in His mercy) as is Imam Khamenei would be proud of these Muhammadi-Husayni warriors who have inflicted serious psychological and military blows upon the Zionist felons and Israeli brigands — those who stole the Holy Land. The spirit of the Islamic Revolution lives on in the valiant warriors and fearless fighters of Hizbullah and the Islamic resistance. The Israelis in the past month after their premeditated attack that killed several brave Hizbullahis near Quneitrah, Syria are worried as they for sure remember Sayyid Hasan Nasrullah’s words from last year when he said that the Golan shall become another confrontational front against the brutal Zionist occupiers. These Hizbullahi personnel were not at the front line of confrontation to “shoot the breeze.” They were there — as they previously were in South Lebanon and Ghazzah — to work out a plan that will draw the snobbish Israeli military into a bleeding confrontation. Thanks to the Hizbullahi legacy of shahadah, the self-admiring Israeli military is mired in bewilderment as to how, when, and where the response of Hizbullah will be?! Last summer, the Israelis were confounded when they saw the fighters of Hamas pop up from beneath the ground and open fire on them from behind, and from one side or another. What if Hizbullah fighters were to pop up from their tunnels beneath the Lebanese-Palestinian borders and commence guerrilla warfare in al-Jalil (the Galilee)? The Israeli head-honchos are particularly alarmed and petrified to have killed an Iranian general who was in the company of those Hizbullahis. Little do the Israelis know, but they are — through their meddling in the internal affairs of Syria and Iraq — setting the stage for a massive people’s war against their military occupation of Palestine. Syria as a civil society has been destroyed. Iraq as a civil society has been devastated. There is no sturdy infrastructure left in either Syria or Iraq. Over 60 million Syrians and Iraqis, due to Zionist inspired policies and strategies, no longer have a society to speak of. The Zionist/imperialist strategy is turning into a stratagem. The unintended consequence of turning Syria and Iraq into failed states will rebound in militarizing their populations. Why would the Syrians and Iraqis, after the virtual destruction of their societies, want to rebuild them when the source of all their problems — the Zionists — can and will destroy them all over again. The virtual destruction of Syria and Iraq is the first step toward the liberation of Palestine. We know that behind the scenes, the Arabian regimes are cheering for Israel. They can’t tolerate an Islamic victory over Zionist aggression and occupation. A pathogen dwells deep down inside their inner-self: it is called chronic failure and spasmodic defeat. They make up for their failures and defeats by rank hypocrisy and insipid statements. We address ourselves now to the Arabian officials borne of defeatism and surrender: 1. Hizbullah is a godsend, betrothed to an Ummah that is still feeling its way. 2. The reputation of Hizbullah is excellent, first rate, and exceptional (don’t allocate a media budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars to extinguish the light of Allah – swt). 3. We remind you, as your red-light-district nights may have taken a toll on you, that Hizbullah kicked the rear of the Zionists and their foot-soldiers out of Beirut in 1982. Hizbullah liberated Lebanon from Zionist occupation in 2000 and Hizbullah incapacitated your idol the Zionist offense force in the Summer of 2006. What did you — the night creatures of Riyadh and Dubai — do for the Lebanese when they were occupied? And for the Palestinians when they are still occupied? What are your accomplishments: Camp David? Oslo? Or is it your pleading and begging the Zionists and imperialists to protect you from Islamic Iran? 4. The Islamic Revolution and the Islamic resistance are noble followers of Imam Husayn (a) who fought the tyrant Yazid. Whose side are you on? Since Karbala’ we have endured persecution, discrimination, and all types of innuendo. Even today you officials in Arabia — high on Zionism and imperialism — never tire of accusing us of “bid‘ah,” “dalalah,” and even “kufr”! We have no time for your nonsense. There is an enemy who has occupied al-Quds and the Holy Land. We dare you to stand with us against that enemy. 5. Was it not we, the followers of the Prophet, the supporters of Imam ‘Ali, and the champions of Imam Husayn (a) who channeled missiles to our Palestinian brothers through Sudan into Egypt so that our Sunni brothers in Hamas and Islamic Jihad are able to defend themselves and potentially go on the offensive against the Zionist military muggers and civilian criminals? Where were you when all of this was happening? In the hotspots of southern Spain? The casinos of Europe, or the red-light districts of Bangkok and Singapore? 6. If this “Sunni-Shi‘i” bug is so entrenched in you, then go ahead and initiate your equivalent of Hizbullah who will take on the Zionist occupation. Or are you beholden to the Zionist interest and are incapable of even accommodating the thought? The Islamic Revolution gave us Hizbullah. The Saudi volition gave us takfiris. Hizbullah fights the Zionists; the takfiris fight the Muslims. Go figure. Thirty-six years is enough time for anyone to wake up; wouldn’t you say? “Then, let all compete as [are willing to] compete for things of high account…” (Qur’an 83:26).

Egypt-and-Iran-why-different-outcomes

by Zafar Bangash August, 2013 In Egypt the Ikhwan failed within one year while in Iran, the Islamic movement has established a government that is still in place and going strong. Why? The Ikhwan made the mistake of working within the system while Imam Khomeini understood that the existing system had to be demolished. Egypt and Iran are two very important countries. Developments in either affect the entire region. Consider the military coup against the elected president of Egypt, Mohamed Mursi. Despite his faults — and there were many — the manner in which the US-Zionist-aligned military overthrew Mursi’s government raises serious concerns among Muslims and even non-Muslims that believe in respecting people’s rights and how power is exercised. The July 3rd military coup has taken Egypt back to square one. In fact, the old jahili system was never abolished. The ouster of former dictator Hosni Mubarak in February 2011 was merely cosmetic since remnants of the old regime remained fully entrenched in all major institutions: the military, police, interior ministry and the judiciary, to name a few. These remnants had the full backing of the business class, which had been the principal beneficiary of the old system.

In this column we repeatedly questioned the Ikhwan’s wisdom of operating within the old system. It was also unrealistic to assume that just because the Freedom and Justice Party, political wing of the Ikhwan, won the election that it would be allowed to implement its policies freely. Mursi and by extension the Ikhwan’s approach was flawed on many counts — not the least of which was to work within the old system. No luxury class in any society has ever given up its privileges voluntarily. These have to be taken away, by force if necessary, to ensure fairness and justice in society.

Let us compare this with Iran. On August 4, Dr. Hassan Rohani will be sworn in as president of Iran after his victory in the June 14 elections. Unlike Egypt, there is no threat of a military coup against Dr. Rohani, despite the fact that Iran’s military is arguably stronger than Egypt’s. How has Iran become coup-proof while Egypt like almost every other Muslim country suffers at the hands of the military?

The Islamic movement in Iran led by Imam Khomeini clearly understood the nature of the imposed order in society. The Imam was absolutely clear: the Shah and all the institutions he had built were illegitimate and had to be uprooted. Nor did the Imam overlook the fact that such measures would arouse the wrath of the imperialist powers that would attempt to undermine the Islamic Revolution and the fledgling Islamic State. Thus, the masses had to be prepared for the long hard struggle ahead, as the Prophet (pbuh) had done in Makkah and Madinah. The Imam purged the military of the corrupt top brass and put them on trial for crimes against the Iranian people. Concurrently, the Sepah was established as a revolutionary force that prevented the military from carrying out a coup. Iran’s military was deployed to its primary function: defence of the borders, not to lord over people’s representatives.

In Egypt on the other hand, the Ikhwan and Mursi assumed that if they played within the existing system and surrendered to US-Zionist interests, they would be allowed to complete their term in office. The haste with which the military overthrew Mursi surprised even seasoned observers. It was assumed that the military would allow sufficient time for Mursi to fail — he was set up to fail by the entrenched old guard — and people would automatically turn against him. This would have happened had he been given enough time but it seems Egypt’s imperialist and Zionist masters got impatient and decided to strike.

This brings us to the question of clarity of thought in the Islamic movement. Most leaders of Islamic movements fail to analyze the socio-economic and political order in society properly. They assume that there is nothing wrong with the prevailing system; and all that is needed is for good, honest men to run it more efficiently. Events in Egypt have once again exposed the fallacy of such thinking and the price the Ikhwan have had to pay. This scenario will no doubt repeat itself in every Muslim society where such faulty thinking prevails. True leadership sets a directional course, and inspires and guides people toward achieving it. When the collective energies of even a small number of ordinary people are harnessed for the achievement of a pre-set goal, the results are often spectacular. This is what the Sirah of the noble Messenger (pbuh) teaches us. When even highly qualified people fail to take account of these simple facts, they end up paying a heavy price. This explains why the Ikhwan have failed in Egypt and why the Islamic movement succeeded in Iran. If Muslims care to reflect, they would easily understand this basic point. Zafar Bangash is Director of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought

Imam Khomeini: the battle for hearts and minds

by Afeef Khan June, 2013

One of the essential pre-requisites for leadership is to set a directional course and motivate people to follow it. This is what Imam Khomeini (ra) achieved and brought about the Islamic revolution in Iran. Imam Khomeini won the battle for Muslim hearts and minds. America and the Zionists lost. He feared Allah (swt) and had no fear of presidents, princes, shahs, and any other human rivals to Allah (swt). He won because he had the clarity of conviction that translates into the ability to lead, in short, to be an imam. The function of leadership is to produce transformational change. Effective leaders accomplish this by setting a directional course, aligning large groups of people to that course, and by motivating them to hold themselves accountable for their commitments of learning through action and deliberation. In the past 250 years for Muslims, no Islamic leader did this better than Imam Khomeini. True, there have been leaders of Islamic movements, but he was the only one to achieve success as a true imam. But this was no accident. Setting a new direction is fundamental to leading. A new directional course requires intellectual clarity. This is the greatest gift an imam can offer to his hungry Muslim constituencies: having the confidence to know what to do in any given situation, having the confidence to engage in a rational process that allows the best ideas to dominate, and that does not require the validation of other human beings, especially those who have divided, in a binary way, the world into inferiors and superiors where the inferiors always require the endorsement of the self-declared superiors. This is how imperialists and Zionists look at the world, driving a wedge into the natural human tendency to co-associate. In point of fact, all human beings are inferior and Allah (swt) is their superior and as such all actions are to be validated according to Allah’s (swt) revealed reference points for humanity: the Qur’an and the prophetic precedent. Truth requires no human approval and it certainly needs no behavior of a preferred class to authenticate it. Truth is self-evident to anyone who thinks about it. Human activity is to be judged by Allah’s (swt) criterion of right and wrong, and right and wrong does not “rise” to the level of palatability by the “standard” and behavior of those who hold temporal power or prominence. Setting a directional course creates a sense of urgency, produces an overall vision to strive for along with a strategy to get there, and satisfies the needs and rights of important constituencies in society. The Imam lived his entire life with a sense of urgency. All of us who remember Imam Khomeini know that in his executive capacity as head of state, he came out and immediately connected domestic oppression and degradation to its global counterpart in Washington, Tel Aviv, London, Paris, and Riyadh. Throughout his scholarly career and when he stepped onto the world stage, he rejected all Western ideological and philosophical ruminations, and thereby marginalized any governmental implementations based on these theories in the East and the West as being inconsistent with Allah’s (swt) command, the Prophet’s (pbuh) counsel, and the people’s liberation. He showed his people that capitalism and communism were cut from the same cloth, and thus he was the first modern leader to break from the ideological stranglehold the West held over ideas that translated into representative political institutions whose goal was to satisfy the needs of all the people, and not some special interests. The full force of his lifelong resistance culminating in a decade of rule over an Islamic state showed all people that divinely inspired universal principles of social justice are fundamentally incompatible with the Western discourse and practice of governance, despite the high-sounding rubric of democracy, free markets and globalization. As a world leader with a vision, he even advised, in vain, Mikail Gorbachev, to liberate his people from the obvious problems besetting all Western societies in their dissociation from God. Often when Muslims are queried about the one major problem in their societies, they say it is education, usually of a scientific, professional or technological nature, that is, medicine, engineering, information technology, environmental science, etc. Few Muslims, although this is changing, will point to unresponsive political institutions and impotent rulers. Imam Khomeini was not similarly confused. He knew that he had to separate the coordinated activities of his people from dead-end pursuits. He knew that an Islamic directional course would clarify what kind of education is essential and what kind is irrelevant. He wanted his people in particular, and all Muslims in general to understand that they need not look too far away to Oxford, Harvard, and even al-Azhar (in the depleted state it is in because of the legacy of Egyptian autocracy), that knowledge and wisdom come from the fountainhead of Allah’s (swt) guidance. The Imam did not initiate a policy to go out and build scores of universities so that his people could put a man on the moon; indeed he put his people on a collision course with those power structures who thrive on creating human conflict so that they can dominate. In this task, the nascent Islamic event in Iran found itself alone. It had no choice but to rely on Allah (swt). And in this process, it discovered and released its innate human potential. Today’s Islamic society in Iran and the Muslims of the world are the beneficiaries of the Imam’s directional course, paved as it is with the fluid lives of hundreds of thousands of shuhada’. Islamic Iran in now world class in nuclear medicine and bridge building; its managed health care approaches, especially those directed at low-income households and villages, are now being studied and implemented across the world; its literacy rates, for both men and women, are among the highest in the world, now exceeding many advanced countries; it is one of nine countries in the world to indigenously build its own satellite and rocket technology with the result that it is the first Muslim country to independently put its own satellite into orbit. It is the only country in the modern world to not only survive a 30-year economic siege, but to show expansion when the rest of the world is in recession. Equivalent sanctions between the two world wars effectively crippled Germany leading to the emergence of Nazism. Not so with Islamic Iran. And there are many other achievements to come as the people come to grips with their capacities and their God-given promise.

An Imam is an Imam — and a non-imam is a non-imam

by Abu Dharr Not to be lost on the handlers and coaches of such troublemakers, the US regime and its flunkies have metamorphosed the MEK into its al-Qa’ida clone with “Sunni-Shi‘i” divergences. We are beginning to see evidence of this in the Tunisian Ansar al-Shari‘ah battlering with the ruling al-Nahdah party. The Muslims miss the decisive character of Imam Khomeini in North Africa. One of Imam Khomeini’s first decisions was to close down the Israeli embassy in Tehran and expel the Zionist enemies from Iran. Compare that with the inability of the “Islamic” leadership in Egypt to break off diplomatic ties with the Israeli Zionist regime, which nowadays is maneuvering to physically occupy al-Masjid al-Aqsa and thwart access to the first qiblah and third haram to all Muslims. It gets worse: the Egyptian Islamic decision makers cannot open the borders between Egypt and Ghazzah. Egypt needs an Imam Khomeini. When Imam Khomeini began building an Islamic state in Iran he demanded justice be done to the fleeing Shah of Iran. The Shah had to beg for residency in different countries until he was finally appended to his American cooperator Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat in Egypt. The Islamic leadership in Iran with Imam Khomeini pursued the Shah until he finally went to his Maker where he will encounter ultimate justice. Correlate that with the official Egyptian inability to pass final judicial judgment on Hosni Mubarak the Pharaoh. Or correlate that with the disability of the Tunisian (Islamic) leadership to pursue and prosecute Zine al-Abidine bin ‘Ali who took refuge in the evil kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Why doesn’t the Tunisian government ask for the extradition of Bin ‘Ali to Tunisia to stand in a court of law where he will be answerable for his official presidential conduct and state policies, one of which forced Rachid al-Ghannoushi into exile at the behest of the security apparatus? It turns out that not all exiles are the same. Imam Khomeini was forced into exile by the Shah, but when he came back he sought the Shah and expended all that was necessary to bring him to a court of law. Rachid al-Ghannoushi was forced into exile, but when he came back to his home country he would not or could not pursue Bin ‘Ali, who had forced al-Ghannoushi into fugitive status. Then we have the eight-year war of aggression that was imposed upon the Imam and the Muslims in Islamic Iran. The leadership there did not buckle under those hard times. Imagine if such a war were imposed on any of the leaderships in the countries mentioned above; would they have the stamina to fight to the bitter end? Would they have the popular support to withstand all the trials and tribulations that come from a long and grinding war? The way things look, we seriously doubt it. The Egyptian (Islamic) leadership is not doing what is right and what is obligatory — cutting off diplomatic relations with Zionist Israel — precisely for the reason of avoiding such a war. Here we have it: the Islamic leadership of Imam Khomeini doing what is right and obligatory — come what may; and the “Islamic” leadership of the Ikhwan avoiding doing what is right and obligatory for fear of the consequences. The concept of tawakkul seems to be alien to our brothers in Cairo and Tunisia. Imam Khomeini called a spade a spade, as it were. He did not mince words when he wedged the descriptive marker Shaytani buzurg (the Colossal Satan) on the Washington regime. Compare Imam Khomeini with Mohammad Mursi in their interviews with the Euro-American press. Correspondents from the Euro-American media were scrambling to secure an interview with the Imam. But in Egypt and Tunisia interviews are by the dozen. Imam Khomeini had foreign correspondents stirred up and strained. But in interviews with al-akh Mohammad Mursi he talks to them about his years in the USA and his remarks about the film Planet of the Apes; and we have Shaykh Rachid al-Ghannoushi saying quite frankly that he is not a Khomeini. Thank you — you said it all. And, by the way, how many times have you come to Washington, DC since ascending the seat of power in Tunisia? We have lost count. What a difference between an imam whose base of popularity is the hearts and aspirations of the Muslims — Imam Khomeini — and those who are going along with an American Israeli plan executed through the agencies of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, et al. to try to smother the Islamic awakening that took place between an Imam and an Ummah. And We raised among them leaders who, so long as they bore themselves with perseverance and had faith in Our authority and power messages, guided [their people] in accordance with Our behest… (32:24). Pull quote: One of Imam Khomeini’s first decisions was to close down the Israeli embassy in Tehran and expel the Zionist enemies from Iran. Compare that with the inability of the “Islamic” leadership in Egypt to break off diplomatic ties with the Israeli Zionist regime…

Thirty-three years of valiant resistance and perseverance of the Islamic Republic

Abu Dharr


Thirty-three years ago this month the world was witness to the fall of a Shah and the rise of an Imam. The Shah was Persian by culture, American by loyalty. The Imam was Persian by culture, Islamic by persuasion. The Muslims of the world along with the imperialist victims of the world rejoiced at this turn of events. Ever since that time Uncle Sam and his nephew Cohen have been playing their cards against the Imam and the Revolution. How valiant and patient the sons and daughters of that revolution have been throughout all these years! Had all the forms of warfare and conspiracies and out-and-out lies been leveled against another revolution, it would have been on its knees by now.

Today, the Islamic Revolution in Iran is standing tall. It has developed its skills, advanced its technology, and extended its infrastructure to a degree that has finally brought the imperialist-Zionist club of nations out into the open in their war preparations, which are being set in motion as this article goes to press. The spreadsheets in the US and Europe inform us that there are 15,000 US combat ready troops in a slaphappy Kuwait: at least two army infantry brigades and a helicopter unit. The Pentagon has two aircraft carriers prowling regional waters: the USS Carl Vinson and the USS John Stennis. There are reports of a third aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln steaming toward the Persian Gulf, as of this writing. These and their strike groups are sharking their routes between their home base and the Persian Gulf.

The hot line between Washington and Tel Aviv is sizzling with blood-and-guts coordination plans. The word is out that the twin cities of Washington and Tel Aviv are gunning for Iran. Not to be left out of this imperialist-Islamic buildup of tension and threats the Qatari collaborator Sheikh Hamad Aal Thani (the Qatari Foreign Minister) and the Saudi sycophant Sa‘ud al-Faisal (the Saudi Foreign Minister) were in Washington last month listening to President Barack Obama and probably signing on to any future outbreak of hostilities. Their conversations remain a tightly guarded secret. Thanks to you, Islamic Iran, for showing the rest of the world who these toady officials in Arabia are and to whom they owe their allegiance.

Then we had, during this past month, the British Prime Minister David Cameron flying into Arabia to sell handsome amounts of weapons to the scared-to-death Saudi rulers. He held talks with King ‘Abdullah and his Crown Prince Nayef. This war scenario which comes to us from Washington and Tel Aviv is exactly what the military-industrial-banking complex needs. Thank you, Islamic Iran, for blowing the Islamic camouflage off the Anglo-American sheikhs in Arabia — and beyond.

You, the sons and daughters of the Revolution, with your dedication and tireless efforts have built your own state. You are showing the rest of us the way. It is your devotion to Islam as it was meant to be that is causing cracks in the Yahudi-Yankee edifice. Not all is rosy and peachy between the Israeli Knesset and the US Congress. The US budget has been bleeding for the better part of the past 33 years of the Islamic Revolution. The US Congress realizes that the America now owes more than it makes in a given year. And the hatchet men are out to chop off financial appropriations that are non-essential: there are plans for sequestration. This means that dollar-addicted Israel will have to be put on notice that it cannot expect to receive the generous amounts of cash infusions that it is addicted to. And this is resulting in a flare-up of behind-the-scenes tension between an America that no longer can supply and an Israel that needs more and more.

Little does the public eye notice that Israel is leading the charge, and the US is being pricked into combat position, a situation it is not ready for after its battles in Afghanistan and Iraq. The relationship between Yahudi-firsters in Washington and the Bible supremacists in Tel Aviv must be on thin ice when we hear that both sides called off “Austere Challenge 12” which was supposed to have been the largest war exercise ever between the US and Israel. Thank you, the persevering sons and daughters of the Islamic Revolution, for having shown us (those of us whose eyes are open) how flimsy and vulnerable the relationship is between the chicken hawks in Washington and their roosters in Tel Aviv.


People without prejudice — Muslims and non-Muslims — have watched your revolution grow from infancy into manhood. These people saw how the imperialists and Zionists targeted, via their agents, the scholars of Islam Ayatullah Murtaza Mutahhari, Ayatullah Seyyed Muhammad Hussein Beheshti, Ayatullah Ashraf Isfahani, Ayatullah Dastagheib, and many other great scholars of Islam were assassinated by “Persian” fifth-columnists. Yet the Revolution survived. Next, Iran’s soldiers became the target of the same enemies. And after eight long and bloody years and after hundreds of thousands of martyrs the Islamic Revolution survived. Now, the same enemies are targeting the scientists. You, the sons and daughters in your principled defense of the Islamic Revolution, exposed the cowards and showed us how they fight. When they lose at the battlefield they turn to assassinations and random killings.

The historical Islamic Revolution demonstrated to us the lengths to which the Zionists and imperialists will go to “frame” and “entrap” Muslims to justify a worldwide war that they say may continue for over a hundred years (a Freudian slip of the tongue that the Islamic Revolution may be around for a hundred years or more). You, the class of shuhada’, enlightened us as to the depth of hate and the visceral hatred that lurks in the bosoms of Euro-American-Israeli officials who cannot tolerate an independent Islamic state acquiring peaceful nuclear technology, when they themselves say that it is the right of all states.

You, the leaders of the Islamic State under the guidance of Imams Khomeini and Khamane’i, have stimulated our thoughts as to the real nature of our enemies and the enemies of oppressed people in the world. You educated us in these 33 years about enemies who hide behind a gloss of civilization but in their hearts they are anything but civilized. These enemies, as we all celebrate these bittersweet 33 years of revolution, may very well be planning a mass casualty attack of some sort against innocent people that will be blamed on Muslims.

They may even be thinking about some type of cyber-attack that may paralyze some society’s infrastructure in a way that is equivalent to a natural catastrophe or national emergency. They may be planning some type of disruption in the energy sector of the producers and consumers of petroleum. Their own man-made economies are teetering on the brink in Europe and in America. They are very adept at triggering a trans-Atlantic crisis that the world itself will suffer from.

You the leaders, the martyrs, the scholars, the soldiers, the scientists, and the devotees of Islam, have changed the geopolitical landscape of the world; whether you know it or not. You snatched the masks off the faces of political hypocrites and removed the gloves off the hands of financial thieves exposing their finger prints on crimes. And at the end of this line we and all the world can see how civilized these shayateen are: they urinate on dead Muslim bodies, they desecrate the Qur’an, they ridicule the Prophet (pbuh), they sexually assault the innocent, they commit every crime in the Book and none of our rulers from the filthy rich of Arabia to the dirt poor of Africa are able to speak truth to power the way you have done in Islamic Iran.

In all these years, an unspoken question lies deep down inside every astute Muslim, and that question is: will the imperialist US or Zionist Israel attack Islamic Iran? You have been answering that question for 33 years. And your answer in Allah’s (swt) words is:


They [the committed Muslims] were told: ‘But everyone is against you, be heedful of the danger’. And this [scenario] boosted their faith and commitment; and they [the committed Muslims] answered back: Suffice it that Allah is on our side, and He is the best confidant (3:173).


Pull quotes:
Today, the Islamic Revolution in Iran is standing tall… You, the sons and daughters of the Revolution, with your dedication and tireless efforts have built your own state. You are showing the rest of us the way. It is your devotion to Islam as it was meant to be that is causing cracks in the Yahudi-Yankee edifice… Not all is rosy and peachy between the Israeli Knesset and the US Congress.

Islamic concept of legitimacy

As mass popular movements sweep the Muslim East (aka Middle East) predatory Western powers and their local satraps are involved in desperate attempts to hijack them. They are offering the same failed systems in a new garb. Since the overwhelming majority in the region is Muslim, it is natural that they would want a social order connected to Islamic principles that represent and ennoble their unique identity. The people’s uprisings have made clear what they do not want: the old decrepit order. What they want instead and what shape the new order would take is as yet unclear.


Both in Tunisia where elections were held on October 23 and in Egypt where mass protests erupted again as Crescent went to press (before the November 28 election date), attempts are underway to keep the political process on a secularist track and Islam at bay to prevent its shaping the order in society. It is argued that Islam has no solutions to contemporary problems. We need to confront this argument and expose the forces behind such thinking but first let us understand the concept of legitimacy in Islam and how it is derived.


It is not the majority that confers legitimacy; Islamic legitimacy comes from divine commands. If the overwhelming majority in society, for instance, decides to kill the minority or to institute cannibalism would that make such acts acceptable? Based on Western notions of democracy, this would be perfectly legitimate but not in Islam. Let us go further. From the Islamic point of view, every Prophet of Allah (a) had legitimacy because he received the message from on high even if the people to whom it was delivered did not accept it. Islamic legitimacy is not contingent upon people’s acceptance or rejection but on following the commands of Allah (swt).


We must also have a clearer understanding of Islam. The Qur’an refers to it as deen, meaning a way of life. Thus, Islam encompasses more than the set of rituals that people perform as part of their religious obligation. Unlike other religions, Islam offers a complete set of principles that guides every adherent through life. It has rules for every aspect: social, political and economic. This is not mere theory; Islamic principles have been put into practice and have produced results that are far superior to any other system.


The West’s greatest claim to superiority has rested on its ability to produce vast amounts of goods to satisfy people’s needs. The financial tsunami sweeping North America and Europe and the realization among people that their ruling elites have lied to them and robbed them of their livelihood has finally exposed this myth. If Western-style democracy and capitalism have failed their own people, why should others buy into them? But that is precisely what is being offered to Muslims in the Muslim East. Not only the ruling elites, that are beneficiaries of the old corrupt order, but also some leaders of Islamic movements have fallen for this fraud. It is tragic and depressing to hear otherwise intelligent and sincere leaders of Islamic movements talk about the virtues of secularism.


When Muslims embark on creating political systems in their societies, they must be clear about what they want. For a system to be legitimate and enjoy the support of the masses, it must be based on Islamic principles of which the most fundamental is justice. Without justice, there can be no peace or security in society.


We must also understand one other point: not everyone is created equal. Some are strong, others are weak; some are tall, others are short. The same applies to wealth and health. Yet such power differentiations must not be used to exploit or oppress the weak and poor. Unlike the Western system where the rich and, therefore, the powerful use their privileges to amass great wealth and power and deprive others of their basic rights, Islam regulates the use of power.


Unfortunately, in most Muslim societies too, the rich and powerful exploit the weak and poor. Western powers prop up the corrupt elites so that they institute policies beneficial to the West even if they are detrimental to the interests of their own people. Thus, Saudi Arabia must pump excessive amounts of oil, far beyond its own needs, to satiate America’s thirst. For toeing Washington’s line, the illegitimate House of Saud is kept in power. The same holds true for the city-states on the western shores of the Persian Gulf and regimes elsewhere in the Muslim East. The way out of this mess is not to apply the failed Western model but to create a system based on the values of Islam. It is only then that Muslim societies can be truly liberated.


Without Islam, no regime in the Muslim world can claim legitimacy regardless of the number of elections it holds. If the people desire a life of dignity and honour, they must continue to agitate and resist until they have established an Islamic system of governance.

“Mentor” of political Islam dies in Turkey

By Seyfeddin Kara

While Muslims in the Islamic East and North Africa were going through great turmoil, in February, the Muslims of Turkey lost one of their greatest leaders. Professor Necmeddin Erbakan had been in hospital since early January for various problems and he finally died on February 27 of cardiac and respiratory failure at the age of 85.

Nicknamed “Khoca” (mentor), Erbakan was born on 29 October 1926 in the city of Sinop, on the Black Sea coast in Northern Turkey. He was an exceptionally bright student and excelled in his studies from an early age. After completing his high school education, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 1948 and pursued an academic career in Germany. He received a PhD in 1953 from the RWTH Aachen University there, and then participated in major military projects in the world famous Deutz factories in Germany. This period of his life was particularly important for young Erbakan as he was deeply impressed by the rapid revitalization of German industry, as well as the discipline and efficiency that Germans demonstrated during this process.

When he returned to Turkey, Erbakan wanted to implement his experiences in Turkey and achieve a similar level of industrial and technological progress. However, he did not wish to adopt the “German model” without major alterations. He was a deeply committed Muslim and thus wanted to create a synthesis between Islamic awakening and western technological and economic supremacy. This is what many Islamic thinkers and activists had been trying to achieve since the turn of the 19th century and had fallen short. Erbakan was a pragmatist who did not confine himself into a particular methodology and did what had to be done within the methodology of the Prophet (pbuh) to best achieve his goals. He was not Machiavellian in any sense: he adhered to strict Islamic principles and never compromised them, regardless of the heavy cost he was forced to pay.

Erbakan first wanted to work as an academic to realize his vision of Turkey. He was a celebrated engineer with revolutionary ideas. Erbakan presented many projects, which would boost Turkey’s economy, to the appropriate ministers of state at the time. The most important of these projects was to manufacture a car in Turkey, in a symbolic push to achieve an industrial revolution and eschew dependence on western technology. Erbakan’s vision was far beyond the comprehension of the 1960s Turkey, hence his projects were trashed without careful consideration.

He realized that he could not achieve his goals as an academic. The source of problems in Turkey was political and needed to be addressed by political means. A few years after becoming a professor in 1965, he decided to run as an independent candidate from Konya in 1969, winning in a landslide victory and becoming an MP. Soon after, he established the National Order Party which would later be known as the first “Islamic political party” of Turkey. Many believe that Erbakan was not alone in his struggle; his spiritual guidance came from Mehmet Zahid Kotku, a very influential Sufi (Naqshbandi) shaykh who reportedly encouraged Erbakan to set up a political party which would serve the needs of Muslims in Turkey. Although religious guidance came from Sheikh Kotku, Erbakan alone hatched the main political tenets of his political movement, which continued to be active for four decades in Turkey’s hostile political environment.

According to Ali Bulac, a renowned Muslim thinker in Turkey, Erbakan’s political discourse, known as National View or Turkish Islamism had three distinct characteristics:

1. It has always operated within a representative framework and never strayed outside of the law. Thus Turkish Islamism has strongly and clearly opposed using violence, terrorism and other drastic methods for political gains. Erbakan’s movement was considered to be “an opposition within the system”.

2. It embraced an anti-elitist discourse and political agenda. Turkish Islamism defended a heterogenic social structure in which various groups should be able to enjoy a social, cultural, economic and political existence. Erbakan’s movement was a vociferous critique of the domination of the bureaucracy, politics and economy by a “special” minority.

3. It aimed to create Muslim unity through regional integration in which Turkey plays an active role. The D-8 project, an economic organization founded by Erbakan in 1997, was a major step toward establishing economic, political and social unity among the Muslim countries.

We may add a fourth characteristic which Ali Bulac chooses to not to mention in his analyses, which would be, of course, Erbakan’s staunch opposition to Zionism. In fact this characteristic was at the core of his teachings, as Erbakan believed that Zionism has been the sole reason for the depleted and weak situation of the Muslims, and the only way to escape from the current situation is to eliminate Zionism.

“Zionism is the cause of all evil”

In Erbakan’s perception, Israel was considered to be a major threat against not only Muslim Arabs, but also Muslims of all persuasions in general. He believed Israel’s ambitions could not be contained within its current borders and sooner or later would threaten Turkish sovereignty. Erbakan based his anticipation on the common Jewish belief mentioned in the Old Testament and oft-repeated by Zionist forefathers. According to this belief the so-called “promised lands” include the area between the rivers Euphrates and Nile, which covers a significant portion of Turkish territory. Erbakan did not hesitate to express his views on the ambitious Israeli expansion project in 1996 in a high level government meeting while he was still prime minister:

There are two blue lines on the top and bottom of the star in the Israeli flag. These lines are symbols. The top line represents the Euphrates, the bottom line the Nile. According to Jewish belief these borders are the natural borders of the state of Israel.

Erbakan had always accused Israel of meddling in Turkish political affairs and held Zionism responsible for shedding the blood of fellow Turkish citizens, especially in the turmoil of the 1970s wherein rival factions from communists, nationalists and Islamists would kill each other on a daily basis. When Israel announced Jerusalem to be their capital in 1980, Erbakan stated:

Those who know Zionism compare it to an octopus. This octopus has numberless arms. Communism is one arm, capitalism another arm, freemasonry a side branch, racism another arm. Those who become part of these currents, without knowing, are serving Zionism, are fighting for Zionism — whatever they might call themselves.

Erbakan also pointed out the so-called “world domination of Zionism”. He believed that Zionism through economic and political dominance had enslaved not only Muslims but the world population. He was adept in using his anti-Zionist discourse in his domestic campaign to convince electors. He made a clear distinction between his movement and the other political movements operating in Turkey. He averred that anyone who is not part of his movement is intentionally or unintentionally taking side with Zionism:

Zionism, which has its centre in Wall Street of New York, is an ideological power. They believe that they are God’s chosen people and that other people are created to become their slaves. They believe that they will dominate the world and the more they exploit other people the more worship pleasure they take. Zionists have world imperialism under their control. They exploit all humanity with the capitalist system based on interest. They continue their political dominance of the world through imperialist states. In Turkey imperialism and Zionism support the “imitation parties” [all political parties other than Erbakan’s party] and these parties try by all means to rule the country.

A constant political struggle



Erbakan also believed that political dependence on the West, and Westernization of social life was a Zionist plot that Muslims in general should be aware of. It was their ultimate aim to destroy Islamic values and social life, so that the Muslim masses could be kept under control. Erbakan considered secularism to be a part of the Westernization project and criticized it tirelessly, a stand which worked against his political career at the very early stages. His first party, the National Order Party, established in 1970 was disqualified and shut down during the following year on charges of acting against secularism. After a brief hiatus, Erbakan founded the National Salvation Party in 1972. However, this party and the other two parties Erbakan founded were also forbidden from constitency development and participation in the electoral process.

The National Salvation Party was closed down by a military coup in 1980. Erbakan then established the Welfare Party in 1983 and waited for 13 years to come to power. His party finally won the 1996 elections and he became prime minister in coalition with the True Path Party, becoming the first Muslims with an Islamic program to hold office in the Republic of Turkey. However, due to its conservative mainstream background, the True Path Party was not aligned with Erbakan’s political vision. Nevertheless, Erbakan embarked upon developing Turkey’s relations with Muslim countries. He further implemented an economic welfare program, which did improve welfare among many sections of the society. Similar to policies implemented with the current AKP rule, Erbakan’s coalition government also tried to achieve rapprochement with the neighbouring countries.

Soon after, a military coup staged in February 1997, removed Erbakan from power. A constitutional court decision closed down the Welfare Party again on charges of acting against secularism, and banned him from politics. He finally got his remaining disciples to found the Felicity Party. Attacks against him and obstacles put before him only made him grow stronger in the eyes of the people.

But he could not avoid losing his brightest students during these difficult times. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdullah Gul departed from Erbakan’s party in 1998 in a rift caused by difference of opinion between the “progressives” represented by Erdogan and Gul and the “conservatives” represented by Erbakan and his close followers. The “progressives” criticized Erbakan for not giving any space to the younger generation and most importantly for not being able to harvest policies to deal with the necessities of the time. Therefore, they established their own party to realize their own vision of Turkey. Despite the rift they always showed their respect to their “mentor” and were forgiven by Erbakan.



Admiration for Islamic Revolution in Iran



Erbakan’s opinion about Zionism differed slightly from that of the leader of the Islamic revolution in Iran, Imam Khomeini. According to Imam Khomeini it was the US that caused the trouble for Muslims and all other oppressed people around the world, which was formulated in his famous manifesto: “America is the greatest Satan”. Unlike Erbakan, Imam Khomeini believed that Zionism was merely one of the tools the US used to achieve its hegemony in the Islamic East. This variation in the appraisal of the world situation from his own never prevented Erbakan from admiring the Islamic Revolution and he always referred to Iran as a paragon for an ideal Islamic state.

Fatih Erbakan, the son of Necmeddin Erbakan, noted this when he received a group of diplomats from the Iranian embassy after his father’s death. He pointed out the important position of Iran in the eyes of his father:

My father had always held Iran in high regard. When he became the prime minister, he paid his first visit to Iran and the last country he visited in his lifetime was Iran. When he was working on the Muslim Unity and G-8 project, he was pressured from inside and outside Turkey “to prioritize Arab countries”. They suggested that “Iran’s role should be secondary [in this project].” However, my father always asserted that “Iran is our closest brother. It is the country that struggles most bravely against world Zionism. Thus we first need to embrace them”. My late father had a famous expression “We are at opposition in Turkey but at power in Iran.”

The story goes that Erbakan’s admiration for Iran was one of the reasons for the split between him and his spiritual leader Sheikh Kotku in 1979. Coming from a conservative Sunni background Sheikh Kotku was troubled with Erbakan’s support for the Islamic Revolution achieved by Shi’is and his relations with the pro-revolutionary Turkish youth. Thus, he eventually asked Erbakan to leave the party leadership. Instead, Erbakan decided to depart from Sheikh Kotku’s Iskenderpasha movement and continue alone.

Erbakan and the global Islamic movement

Erbakan’s ideas were indeed echoed outside of Turkey. His teaching on “opposition within the system” was adopted by some other Islamic political movements. The leader of al-Nahdah, the Islamic movement of Tunisia, Rashid al-Ghannushi came to Istanbul to attend the funeral of the late Erbakan. When he was in Istanbul, al-Ghannushi gave a speech in an IHH event and he said: “Erbakan was not only my friend but also my mentor, he had a distinct reputation in the Arab world”.

Hamas Health Minister Bassam Naim issued a statement following Erbakan’s death. In his statement Naim referred to Erbakan as a “…leading figure and thinker of the Muslim world.” He then went on to say: “Turkey and the Muslim world have lost a major flag of contemporary Islam who devoted his entire life to Islamic issues, particularly those in Palestine and Jerusalem.” The Hamas leadership based in Damascus also issued a statement and conveyed their condolences to Turkey. Sheikh Kamil Khatib from the Islamic Movement in Occupied Palestine also sent separate messages to President Cul and Prime Minister Erdogan to express condolences.

Many important Muslims figures from around the world were present at Erbakan’s funeral, which made clear his position in the global Islamic movement: the former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Muhammad Mahdi ‘Akif; the head of the Islamic Party in Kashmir, Abdur Rasheed Turabi; the chairman of Indonesia’s Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Lutfi Hasan Ishaq; and former Sudanese President Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab were some of those who were present at the funeral.

In accordance with Erbakan’s last will, no official ceremony was held for his funeral. Yet, in Istanbul where the ceremony was held around 1 million people gathered to bid farewell to Erbakan at the Fatih Masjid. His coffin was carried on the shoulders for 5km and buried in Zeytinburnu Merkezefendi Cemetery. The crowd chanted “Mujahid Erbakan” which was a symbolic nickname given to Erbakan and was often heard during his political campaigns. His most important disciples President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Leader of HAS Party, Numan Kurtulmus along with many other significant figures joined in the crowd to offer the “mentor” their final du‘as.