Why the West have no compassion for human life Addu Sunday January 09, 2005 http://www.adduonline.com/articles/page2.htm
''The Unbelievers are protectors, one of another: Unless ye do this, (establish Islamic State - the Khilafah), there would be tumult and oppression on earth, and great mischief.'' [Anfal:73] ''There is the type of man whose speech of this worlds life may dazzle thee, and he calls Allah to witness about what is in his heart yet he is the most contentious of enemies. When he turns his back, his aim everywhere is to spread mischief through the earth and destroy crops and cattle. But Allah loves not mischief.'' [ 2:204-205] The belated response from western governments in pledging aid to the victims of the tsunami disaster was frowned upon by westerners and victims alike. America's initial pledge of $35 million was described by a US senator as equivalent to what the American military consumed in Iraq before breakfast. Eventually, the aid was increased to $350 million, but did little to stem the growing tide of criticism directed at the Bush administration. In Britain too, the government was censured for pledging a meagre amount to the relief fund. Sensing humiliation the government hastened to match the British public's donation of £90 million. These are the very same governments that never tire of preaching equality, human rights to the rest of the world, and setting up human rights commissions, but when given the opportunity to foster these ideals in some of the poorest countries of the world they are suddenly overcome with amnesia. [These are the same people who manufactured Maldivian ''reformists'' and put Western values in their mouths. The belligerent reformists brag about human rights to us without realising the fact they are prostituting for the colonialists. ] The failure of western governments to respond adequately to the catastrophe in Asia is not an act of God, but is the result of the capitalist ideology that makes materialism as opposed to humanitarianism the discerning factor in the disbursement of aid. Take the US for example: approximately 0.1 percent of U.S. gross national product annually goes towards foreign aid. The amount of aid offered by other western countries is slightly better, but still way below what is needed to return the disaster stricken areas back to some degree of normalcy. In marked contrast, the west spends vast amounts on exploiting the world's precious resources, creating new markets for their companies and tying developing countries to western financial institutions. In June 2004, America's cost of waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan reached 151 Billion and is expected to surpass 200 billion mark in 2005. The inequality in spending between aid and war is due to the capitalist ideology that drives western governments to prioritise materialism above anything else. In their view, the sanctity of human life and respect for fellow human beings comes a poor second to the pursuit of profit. For instance, since the beginning of the war in Iraq, an estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed according to the Lancet medical journal. This means that the US government is paying the Pentagon on average $ 1.5 million per Iraqi civilian killed in order to secure the oil fields of Iraq. On the other hand, the US government eager to avoid the label 'stingy' has pledged $ 35 per person in humanitarian assistance to the million or so displaced victims. Still there are some who boast about the size of the west's generosity in comparison to other countries. As evidence they cite the huge contribution made to the tsunami relief fund by western governments and their willingness to impose a moratorium on debt relief. However, western kindness has a notorious history of rebounding and leaving a cruel taste amongst the receipts of aid. Victims of the Bam earthquake in Iran are still living in abject poverty because only $ 17 million of the much-publicised $ 1 billion aid was delivered. Afghans, ravaged by coalition bombs are yet to receive 40% of the $ 5.4 billion in aid promised to them. Back in 2002, Bush declared that African countries would receive up to $5 billion a year in development assistance. Two years on, and not a single dollar has been dispersed. There is also overwhelming evidence that aid given to Maldives was attached with the condition that democratisation process should continue. Similarly, freezing debt repayments only to be resumed at a later date will do little to alleviate the economic plight of the countries in the region. These countries are saddled with mountains of debt and are forced to endure tough IMF measures which in most cases reverse the economic recovery. For instance, Indonesia's overall external debt is about $ 150 billion; suspending the payment of $ 3.1bn in principal and $ 1.3bn billion in interest payments as suggested by some European countries will not lift Indonesia out of poverty or help the tsunami victims. If the west is serious about assisting Indonesia and other countries, then it should retire the debt altogether and cancel the IMF conditions imposed on its economy. This will enable Indonesia to become economically self-sufficient and less reliant on external aid. This strategy will not only help the Indonesia people stand on their feet, but also help them prepare effectively for future tsunamis. But western governments will never tolerate economic parity between itself and the developing world, as it hurts cooperate profits and loosens their grip on valuable resources. Materialism and the constant quest for resources has allowed western governments to squander another opportunity to win the hearts and minds of the Muslim people reeling from America's war terrorism. But if the west's adherence to capitalism has made it devoid of compassion and insolent of human life then the same can be said for the rulers of the Muslim world. Instead of taking advantage of the catastrophe in Asia to help their fellow Muslims and win the hearts and minds of the non-Muslim victims, their first priority is to protect the economic interests of western powers followed by their own thrones. Take Saudi-Arabia. After the events of September 11, it launched a multi-million dollar media campaign in the US to improve the public image of the royal family. In comparison its response to tsunami crisis remains low-key. What the world needs today is an ideology and a state that is not forever preoccupied with securing resources and protecting its markets when faced with people deeply distressed by natural disasters. But is able to face up to victims of such catastrophes with compassion and respect for human life. Only the khilafah can win the hearts and minds of both Muslims and non-Muslims who have been afflicted with calamity. When the sworn enemies of Islam, the Quraiysh were stricken with famine, it was not the Romans or the Persians that rushed to their rescue, but the infant Islamic state in Madina under the leadership of the messenger of Allah that provided relief and won their hearts. In 650, during the reign of Khalifah Umar, Madina was devastated by famine and it was the Muslims of Egypt that sent forth aid the likes of which was not seen before. In addition to sending aid over land, a sixty-nine mile canal was dug to connect the River Nile to the Red Sea, so that ships laden with vast quantities of food could reach Jeddah the port for Madina. The whole project was completed in six months and Medina's food shortages were permanently solved. Related Intellectual Property - A Colonial Tool http://www.adduonline.com/articles/intelprop.htm Profits that kill http://www.adduonline.com/articles/bunting.htm ''...Intellectual property protection has become a tool to make permanent the growing inequality of the global economy: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer...'' The Will and Knowledge of Allah http://www.adduonline.com/articles/will.htm Archive http://www.adduonline.com/archive.htm - http://www.adduonline.com/articles/page2.htm __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? All your favorites on one personal page – Try My Yahoo! http://my.yahoo.com ------------------------ Yahoo! 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Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." 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