Capitalism Incites Terrorism and Mass Murder

“Terrorist attacks” on Pakistani soil only became a phenomenon since the American arrival in this region. The politically aware have always regarded them as false flag attacks that our despicable rulers have used to justify their use of force in killing those who fight the American occupation of Afghanistan. Government mouthpieces within the Pakistani media attempt to establish another narrative to serve the American project. However, such government propaganda cannot deceive the politically aware who have seen through the plots and plans of the colonial powers and their agents.

One thing is for sure, we do not have evil people roaming our streets planning mass murders as witnessed on 1 October 2017 in Las Vegas America. The ex-millionaire, retired accountant Stephan Paddock killed 59 people, whilst injuring 489. Sadly, it is no great surprise to the world which has become familiar with such acts of violence in the US. It is almost routine when one considers statistics. In August 2015, The Washington Post reported that the United States was averaging one mass shooting per day. In December 2015, The Washington Post reported that there had been 355 mass shootings in the United States so far that year (2015).

After each incident, the American establishment rushes to blame the individual, interviewing those who knew him, digging into their history or personal life, fingers pointed at the individual, whilst putting a veil over the underlying causes of such crimes. We hear about the murderer’s mental health and how he hid his illness from those around him or perhaps how he dodged psychological screening. Commenting on the killer while speaking to reporters in Washington, President Trump turned attention away from the rotting US society by individualizing the issue. He stated, “He was a sick man. A demented man, a lot of problems......we are dealing with a very, very sick individual.”

Trump is wrong. We are not dealing with a sick individual only, we are dealing with a sick society, based on a sick ideology with sick values. The mass murderers are personalities directly produced by the wretched Capitalist ideology. Capitalism promotes individualism and undermines collective responsibility. It sends a message that you are on your own and you are an individual competing with everyone else in the pursuit of freedoms. This selfish, individualistic Capitalist viewpoint throws everyone in the box to calculate the ‘cost’ and ‘material benefit’ of their social relations or any other aspect of their life. Material benefit supersedes all other values, whether they are humanitarian, moral or spiritual. Secularism's detaching of religion from life has led to a society that gives little value to standing before the Creator (swt) for accounting over our deeds. Freedom of ownership has become the most prominent freedom of all. It has nurtured nothing more than selfishness and an exploitive society.

Life has become a competition to usurp the rights of other and the majority are the “losers,” as reflected in the slogan of the Wall Street Movement, “we are the 99%”.

Freedom not only leads to the lack of self control that is seen in mass murders but also is a cause for the frustration and anger that explode within such individuals. Capitalism and its freedom are the cause. Tighter gun laws, hotel security and psychological profiling alone will never reverse the epidemic of mass murder in the world's foremost Capitalist state.

Islam alone provides a relief from such anguish and it is upon the Ummah to arise as an Ummah implementing Islam. Islam establishes firmly the collective responsibility and the sense of community, warning of individual transgression. RasulAllah (saaw) said,

«مَثل القائم على حدود الله والواقع فيها كمثل قوم استهموا على سفينة، فصار بعضهم أعلاها وبعضهم أسفلها، وكان الذين في أسفلها إذا استقوا من الماء مروا على من فوقهم فقالوا‏:‏ لو أنا خرقنا في نصيبنا خرقًا ولم نؤذ من فوقنا، فإن تركوهم وما أرادوا هلكوا وهلكوا جميعًا، وإن أخذوا على أيديهم نجوا ونجوا جميعا»‏

“The likeness of the man who observes the limits prescribed by Allah and that of the man who transgresses them is like the people who get on board a ship after casting lots. Some of them are in its lower deck and some of them in its upper (deck). Those who are in its lower (deck), when they require water, go to the occupants of the upper deck, and say to them: 'If we make a hole in the bottom of the ship, we shall not harm you.' If they (the occupants of the upper deck) leave them to carry out their design they all will be drowned. But if they do not let them go ahead (with their plan), all of them will remain safe.” [Bukhari].

Islam inspires the human being to account of himself and conform his desires to what has been revealed, for the sake of eternal bliss. It was narrated from Abu Ya’la Shaddad bin Aws that the RasulAllah (saw) said,

«الْكَيِّسُ مَنْ دَانَ نَفْسَهُ وَعَمِلَ لِمَا بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَالْعَاجِزُ مَنْ أَتْبَعَ نَفْسَهُ هَوَاهَا ثُمَّ تَمَنَّى عَلَى اللَّهِ»

“The wise man is the one who takes account of himself and strives for that which is after death. And the helpless man is the one who follows his own whims then indulges in wishful thinking about Allah.” [Ibn Majah] Islam establishes that material gain is not the standard for winning and losing in this life, but believing in Islam and accumulating righteous deeds way to secure success, for Allah (swt) said,

(إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْكَبِيرُ)

“Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment.” [Surah Al Buruj 85:11] And it warns that the striving for Allah's pleasure is a constant striving that must never be neglected. RasulAllah (saw) said,

«إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، وَإِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، وَيَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، وَإِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، وَإِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالْخَوَاتِيمِ»

“A man may do the deeds of the people of the Fire while in fact he is one of the people of Paradise, and he may do the deeds of the people of Paradise while in fact he belongs to the people of Fire, and verily, (the rewards of) the deeds are decided by the last actions (deeds).”
[Bukhari]. Asides from its solid system of values and beliefs, Islam has comprehensive systems for life that prevent the exploitation of the masses by the sake of individual. Allah (swt)

(كَيْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةً بَيْنَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ مِنكُمْ)

“so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you.” [Surah Al-Hashr 59]

The United States is rotting as a corpse rots after life has left it. Its stench is producing revulsion throughout the world. It is time to bury it and the only Ummah that can ensure that burial is the Ummah of RasulAllah (saw), that is firm upon the Deen of Truth. Allah (swt) said,

(كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم مِّنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ)

“You are the best of the nation raised up for mankind because you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah.” [Surah Aali Imran 3:110]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Saad Jagranvi