What shall be the Basis of the State in Bangladesh: Secularism in the name of the so-called Spirit of Liberation or Islam?

Bangladesh has been ruled by secularism since the creation of the country, by the Awami League in the name of the so-called spirit of the liberation war and by the Jatiya Party and the BNP with some other slogans. However the Muslims of this country as a part of the global Islamic Ummah did not remain isolated from the Islamic revival worldwide. And particularly since the beginning of this century, the growth, expansion and popular support of Islam as a political ideology and Islamic political activism increased at a rapid pace; and the demand for Islamic rule (Khilafah "Caliphate"/Caliphate) has become a popular demand. This worried the imperialist crusading powers, America and her allies, and their corrupt agents; and together they embarked on working to prevent Islam from reaching the rule, plotting and planning without leaving any stones unturned. However the tide did not favour them and the march of Islam and the work for Islamic rule reached new heights with the passing of every moment. So when the Gulshan attack took place they seized upon it as a great opportunity to give their fight against Islam a renewed momentum.

Firstly, they set about defaming Islam and the truthful Islamic political work for establishing the Khilafah "Caliphate" by linking Islam and the Islamic rule with mindless killing and violence, and the ISIS which has gained global notoriety for savagery and brutality. Sheikh Hasina pointed her fingers at “youths brainwashed by religion” and her American masters pushed ahead with their claim of the presence of ISIS in the country. The fact is that the Gulshan attack had nothing to do with Islam and such attacks are prohibited by Islam. Moreover, it is known to the aware politicians with understanding of the international situation that the actions of the ISIS organization serve the Americans and their designs. In Iraq, they facilitated its presence in Mosul for the dismantling and division of the country along ethnic and sectarian lines. And in Syria they are using it for supporting the butcher and American agent Bashar al Assad and fighting the peoples’ revolt there. When the people of Syria united against Bashar to remove him and establish the Khilafah "Caliphate", the ISIS emerged and started operations against the revolting groups; and then it declared itself as the Khilafah "Caliphate" which is not recognized by the Shari’ah and it has become a tool to defame the Khilafah "Caliphate".
Secondly, tyrant Hasina and the regime started terrorizing the Muslims of the country in an unprecedented manner.

Students of private universities, landlords, tenants, bachelors, women, ulema... The whole society is a target and victim of this increased tyranny, and repressive legal-security measures to create panic in the people and instil fear in them in order to subdue the demand for Islam, keep the people away from the Islamic political work and place obstacles in the way of the Islamic Call. And the masters of the regime rewarded Hasina with awards to acknowledge that they are pleased with her for her subservience to them and evil work against Islam and the Muslims.

And last but not least was aggressively promoting the idea of secularism in order to further entrench it in the society. It was as if the increased tyranny was an unsheathed sword being brandished in front of the people telling them, “You must accept secularism or else!” The entire state machinery - the President, Prime Minister, IGP, RAB DG, the sold out intellectuals, newspaper editors and media personalities... all got down to the business of advocating secularism, claiming that it is the only way for peace, harmony and progress and the state in Bangladesh must remain firmly on this foundation. They went to the extent of threatening the people’s proper practising of Islam in their personal actions, those behaviours which they deem to be not suiting the one who is secular. A Muslim who gives “Salam” with the correct Arabic pronunciation is thus to be treated as a suspect.

They told parents to look into their son’s actions if he does not have a girlfriend. They told people to keep an eye on the person who did not pray before and was not known to be a practising Muslim and then suddenly became practising and performing the Salah.

(أُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوْا الضَّلاَلَةَ بِالْهُدَى فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ)

“These are they who have purchased misguidance for guidance, so their commerce was profitless. And they were not guided.” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 16]

The idea of secularism is the creed (Aqeedah) of the Western disbelieving ideology (Capitalism). This idea calls for the separation of all religions (including Islam) from the state and life’s affairs; from ruling, economics, judiciary, education, foreign affairs... According to the idea of secularism, belief in the Creator is a personal matter and it must not be allowed to interfere in organizing the affairs of the country. This is a completely erroneous idea, because either Allah (swt) exists or He does not exist. If He does not exist then it is not even correct to be a personal belief. Whereas if Allah (swt) does exist, which is the truth and definitely proven, then He organizes every affair of man, whether it is a personal matter or a public matter. This is why Allah (swt) says, ((أَلاَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالأَمْرُ)) “Surely His is the creation and the command.” [Surah Al-A’raf: 54]. Islam rejects the notion that Allah (swt) is the Creator while the legislation is for someone else,((إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلاَّ لِلَّهِ)) “The legislation is for none but Allah.” [Surah Yusuf: 40].

Likewise, Islam states that, (وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ) “And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and earth” [Surah Al-i-Imran: 189]; not as the secularists say, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.” Caesar, his throne, his empire and everything in it are subject to Allah’s commands. Islam does not accept that the mosques are for Allah only and the entire state is for Sheikh Hasina, neither does it accept that legislating rules for only prayers and fasting is for Allah while legislating rules for government, economy, judiciary etc is for Sheikh Hasina. To consider as such would be associating partners with Allah (swt),

(أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ شَرَعُوا لَهُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا لَمْ يَأْذَنْ بِهِ اللَّهُ)

“Or do they have partners with Allah who have legislated for them a way which Allah has not ordained?” [Surah Ash-Shura: 21]

As for what the secularists claim that if the state is established upon one religion then it will be the cause of oppression towards the people of other religions, this has no basis with regards to Islam. People of all faiths live side by side under the shade of Islam and no one is coerced in the case of their religious beliefs and practices. RasulAllah (saw) said,

«وَمَنْ يَكُنْ عَلَى يَهُودِيَّتِهِ أَوْ عَلَى نَصْرَانِيَّتِهِ فَإِنَّهُ لا يُفْتَنُ عَنْهَا وَعَلَيْهِ الْجِزْيَةُ»

“The one who is upon Judaism and the one who is upon Christianity, they are not be coerced away from their faith.”

And he (saw) said,

«ألا مٓنْ ظَلَمَ مُعَاهِداً أَوِ انْتَقَصَهُ أَوْ كَلَّفَهُ فَوْقَ طَاقَتِهِ أَوْ أَخَذَ مِنْهُ شَيْئاً بِغَيْرِ طِيبِ نَفْسِهِ فَأَنَا خَصْمُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ»

“If anyone wrongs a man with whom a covenant has been made or curtails any of his rights or imposes on him more than he can bear or takes anything from him without his ready agreement, I shall be his adversary on the Day of Resurrection.”

And regarding what they quote of Surah Al-Kafirun in support for secularism, the ayah

((لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ)) “To you be your religion and to me my religion” it is actually the opposite of that. It does not mean what they claim that, “To each is his religion while the state is for all” and therefore the state is not to be based on any one religion. The meaning of the ayah is that Islam is distinct and separate from the religion of the disbelievers. The ayah was revealed as a decisive rejection of disbelief when the chiefs of Makkah offered RasulAllah (saw) to make a compromise between Islam and their deen. He (saw) rejected their offer and announced that he will continue his call until Islam prevails as the only true deen for mankind. As he (saw) said,

«وَاللَّهِ يَا عَمِّ، لَوْ وَضَعُوا الشَّمْسَ فِي يَمِينِي، وَالْقَمَرَ فِي شِمَالِي، عَلَى أَنْ أَتْرُكَ هَذَا الأَمْرَ مَا تَرَكْتُهُ، حَتَّى يُظْهِرَهُ اللَّهُ، أَوْ أَهْلِكَ فِيهِ»

“By Allah, if they were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand, so that I leave this matter, I will not leave it until Allah makes it prevail or I perish for it.”

So Islam rejects secularism and adopting it as the basis of the state is disbelief (Kufr). It is prohibited for the Muslims to believe in it, to adopt it, to call for it, to propagate it, to live by it and to accept being governed by it. Islam forbids the Muslims from resorting to other than the Islamic authority in judging their affairs.

(أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَتَحَاكَمُوا إِلَى الطَّاغُوتِ وَقَدْ أُمِرُوا أَنْ يَكْفُرُوا بِهِ)

“Have you not seen those who claim that they believe in that which has been sent down to you and that which was sent down before you and they wish to resort to Taghut for judgement (false judges, rulers, leaders) while they have been ordered to reject them.” [Surah An-Nisa: 60]
Islam has ordained the Khilafah "Caliphate" as the ruling system for the Muslims as stated in the hadith,

عَنْ النَّبِيِّ (ص) قَالَ: «كَانَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ تَسُوسُهُمْ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ كُلَّمَا هَلَكَ نَبِيٌّ خَلَفَهُ نَبِيٌّ وَإِنَّهُ لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي وَسَيَكُونُ خُلَفَاءُ فَيَكْثُرُونَ» قَالُوا: فَمَا تَأْمُرُنَا؟ قَالَ: «فُوا بِبَيْعَةِ الْأَوَّلِ فَالْأَوَّلِ أَعْطُوهُمْ حَقَّهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ سَائِلُهُمْ عَمَّا اسْتَرْعَاهُمْ»

“Bani Israel were ruled by the Prophets, every time a Prophet deceased he was followed by another Prophet, and there will be no Prophets after me, there will be Khulafaah and they will number many.” The Sahabah asked, “What do you order us?” To which the Prophet replied, “Fulfil your Bay’ah to them one after another...”

And this is what we call you towards, O Muslims! Reject the Kufr secularism as the basis of your state, do not accept to be governed by it, remove the current regime and establish the state upon the basis of Islam, the Khilafah "Caliphate" state which will rule you by the judgements of Allah (swt) in all your affairs, brining for you good in the Dunya and in the Akhirah, insha’Allah.

(وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنْ اللَّهِ حُكْمًا لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ)

“And who is better in judgement than Allah for people who have firm Faith.” [Surah Al-Ma’idah: 50]

www.ht-bangladesh.info