Press Release
The Khilafah Will Eradicate the Hegemony of the Colonialist Major Powers Over Oil Price

A sudden surge in the prices of petroleum products by more than Rs. 10, in compliance with IMF dictation, has dropped a new petrol bomb on the people, who are already crushed by inflation. The people are skinned alive to achieve the target of Rs. 610 billion of petroleum development levy set by the IMF.

Whilst blaming global inflation and pleading helplessness, the government has willingly accepted the IMF dictation to constantly devalue the Rupee, which has led to a surge in the prices of oil imports. After willingly submitting to the international order and dollar hegemony over international trade, the government’s plea of helplessness is deception. The Khilafah will never wear such shackles on its hands and feet. The Khilafah will end the dollar hegemony by adopting gold and silver as the state’s currency and in international trade.

Islam forbids the indirect taxes, levies and the hefty profits of private owners of the petroleum sector, that all raise the prices of fuel, whilst the price of petroleum has shot up from about Rs. 90 to Rs. 138. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, «لا يدخلُ الجنَّةَ صاحبُ مَكْسٍ» “The (illegal) tax collector will not go to heaven” (Abu Dawood). Moreover, Islam takes the profits of the private owners of energy out of the equation, by declaring the energy sector as public property. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, «الْمُسْلِمُونَ شُرَكَاءُ فِي ثَلاَثٍ: الْمَاءِ وَالْكَلإِ وَالنَّارِ» “People are partners in three: water, food and fire (anything which produces fire).” (Ahmed)

Global oil prices are not determined by the universal principles of supply and demand in the free market, but by the hegemony of the colonialist major powers, through manipulation of the OPEC Plus cartel. From the fifties of the last century, the price of oil remained relatively low and stable at 25 dollars a barrel, allowing Western economies to grow rapidly. When the United States needed higher prices to develop its own shale oil and gas resources, the price surged to 147 dollars a barrel. The Khilafah will not be held hostage by the OPEC Plus oil cartel, because the Khilafah will have a great effect on world oil and gas prices, due to its direct supervision of the lion’s share of the world’s oil and gas reserves within the lands of Muslims. Thus, the Khilafah will secure affordable and available fuel for all its citizens, Muslims and non-Muslims.

The Khilafah will reject the idea of nation-states. After the defeat of the Khilafah in World War I, France and Britain carved up the lands of Muslims, erecting borders to form the current states. Muslim lands have been carved up to ensure that the oil and gas reserves of certain states fell under the control of the Western colonialist powers, through agents. Thus the wealth of oil and gas became concentrated in certain states, whilst depriving other states of Muslims. The Khilafah will unify the current Muslim states into a single state, pooling the huge economic resources of the lands of Muslims, to spend on the interests of Islam and Muslims.

O People of Strength and Power! You must end the slavery of the Islamic Ummah to the colonialist order, by breaking the shackles of nation-states and unjust laws of the economic order. Dictatorship, democracy and hybrid systems have all failed, plunging the Ummah into frustration and despair. The Islamic Ummah is yearning for real change and liberation, but nothing less than your delivery of the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood will practically achieve that. So come forth to grant your Nussrah to Hizb ut Tahrir, that truly deserves to lead this Ummah, for the re-establishment of the Khilafah. Allah (swt) said,

[وَسَارِعُواْ إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ]

“And hasten to the forgiveness of your Lord and to a Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the Allah-fearing.” [TMQ Surah Aali Imran 3:133]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Pakistan