Series of Questions Addressed to Scholar Sheikh Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah,
Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir through his Fiqhi Facebook Page

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakaatuhu

In the book Political Concepts, under the chapter "Motives Behind Global Struggle" on page 30 English version (page 54 Arabic version), the first line on the first paragraph mentions: "Since the dawn of history to the day of judgement, the motives of the nations for global struggle are either pride and the desire for sovereignty or the pursuance of material interests." (Then on the same page on the paragraph before last, on line 15 of the Arabic version) Then it mentions on page 31 of the English version in the first full paragraph: "Colonialism in all its forms is the most dangerous materialistic motive of the global struggle."

The Question is in the first paragraph, motives of the nations for global struggle are summarized and restricted to two only, not more, there is no third, and this is when it stated: "motives of the nations for global struggle ...does not extend beyond these two motives" but in the second paragraph it mentioned a third motive that was not mentioned in the first paragraph which is "colonialism". The question posed in a different manner: Are the motives of the nations for global struggle two or three? Because one who reads both paragraphs finds contradiction and difference between them, so how can they be reconciled? Because if the motives of the nations for global struggle were two why then mention a new third one which is colonialism?

Answer:

Wa Alaikum Assalaam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakaatuhu

There is no contradiction between what was mentioned in the book Political Concepts, at the beginning of page 54 of the Arabic version (on page 30 English version), that the motives of the nations for global struggle are restricted to two: the desire for sovereignty and pride and the pursuance of material interests, and what came later on the page, that the motive of colonialism in all its forms is one of the most dangerous motives of the nations for global struggle. This is because the colonialism motive comes under the pursuance of material interest; colonialism is the method of the capitalist ideology to achieve material interest according to their criteria which is "interest". This means that colonization is due to another motive which is the pursuance of material interest, and it is not a new motive separate to the two mentioned at the beginning of the page. If you take a closer look, you will notice that it mentions another issue that can be taken as another motive... but the text referred it to the motive of the desire of domination and pride, on the same page it mentions the following: "The urge to stop other countries growing in strength as happened against Napoleon, the Islamic state and Nazi Germany is a desire motivated by sovereignty, because it is a stand against those powers seeking to be sovereign." End.

Similarly, just as it did not consider the motive of limiting the growth of strength of another nation as a separate motive to the two mentioned, likewise the colonialism is not considered a separate motive to the two mentioned, because the two mentioned motives are the main motives that come under other related matters.

Your brother,

Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah

The link to the answer from the Ameer's Facebook page.