FaceBook's minekey at multiply?

i'm new in MUDS.
i wonder if multiply also add for ex.one more app like 'minekey' at FaceBook' where people including non friends can share such as votes:agree-or-disagreement and opinions.
i think it would be much greater for multiply to have this kind of application.look forward to MUDS' attention,pls.

also need for members' thought on this idea. thanks.

Following the Shariah rules comprehensively

As da’wa carriers it is vital that we all adhere to the Shariah of Allah (swt) completely, as we are Muslims first and then da’wa carriers. Therefore we are all Ibadallah – slaves of Allah (swt) and are obligated to follow all of his commands and avoid all of his prohibitions.

As da’wa carriers we would be hypocrites if we were calling for the implementation of the shariah and not following the shariah ourselves.

The Muslim is commanded to conduct his actions according to the Shari'ah rules. Allah (swt) says:

"No by your God, they shall not have true belief until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decision, but accept it with the fullest conviction." [TMQ 4-65]

He (swt) also says: "Whatever the Messenger brought you take it and whatever he forbids you abstain from it and fear Allah." [TMQ 59-7]

Therefore, the Muslim should in principle abide by the Shari'ah rules. Besides the Shari'ah principle states: “Every action requires a shariah rule and every rule requires a daleel.” In other words, no matter should be given any rule whatsoever before the advent of the rule of Allah pertaining this matter. The Shariah rule is: “The address of the Legislator related to the actions of the servants.” Therefore, anything that has not been mentioned in the address of the Legislator cannot be considered a Shari'ah rule.

If a Muslim wanted to perform any action, it would be incumbent upon him to abide by the rule of Allah (swt) pertaining that action; thus, he must search for that rule until he recognises it and abides by it. This is what the verses and the Ahadith have indicated clearly. Therefore, it is forbidden for a Muslim to undertake any action or to act towards anything in contradiction to the Shari'ah rule; he should rather abide by the Shari'ah rule in every action he undertakes and in every matter. After Allah (swt) revealed:

"Today, I have perfected your Deen for you, completed my favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your Deen." [TMQ 5-3]

And after He (swt) revealed: "And We have sent down to you the Book explaining everything." [TMQ 16-89]

There is not any action left without a Shariah rule and evidences that establish it from the Quran and the Sunnah. It is forbidden for anyone, having perceived these two verses, to claim that some actions and some things or some situations are devoid of the Shari'ah rule, meaning that Shari'ah has completely ignored.

Every action has a hukm either Wajib/Fard, or Mandub, or Haram, or Makruh or Mubah.

In fact the meaning of Taqwa itself is to follow the commands and prohibitions of Allah (swt).

The son of ‘Ali (ra), Al-Hasan (ra) once said, “The people who have taqwa (al-muttaqoon) are the people who avoided whatever Allah (swt) has prohibited and have done whatever Allah (swt) has ordained.”

‘Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (ra) once said, “Taqwa is not by fasting the day and not by praying the night. And its not by mixing between the two of them. But taqwa is leaving what Allah (swt) has made Haram and by doing what Allah (swt) has made Fard. After one has done this, Allah (swt) will provide good things for that person.”

Sometimes it is possible that we may overlook the details of the shariah rules when it comes to our lives and may even be unaware of them. This is unacceptable for the Muslim and especially the da’wa carrier.

So today I want to give some examples which we think are relevant to us in terms of follwing the details of the shariah rules. As many of us come from backgrounds where we are not used to following the shariah rules in many areas. The areas I will focus upon are mainly to do with the social and economic rules.

Mixing between men & women

Islam has restricted the relationship between unrelated men and women and only allowed it in certain circumstances.

This separation is established by the overall Ahkam Shari'ah (divine rules) addressing the man separately, the woman separately, and both of them together. It is also established by the Qur'anic speech to women as women and men as men such as Allah's saying:

"The men and women who give charity and fasting men and women, and the men and women who guard their chastiity and the men and women who remember Allah much..." [Al- Ahzab: 35]and other verses. Such a segregated type of life is also reported as the actual practice in collective form since the days of the Prophet and throughout all the times of Islam.

In Islam, the basic principle of the interaction between men and women is segregation. This means that in all areas of life and in all places whether private or public, contact between men and women is generally prohibited. Many evidences establish the principle of not mixing between the sexes, and there are many ahadith which clarify that this is the case in both public and private areas:

Abu Daud narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, "The best row for men is the front row, (furthest to the women's row) and the best row for women is the back row and the worst is the front row (just behind the men)."

Ibn Umar said, "The Prophet prohibited men from walking between two women." Abu Daud.

Abu Daud narrated that the Prophet (saw) saw men and women outside the mosque moving side by side in the crowd. He stopped the women saying, "It is not proper for you to walk in the middle of the path, you had better walk along the walls."

This means that the Muslims should avoid contact with members of the opposite sex, whether Muslim or not, as a general rule. However, there are exceptions to this general rule, where the mixing or interaction between men and women is permitted in certain situations.

For example, it is permitted for men and women who are Mahrem to each other to mix freely for any purpose that Islam permits. As well, there are certain areas where it is permitted for non-Mahrem men and woman to interact with each other, such as for the purpose of Da'awa (invitation to Islam) or trade. However, the type of mixing that can occur here is not free, and is restricted by the shari'ah to be within certain guidelines and boundaries, and the Muslim must be sure to understand these before any type of mixing takes place. The ahkam (rules) to do with mixing also vary with regard to the kind of place in which the mixing takes place.

1) Medicine: It is allowed for men and women to mix for the purpose of seeking medical treatment. The Sahabiyat used to treat the Sahaba and the Prophet (saw) consented to that.

2) Da’wa: It is allowed for men and women to be present in the same class if the purpose of their mixing is learning about Islam or other types of education permitted by the Shari‘ah. The sister of Umar (ra) was being taught from the Quran by Khabab ibn Arrat (ra) with her husband when Umar entered upon them. It has been narrated that Umm Salamah and Aisha (ra) who used to do da'wa to men and women

3) Marriage: If a man is looking to marry a woman then he is allowed to talk to her about issues related to finding out about her and related to the marriage. A man came to the Messenger Muhammad (saw) to ask about marrying a girl and the Prophet (saw) told him to go and see her i.e. see her in her Mahram’s presence.

4) Duress or Compulsion: At times of absolute necessity or emergency, such as earthquakes, war or hurricanes, the necessary mixing is permitted for men and women in order to remove any danger or threat.

5) State arrest: The evidence for this is from Uthman and Umar (ra) said, "O women, cover yourselves we are entering" and he entered a house to arrest someone with his army and there was Ijma of the Sahaba (consensus of the companions) on this.

6) Eating: In Surah Nur Allah (SWT) says:

“The blind is not to be blamed, the crippled is not to be blamed, nor is the handicapped to be blamed, just as you are not to be blamed for eating at your homes, or the homes of your fathers, or the homes of your mothers, or the homes of your brothers, or the homes of your sisters, or the homes of your fathers' brothers, or the homes of your fathers' sisters, or the homes of your mothers' brothers, or the homes of your mothers' sisters, or the homes that belong to you and you possess their keys, or the homes of your friends. You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals. When you enter any home, you shall greet each other a greeting from Allah that is blessed and good. Allah thus explains the revelations for you, that you may understand.” [TMQ 24:61]

For men and women to eat together is permitted in the places mentioned in the verse such as the home of your fathers or your friends as it says, “You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals”.

However people should be careful that even though eating together with the women at a friends house is permitted that they should leave once they have eaten and beware of socialisation with the opposite sex which would be exceeding the permit.

7) Silat ar-rahm (maintaing the relationship between kith and kin): It is allowed for non-maharam relatives to sit with their non-maharam (people to whom marriage is permitted) for the sake of silat ar-rahm as long as it is without khalwah (privacy). There exist a number of hadith concerning the keeping of good relations with the relatives.

It was narrated by Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Whoever loves that he be granted more wealth, and that his lease of life be prolonged, then he should keep good relations with his kith and kin". It is narrated by Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (saw) said: "Allah created His creation, and when He finished it, the womb got up and said, I seek refuge with you from Al-qatia (ties being severed with me)". On that Allah (swt) said: "Don’t you accept that I bestow my favours on him who keeps your ties, and withhold My favours from him who severes your ties?" On that it said, "Yes, Oh my Lord!" Then Allah (swt) said: "That is for you".

However it is not allowed to mix for the purpose of entertainment or just to socialise. For example the Prophet (saw) used to leave when Aisha (ra) friends used to come as it is not allowed to socialise with your sisters or wives friends if they are not related. Another example which is common today is the mixed weddings.

The Mixed party in weddings is haram. This includes the entrance of the bridegroom to the women’s room, sitting on the bridal throne besides his bride, taking photos for and the celebration of the women with him, when they are usually uncovered particularly if they are not mahrem to him. All of such mixing is haram as it mixing for a purpose which Islam did not allow i.e. entertainment. There should be separate halls for men and women or there should be a partition which would stop the women being seen, this should be at least a shoulder height partition.

We know that in reality today many weddings contradict these ahkam and even before the weddings such as mixed mehndi parties where the women and her friends play tricks on the groom to be and his friends. I know many brothers look for the halal alternatives – so when they attend their relatives weddings they ask to sit in a separate room or place which is physically segregated from the women. This creates problems with some relatives and families who do not follow and understand the shariah rules. But as Muslims we must understand that life is a test – in these are part of the tests from Allah (swt).

In some places the da’wah carriers are tested with their lives through torture, removal from their jobs, arrest and harassment of their families and they stick to the Deen. So who are we, if we cannot stick to the shariah rules just due to upsetting some people or our relatives?

source : www.islamicsystem.blogspot.com

17 WaRga ChiCaGo MaSuK IsLaM MeLaLui IkLaN di BuS

Beberapa waktu lalu, Eramuslim mengangkat laporan tentang kegiatan kampanye tentang Islam dengan cara memasang iklan di badan bus, yang dilakukan organisasi GainPeace di Chicago. Kegiatan yang dilakukan organisasi ini ternyata membuahkan hasil, bukan hanya mampu meluruskan pandangan masyarakat Barat yang miring tentang Islam tapi setelah melihat iklan di badan bus tersebut, ada 17 warga Chicago yang menyatakan diri masuk Islam.

Salah satunya adalah Leslie C. Toole, seorang guru di Chicago yang sudah sepuluh tahun berkeingan masuk Islam. Tekadnya menjadi seorang Muslim akhirnya terlaksana setelah ia melihat iklan GainPeace di badan bus

"Saya tidak pernah sungguh-sungguh. Tapi ketika saya melihat iklan itu, saya sadar bahwa itulah akhir dari pertanda dimana saya harus melengkapi niat saya," kata Toole.

Toole mengaku pertama kali mengenal Islam secara tak sengaja. Sepuluh tahun lalu, seorang laki-laki memberinya selebaran dan mengatakan ia akan mendapatkan pencerahan dari selebaran itu. "Saya pun membacanya, berulang kali dan memastikan saya memahami apa yang sedang saya baca," Toole mengisahkan.

"Bagaimana menjadi seorang Muslim, itulah yang menjadi pertanyaan utama saya," sambung Toole sampai akhirnya, ia melihat iklan tentang Islam di bus-bus Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bertuliskan "Got Questions? Get Answers" dan langsung menghubungi nomor telepon yang ada di bus tersebut.

Setelah mendapatkan penjelasan dan berdiskusi dengan pihak GainPeace, Toole mengucap syahadar pada Senin, 29 September 2008. Kisah Toole masuk Islam hampir serupa kisah 16 Muslim Chicago lainnya yang memilih masuk Islam setelah melihat iklan GainPeace di bus-bus CTA.

Menurut Toole, iklan layanan masyarakat GainPeace yang dipasang di bus-bus merupakan ide brilian untuk menarik perhatian masyarakat. Setelah masuk Islam, Toole yang memilih nama Ilyas sebagai nama Islamnya juga mendapatkan bimbingan seorang mentor dari GainPeace.

"Saya sangat berterimakasih dengan mentor saya yang sudah sangat membantu. Beliau memberikan saya banyak buku agar saya bisa banyak belajar tentang Islam," kata Toole.

GainPeace juga memberikan layanan belajar Islam online setiap seminggu sekali untuk para mualaf, dimana mereka bisa belajar apa saja mulai dari cara salat, cara hidup seorang Muslim bahkan bahasa Arab.

Toole atau Ilyas mengatakan, semakin banyak ia tahu tentang Islam, ia semakin percaya diri bahwa ia sudah membuat keputusan yang benar. "Agama ini betul-betul sempurna bagi saya. Sulit untuk menjelaskannya ketika Anda mengetahui sebuah kebenaran. Anda akan merasakan perasaan yang begitu mendalam di hati sanubari Anda bahwa Anda telah menemukan rumah yang benar," papar Toole.

Seperti diberitakan sebelumnya, GainPeace menggelar kampanye dengan memasang iklan layanan tanya jawab tentang Islam di bus-bus CTA pada tanggal 19 September sampai 20 Oktober kemarin. Dan iklan itu diperpanjang sampai 23 November mendatang karena mendapatkan respon positif dari masyarakat Chicago.

Organisasi itu mengeluarkan dana sebesar 30.900 dollar AS sebagai biaya pemasangan iklan 25 bus CTA yang melayani rute di seluruh Chicago. Setelah iklan itu tampil, GainPeace menerima ribuan telepon dan situsnya dikunjungi lebih dari 300.000 orang. GainPeace juga memberikan al-Quran dengan terjemahan berbahasa Inggris, majalah The Message on Prophet Muhammad serta brosur dan buku-buku Islam bagi mereka yang ingin tahu lebih jauh tentang Islam.

Direktur GainPeace, Sabeel Muhammad mengatakan pesan dari iklan itu adalah untuk menimbulkan minat masyarakat terhadap berbagai informasi tentang Islam, sehingga bisa meluruskan penafsiran-penafsiran yang salah tentang Islam.

Selain GainPeace, kampanye serupa juga dilakukan ICNA, organisasi Muslim yang berbasis di New York dan memiliki 22 cabang di seluruh AS. Namun ICNA baru melakukan kampanye itu di Seattle dan New York. Di New York, ICNA menempelkan lebih dari 1.000 iklan layanan tanya jawab tentang Islam di stasiun-stasiun kereta bawah tanah.

Karena kampanye dengan cara itu sukses, kota-kota lainnya di AS dan Canada sudah meminta bantuan agar ICNA juga melakukan kampanye yang sama di kota-kota tersebut

MusLim AS SeDaNg MemPerMaLuKan DiRi SeNdiRi

Syaikh Anwar Awlaki melontarkan kritik pedas pada Muslim AS yang telah memberikan suaranya dalam pemilu presiden AS yang akhirnya dimenangkan oleh Barack Obama. Dalam artikel berjudul "Now The Elections are Over" yang ditulis di situs pribadinya, Syaikh Awlaki menyebut Muslim AS telah mempermalukan dirinya sendiri karena telah memilih kandidat presiden yang sebenarnya tidak peduli dengan kepentingan dan isu-isu tentang Islam dan umat Islam di AS bahkan umat Islam di seluruh dunia.

Da'i yang oleh pemerintah AS dikatagorikan sebagai da'r garis keras ini mengibaratkan komunitas Muslim AS seperti posisi Bani Israel dibawah kekuasaan Raja Firaun pada zaman dahulu. Syaikh Awlaki mengatakan, salah satu karakteristik komunitas yang terhina dan tertindas adalah, sikap mereka yang menghamba pada penindasnya dan mentolerir penindasan itu. Tapi, di kalangan komunitasnya sendiri, mereka justru bersikap arogan dan tidak toleran. Itulah sikap Bani Israel ketika berada dibawah kekuasaan Firaun.

"Maaf, saya harus mengatakan ini. Sayang sekali, sikap ini yang direfleksikan banyak Muslim Amerika yang mempermalukan diri mereka sendiri dengan memilih salah satu kandidat yang tidak peduli dengan isu-isu umat Islam," tulis Syaikh Awlaki di situs pribadinya.

"Ibarat pemilik seekor anjing yang bersikap sewenang-wenang pada anjing peliharannya, tapi sepanjang si pemilik melemparkan tulang, anjing itu tetap setiap pada majikannya. Begitulah Muslim Amerika yang telah membodohi dirinya sendiri dan dunia tahu itu. Menyedihkan memang, tapi itulah kenyataannya," sambung Syaikh Awlaki.

Ia membeberkan sejumlah pemberitaan media massa yang terkesan mencemooh sikap Muslim AS yang ikut terhanyut dalam euforia pemilu presiden di AS tanpa bersikap kritis. Surat kabar Guardian terbitan Inggris misalnya, menulis bahwa Muslim AS "diasingkan" dalam pemilu presiden. Surat kabar lain membuat judul yang serupa, "Muslim AS yang terasing: Pertama Mendukung Bush, Sekarang Mendukung Demokrat." Harian The Australian menulis,"Tak satupun kampanye yang melirik suara Muslim AS" dan tak satupun kandidat presiden AS yang mengunjungi masjid. Tapi sebagian besar Muslim AS tetap ikut memilih meski media massa sudah menunjukkan ketidakpedulian para kandiddat presiden kemarin terhadap eksistensi umat Islam, utamanya di AS.

Syaikh Awlaki menulis, "Ada kesamaan antara komunitas Muslim Amerika dengan Muslim di Andalusia setelah Spanyol jatuh ke tangan monarki Katolik. Ada beberapa tulisan yang mengatakan bahwa Muslim Andalusia mengalami penderitaan akibat penindasan penguasa Katolik, tapi mereka tetap berharap suatu saat situasinya akan membaik bahkan setelah penguasa Katolik memperlakukan Muslim Andalusia dengan sangat buruk."

Lebih lanjut Syaikh Awlaki menulis, "Tapi Muslim AS hidup di zaman yang lebih canggih dibandingkan Muslim Andalusia di zaman kekuasaan Katoli dan seharusnya Muslim AS bersikap lebih bijak. Warga Muslim memang dibolehkan untuk salat, berpuasa dan menjalankan perintah agama Islam sepanjang masih berada di lingkungan keyakinan mereka sendiri. Tapi warga Muslim AS belum sepenuhnya diizinkan menjadi seorang Muslim seutuhnya, karena AS belum bisa mentolerir isu-isu tentang syariah Islam, jihad, hudud, khilafah, ajaran al-Quran yang terkait dengan Yahudi dan Kristen serta dukungan terhadap pejuang-pejuang Islam di seluruh dunia."

"Aspek-aspek spiritual seorang Muslim sedang diserang, mungkin bukan oleh pemerintah tapi oleh masyarakat AS secara luas. Budaya AS akan menghancurkan keluarga-keluarga Muslim dan akan membuat anak cucu mereka kehilangan jati diri sebagai seorang Muslim. Waktu akan membuktikannya," tukas Syaikh Awlaki.

Menurutnya, Muslim AS telah memberikan suara gratis pada para kandidat presiden AS. Di era tahun 1990-an, suara warga Muslim dalam pemilu dipandang sebelah mata karena besarnya tidak signifikan. Tapi saat ini, suara warga Muslim ikut menentukan karena dari berbagai laporan menyebutkan jumlah pemilih Muslim mencapai dua juta orang. Tapi apa yang diterima warga Muslim AS atas suara yang telah mereka berikan? Sama sekali tidak ada timbalbaliknya.

Syaik Awlaki mengingatkan, seorang Muslim tidak akan pernah diterima di AS seberapapun besar dukungan mereka pada proses-proses politik yang berlangsung di negeri itu, kecuali Muslim itu meninggalkan agamanya. Dalam hal ini Syaik Awlaki mengutip al-Quran, surat al-Baqaragh ayat 120 yang berbunyi,"Orang-orang Yahudi dan Nasrani tidak akan pernah senang kepadamu hingga kamu mengikuti agama mereka."

"Kenyataannya, dengan segala kegiatan dan makin meningkatnya partisipasi Muslim AS dalam pemilu, kondisi umat Islam di negeri itu tidak juga meningkat bahwa makin menurun," tulis Syaikh Awlaki.

Ia menyatakan, mengeluarkan fatwa yang isinya menyerukan agar umat Islam tidak terlibat dalam pemilu di negara demokrasi bukanlah hal mudah karena harus ada dasar hukum berdasarkan al-Quran dan Sunnah. Tapi Syaikh Awlaki mengingatkan umat Islam untuk membaca dan menilai fatwa itu tidak berdasarkan nama dan jumlah ulama yang berada dibalik fatwa tersebut, tapi berdasarkan bukti. Dan bukti-bukti bahwa mengikuti sistem demokrasi di negara kafir tidak akan membawa manfaat apapun bagi umat Islam sudah tertulis dalam berbagai surat di al-Quran. Antara lain di surat an-Nisa dan al-Baqarah yang menyebutkan bahwa kekuasaan itu adalah hak Allah swt. Hadist Rasulullah Muhammad saw juga menyerukan agar umat Islam menjauhkan diri dari orang-orang kafir.

Syaikh Awlaki menambahkan, "Kita lihat saja bagaimana kepemimpinan Obama selama empat tahun ke depan. Saya pribadi berpikir, selama Obama berpijak pada sebuah kebohongan, maka pembenaran warga Muslim untuk memilih Obama adalah sebuah kesalahan dan proses dimana warga Muslim memilih Obama juga sebuah kesalahan. Kita tidak bisa berharap kebaikan dari sebuah kesalahan."

"Sesungguhnya Allah tidak akan membiarkan terus berlangsungnya pekerjaan orang-orang yang berbuat kerusakan," Syaikh Awlaki menutup tulisannya dengan mengutip Surat Yunus ayat 81.

catatan redaksi:

Syaikh Anwar al-Awlaki. Imam Anwar al-Awlaki adalah seorang ulama kelahiran New Mexico. Orangtuanya berasal dari Yaman dimana ia tinggal selama sebelas tahun dan memperoleh bagian awal pendidikan Islamnya.

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki sempat menjadi Imam masjid di Colorado, California. Kemudian ia tinggal di kawasan Washington DC dimana ia memimpin Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center sambil menjadi Pemuka Agama Islam di George Washington University.

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki memiliki gelar S1 sebagai Insinyur Sipil dari Colorado State University, S2 di bidang Pendidikan Kepemimpinan dari San Diego State University serta sedang menekuni S3-nya di bidang Pengembangan Sumber Daya Manusia di George Washington University. Ia telah menghasilkan banyak seri audio popular termasuk “Kehidupan Para Nabi”, “Kehidupan Akhirat”, “Kehidupan Muhammad”, “Kehidupan Umar bin Khattab”, “kehidupan Abu Bakar Ash-Shiddiq”, “Kisah Ibnul Awka”, “Konsisten di jalan Jihad” dan banyak lagi.

Why has the Muslim world failed to develop?

The Muslim world with its vast resources continues to generate much interest among economists, thinkers and policy makers. The Muslim world since the end of the Uthmani Khilafah has had its borders drawn and redrawn after various powers interfered in the running of its affairs. The Muslim world includes the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, North Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the south eastern countries of Malaysia and Indonesia.

Development economics is a branch of economics, which deals with how simple forms of organisation can transfer to complex forms of organisation and production. Development is seen as the ability to increase production without any consideration applied to its distribution. Economists do make a distinction between growth and development - growth is seen as more of the same goods and services whilst development is the structural and technological infrastructure behind the production. In terms of GDP, the measurement used to calculate the value of total production of goods and services, the Muslim world is second only to China with growth rates of 7% in some countries. These are growth rates most European countries would be proud of. However reading between the figures reveals many problems.

If we define development as the building of the necessary infrastructure to fulfil the basic needs of the people such as food, clothing, shelter, security and education, here the Muslim worlds comes in at the bottom of the list. Wealth in the Muslim world suffers from huge misdistribution.

The Middle East for example relies heavily upon oil revenue's therefore it is affected greatly by changes in oil prices. Very little oil revenue actually trickles down to the population but rather ends up in US bank accounts. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud of the Saudi monarchy is valued at over $20 billion with half of his wealth invested in the US.

In the Arab world one in five Arabs still live on less than $2 a day. And, over the past 20 years, growth in income per head, at an annual rate of 0.5%, was lower than anywhere else in the world except sub-Saharan Africa.

In Pakistan 40% of land is in the hands of 23 families.

Government investment in infrastructure and public services is minimal considering the large population of the Muslim world.

The Muslim world's elections are at best a farce, with autocratic kings and presidents only rescinding their authority when they die.

Half of the Muslim world is treated as lesser legal and economic beings, and more than half the young, burdened by joblessness and un-Islamic economic policies want to get out of their country as soon as they can.

The role of the IMF and World Bank in countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Egypt has directly aided some of the underlying economic problems. The general solution provided by such institutions is the engaging of trade to climb out of poverty and for development. In reality there are a number of obstacles placed by the developed nations that ensure developing nations will never reach a level where they can compete. What this actually means is that Western goods should be imported rather than allow imports from poorer countries. The theory is that only via trade will nations pull themselves out of poverty. Whilst encouraging the third world to lower their market barriers such as tariffs and quotas on various goods, the Western nations do not do the same for their markets. Western economies have not been developed by such subscribed policy, as outlined by Dr Ha Joon Chang in his book "Kicking away the ladder." The continued failure of the World trade organisation clearly shows the unwillingness by Europe and the US to lower its trade barriers whilst at the same time lobbying India and China to remove their barriers.

This situation in the Muslim world stems from the colonial era and is summed up best by David Fromkin, Professor and expert on Economic History at the University of Chicago: "Massive amounts of the wealth of the old Ottoman Empire were now claimed by the victors. But one must remember that the Islamic empire had tried for centuries to conquer Christian Europe and the power brokers deciding the fate of those defeated people were naturally determined that these countries should never be able to organize and threaten Western interests again. With centuries of mercantilist experience, Britain and France created small, unstable states whose rulers needed their support to stay in power. The development and trade of these states were controlled and they were meant never again to be a threat to the West. These external powers then made contracts with their puppets to buy Arab resources cheaply, making the feudal elite enormously wealthy while leaving most citizens in poverty."

The absence of any organised way of generating wealth and allocating wealth has created a situation where everyone in the Muslim world needs to fend for themselves and attempt to make the best out of a chaotic situation. This just compounds the problem further as many resort to bribery, stealing and fraud to make ends meet. This shows that the people in the Muslim world are not inherently corrupt or born to steal, rather as can be seen with the Gulf States many Muslims when given the opportunities are hard working and can be relied upon.

The question that really needs to be answered is where we begin to develop the Muslim world. The Muslim world fails in applying a set of consistent polices and this has resulted in such nations being unable to unify the populace on the direction of the economy. Many policies by the rulers are time specific or usually motivated by the political climate of the time. The unfortunate result of this is that a whole host of contradictory policies are applied within the Muslim world and hence the nation doesn't move in the same direction. Although Pakistan has the worlds largest untapped coal reserves it imports over 2 million tonnes of coal a year to meet its energy needs. Across the Muslim world there exist manufacturing companies and mining companies. However the contract to mine the Muslims world's precious resources always go to foreign companies.

The development of the Soviet Union is a good example of how consistent polices lead to development. Socialism emerged as a very powerful force across Europe and many were attracted to it after witnessing the wide disparities in wealth distribution in Capitalist nations. The Communists after gaining power due to the failures of the Tzar set about implementing a five year plan starting in 1928, in order to build a heavy industrial base.

The five year plan was a list of economic goals that was designed to strengthen the USSR's economy between 1928 and 1932, making the nation both militarily and industrially self-sufficient. The five year plan was to harness all economic activity to the systematic development of heavy industry, thereby transforming the Soviet Union from a primitive agrarian country into a leading industrial and military power. Carrying the plan out, the Stalin government poured resources into the production of coal, iron, steel, railway equipment, and machine tools. Whole new cities, such as Magnitogorsk in the Urals, were built with enthusiastic participation of young workers and intellectuals. This ambitious plan fostered a sense of mission and helped mobilise support for the regime. The Soviet Union played a direct role in the defeat of Hitler in World War 2 - which launched the Soviet Union to superpower status.

Islam is the only common denominator between everyone in the Muslim world. Islam has a glorious history in the region and propelled the Muslims from the deserts of Arabia to the far reaches of the earth. Therefore this would be the place to begin deriving economic policies for the Muslim world. These policies would be accepted by all Muslims as they are from Islam and would actually bring confidence in the Islamic rules once people see they can work.

Practically this means that Islam should be applied in the Muslim world and Islam's polices on trade, ownership, companies, public finance, investment, currency and poverty elimination would need to all be applied. The derivation of such polices from the same foundations would ensure no contradictions occur as they are all coming from the same basis. All foreign policies from Socialism, the Capitalist free markets, Nasserism, Kemalism and any other ‘ism' should be removed as these have proven to be failures.

Hizbut Tahrir Amerika, Mungkin Siap Tampil di Negeri Paman Sam Tersebut

Baru-baru ini, selebaran resmi yang dikeluarkan oleh Hizbut Tahrir Amerika, tampil di beberapa website resmi gerakan ini. Seruan yang berjudul, "Berpartisipasi dalam Pemilu Amerika: Kerjasama dalam Kebaikan atau Kemaksiyatan" itu dikeluarkan pada tanggal 29 Syawal 1429 H bertepatan dengan 28 Oktober 2008 namun baru pada pertengahan bulan ini dipublikasikan secara terbuka di beberapa website mereka. Mereka menyerukan kepada kaum Muslim di Amerika untuk berdakwah hanya dengan mengikuti metode Rasulullah Saw dengan cara intelektual dan perjuangan politik, bukan dengan cara demokrasi. Setelah bertahun-tahun, Hizbut Tahrir Amerika tidak terdengar, bahkan beberapa kalangan Barat pun bertanya-tanya, kemunculannya hari ini mendapat respon beberapa kalangan. Madeleine Gruen, salah seorang yang senantiasa mengamati gerakan ini, di dalam sebuah situs, menulis tanggapannya dengan judul, "Hizbut Tahrir Amerika, Mungkin Siap untuk Tampil Dimuka Publik".

Dia menulis, Hizbut Tahrir Amerika (HTA) mungkin merasa dirinya siap untuk keluar dari kepakeman. Ia menceritakan bahwa sebuah leaflet tertanda Hizbut Tahrir Amerika telah dipublikasikan di sebuah situs mereka. Ini merupakan pertama kalinya organisasi global tersebut telah secara resmi menyatakan keberadaan Hizbut Tahrir Amerika.

Leafleat, tertanggal 28 Oktober 2008 ini berjudul "Berpartisipasi dalam Pemilu Amerika: Kerjasama dalam Kebaikan atau Kemaksiyatan". Tulisan tersebut menurut Madeline Gruen menyerukan kaum Muslim Amerika untuk tidak berpartisipasi dalam pemilihan Presiden AS.

Menurutnya lagi, di berbagai negeri di mana HT telah beralih dari fase pembinaan sembunyi-sembunyi ke tahapan publik, ini dikarenakan keanggotaan cabangnya telah cukup setia untuk mempertahankan resistensi dari agen-agen pemerintah lokal. Keanggotaannya telah cukup besar untuk proyek kekuatan yang berpengaruh, dan telah memiliki para anggota berpengaruh yang dapat secara efektif meyakinkan orang lain akan tujuan dan metode untuk membangun negara Islam.

Meskupun demikian, menurut Gruen, dirinya mengetahui keberadaan HTA selama bertahun-tahun, dan telah melihat tanda-tanda tak resmi dari keberadaannya oleh para anggota mereka sendiri, kami belum melihat demonstrasi publik secara luas oleh HTA atau website resmi mereka.

Oleh karena itu, katanya, kami tidak memiliki cara terukur untuk menentukan ukuran keanggotaan mereka atau kedalaman pengaruhnya. Namun, sambutan resmi keberadaan HTA, seperti yang digambarkan oleh publikasi leaflet di website khilafah, mungkin menunjukkan bahawa kepemimpinan HT melihat HTA cukup kuat untuk menahan pengetahun publik atas keberadaannya dan menambah potensi keterbukaan yang datang dengan pengetahuan itu.

Madeleine Gruen menyebutkan dalam tulisan sebelumnya yang dipublikasi Agustus 2007 lalu, bahwa gerakan ini terus melakukan rekruitmen untuk pertumbuhannya di Amerika Serikat. Banyak para profesional, termasuk doktor, pengacara, para pengusaha, ilmuwan, insinyur, dan profesor universitas terpengaruh oleh gerakan ini. Menurutnya, keanggotaan HT telah berhasil melampaui New York, Orange County, Chicago dan Milwaukee.

Sementara itu dalam selebaran yang dikeluarkan oleh Hizbut Tahrir Amerika tersebut, mereka menyatakan dengan tegas, "Kami akan terus terlibat dalam usaha dakwah ini untuk mengembalikan kehidupan Islam ini di dalam "perut binatang" demokrasi barat ini. Kami mengundang Anda semua kaum Muslim untuk bergabung dalam usaha ini hingga kami mendapatakan keberhasilan dalam kehidupan dan juga setelah kehidupan."

Hizbut Tahrir merupakan gerakan politik global yang jaringannya tersebar luas lebih dari 40 negara, baik di negeri Muslim seperti Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, ataupun negeri Timur Tengah seperti di Palestina, Libanon, Kuwait, Yaman dan juga sangat aktif di negeri-negeri Barat seperti di Inggris, Denmark, dan Australia. Bahkan, di negeri bekas Uni Soviet pun keberadaan gerakan ini cukup berpengaruh seperti di Ukraina.