I know I’ve been drilling this for the past few days, so I promise this will be my last post on the issue…for now. :-)
Dissident Voice has a nice article about the recent controversy surrounding Chomsky and Zinn supporting a vote for Obama. Check it out people. The writer ends the article with these strong words: "A vote for either John McCain or Barack Obama is—at best—an act of criminal negligence."
However, I was much more intrigued by the leading quote used in the article:
“You don’t stick a knife in a man’s back nine inches, and then pull it out six inches, and say you’re making progress.”
– Malcolm X
I see this as a perfect analogy representing the choice being made by anyone deciding between the two candidates. Obama supporters are essentially saying that pulling the knife out six inches is the best we can do.
I say we leave the knife all the way in until the poor sap figures out how to fight back. *That’s* the change we need!
Just don’t call it genocide
1 week ago
13 comments:
So how many inches are we pulling out the knife by voting for a third candidate?
AA- Anon,
"So how many inches are we pulling out the knife by voting for a third candidate?"
Zero, cause I've never defended the move as progress or real change. As I've said before, no single man or woman can ever bring about true change from within the system. Third party candidates included.
I brought attention to Nader and company so as to open people's eyes away from the duopoly running the current election system. One of the first steps in change is to get rid of the two-party mafia.
This should shut down Obama's groupies once and for all.
Good job, Brother!!
I love that quote, which is why it is on my blog's sidebar. It perfectly describes the situation in Palestine too.
Hmm...
nicely done brnaeem.
at first i was a lil shaky because i always thut, u know, the lesser of two evils. but i guess that third party idea make sense now.
nice...
-The Muslim Kid-
Please check this out:
http://themuslimkid.blogspot.com/2008/10/draft.html
-The Muslim Kid-
I'm with you brother. This Muslim mania phenomenon over Obama is ridiculous.
The argument of the lessor of the two evils is an excellent example; however, no one has even considered the other candidates, like the Constitutional Party.
Your argument still lacks substance. You say that the current system doesn't work and then you offer attention to a third party candidate when asked for a viable alternative. So how many inches are we pulling the knife out by voting for a third candidate?
"Zero, cause I've never defended the move as progress or real change."
So we go back to the original question...what viable alternative are you offering?
Remember that the prophet (PBUH) presented not just an alternative but a VIABLE alternative.
So we go back to the original question...what viable alternative are you offering?
Remember that the prophet (PBUH) presented not just an alternative but a VIABLE alternative.
The 'viable' alternative is not to vote for people seeking power.
Is'nt that a viable option???
You can even do better by encouraging other people (muslims or non-muslims) not to participate in such a voting process. By voting in the process is to perpetuate the existing condition. You could point out to them how is not noble for someone to go around saying to people he would do this and do that if they elect him as their leader. He is such and such a good person, with good qualities and good family, rubbish! You should point out how such a process encourages people to brag about the blessings that has been given them and to be overwhelmed by their egos (unknowingly) in the process. How is such a person going to handle power? You could explain how such a process will cause leadership to be an object of pursuit instead of causing Allah to be a man's object of pursuit, thereby bringing about a spiritual bankruptcy that will ring deep into the soul ....etc And so on.
If everybody stops voting the system will die off and there would be a need for REAL change.
Sure, Allah is not going to come down from heaven and run the country and make the changes. But neither is He going to let your trivialise His Guidance.
You can't say that not-voting is a waste of vote unless you are a materialist. At least it gives you the peace of mind that you have abstained, and it is certainly not inconsequential to the cosmological and spiritual order of this universe, again unless you are thinking in a materialistic way.
When the two bedouins (like Obama and McCain, Musharraf or whoever they are) came to the Prophet (saw) seeking to be appointed as governors. The Prophet (Allah bless and give him peace) said to them: "Verily this matter is not given to those who ask for it or those who are keen to have it". (Go See Volume 9 Book 89, Sahih Al-Bukhari).
As long as the muslim continues to crowd out the Guidance of the Prophet (saw), they will continue to suffer the consequences.
What happened when you voted George Bush, Tony Blair, or even Musharraf, etc or the lesser of forty evils or whatever. Well, they sent you thousands of missiles that those people of Iraq and Afghanistan and their grand children will never forget. The world saw hundreds of suicide bombers killing and maiming people worldwide with no clue of what they are doing, lots of confusions. If you want more missiles, suicide bombers and confusion keep voting for them. These are just tasters so that we could return to the Guidance.
You need to remember that we as muslims are not materialists and should not be making calculations on how things are going to play out if we do or don't do this. This type of thinking is the result of being brainwashed in university education.
In religion, we follow the Guidance and things will happen.
We are a bit lost at the moment. Yet a dear friend of mine was recently telling me how the majority of muslims are just so perfect is their consciousness of Allah and His Power. How audacious. Jokers!
We need to make a lot of tawba, even if all of our ideas and actions seem so innocent and basic. But in reality there are not innocent and basic. These are criminal ideas that have brought about much destruction and darknesses to our souls, and WE DAMN KNOW IT!!!. You want to compare that to the light that the so-called 'illiterate, unelectible, undemocratic, old-fashion, etc' Sahabas and their forerunner brought forth for the world...and we are still enjoying that light till today.
And on the day of judgment, the Prophet (saw) will try to make intercession for a notably group of "believers" but he would be denied by some Angels (can you imagine!) and would be told, no, no, no, Muhammad these guys are different, they changed, you don't know what they did after you left". May Allah save us from such a fate.
Let's have some modesty guys, and make lots of tawba. Allah says We will not punish them when they are making tawba. So, get busy! There's nothing substantial to all these whoo haaa elections, we would be mistaken to think we are doing something special or useful by partaking in all these rubbish. We could spend our times in far far better ways (regardless of who is in power).
May Allah rectify the Ummah of Muhammad (saw) and make us from them. Amin
I read an article on the Internat by a guy named Zaid Shakit and he concluded his article this "If we can organize our community, harness the creative power and intellect of our youth, end the historical tendency of our community to shy away from public service, and create a viable agenda that moves away from the zero-sum, seemingly escapist political ranting that so many of us have inclined towards in the past, then perhaps we will begin as American Muslims to make our own history, in a constructive way, as opposed to sitting passively on the sidelines as others make their history and create painful facts that are so detrimental to our interests and the lives of our coreligionists and other oppressed people both here and abroad.
Anonymous,
I think you are referring to Ima, Zaid Shakir, not Zaid Shakit.
What Imam Zaid is saying is a bit problematic for aspects of the Islamic tradition I am familiar with. It is well known that power should never be invested in the hands of people who ask for it or even who simply are just keen to have it.
Such people are by default unqualified to hold political and leadership positions. This is a spiritual insight that was offered by the Prophet of Islam himself (Allah bless and give him peace). Hence, for someone to abstain from voting in favour of such personalities is not 'passivism' at all, neither does it constitute 'sitting on the fence' as Imam Zaid seem to suggest. Rather is it a very much pro-active religious and spiritual approach to the prevailing world order. At the same time, since I am not a qualified Islamic jurist I won't go as far as saying that it is absolutely haram {i.e. prohibited} - - for people to vote for candidates seeking to leaders; but rather I would say it is questionable and bordering on the edge of the haram (if not already there). In the end, they will get what they voted for, and they will be pretty much be left to their own devices which is something to feared for.
I should add that voting in of itself is not a problem. It is voting and approving people who are seeking power and/or seeking to be put as leaders over others (for whatever noble reason). This is unquestionably objectionable in Islam.
In Islam societies are permitted to elect their leaders in anyway they see fit and suit their condition, there is no one-size (democracy) fits all - as long as the systemd does not allow self-imposed dictators (such as military juntas, kings, etc) or people seeking to be leaders (such as obama, maccain, etc).
If muslims would just have a little bit of faith and practise what they believe, perhaps things might just begin to change. But with the current populist approach to religion and culture, the existing condition will prevail and if care is not taken - it will consume and drown out every grain of religious/traditional sensibilities left in us.
God knows best.
AA- Anon,
"It is voting and approving people who are seeking power and/or seeking to be put as leaders over others (for whatever noble reason). This is unquestionably objectionable in Islam."
Odd that of all the 'unquestionably objectionable' actions taking place in the American political process, you pick on a relatively minor issue - the seeking of power.
Once you have a fair and just system with some fair and just individuals can you begin to make such a distinction (those who seek power vs those who don't)...
Our struggle is for the fair and just system.
"But with the current populist approach to religion and culture, the existing condition will prevail and if care is not taken - it will consume and drown out every grain of religious/traditional sensibilities left in us."
Excellent point. I too fear that American Muslims will lose sight of the bigger picture and become over-consumed by the everyday political trivialities. Our struggle is not for political control, like other minorities. We must aspire for greater societal change.
BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Love, Hope, Fear, Majesty, Courage:
http://www.yursil.com/blog/2008/11/feelings-of-soldiers-in-madina-in-world-war-i/
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