Algeria: Breathing Freedom

   

Much of the Arab world reels under the political consequences of the long colonial subjugation and foreign intervention-induced complications in national social conditions. Even after attaining formal political independence, these nations have been characterized by military dictatorships and 'captive democracies', nullifying expectations of just governance and true freedoms that people have reason to value. Almost invariably, many of these nations  are ruled by modern-day pharaohs of this world: playing God on earth, these pharaohs in their insatiable quest for perpetual power, seek total dominance in the land: the despotic regimes unleash mechanisms of administrative excesses and thought control, choking all critical spaces and voices within. The strategies and tactics invariably lead to political fraud, crony capitalism/economic corruption, and military repression, stifling people's right to good governance and freedom of choice. When injustice penetrates, overwhelms and exhausts state institutions with rampant corruption and pervasive oppression; resistance against evil, revolt against injustice, and rebellion against the oppressive order becomes the duty of the people.

In his Friday Sermon of 24 May 2024, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius provides a deep insight into contemporary political developments, especially with reference to regime change in Algeria against the wider backdrop of the Arab peoples' open revolt against gross abuse of authority by wily politicians and military dictators in their lands in the last decade. In this spiritual discourse, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underscores the need for Muslims to commit themselves to the Islamic Way and the lawful methods in the fight against political oppression and the social evils within. Moreover, Hazrat Saheb (aba) calls attention to the great need for change and political reforms in the Muslim nations; a transition from military oppression to a peaceful and democratic frame of governance where people are able to breathe freely, and exercise their choices with responsibility and God-consciousness, Insha Allah, Aameen.    

Read the Friday Sermon Below:

  

The Arab “Winter” & Revolt against Injustice

 

Fighting injustice and to establish justice in a land is a human right. From what I told you of the Arab ‘winter’ last week, which began with a suicide, now I will delve into the courage of common people against authoritarian authorities who think that power belongs in their hands and that they can do whatever they want to subdue their fellow citizens into submission to the authoritarian will. Though the Arab ‘winter’ began in a ghastly [traumatizing] way, it should be pinpointed out that whenever there is injustice in a land, it takes courage to speak against that injustice and re-establish fairness and justice, and the freewill of man. Islam teaches that there is no compulsion in the Deen.

 

The term ‘Deen’ is vast and basically refers to the Way of Life of man, and the natural and correct way of Life of all mankind is submission to the Lord Almighty, the Unique Creator. And this ‘Deen’ refers also to the governments of countries and states which fall under the leadership of Muslims – Islam being the fundamental way of life of all true believers in the Unique God.

 

When those at the head commit excesses in the land and go against the tenets of Islam – and here I am talking especially for those countries who claim to be ‘Islamic’ countries – then it is the right of a people to call its oppressive authority to put stop to their oppression and to return back to the true teachings of God Almighty, and the basic rights of people as per the constitution of the country (which should be based upon righteousness).

 

Islam preaches to fight injustice with licit means and not illicit ones. While suicides are a no-no in this case [being Haram (Illicit)], but it is the right a people to demand justice and follow the ways of the righteous [i.e. those who are God-fearing, pious and just].

 

What I want to highlight here is that suicide should not become the basis for a revolt against injustice, and nobody should emulate the one who committed suicide to make their statements to the world. To make one’s voice heard, one should remain alive with the fear of God Almighty and fight for one’s rights as well as the rights of one’s fellow citizens.

 

One such example of revolt against an authoritarian authority is the Algerian people against their seventh president from 1999 till his resignation in 2019, after twenty years of his dictatorship. The Algerians mustered courage to stand against such an authoritarian regime that has been ruling Algeria for decades.

 

Its President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika was so thirsty for power that despite having reached a very advanced age and suffering from illness, this 82-year-old man (at the time) who was in power for 20 years was so sure of himself (of his victory) that he announced that he will take part in the election that would be held in April 2019. He filed his candidacy through an intermediary despite the fact that he was in a clinic in Switzerland. During his 20 years at the head of Algeria, there have been many cases of fraud that have been registered against him. And even when he was on his death-bed, he wanted to stay in power! The Algerians had finally realized that he would be used as a front and that behind him there would be many other dictators that would take control of Algeria, due to his state of health and his advanced age.

 

So, tens of thousands of Algerians revolted against his candidacy, and they descended on to the streets to demand change and that the 20 years of Bouteflika’s reign stop because they are fed-up of his thirst to remain attached to power. That is why the protests lasted for weeks for they awaited change and when they would finally get a new government. There were protests, demonstrations of discontentment in the capital Algiers, as well as in Oran, Bejaia and other cities. More than 1000 Algerian judges had said that they would refuse to participate in the election to oversee its progress if President Abdelaziz Boutetlika contested in it, and this was the biggest humiliation that the sick leader had had to face since the protests began against him and his candidacy for the Presidency of Algeria. Despite the fact that Bouteflika has since said that he will not participate in the election, he and his government have taken other measures to ensure that they are always have the upper hand and that their words wields power, and that the Protestants, especially the young people stop protesting. But it was too late for that government. The conscience of young people was finally awakened and they wanted a change since the overbearing and outdated dictatorship that overwhelmed their lives took power. They wanted to redefine politics; they wanted a political revitalization. And their approach ended up with Bouteflika finally having a crushing humiliation, and two years later he died at the age of 84.

 

Algeria was relatively prosperous because of its vast oil and gas reserves. But with the drop in oil prices at the global level, then this had a negative effect on the economy of this country because oil was one of the largest sources of income.

 

In 2023, according to the “Heritage Foundation” on the Index of Economic Freedom, the Algerian economy was ranked 164 at world level, but among the Middle East countries, Algeria is ranked 13^th out of 14 countries in the Middle East/North Africa region.

 

The current president is Abdelmajid Tebboune. He won the election on 12 December 2019 (when the election was postponed from April to December), and he is still at the helm after nearly five years in power.

 

Since the revolt against Bouteflika’s candidacy, there have been some changes in the Algerian constitution concerning how many years a president and his government have the right to remain in power.

 

So, we find that there needs to be changes in the world. The dictators [leaders who apply dictatorship] must be replaced by those whom the people voted in majority, without any electoral fraud where the voice of the people is heard. Everyone needs to know how to vote [whom to vote]. He needs to know what will really bring a beneficial change for the country. Especially for Muslim countries, Muslims from their respective Islamic countries need to know how to vote for those who have Taqwa. But unfortunately today, it is very rare that we find a person who has Taqwa put his candidacy to lead his country according to the divine laws, the Islamic laws. Very sad! We need people who have Taqwa at the head of Islamic countries, people who will not let themselves be tempted by the world and its attractions, who will not look for their own political interests, but who will follow the example of the greatest leader, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) in establishing their country according to divine guidance.

 

Insha-Allah, I pray that the youth of today will be aware of this, and that one day it will be the pious people who are in power and not the corrupt people. When the pious are put in power, their country and the world will feel a new breath. A breath of life in favour of Islam. Insha-Allah, Ameen.