Navin Ramgoolam: Deeds on Trial

In a Special Speech on 17 May 2012, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius spoke succinctly on a range of world and national issues, and religious and political developments. The Speech was made in the backdrop of recurring Divine Revelations received by the Khalifatullah (atba) and it included many comments that were prescient and prophetic, waiting to be unveiled in the fullness of time.

Almost three years down the timeline from that Speech, it is astonishing to reflect on the extraordinary Light of Truth the short document represents in many ways. In this essay, we shall seek to illustrate in this article the truthfulness of the Divine words which Allah made the Khalifatullah (atba) to pronounce on the Special Sermon vis-a-vis the then Prime Minister of the country, Mr. Navin Ramgoolam.

It is instructive and striking to note that the Speech that was made in May 2012 began its assessment of the national issues with a frontal attack on the wily character of the then actual Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and his rampant, corrupt business practices, seeking to defraud the national exchequer by millions of rupees and his hypocritical duplicities and strategies to remain in power even beyond his term of office (ending in 2015). The Khalifatullah (atba) goes on to state: “If a profound investigation is made on his activities, then there is prison involved for him, and it is possible that such prison terms be for life!”  

Recently, on 17 March 2015, the journalist James Wan of the Al Jazeera English Network reported the ongoing predicament of the former Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and his coterie of people who face the troubling prospect of their ignominious deeds swiftly catching up with them. The long arm of national law and justice system is certainly seeking to put them on trial for their misdeeds and egregious offences.

Extracts from the Report is reproduced below: 

At the start of December 2014, Ramgoolam's future could barely have looked more rosy. 

'Killing of Innocents is against Islam'

The face of the Muslim world is increasingly stained with the blood of the innocents. In the recent past, imperial interventions over a number of Muslim countries have unleashed political consequences and  thereby, exacerbated sectarian tensions among different ethnic and religious groups. Trapped in the quagmire of the sectarian tensions between the Shias and the Sunnis,  in many States- Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, etc- a host of terror groups are operating  in the name of Islam- ranging from the Taliban in Afghanistan/Pakistan to the ISIL ( the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) under its Caliph Abu Baker al Baghdadi. These entities have poisoned the fair name of Islam by inextricably linking their quest for political power-grabbing with Islamic ethics. They make world headlines for all the wrong reasons in our times- including the destruction of historic monuments and cultural artefacts of enduring significance for the human civilization. They commit wanton and indiscriminate murders in the name of Allah. The targets of their attacks are not just the religious/sectarian/political opponents. The most brutal and heinous killing of innocents- women, children and even innocent civilians who have not taken arms against them- have been rightly described in the media as a crime against humanity. The victims of ISIL, for instance, include fellow brethren-in-faith, the Shiah Muslims and also the other religious minority groups in the region such as the ancient Yazidi community and the Arab Christians who over centuries, lived amicably among their Muslim brethren in the Middle East. 

In this complex, political and religious matrix, it is important to assert and reclaim Islam and its original, peaceful teachings that holds human life as a sacred responsibility. Unlike what  the ISIL in Iraq/Syria and the Taliban in Afghanistan/Pakistan assert, Islamic teachings promote social peace and tolerance of diversities under the rule of law- the maintenance of amicable relations among different, religious communities by recognizing the sanctity of life. In his Friday Sermon of February 27, 2015 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius eloquently explains the Islamic norms for the balancing and stabilization of social life and peaceful co-existence, with the framework of Islamic law recognizing equitable retaliation only for the purpose of meeting the exigencies of justice and for preserving social order against extreme evils.

'Show Respect for Human Rights'

On oppression and discrimination in history 

Throughout ages, history has borne witness to the inequalities which man inflicts upon himself. He callously degrades some of his identical selves (humans like himself), while elevating others. Thus, man and man got separated through the passage of time because of colour, race, creed, culture and ethnicity. Some became superiors while some inferiors. And the inferiors had to comply with the wishes and commands of those who had the upper hand upon them, for if they refuse to do so, they would be severely punished and degraded further. (Inset: Le Morne Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site- a  rugged mountain that juts into the Indian Ocean in the southwest of Mauritius. "It was used as a shelter by runaway slaves, maroons, through the 18th and early years of the 19th centuries. Protected by the mountain’s isolated, wooded and almost inaccessible cliffs, the escaped slaves formed small settlements in the caves and on the summit of Le Morne. The oral traditions associated with the maroons, have made Le Morne a symbol of the slaves’ fight for freedom, their suffering, and their sacrifice, all of which have relevance to the countries from which the slaves came - the African mainland, Madagascar, India, and South-east Asia. Indeed, Mauritius, an important stopover in the eastern slave trade, also came to be known as the “Maroon republic” because of the large number of escaped slaves who lived on Le Morne Mountain").

Spirituality and human rights

Prophets of Allah came to bring about a change in that state of affairs. The commandments of Allah came through to bring about hope in the life of those whom society viewed as inferior and as having no dignity and the freedom to express their rights as fellow human beings.

Prophets of Allah tried their best to bring about a change, but every time their heartfelt wishes were crushed until the ultimate saviour of mankind was born and promised to create a new world where every man should live as equals, for this is the absolute command of God Almighty who has created all humans alike, except in piety, for those who are truly pious, they are those who truly realise the goal of life, and that of their own creations and presence on earth. That promised hope came in such a country where hope was previously absent, where men and women were treated as the worst of animals, where it existed such a society which were devoid of human attributes.  It was in that society which Allah chose to raise His greatest and the seal of all prophets (last law-bearing prophet), to accomplish a miracle by transforming the lives of those barbarous people, and teaching them humanity, morality and spirituality.

Unfortunately, despite the clear signs of Allah, of Islam and the Holy Prophet of Islam Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), by sending and implementing respectively the divine commandments to bring about transformation in the lives of those barbarous people, and turn them in real affectionate and compassionate human beings and servants of God, yet despite all these, Islam and its prophet are vehemently viewed as greatest promoters of terror for some ignorant people who have not studied the heart itself of the extraordinary life of the best of men and prophets of Allah.

On Islam's alleged 'tolerance' of Slavery 

In the context of the Abolition of Slavery which is commemorated in Mauritius every February 01 – and for which it is a public holiday – I have chosen to talk to you about one allegation against Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It is alleged that Islam encourages slavery, but it a fact that Islam is the greatest enemy of slavery, and has put an end to all modes of reducing men to slavery which were current in pre-Islamic days. Islam forbids the reduction to slavery of men who are captured for no reason, or merely because they belong to a hostile tribe or nation, or who have been taken prisoners in worldly wars.

Islamic Law as 'Divine Law'

Islamic Law is divine in origin and is based on divine revelation. Being divine in origin, Islamic Law is distinct from human law which is the outcome of customary rules and which can never, with perfect success, produce uniformity of conduct within the field of action to which they apply as do the divine laws with their specified norms of good and bad, virtue and vice.

Divine Laws are the standards of right conduct and provide guidance, not only in establishing a well-ordered society, but also in distinguishing between “good” and “evil”. As a well knit system of obligation they safeguard the rights of all, and as the product of divine wisdom which alone knows what is absolute good, they ensure the welfare of the entire humanity. The peculiarity of Divine Law is that it is eternal and immutable and yet contains principles broad enough to meet the growing needs of society. 

In contradistinction to this, human laws are based on human reason which is liable to err. Further, they are made according to the needs of society and to sub-serve its interest, hence they change with the change in society. They depend for their existence on the vagaries of public opinion or upon the whims and fancies of a ruling monarch and, as such, cannot represent that unity of divine law which results in the uniformity of society.

Divine Law is a declaration on all matters and provides for every possible eventuality and this is the claim advanced by the Quran itself: “And We have revealed to you a Book as an exposition of all things.” (16: 90)

On Children in Conflict with Law

In a speech in the West of Mauritius on August 27, 2014, the Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (atba) said it is time to question why we refer to children as being beyond control. This is a stigma towards them. 

Our young people are branded as violent and out of control most of the time. The recent incident at the Rehabilitation Youth Centre (RYC) raises many questions on this type of attitude. Many parents, when their children commit a small offence, just lodge a case against them and the children are sent to the Rehabilitation Youth Centre (RYC). Reaching a certain age, many young people face behavioural problems. Just imagine the situation where we are putting all the children with problems in one place; this will surely deteriorate. That is what happens at the RYC. 

He believes that if the situation has worsened, this is because the two main institutions in our society, school and family, have failed. The family is the first institution where we should inculcate values but with growing tensions, the children do not blossom well if they experience a difficult childhood. Now, when the child reaches school, he faces a different kind of situation. If he is a brilliant student then he gets all the attention, if academically poor, he/she is set aside. These kinds of dysfunction provoke the child even more. At school more attention is given to academic education. There is no class on values.

He moreover said: "Our young are undergoing great difficulty. Today’s young are our future and we need to protect them. Personally I have been working with youngsters having behavioural problems since long, and I have never encountered any kind of problem in dealing with them. If we put them behind closed doors, they will surely become frustrated and violent. Many times, they tend to think that because their parents do not love them, they are sent to Rehabilitation Youth Centre. So this creates a kind of negativity in them.”

Exclusion of Ahmadis from HAJJ: A Grave Error

Performance of Hajj is one of the fundamental religious obligations of the Muslims. Yet, today Ahmadi Muslims are legally prohibited from enlisting themselves for the same, as the Ulema in Pakistan have succeeded in writing their bigotry and intolerance into legal injunctions. The Saudi Arabian authorities who take pride in the title of “Custodians of the Holy Mosques” have failed to estimate the gravity of their mistake in preventing those who believe in Allah (twa) and His Messenger from doing Hajj. The Kaaba, in the course of its several millennium of history, had witnessed some tragic transgressions, including the installation of idols and the taking away of the Black Stone itself for a period of time. Allah the Most High has informed the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius that the present legal restrictions/ religious prohibitions would also be thrown into the dustbin of history as it unjustly prevent the Ahmadi Muslims from being able to perform the Hajj.   

Read the Extracts from the Eid-ul-Adha Sermon, delivered on 16 October 2013: 

 And who is more unjust than he who prevents (men) from the Mosques of Allah, that His name should be remembered in them, and strives to ruin them? (As for) these, it was not proper for them that they should have entered them except in fear; they shall meet with disgrace in this world, and they shall have great chastisement in the hereafter. (2: 115)