From the very beginning of human history to the era of empires, the measure of humanity's ability to survive has been based on primitive hunting, agricultural, husbandry and fishing skills. Despite the immense riches acquired by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Transoxanians (Ma wara'un al-Nahr or "Lands beyond the river") and the Romans, the Industrial Revolution opened a crevasse of income disparity in modern societies that would become an unprecedented phenomenon. Industrialization saw the emergence of the savage capitalist system that ultimately enabled Western countries to exert military and political superiority over pre-capitalist societies.
The shores of the colonized African continent hosted innumerable prisons, and these coasts were known harbors of slavery. After the discovery of the North American continent, nearly 20 million people were slaughtered by firearm-yielding Spanish and English explorers who were referred to by the Native Americans as greedy people who "consume and pollute our world and will one day drown in their own quagmire." While this description of the Conquistadors sounds to the modern ear like an omen of global warming, global income disparity has already reached a tragically high level. While some people live in luxury, millions of others are struggling to survive with a meager daily income of $1.
The years following the end of World War II showed increasing promise when many countries plagued by slavery were liberated from the colonial yoke through wars of independence. The oppressed members of these societies read about the rising leftist ideology that took a firm stance against colonialism, empowering oppressed peoples to stand with socialist ideologists and states. The result, however, was frustrating: Despite serious achievements having been made in the fields of human rights, social policies and women's rights, socialism fell in the face of triumphant capitalism.
The second branch of ideology that formed in opposition to the savage capitalist system was formed by Muslim thinkers that joined together after becoming the target of colonialists that, having successfully defeated Communist ideology under the Soviet Union, had now turned to targeting Muslim ideology and followers of Islamic thought.
Exploiting the wealth of oil-rich countries under the guise of war being waged every decade, colonial states encourage the people of these oil-rich countries to engage in civil wars. Under the yoke of war and poverty that had been made heavier by the emergence of Sunni and Shi'ite terrorist organizations, Muslim peoples still continue to slaughter each other in the name of Western states. Despite this, Islamic values can still assist us in establishing justice and equality, eliminating poverty, protecting the oppressed and reconstituting the virtues of humanity.
If Muslim people are faced with the most ferocious forms of injustice, they must embark on a humane pursuit of justice. Upon successfully achieving justice in their relevant countries, Muslims must spark and lead a global rebellion against the unjust world order. However, the true dictator of the present world order is not the state, per se, but rather the evil capitalist spirit that resides in multinational and supranational corporations. Resisting the constraints of capitalism, Muslim people must never forget the importance of solidarity for all of humanity.
Well-educated people of the Western states, who pay their taxes as law-abiding citizens, do not know the savagery that has afforded them such "inalienable" rights. Humans have become the slaves of an immoral capitalist system. Nonetheless, in the words of holy Omar, "Who can enslave people who are free-born?"
