OPINION by Salmaan Moronell

Life, they say, is about perspective. Every decision one makes – every right or wrong that one consciously or unconsciously judges – is in fact a judgement based on perspective.

Perspective is a natural result of human creation. With creation of man there came his certain perspective. Allah says in the Quran: ‘O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.’

To know one another there logically needs to be a different perspective to know from. Apart from this natural disposition of perspective, Allah has also gifted man with a choice of perspective. ‘The most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.’ Thus if every person has the ability to choose righteousness, that means he has the ability to choose perspective, something that is in keeping with the free will that Allah has bestowed on creation. This means that although there are inherent perspectives that every individual and nation possesses, these perspectives are subject to change by one’s free will.

This brings one to the Islamic perspective on life. What it is and where does it come from is well-known. Most practising Muslims (and non-practising) know how they are supposed to view issues like homosexuality, music, zina etc. and if they don’t know then they have the ability to find out from the learned in the community – fiqh is easily available.

However, what is not so well known is the Islamic perspective on subjects such as politics or international relations. This is because there rarely is such a perspective. And this isn’t because an Islamic perspective isn’t important but rather because it importance is underestimated. Islam is a way of life rather than a religion, covering every facet of life. Oppression of a fellow human being is just as significant as the oppression that one commits against Allah when transgressing His bounds. It is a fundamental Muslim duty to stand up against oppression of any kind. Therefore every person has the ability to choose their perspective on where they should stand in relation to oppression. Righteousness should not be confined only to personal deeds, but also to political deeds as well.

There is an unnerving void in Muslim communities about what to do about the issues in Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Burma and many other countries. The general rule is to support the Muslims (against the disbelievers?). But then again which Muslims? Saudi Arabia is bombing Yemen, there is a civil-war in Syria, Islamic State is on a murderous rampage – there are countless examples of inter-Muslim conflicts alone. Everyone justifies their actions from the perspective of nationhood and power.

However, from every perspective there is an Islamic alternative lacking. In times of political turmoil Muslims turn to the UN, to NATO, to America, to the Arab league, as these are the only institutions available. The irony lies in the fact that they turn in their flocks directly after they criticise these same institutions for inactivity and incompetence.

Think of the calls by Muslims for the international community to declare a no-fly zone over Syria as well as to bomb the Assad regime. These were calls heeded by ‘hawks’ in the White House, the very same people whom Muslims were furious at for the American imposition into Iraq and Afghanistan. Muslims sometimes support renown conservatives, whose world views consists of war, death and greed; and sometimes they support the United Nations, who by strange coincidence have the same world view (yet less proudly proclaimed). It is between institutions like these that Muslims hover, never fully accepting either position.

One cannot blame this position, for it is a position that is the logical result of the lack of sincere Muslim leadership in the international community. Muslims on the fringes (as is the case in Cape Town) see the ‘Ummah bleeding dry’, to quote one writer, and they feel the need to channel their frustration into political action. But nowhere in the world does there seem to be an organisation or institution that truly cares for the oppressed, which is the current status of the Ummah.

The United Nations seems only to be interested in peace and democracy when it suits the interests of the Security Council (which never agrees on anything anyways); the Arab league is full of dictators whose only goal is to hold onto power and Russia and America are still playing games of proxy-wars in the Middle East. In short there is no partner that Muslims worldwide can trust fully, for every state cares primarily for their own interests. Even the word ‘Ummah’ becomes strange in such a situation, for the very idea of a trans-national religious community is laughable. There can be no unified religious community that declares that there is no deity but Allah, if there is no political autonomy.

At the end of the day it is a matter of perspective. No secular state, organisation or institution shall ever truly care for the oppressed, for their world perspective is fundamentally different – they view the world in terms of economic and political power. Yes there are organisations, such as Human Rights Watch, that care for the oppressed in the world, however their criteria for what constitutes oppressed is not Islamic, nor is it free from political meddling.

True care for the oppressed comes through the Islamic perspective on life. One must be careful, however, to limit this perspective to one’s personal life, as that in fact is an insult to the worldview that Islam professes. If Muslims have the ability to judge (and more importantly be free to choose to judge) things like alcohol and zina with the criteria of their religion, what stops them from doing so with social and political issues?

Salmaan Moronell is currently studying at the University of Cape Town completing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Media, History and Public Administration. He was born in South Africa but now resides in Zambia, where he escapes to every now and then to take some fresh air. His topics of interest are Islamic History and Islam in the contemporary world.