Partisan Idolatry And Religious Feudalism

Partisan Idolatry And Religious Feudalism
By Mohammed Hassan Al-Musawi

When young Abraham embarked on his mission to preach for one God, after his conviction in His existence following a long journey of self-struggle in an environment where belief in the physical rather than the supernatural was the norm, he felt that he was taking the first step on an arduous road of transforming his heathen society.The holy Quran pictures Abraham's conflict and his struggle, both with himself and then with his society: "Lo! Abraham said to his father Azar: 'Takest thou idols for gods? For I see thee and thy people in manifest error.' So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, that he might (with understanding) have certitude. When the night covered him over, he saw a star, he said: 'This is my Lord.' But when it set, he said: 'I love not those that set.' When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said: 'This is my Lord.' But when the moon set, he said: 'unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.' When he saw the sun rising in splendor, he said: 'This is my Lord; this is the greatest (of all).' But when the sun set, he said: 'O my people! I am indeed free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah.'" Abraham's gift was his ability, from the first sight, to diagnose his people's disease of idolatry, that chronic illness which eventually results in the breakdown of common sense and the paralysis of all rational thought by the mere suggestion that an idol possesses the physical and supernatural qualities to be worthy of worship or to be granted immunity from criticism and contemplation of its true nature, whether it be stone, as the case with the gods of Abraham's people and the gods of the tribe of Quraish such as Hubel, Al-Llat and Al-Uzza, or human as the case with Egypt's pharaoh who declared himself divine. Abraham believed in God as the sole creator and designer of this huge universe; that His nature simply cannot be comprehended or cognized by mortals, whereas idols are physical entities created by human beings, dependent on them in order to exist. God exists and is in no need for others. Young Abraham decided to convey these beliefs to his people who were hypnotized by the opium of idolatry and heathenism. In order to do this, he first chose to destroy their idols to shock them so that they come face to face with the bitter truth which they were blinded to.He picked an axe and hacked at the idols. He left it in the head of the largest one; "So he broke them to pieces, (all) but the biggest of them, that they might turn (and address themselves) to it." When his people learned of it they went insane with rage. They asked each other who could have done this; "They said: 'Who has done this to our gods? He must indeed be some man of impiety!' They said: 'We heard a youth talk of them: He is called Abraham.'" It was then that Abraham's long journey of pain and suffering started. He meant to destroy the idolatry of his people which blinded their hearts before their eyes and enslaved them to the idols will. Here in the East we are witnessing the same old new idolatry, this time in the shape of political parties and leaders. Our societies suffer from this grave phenomenon which can only be described as partisan idolatry. The political party or the leader has been turned into an idol figure worshipped, consciously or unconsciously, by party members, a characteristic shared by almost all parties, be they religious or secular. In fact, this phenomenon was born from totalitarian parties, as it can rarely be found in liberal, democratic political parties. We can take Iraq as a perfect example to study this serious trend.Partisan idolatry flourished in Iraq during the fifties of the last century. Anyone who had lived that period can vividly remember how partisan affiliation divided the Iraqi family, when members of the same family were members of different political parties. One could be a Baathist, the other an Arab nationalist, and another a communist or an Islamist. The clash of political ideologies was brought home and it threatened to undermine the very foundations of our society. We were told horrific stories of brothers turning against each other and of people murdering and dragging their neighbors or relatives, of different partisan backgrounds, in the streets. If an opposition party staged a bloody coup and seized power, gallows and acid tanks would be awaiting the members of the ruling party and vice versa. Such a situation rises when the individual idolizes his political party or his leader. He is filled with uncontrollable rage when he comes across someone who dares to criticize his infallible idol and he then starts gathering wood to burn his opponent at the stake, just as Abraham's people did when their stone idols were violated. The gravity of partisan idolatry lies in the fact that it inevitably contributes to the rise of dictatorships. It contrasts with the principles of political and intellectual pluralism which God made inherent in human beings;It would have been impossible for the West to arrive at its present advanced state of progress had it not totally destroyed the intellectual and partisan idolatry of the medieval Church, and also after it achieved victory over Hitler's Nazism, Mussolini's Fascism and Stalin's Communism. If Iraqis ever wish to build their modern state, they should forever renounce partisan idolatry and they should believe in political parties as a means to serve and advance society, as practiced in the West, and not the other way around. We would also need to 'nationalize' our political parties so that leadership is open to all instead of being restricted to a handful of elite members of political and religious feudalities. The latter one being the most dangerous since it seeks to win both religious and political leadership in order to secure its narrow interests, usually at the expense of the simple-minded and the impoverished masses by exploiting their devotion and respect to clerics, as witnessed today in the south of Iraq. Until the members of political parties, particularly those of religious nature, start to question their leaderships and until they reach a stage where criticism is not reacted to with threats and violence we will never be part of the civilized world. What a great difference there is between Abraham and those members of religious parties who claim to be following his legacy!

Finally, Ja'fari Said: "Thank You Mr. President."

Finally, Ja'fari Said: "Thank You Mr. President."
By Mohammed Hassan Al-Musawi

The words of thanks and gratitude expressed by PM Ibrahim Ja'fari for the American people and president Bush were not simply complements made during diplomatic visits and meetings as some would like to explain. They mark the end of an era and the beginning of a new one for both Iraq and America. An era of strategic partnership between the world's greatest superpower, the USA, and the most ancient civilization known in history; Iraq, Mesopotamia, the land of the two rivers, the land of Ali and Al-Hussein, where the first word was written, where the first laws were enacted (an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth). We can confidently say that those simple, yet articulate, words of thanks expressed by Ja'fari, representing the first elected government in Iraq's modern history, have pulled down the curtain over an era of empty slogans and false speeches appealing to emotions such as "America the Great Satan," "Arab oil is for Arabs, death to the reactionaries," "The Imperialist mother," and other leftovers of the cold war era which prevailed in Iraq for long years pushing us decades back behind the rest of the civilized world. Bush's new project in the Middle East came to confirm this new relationship between Iraq and the US. A political, economical project in which America protects and sponsors the new liberal, democratic Iraq. Several well-known powers wanted Iraq to remain isolated from the west, and particularly from the US. It was also planned for Iraq to turn into a huge lab for experimenting abstract ideologies such as communism at the time it swept the region, or the united Arab nation and common destiny concepts designed by those who found Arab nationalism an ideal method to turn Iraq into a milking cow for others while its own citizens suffer from hunger and poverty, and the concept of an Islamic state, in both its moderate version of Shura and the extreme one of Wilayet-e Faqih which predominated after the Iranian revolution. Bush's project and Ja'fari's words of thanks put the final bullet of mercy in the head of these withering ideologies which were the reason behind this unjustified enmity between Iraq and the west, one which Iraqis paid dearly for in the process. Iraq, as an oil rich gulf country with enormous natural, agricultural and human resources, was expected to be one of the world's most developed and prosperous countries. Instead, it was destined to remain at the bottom of the list while neighboring countries were at their peak. Could it be that desert nomads built their countries for being far better civilized than us, or is there another secret somewhere? Yes, there is a secret, it's name is the west and America. A secret we Iraqis were not supposed to discover after long being drugged with the opium of Marxism, Nationalism and Islamism which alienated us from the west and America while they built for other Arab nomads their countries until Arab cities like Dubai became a major attraction for tourists and investors. But why did the west not turn to Iraq with all its riches instead of building countries for others? The answer is because other Arabs, despite being simple-minded, learned how to put their weight behind the west and to humbly seek their help. As to us, we continued to ruminate delusions and abstract utopian dreams of socialism and pan-Arabism, accusing gulf countries of being subordinates to western colonialists and imperialists, dreaming of the one Arab nation and other idiotic notions which all contributed to our downfall. The strangest thing though was when the tables turned against the people behind such sick ideologies, they dashed to the imperialist, infidel west, where they took refuge and enjoyed its benefits. If they get together you would find them playing the same old broken record of conspiracy theories. Therein lies the importance of Ja'fari's thanks to America and the west. They are of huge significance for both Iraq, and for Ja'fari himself. Iraq will soon, God willing, become the Japan of the Middle East and its center if everything goes will with our friends in the west and America. Ja'fari's words mean: First, gratitude which in itself is a major achievement for Ja'fari and points to his political maturity, since we know he was against the war and refused to attend the London conference for the Iraqi opposition which paved the way to Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also allied himself with Stalinist leftover movements and parties instead of seeking the help of America to end the Baathist occupation of Iraq. Unfortunately, Ja'fari was mistaken in all three actions so his thanks to the US are evidence that he is moving in the right direction this time in his understanding of political realities. Second, by accepting to offer thanks and gratitude to our American friends, Ja'fari has proven that he is no longer that person who leads and tries to make decisions on behalf of everyone, like he used to at the time he was leader of a political group with members no more than the number of a primary school's students. This is positive for a politician who seeks to win the next elections. Third, by offering thanks, Ja'fari has entered the political game from its widest entrance - and what could be a wider entrance than the White House?-, has understood the rules of the game and by thanking America he has started to act as a statesman who puts the interests of his country and his people before those of his party and his person. It is political realism which means to accept the realities on the ground and the friendship of Uncle Sam, abandoning all forms of demagoguism, revolutionary and romantic slogans. There is no place for these in the New Iraq. Thank you President Bush.