Drowning in Colonialism
On Sunday April the 19th, a boat capsized on the Mediterranean Sea. It was carrying migrants from Africa and the Middle East into Europe, and 750 of them drowned in the horrific accident. The victims included Libyans, Syrians, and people from Sub-Saharan Africa who were looking for asylum on European shores, attempting to escape the war, poverty and turmoil of their lands.
European nations have had much to say about this crisis; they had emergency meetings to address the issue. Some are blaming the profiteering traffickers who cram too many desperate people onto ships they don’t bother to maintain, while others are calling for stricter patrolling of the shores.Some are even referring to “search & destroy” missions against trafficking vessels before they are put to use.
The Culprits – A Sordid History
European nations don’t need to look for exotic criminals or foreign enemies to find the real culprits of this crisis; the answer is much closer to home.
During the Enlightenment the European nations adopted Liberalism as an ideology to replace centuries of rule by the church. Based on this belief they sought to dominate the world with their colonialist foreign policies. The “Scramble for Africa” in the early 1800’s had several European nations, including Britain, Italy, France, Germany and Belgium, carve up the African continent to exploit its labour and squander its resources. This led to severe economic and social breakdown across the continent. King Leopold of Belgium created slave-labour camps in the Congo, where amputation of limbs and other forms of torture were punishments for those who weren't productive.
Furthermore, the Americans and Europeans adopted the view that they were superior to the non-Muslims and Muslims they dominated. This superiority is best captured by Winston Churchill’s justification of using chemical weapons against the Muslims of Iraq in 1921:
'I do not understand this squeamishness about the use of gas... I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes.'Winston Churchill on gassing Iraqis, 1921
As far as projecting this attitude towards non-Muslims, in 1906 the NY Times unapologetically justified caging the Congolese pygmies and treating them like animals:
“The pygmies ... are very low in the human scale, and the suggestion that Benga should be in a school instead of a cage ignores the high probability that school would be a place ... from which he could draw no advantage whatever. The idea that men are all much alike except as they have had or lacked opportunities for getting an education out of books is now far out of date.”
Puppet Governments: Tools of Capitalist nations
The fact the British had to use poisoned gas to subjugate the Muslims illustrates that the Europeans were well aware that they would ultimately lose the ability to control the Muslim lands through direct subjugation. In fact the governor of Bombay, Mount Stuart Elphinstone, had stated in 1854 ”we must not dream of perpetual possession, but must apply ourselves to bring the natives into a state that will admit of their governing themselves in a manner that may be beneficial to our interests…” So the colonial powers were paving the way for the installation of puppet governments, the likes of Gadhafi in Libya and Assad in Syria, which would be subservient to their interests.
In fact, this was the fate of all the new “nations” in the Middle East after world war one. In the word of historian David Fromkin:
“With centuries of mercantilist experience, Britain and France created small, unstable states whose rulers needed their support to stay in power. The development and trade of these states were controlled and they were meant never again to be a threat to the West”.
This can be clearly seen in Libya. As reported by the Guardian in 2009, the British government was active in securing gas and oil interests in Libya. The article noted: “Documents obtained by the Observer show ministers and senior civil servants met Shell to discuss the company's oil interests in Libya on at least 11 occasions and perhaps as many as 26 times in less than four years.”
(www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/30/libya-oil-shell-megrahi)
Yet Britain is not alone in propping up the Gadhafi regime. SNC Lavalin, a Canadian engineering company, was also working with the regime to procure lucrative construction contracts by bribing the regime. The CBC reported:
“The Mounties allege that between August 2001 and September 2011, the company and its subsidiaries gave almost $47.9 million to Libyan government officials to use their positions to influence government decisions…Police also allege that during the same time period, the company defrauded the Libyan government and other entities of ’property, money or valuable security or service‘worth almost $129.8 million.”(www.cbc.ca/news/business/snc-lavalin-subsidiaries-charged-with-corruption-fraud-in-libyan-business-probe-1.2963025)
To put it in Capitalist lingo, SNC Lavalin was aiming to earn over a 270% “return on investment”. The same CBC article also noted that a former executive of the company attempted to smuggle Saadi Gadhafi into Mexico, illustrating the deep ties that the company has to the tyrannical regime.
Yet, this is not just a matter of historical crimes. The dominance of colonial interests in Muslim lands is something that is happening today.
Post Arab Spring: The Colonialism Continues
Some may argue that, with the recent uprisings in the Muslim lands, it is the locals who now control the situation and are the ones to blame for the chaos. However, such a viewpoint contradicts the reality on the ground. Both UK and American proxies are battling each other on behalf of their benefactors.
As for the British, the Guardian reported that British SAS and MI6 teams were released by Libyan rebel commanders in March 2011. The Guardian stated: “William Hague confirmed the ’diplomatic team‘had left Libya after experiencing ’difficulties‘. He said another team would be sent in after consultation with the opposition leadership.”
This didn't stop the British from trying to get their foothold in the country again. In May 2011 the Daily Mail and Al-Jazeera, both published “possible” pictures of the UK SAS forces on ground “helping” rebel forces. (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392459/Are-SAS-Libya-News-crew-films-Western-troops-liaising-rebel-forces.html)
America is also active in Libya. They were able to gain influence through retired officer, Khalifa Haftar, who was recruited by the US after he fellout with Gadhafi in 1987. He was one of the 300 Libyan soldiers captured by Chadian forces. The US brokered a deal with the Chad government for his release. Haftar was taken to Zaire on a U.S. aircraft, and then to America and was granted political asylum in the United States, where he joined the Libyan opposition movement abroad. He spent the following 20 years in Virginia, USA, where he was trained in guerrilla warfare by the CIA, and did not return to Libya, until after the revolution of February 17 (February 2011) in which he played an important role, especially in the city of Benghazi.(www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/index.php/EN/tshow/2447)Consequently, when General Haftar rebelled against the Libyan government in June 2014, it was actually at the behest of the Americans.
The same kind of deep interference happens daily in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, Palestine and the entire Muslim world. Therefore, wherever trouble can be found in the Muslim lands, it is a direct result of foreign interference.
Eliminating colonialism will eliminate the issue
The above facts clearly illustrate how the Capitalist nations continue to dominate the Muslim world and are the root cause of the instability. Therefore, blame does not lie on the local bandits or the local population for the deaths in the sea. The Europeans and Americans who interfere in the affairs of the Muslim and African countries are truly responsible for those who died in the sea.
Isn't it time to question colonialism?
At stated the outset, the Anglo-European Capitalist nations have had a predatory relationship with the Muslim and non-Muslim world. This relationship has changed in form, but in substance it remains the same. The death of these hundreds of migrants is but one of the disastrous consequences of the colonialist foreign policies implemented by these nations. It also is an illustrative example of how the Capitalist nations implement their way of life: they implement destructive policies across the world and then wash their hands of any wrongdoing. We see a similar approach when it comes to economic exploitation of the Muslim and non-Muslim world.
In Bangladesh, when the Rana Plaza tragedy occurred, (1,100 people were killed due to the unsafe buildings) there was uproar over the treatment of the workers that occurred. But how many articles focused on the fact that Bangladesh is a colonial appendage of the wealthy Capitalist nations?
Engaging the wider society to reject colonialism
As Muslims, we should be at the forefront of this controversy, highlighting to the wider society how this policy leads to discord and strife in the world. Think of how desperate those migrants were to make that perilous journey? Is this a sustainable system for human beings?
Prophet Musa (as) had a similar mission when he was sent by Allah (swt) to Fir’aun (Pharoah): to end Fir’aun’s economic exploitation of the BaniIsrail. Fir’aun attempts to attack Musa (as) based on the unfounded claim that he was ungrateful:
“Did we not raise you as a child among us, and did you not stay in our midst many years of your life? And you did a deed of yours (i.e. killing a man) which you did, and you are an ungrateful (wretch)!” [TMQ 26:18-19]
This attack is similar to what some of the anti-immigrant activists attempt to do to silence the debate: narrow the discussion on ungratefulness of the immigrants instead of looking at the bigger picture.
So how did Musa (as) respond? Did he try to integrate into Fir’aun’s system in order to show his gratitude? No, he didn't. After admitting his mistake in killing the man, Musa (as) replied with the following:
“And this is the past favor with which you reproach me, that you have enslaved the Children of Israel.”
[TMQ 26:22]
Musa (as) refused to get sidelined by Fir’aun’s tactics and to accept Firaun’s premise. He used Fir’aun’s argument against him by bringing the discussion back to Fir’aun’s enslavement of the Children of Israel. Reminding him that had Fir’aun not enslaved them and killed their firstborns, Musa (as) would never have had to grow up in his household! So the real criminal was Fir’aun for enslaving the Children of Israel.
May Allah (swt) end the colonial interference in our lands and establish an Islamic authority, the Khilafah Rashida that will manage our affairs and shower humanity with justice.
“Alif, Lam, Ra. [This is] a Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that you might bring mankind out of darkness into the light by permission of their Lord - to the path of the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy.” [TMQ 14:1]
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