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On the 3rd of November 2007, General Pervez Musharraf suspended the constitution of Pakistan, sacked the Chief Justice, closed down private TV stations and arrested leading politicians in an attempt, in his own words, to save Pakistan from ‘suicide'. However, Musharraf’s track record reveals that his primary role has always been to put western interests before the interests of Pakistan and the Islamic Ummah. To fight this effort to keep the Ummah subjugated, we must remain steadfast in our resolve to resume the Islamic way of life through the re-establishment of the Khilafah. We must work to transform the thoughts, emotions, and governing institutions – in the Muslim lands – from those that serve the West into those that serve Allah (swt).

Earlier this month, the US-backed dictator General Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan. Under the pretext of saving the country from “suicide”, he sacked the chief justice, suspended the constitution, dissolved the Supreme Court, censoring all television stations except the state TV network and arrested mainstream political figures.

Speaking in English, the dictator Musharraf justified his actions based on the following:

“I would at this time venture to read out an excerpt of President Abraham Lincoln, specially to all my listeners in the United States. As an idealist, Abraham Lincoln had one consuming passion during that time of crisis, and this was to preserve the Union… towards that end, he broke laws, he violated the Constitution, he usurped arbitrary power, he trampled individual liberties. His justification was necessity and explaining his sweeping violation of Constitutional limits he wrote in a letter in 1864, and I quote, ‘My oath to preserve the Constitution imposed on me the duty of preserving by every indispensable means that government, that Nation of which the Constitution was the organic law. Was it possible to lose the Nation and yet preserve the Constitution?”

For Musharraf to justify his actions based on the “sunnah” of an American President – in the language of his colonial masters – demonstrates a colonized mentality. In Islam, we recognize that the sources of shariah are the Quran, Sunnah, Ijma-as-Sahabah (consensus of the companions), and Qiyas (analogy). These sources are exclusive to all other sources – including speeches of former and current American Presidents!

The factors that have led to the situation in Pakistan are part of a global strategy of colonial powers to ensure that the Ummah remains subjugated. In other words, no Muslim country is immune to the forces that have led to the current situation in Pakistan. For example, in Egypt – yet another US backed dictator – has kept the country under martial law for over 20 years!

Bhutto: Not an Alternative

We must also reject Bhutto and what she represents. When Bhutto arrived in Pakistan after her exile, she claimed that her return was ' the beginning of a journey for a better future for all the people of Pakistan'. However, her return to Pakistan has been orchestrated by the US and Britain to save Musharraf. They have arranged the unholy political marriage between the woman who presided over the most corrupt regime in Pakistan's history and the man who has the greatest record of betrayal in its history. The motive behind the return of Bhutto, under the cover of restoring a semblance of a democratic process, is to aid Musharraf in his campaign to stem the tide of Islam and its growing influence within Pakistan.

Ultimately, these two – and all the rulers in the Muslim world – stand for one thing: keeping the Ummah within the clutches of the Western colonial powers.

The British and American governments continue to interfere in the internal affairs of Muslim nations and continue to support corrupt and tyrannical dictators in order to secure their selfish interests despite the suffering of the people of the region.

Need for Real Change

Pakistan needs real change, a change that will never be delivered by politicians and generals who outsource their politics to Washington and London. It is not sufficient to change from military leaders to political leaders without changing the underlying political system that has brought Pakistan to its knees. Allah (swt) has revealed:

"So rule between them by what Allah has revealed and follow not their desires away from the truth that has come to you." [TMQ 5:48]

"Rule between them by what Allah has revealed and follow not their desires but beware of them lest they seduce you from some part of that which Allah has revealed to you." [TMQ 5:49]

Based on these ayat, we are commanded to organize our societies based on the revelation of Allah (swt). We have with us the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) who – through the guidance of Allah (swt) – ran the Islamic State from the time of the hijrah to the time of his (saw) death. We must break out of the shackles of colonial thinking – the type displayed by Musharraf in his speech – to a thinking that is revived. Revived thinking requires that we look at each idea, concept, action, and law and determine whether it will earn Allah’s (swt) pleasure or whether it will be a source of His Wrath on the Day of Judgment.

We must collectively work on the Prophet’s method to take the laws of Allah (swt) that have been neglected by the corrupt Muslim rulers and work to implement them in society. Furthermore, this must be done on the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), which requires us to work in groups to enjoin the good and forbid the evil. Through this work we must promote the Islamic concepts of society and law. Only through discussion and dialogue – without the use of violence – we must work to change the thoughts, emotions, and laws of Muslim countries.

The Promise of the Prophet (saw) is True

We often hear on the mimbars of masjids, in study circles, and in conferences the need to have firm belief in Allah (swt), in what He (swt) revealed, and in the Prophethood of Rasullah (saw). This should not remain as an idle thought but rather should transform our perspective on life and how we deal with situations.

Consequently, we must recognize that democracy, capitalism, secularism, communism, nationalism, and all the other “isms” are false and have not been recognized as legitimate in the book of Allah (swt). Allah (swt) has revealed:

"Do they seek then the judgement of the Days of Ignorance? And who is better in judgement than Allah." [TMQ 5:50]

Furthermore, we must firmly believe in that which the Prophet (saw) came with. In the following narration, the Prophet (saw) promised that the Khilafah – on the method of the Prophet – will return after the tyrannical rule we are currently experiencing:

“The Prophecy will remain amongst you as long as Allah wills, then Allah will lift it when he wishes, then it will be a Khilafah Rashidah (i.e. The first four Khulafaa) on the method of the Prophecy, it will remain for as long as Allah wills, then he will lift it when he wills, then it will be a hereditary leadership (i.e. the Abbasid and Ummayid etc) for as long as Allah wills then he will lift it when he so wills. Then there will be a tyrannical rule (i.e. all the current regimes) for as long as Allah wills, then he will lift it when he so wills, then there will be a Khilafah Rashidah on the method of the Prophecy”, then he kept silent" [Ahmed]

We should take this hadith as a source of glad tidings. However, we should not take this hadith (or other ahadith like these that discuss the appearance of Imam Mahdi) as an excuse to remain inactive. As we know, that success in all matters – be it getting a job, finding a spouse, or the like – belong to Allah (swt). That is, we cannot control the outcome of events. But we must first invest our effort following the correct shar’ai way and then leave the results to Allah (swt). Indeed this hadith assures us success.

The Islamic State did not manifest itself the night after the first ayat of Surat-al-Alaq were revealed. Rather Prophet Muhammad (saw) spent 13 difficult years working in Makkah – exposed to torture, hardship, and insecurity – to establish the Deen of Allah (swt). Similarly, the ark that carried Prophet Nuh (as) did not fall from the sky. Instead he had to build it – while being subjected to the ridicule of the elite (mal’a) of his time. Likewise, we must also invest our effort to see the return of the Islamic State – in Pakistan and the rest of the Muslim lands despite the struggle that may ensue.

Islam: The Only Way Forward

Since its inception in 1947, Pakistan has been plagued by corrupt civilian governments and military dictatorships that serve the interests of Western governments ahead of the Muslims of Pakistan. The colonial power of the US is desperate to save its last hope in Pakistan, the failing dictatorship of General Musharaf, by organizing an alliance with the most corrupt politician in Pakistan's history, Benazir Bhutto.

This "patchwork" politics will only push Pakistan into deeper crisis and failure. Pakistan is in need of a new type of leadership that will bring stability, that looks after the needs of the people through the Quran and Sunnah and which implements a system that is truly representative and which respects the independence of the judiciary: the Khilafah State.

The Pakistani community in Canada has strong links to Pakistan and its voice is powerful. It is essential that the Pakistani community in Canada send a clear message to the dictator Musharraf and his new found ally Bhutto that it will no longer accept the destructive status quo and that a change of system must occur.

It is only the Khilafah that can take power away from the feudal landowners and the rich industrialists, implement a real rule of law, produce economic prosperity for the many and not the few and ensure that political decisions on the future of Pakistan are made in Islamabad not in the capitals of foreign powers.