News & Comment
Shutdown... Till the End of the Capitalist and Democracy System

News

The partial shutdown of the US government has become the longest ever, with no end in sight to the political standoff. On Saturday it reaches its 22nd day, overtaking the previous record- the 21-day shutdown in 1995-96 under then-President Bill Clinton.

President Donald Trump is refusing to approve a budget unless it includes funds for a wall on the Mexican border.

Democrats have rejected his request for $5.7 bn. About a quarter of the federal government is still out of operation until a spending plan is agreed, leaving 800,000 employees unpaid. (Source: BBC)

Comment

How weak the U.S. democratic system is, just because of the 5.7 bn budget approval to build the border wall, the government has to shutdown for more than 3 weeks in a row now. The political standoff between the two parties who claim fighting for the rights of its citizens or protecting the country, leaves 800,000 federal employees unpaid, people unable to pay their bills or have money to live and government services being stopped.

Is there any other major issue other than Trump’s wall that the U.S. government is trying to hide from its citizens or afraid of?

Regardless Democrat or Republican who control Congress, reality fact that the U.S. economy is in a dire state, with 22 trillion debt growing every day, U.S. has no money to fund their economy. The beginning of trade war with China and others, the policies to stop non-American citizens to work in U.S., the aid and troop withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan, which the cost is high to sustain, are evident that the U.S. is suffering from the current economic situation.

What more importance to prove that the capitalist system is collapsing not only in U.S. as the biggest capitalist country but everywhere in the world. U.S. government has to take whatever means to save that from happening. The U.S. and the world are living in the delusional state, failed or ignored the reality that capitalist system is weak would not be able to help them to survive, continue living to patch the system to make it work.

The U.S. shutdown indeed shows that the capitalist system is only protecting the rich minority politician interest, meanwhile the critical life of majority people who serve the country continues to suffer. It is worst when the democracy system allow humans to vote for legislation and make the law, which is mostly influenced by emotion, manipulated for self-interest, irresponsibility and bias, in comparison to the divine rule by Allah (swt) who created the human, proven fair and just for more than 1300 years.

Do we as Muslims fail or blind to see the same and can’t see the light already given by Allah in Islam? Allah (swt) said in Al-Quran:

(مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ)

“The example of those who take allies other than Allah is like that of the spider who takes a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew” [Al-‘Ankabut 29:41]

(اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَوْلِيَاؤُهُمُ الطَّاغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُم مِّنَ النُّورِ إِلَى الظُّلُمَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ)

“Allah is the ally of those who believe. He brings them out from darknesses into the light. And those who disbelieve - their allies are Taghut. They take them out of the light into darknesses. Those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.” [Al-Baqarah 2:257]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Ahmad Yousef