“The Fanatical Rage”: Racism

Those who are disbelievers filled their hearts with fanatical rage - the fanatical rage of the Time of Ignorance - and Allah sent down serenity to His Messenger and to the believers, and bound them to the expression of taqwa which they had most right to and were most entitled to. Allah has knowledge of all things. (Surat al-Fath: 26) The rage felt against other races is responsible for the majority of conflicts, clashes and civil wars around the world. In the cases of the aggressive attitude assumed by the white race towards blacks, or the Nazi ideal of achieving a pure race and the subsequent conflict with the Allies that claimed millions of lives in recent history, or tribal clashes in Africa, we always encounter one and the same factor: "fanatical rage." This misunderstanding suggests that one particular race is, either physically or mentally or both, superior to another and that it is unnecessary for the superior one to have feelings of mercy, compassion and respect for the other. The same rationale in extreme cases deems even coexistence of these races as wrong. This is, however, a ferocious approach since it further leads to thinking that there is no reason for various nations to exist, thereby making the elimination of "different" races compulsory. In the Qur'an, Allah declares that various nations and tribes exist so that "people might come to know each other." The diversity of nations, races, tribes and languages is a beauty peculiar to Allah's creation. That one person incurs the anger of another because he is shorter or has a darker skin is unacceptable. These peculiarities are all the distinctive creation of Allah with countless beauties, purposes and subtle secrets within them. A believer is well aware that the only criteria for nobility is fear of Allah, as is made clear in the following verse: Mankind! We created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among you in Allah's sight is the one with the most taqwa of Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Surat al-Hujurat: 13) The pseudo-scientific roots of the racist misunderstanding, which manifests so brutally, deserve special mention since they are also the bases on which many of today's false ideologies are founded. Materialism, communism and wild capitalism all have roots in this pseudo-scientific basis from which they all derive power. This pseudo-scientific foundation is the so-called theory of evolution by Darwin. Some who have heard of "the theory of evolution" might assume that it only concerns the field of biology. The theory of evolution, however, represents more than this. Not merely a biological concept, it is the underpinning of many philosophies that hold the masses under their influence. THE PSEUDO-SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF RACISM When Darwin first proposed his theory, scientists of the period did not adopt it outright. Palaeontologists, in particular, were aware that the theory was little more than a figment of the imagination. Despite this, however, Darwin gained access to scientific circles since the theory provided an unprecedented ideological foundation for the powers prevalent in the 19th century. As the idea of evolution spread fast - through the publication of the book by Darwin, The Origin of Species - Europeans continued to colonise continents and other civilisations in remote parts of the world. European countries - England and France being the foremost - concentrated their efforts, partially on South Asia and Latin America and on the African continent as a whole. Meanwhile in North America, the indigenous peoples were brutally slaughtered. In brief, in the second half of the 19th century, western empires plundered civilisations in other parts of the world. They seized power, to which they were by no means entitled, in other countries by force and terror and confiscated their natural resources. Yet, westerners felt deeply the necessity of legitimising their illegitimate practices. At this stage, Darwinism offered a great opportunity to imperialists. With this theory, it became possible to provide a "so-called" scientific foundation to the idea that the exploited people were simply "animal species." Darwin made his views about the origins of human beings clear in his book The Descent of Man published in 1871. In this book, he boldly commented that man evolved from ape-like ancestors. He went further and said that existing human races were located at different rungs of the "evolutionary ladder", that the European races were the most "advanced" of all, and that many other races still bore "simian" features. 1923 1923 The Ku Klux Klan, a secret society organised in the USA after the Civil War to reassert white supremacy by means of terrorism, is responsible for the murder of thousands of men, women and children. This group, whose members use violence against people only because they are from other races, is an obvious example of the cruelty and disorder permeating societies in the absence of morals of the Qur'an. That such cruelty is still displayed in the 21st century is something to ponder upon. 1992 1992 These episodes of violence against blacks took place in 1990's. It would be easy to end it in our day if people will live by the values the Qur'an. Darwin's theory had another significant dimension. Darwin based the development of living beings, including human beings, on the term "the struggle for survival." According to him, there is a fierce struggle, a constant conflict, going on in nature. In this struggle, the strong always defeat the weak and thus progress occurs. Darwin maintained that this "struggle for survival" is also true for human races. Even the sub-title in his book The Origin of Species made his racist outlook apparent: "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle of Life." According to Darwin, Europeans are the favoured race. The native American peoples, Africans and all other races and nations, on the other hand, constituted the primitive races who remained behind in the process of evolution. According to this distorted rationale, domesticating, enslaving and even killing these lower races are legitimate just as it is legitimate to do the same to apes or other animals. For the same reason, Darwin thought, their property could also be confiscated. In his book, pertaining to lower races, Darwin stated the following: At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace the savage races throughout the world. At the same time the anthropomorphous apes… will no doubt be exterminated. The break between man and his nearest allies will then be wider.16 As these statements show, Darwin was clearly a racist. He believed that Europeans are superior to other nations and thus entitled to enslave and annihilate them. This theory, which was an adaptation of the theory of evolution to societies, is called Social Darwinism. It laid the major ground for legitimising both imperialism and racism. One of the countries where Social Darwinism was warmly embraced was Germany. THE NAZIS AND DARWINISM It is not a coincidence that Neo-Nazis are inspired by the theory of evolution of Darwin since, from the day it was conceived, Darwinism has always been an inseparable part of Nazi ideology. Nazism was born in defeated Germany after the First World War. One of the founders and the leader of the German Nazi Party, Adolph Hitler, was an ambitious and aggressive man who based part of his outlook on life on racism. Hitler firmly believed in the superiority of the Aryan "master race" and that this was the race that would lead all other nations. Hitler devoted himself to the establishment of a pan-Germanic "Third Reich," which would last a thousand years. The scientific basis of the racist theories of Hitler was Darwin's theory of evolution. Hitler was deeply influenced by Heinrich von Treitcshke, the German racist historian who also developed his racist views under the influence of Darwin's theory of evolution. He held that nations could only have progress through fierce competition similar to the "struggle for survival" proposed by Darwin. The following words of Treitcshke reveal his stance towards other races. The yellow races have no understanding of artistic ability and political freedom. It is the destiny of the black races to serve the whites and to be the target of the whites' loathing for all eternity…17 The name of the book Mein Kampf, was an inspiration Hitler derived from Darwin's idea of struggle for survival. Hitler drew inspiration from Darwin's idea of struggle for survival while formulating his theories. The name of his famous book Mein Kampf, was an inspiration Hitler derived from Darwin's idea of struggle for survival. Hitler shared Darwin's views about races and, just like him, considered non-European races to be ape-like creatures: Take away the Nordic Germans and nothing remains but the dance of apes.18 The evolutionist views of the Nazis led to their adoption of part of the concept of "eugenics", which means "the science of improving the (esp. human) population by controlled breeding for desirable inherited characteristics." However, the Nazis are remembered more for the concept, prevalent throughout Europe at the time even in so-called liberal societies such as Sweden, that this was best achieved by preventing the disabled and mentally from mating, if necessary by sterilisation. Darwinists, as one would assume, proposed the theory: Leonard Darwin, the son of Charles Darwin and his cousin Francis Galton. In Germany, Earnst Haeckel, the renowned evolutionist biologist became the first adherent and propagator of "eugenics." Haeckel, a close friend of Darwin, continuously provided him with views, one of them speeding up the process of evolution by killing disabled babies. Another idea of Haeckel's was painlessly killing patients suffering from leprosy and cancer, as well as the mentally disturbed. Otherwise, he thought, these people would continue to be a burden on society. The perverted belief that humanity would improve through clashes and violence became the source of other ideologies. For instance, Benito Mussolini evoked Darwinist concepts in his efforts to found fascist Italy. He evaluated the invasion of Ethiopia in terms of the racial hierarchy proposed by Darwinism. The camp of Italian troops in Ethiopia. After Hitler took power, he incorporated these views of Haeckel's into official policy, which resulted in the immediate internment in special centres of the mentally disturbed, the disabled, the blind and those having inherited diseases. From this distorted point of view, these people were considered the factors "polluting" the purity of the Aryan race and hindering its "so-called" evolutionary progress. After keeping these categories of men isolated from society for a while, Nazis arrogated to themselves the right to murder them secretly upon a confidential order by Hitler. After its defeat in World War II, the "Third Reich" became history, leaving behind millions of innocent but devastated people. Yet, Social Darwinism, which provided the basis for Nazi ideology, remains. Many people are familiar with what has been related so far. However, the fact remains that very few are they who realise that these historic events have ongoing repercussions. The violent and merciless execution of people because of their mental or physical state reveals the sick and perverted spirit of its perpetrators. Disbelief accounts for sick and perverted spirits. As long as disbelief prevails, one can expect all forms of abnormal, merciless and perverted behaviour. The existence of millions of adherents led astray by these sick-minded people is another token of disbelief. A person who fears Allah and puts his trust in Him, knows that He is the All-Mighty, and never tends to cruelty and perversity. Furthermore, he also courageously and zealously endeavours to save other people from enslavement to tyrants, and to show them the right path and warn them. For instance, the prophet Musa, peace be upon him, struggled alone against Pharaoh, who had the same racist and cruel dictatorial mentality as Hitler and Mussolini, and he saved the Children of Israel from his brutal rule. What made the prophet Musa so courageous was simply his profound faith in Allah and the values and conscience his faith provided him. The way Musa addressed Pharaoh shows clearly his faith in Allah and the way he put his trust in Him: And then, after them, We sent Musa with Our Signs to Pharaoh and his ruling circle but they wrongfully rejected them. See the final fate of the corrupters! Musa said, 'Pharaoh! I am truly a Messenger from the Lord of all the worlds, duty bound to say nothing about Allah except the truth. I have come to you with a Clear Sign from your Lord. So send the tribe of Israel away with me.' (Surat al-A'raf: 103-105) THE TREATMENT THE DISABLED RECEIVE Ernst Haeckel In the early 1900's, world-wide propaganda was launched. This propaganda, initiated by Ernst Haeckel an evolutionist biologist, aimed to speed up the so-called evolutionary process of societies. According to Haeckel, the immediate killing of disabled children at birth would ensure the rapid evolution of the race. Haeckel went even further to say that the disabled, cancerous patients and the mentally disturbed should also be executed secretly since their existence was a major burden to society. Consequently, he asserted, they are a hindrance to the evolutionary process of societies. One contemporary repercussion of these views backed by the Darwinian notion of "struggle for survival" is the way the disabled are treated in the society. In many countries, the disabled are subject to separate treatment. However, everyone deserves due love and respect and this fact does not change when one or two organs of a person are impaired or he is not endowed with a whole body. What makes a human being a person is the way he carries himself in his character, his fear of Allah and his meticulousness in complying with the commands of Allah. Allah relieves the disabled of their responsibilities and holds them responsible only for obedience and virtuous conduct. One needs to approach these slaves of Allah with compassion and understanding, for Allah feels compassion for them and grants them ease in their servitude to Him. There is no constraint on the blind, nor on the lame, nor on the sick. We will admit all who obey Allah and His Messenger into Gardens with rivers flowing under them. But We will punish with a painful punishment anyone who turns his back. (Surat al-Fath: 17) In many societies, disabled children are isolated from society. (Above) A disabled child with his hands tied. THE YEARS OF VIOLENCE "RACISM" BROUGHT TO THE AFRICA CONTINENT For long years, the African continent has been afflicted with clashes, wars, starvation and misery.Due to conflicts of interests arising from non-adherence to the just religion and following unrighteous beliefs, strife is continual in the region. Mobutu paid $12,000 to each of his ministers while a teacher made only $8 a month. His personal fortune, excluding his real estate, was about $5,000,000. Until the 1950s, the people of this continent suffered from all the forms of violence and racist policies the imperialist countries imposed. In the 50s, throughout the continent, there were only four officially independent countries. This figure soared to thirty in 1962. Finally in 1972, with a few exceptions, the continent had become independent. However, especially for the public, independence was merely a façade, since the former imperialist powers were simply replaced by authoritarian, repressive and cruel dictators all of whom maintained close links with the former imperialist powers, namely the western countries of today. Therefore, independence did not bring freedom to these countries but rather made them suffer greater poverty and violence under even more repressive regimes than the colonialist ones. Under these circumstances, people united to fight against the dictatorial regimes. Meanwhile, the dictators provoked some of the ethnic groups, destabilised their respective countries and took advantage of this disorder. In Zaire, a war between two of its tribes, the Hutus and Tutsis, is a typical example of the clashes taking place between races in the 20th century. The two tribes became involved in this war in the spring of 1997. The effect of the clashes extended over a region comprising five countries including Zaire, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania. In Zaire, the dimensions of the corruption are beyond our imagination. Even aid provided to the hunger-stricken people was sold to buy weapons. The Hutu refugees, fleeing from the conflicts between Zairian government forces and Tutsis, a conflict that also spread to neighbouring countries, took refuge in other countries. This immigration was great human tragedy. In 1994, fighting between Tutsis, a tribe with strong links to British culture inherited from the colonial period, and Hutus cost some 500,000 lives of Tutsis. In 1996, Hutus fled to Rwanda from the repression of the despotic Zairian rulers and the massacres of Tutsis. Refugees in need of a slice of bread were unaware of the dangers awaiting them on their way to Rwanda. In this region riddled with corruption, the independence of 1960 hardly brought any relief from the political pressure of the imperial western states. Joseph Mobutu, backed by the US, seized power in 1964 and made all the natural resources of his country available to America. Hardly devising anything to contribute to the welfare of his people, Mobutu merely accumulated a personal fortune over the years and resorted to despotic measures to suppress the demands of his people. At a time when the inflation rate in the country tended to a peak value of 6000%, great clashes broke out between the two dominant tribes of the region. This tribal war resulted in a major genocide which left behind nearly a half million dead. Thousands of immigrants underwent gruesome ordeals in the forests, and ultimately the majority lost their lives of hunger and epidemics. Innocent people were slaughtered. Merely because they were from a different tribe, even babies and very young children were killed. Due to malnutrition, more than one third of the population of Zaire is dying, while many children suffer from permanent brain damage. A total population of thirty million people, half of them children, live in hunger in mud huts. For three years, four hundred thousand refugees resisted death in the primitive refugee camps on Zaire border. Hunger has become a part of daily life with the recent cholera threat adding more to the misery of life in these refugee camps. No aid is provided to these destitute people and, if there is any, it is confiscated by soldiers. Meanwhile, one cannot imagine Hutus and Tutsis, two tribes who brutally killed one another, peacefully sharing the incoming aid. A minimum of ten babies died in Goma, a city of Zaire, alone every hour because medical aid was confiscated. The wars between races, namely the "fanatical rage" mentioned in the Qur'an, often end with haunting scenes of massacre. Allah, in the Qur'an draws our attention to the "fanatical rage" of ignorant people as follows: Those who are disbelievers filled their hearts with fanatical rage - the fanatical rage of the Time of Ignorance - and Allah sent down serenity to His Messenger and to the believers, and bound them to the expression of taqwa of Allah which they had most right to and were most entitled to. Allah has knowledge of all things. (Surat al-Fath: 26) Whether in Africa or in other corners of the world, racist movements have exposed this dark expression of disbelief. To remove it outright is only possible by living by the principles of the right religion and making others obey them.