Analysis, Side Feature, South Asia

How much does the blood of an Afghan Muslim cost?

According to the new report published by the ‘Cost of War’ project, some 173,000 people have been killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan within the last 15 years. Moreover, the UN also has recently reported that at least 1601 civilians have been killed and 3565 have been injured in the first 6 months of 2016; among them one third are children.

Comment:

Due to the continuation of the brutal colonial invasion of Afghanistan by the American and NATO forces, the scale of violence has constantly been escalating every single day, while the John Kerry made government has failed completely to maintain the law and order situation in Afghanistan. Now rather than providing security to the people, the government has innovated a shameful strategy of providing benefits to the bereaved family members of those killed in suicidal attacks or fighting the US war. This is done to calm the emotions of people and show as if the government cares for them. These benefits included a Hajj package for 100,000 Afghanis; and on rare occasions, some people are given apartments. Ironically, even to get these benefits, the poor families are compelled to pay half of the amount as bribe to get hold of the benefits, due to the existence of gigantic corruption in the government institutions.

Likewise, in some cases the invading forces of America and NATO follow the same approach and give some endowments to the bereaved families in order to keep the situation under control. However, the invaders don’t do it quite often rather in some rare instances. As most of the time, after killing tens of innocent people, they get away by simply saying ‘sorry’. Sadly, due to severe financial difficulties people have been taking these endowments, rather than refusing it and demanding from the government to take steps that could ensure peace and stability for the people in Afghanistan.

The question that needs to be asked is; does the life of an innocent human being cost only 100,000 Afs (1,500 USD), with which one can’t even buy an old rusty car? Does a human life cost a Hajj Package or an apartment? As we know, according to one of the Hadith of Muhammad ﷺ, a single drop of the blood of a Muslims is more sacred in the sight of Allah سبحانه وتعالى then the Ka’ba and its surroundings. Indeed, killing an innocent human being is absolutely forbidden in Islam. Allah سبحانه وتعالى mentions in the Surah Al-Maida:

أَنَّهُ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا

“that whoever kills a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed all mankind”

Furthermore, the Prophet ﷺ said that the honor, wealth and blood of a believer has been made Haram. The Prophet Mohammad ﷺ also said

«لزوال الدنيا أهون على الله من قتل مؤمن بغير حق»

 “The wiping away of the World means less to Allah than a Believer to be killed unjustly.” (Ibn Maja)

Islam considers the blood of an innocent human being sacred and considers the spilling of the innocent blood as a grave sin and a punishable crime, unlike Capitalism that has no respect for human life and honor, rather what they value is their evil interests and benefits for which they could go to any extent. It is the Capitalist ideology that takes with it destruction, chaos and miseries wherever it goes.

 

Musadiq Sahak

Member of Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Afghanistan