Americas

US bases cannot prevent the return of the Khilafah

 America recently expressed its intention to establish long-term military bases in Iraq. On a visit to Honolulu on May 31, Robert Gates, the defence secretary, said that America was looking for a "long and enduring presence", under an arrangement with the Iraq government. "The Korea model is one, the security relationship we have with Japan is another," he said. American troops have been in South Korea since the end of the Korean War and in Japan since 1945. In the first week of June White House spokesman Tony Snow confirmed that President Bush wanted a lengthy troop presence in Iraq. "The situation in Iraq, and indeed, the larger war on terror, are things that are going to take a long time," he said.

Muslims around the world have known from the start what America's intentions were when it invaded not only Iraq but Afghanistan also. America is out to carve an empire for itself, and the Islamic world is one of its prime targets. It is lured to the lands of the Sahaba [ra] not for removing the tyrannical dictators or to ensure peace, but to loot the resources of the rich lands of the Ummah. These actions of America and now its statements about prolonging its military presence come as no surprise to the Muslims, for successive American administrations-and European governments before them -have all believed in colonising the Islamic world.

The Bush administration seeks to simply spread its imperial writ across the globe, and the Islamic world currently is a prime target. America's plans however are not limited to the Muslim world, but rather it has its eyes on global dominance. A new Cold War is starting between itself and Russia over the deployment of a Missile Defence System in Eastern Europe, as America undertakes moves to undermine its old foe. With China it has entered a dangerous dance, where it both needs it for its goods and services capability but yet also fears it as a rival due to its rising military power. By far the most prominent aspect of US interference and presence in other countries is the myriad of military bases it has established. From statistics published in 2001 by the US Defence Department, there were globally 156 countries with US troops present, 63 countries with US bases and troops, and 13 new bases in 7 countries since the 9/11 attacks.

The building of American military bases in Iraq continues apace, at a cost of over $1bn a year. Shortly after the invasion, America established 110 bases in Iraq. The present plan appears to consolidate these into 14 "enduring bases" in Iraqi Kurdistan, at Baghdad airport, in Anbar province, and in the southern approaches to Baghdad. This does not point to an early American disengagement. And nor does the construction of an American embassy able to house 1,000 staff on a 100-acre site on the banks of the Tigris – the biggest American embassy in the world.

Yet, it is not only for resources that America seeks a presence in the Muslim world. By invading Iraq, it has gained a foothold in the Islamic world from where it can project its power in all directions. America seeks to bring the vast region ranging from Central Asia to East Africa under its control. This land not only provides strategic value to America, but its history tells the story of its modern day political relevance. The land which America seeks to control is that which was part of the Islamic Khilafah State. By gaining power and influence in this region, America hopes to prevent the re-emergence of the Khilafah State which is now demanded by Muslims worldwide. They fear the removal of their political influence and economic power around the world, and for this they keep their own people in a constant state of fear and the rest of the Muslim world under oppression.

In the past western governments  would rely on their agents and puppets in the area, the tyrant rulers of the Muslim world. Now times have changed, and the call for the Khilafah grows ever louder, being heard in more and more places all of the time. No longer can the West rely on its agents-despite their brutality- for they are by themselves too weak in the face of the growing restlessness of the Ummah, so it attempts to use brute force to militarily occupy the Muslim lands.

History has shown us that all unwanted empires fall quickly. The British Empire, touted as the world's biggest, came and went in the space of 200 years. The USSR existed for a mere eight decades before it too collapsed. No one calls for the return of these tyrannical empires, and everyone views them with disgust.. It is but a matter of time and the will of Allah (swt) before the Khilafah returns, inshallah. And when the Khilafah does return, by Allah's leave it shall ensure independence and autonomy is returned to the Muslim world and rid itself of the direct and indirect forms of colonialism that the West has shackled the Ummah with for so long.  

The Khilafah State is guided by the deen revealed by Allah (swt), who has sent it as a mercy to mankind, and not by the lusts of tyrants, be they individuals or corporations. The Khilafah State shall be the state that will win the hearts and minds of the people of the world, and liberate it from the oppression it has been plunged in to today.

Map of US Bases around the world