On the 7th of December 2015, the Huffington Post reported that, after month long negotiations with the EU, the Turkish government has agreed to a deal with the European Union to control measures against the migrant influx in its region.
The Turkish borders, both land and sea, have been a conduit to the EU nations for over 800,000 refugees most of which are Syrian men women and children fleeing the murderous inhumanity of a war that EU members themselves have sustained when arms embargos were lifted in May 2013.
Turkey has currently taken in around 2 million of the 5 million UN registered refugees, more than any other nation state. However the EU are keen to further use Turkey as a political sponge to absorb and contain the flow of migrants and have settles the terms of their ‘contract of cruelty’ with newly re-elected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. 3.2 billion dollars is being offered to Turkey for ‘refugee aid’ in return for a fast track process on visa-free travel to the EU for Turkish citizens, with EU status for Turkey also being used as bait to lure a shortsighted Turkish leadership into non-Islamic agenda. In return Turkey is expected to strengthen the security of Turkish-EU borders – which effectively means that they should contain further refugees within its own boarders as well as enforce tighter controls on the entry of migrants seeking an exist from their life threatening circumstances.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters (November 29, 2015),
“Today is a historic day in our accession process to the EU.…. I am grateful to all European leaders for this new beginning.”
Exactly what is Ahmet Davutoglu ‘grateful’ for? The chance to act the role of Oliver Twist and stand in the line begging for the diplomatic crumbs and false promises of western governments? Surely as Muslims we expect our leaders to be only grateful to Allah سبحانه وتعالى, if that is indeed your real purpose of civil service.
Benjamin Ward, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia division is skeptical that the deal will solve Europe’s refugee crisis, speaking Al Arabiya News he commented:
“Even if it (The EU deal with Turkey) does reduce flows to Europe, that will come at a high price for refugees and asylum-seekers, they may face abuse as a result of Turkey’s efforts to prevent them leaving, and will be forced to rely on unscrupulous smugglers if they want to reach Europe. Turkey may also further restrict access to its territory for Syrians and others seeking protection.”
The ‘historic day’ that the Turkish Prime Minister speaks of is by no means a matter of celebration but one of great shame and it will be recorded as a black spot in annals of time. What must be exposed is that the current Turkish / EU deal has nothing to do with prioritizing human rights or alleviating the suffering of some of the world’s most victimized people. The deal struck on Sunday the 6th of December is nothing more than an ‘unholy alliance’ where Turkey only further surrendered its allegiance to Islamic Politics and agreed to sacrifice human rights on the altar of nationalistic self-interest.
Whilst we can recognize that millions of Syrian refugees have been permitted to enter Turkey, what is objectionable is the way in which they are being now criminalized and denied their true status in Islam.
Syrian or indeed any Muslim population facing oppression and death have the full rights to move freely in Muslim land and nationalistic boarders, that have their origins in colonialist non-Islamic values have no meaning or value. The Prophet ﷺ stated the forbidden/Haram nature of such practices in numerous Hadith such as that narrated by Muhammad ibn Ya’qub (al-Kulayni), from ‘Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from al-Nawfali, from al-Sakuni, who reports on the authority of Abu ‘Abd Allah (Imam al-Sadiq) (A) that the Prophet ﷺ said,
«مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ حَبَّةٌ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ مِنْ عَصَبِيَّةٍ بَعَثَهُ اللهُ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ مَعَ أَعْرَابِ الجَاهِلِيَّةِ»
“Whosoever possesses in his heart ‘asabiyyah (prejudice in any of its forms such as tribalism, racism, nationalism) even to the extent of a mustard seed, God will raise him on the Day of Resurrection with the (pagan) Bedouins of the Jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic era).”
From this and many other Ayat and Ahadith, the Turkish government has betrayed Quran and Sunnah in aligning themselves with non-Islamic principles to serve the political objectives of their western masters, as opposed to serving Allah سبحانه وتعالى and the interests of Muslims.
It should be clear to anyone Muslim or non-Muslim that year after year global conflict and the international refugee crisis has only worsened regardless of the number of fake negotiations and think tank policy making. This is because it is the Liberal Democratic principles themselves that are root cause of social strife. Insincere leaders, design the global political landscape with Muslim officials serving as hired hands, all colluding to fail in the solution together. The Capitalist cartels disguised as elected egalitarians spew morally bankrupt values that can never have the means to lead the millions of migrants to safety and security, that is why we can expect to see ever more boats of men, women and children being forced to drown at sea, ever more prison camps being created at Turkeys borders where humans are reduced to the status lower than that of animals on a farm, as is the case in Africa, Palestine, Australia and North America.
How many more babies’ bodies need to be washed up on the shores of freedom loving democratic nations for humanity to realize that, Nationalism, far from being a noble idea to help protect people, only breeds political insecurity and the racist policies that allow mass genocide of citizens, human trafficking and refugee camps to exist.
The evidence of this ill-fated agreement between Turkey and the EU has already seen the increase in suffering and persecution of those most in need.
The UK Guardian Newspaper reported that after the EU deal was made, Turkish authorities arrested 1,300 asylum seekers and on the 4th of December 2015 detained a further 3,000 refugees. With the idea of an Islamic State being portrayed as the most cold-blooded entity possible, it is important to realize the truth of the Islamic Leadership of the Khilafah upon the method of the Prophethood and how refugee issues were dealt with.
If we look to the true Islamic leadership of the past, Muslims who faced oppression or were fleeing war or natural disasters were treated in a manner that reflected the brotherhood and caretaking values extolled in the Quran and Sunnah.
The refugee Muslims of Mecca who entered Medina were paired with local Muslims who shared their homes and provisions in a manner where the new residents of the region were not labeled as sub-human or ‘alien’ in nature, but rather received treatment that equaled or was superior to the host population due to their exceptional need, a matter related in the Quran:
وَالَّذِينَ تَبَوَّءُوا الدَّارَ وَالْإِيمَانَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ يُحِبُّونَ مَنْ هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَا يَجِدُونَ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ حَاجَةً مِّمَّا أُوتُوا وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
“And [also for] those who were settled in al-Madinah and [adopted] the faith before them. They love those who emigrated to them and find not any want in their breasts of what the emigrants were given but give [them] preference over themselves, even though they are in privation. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul – it is those who will be the successful.”
(59:9)
Non-Muslims who faced persecution at the hands of tyrannical leaders understood that the Islamic State had a stable political structure that adhered to high moral values that did not change according to economic or personal benefit. It is for this reason that through out Islamic history many refugees chose to seek asylum with the Khilafah over any other nation state, as was the case of the Jews fleeing the Spanish Alhambra Decree in 1492. Sultan Bayezid II sent the Ottoman navy under the command of Kemal Reis to Spain in order to rescue the Jews such was the clear understanding of the responsibility to humanity that the Islamic leadership carries. It was not questioned that the Jews should be invited to settle as citizens with full rights to have their basic needs met economically as well as benefitting from the contract of military protection if they came under attack.
With such inspirational examples, Turkey being the last seat of the Khilafah, should have a leadership that models itself on its virtuous predecessors and not belittle its position by playing dutiful minion to those working for the destruction of Islamic Politics by waging war after war in the Islamic lands with no regard for the innocents starving, drowning and burning in its path of greed and hatred.
The entire Muslim Ummah are waiting for liberation from those who have the power to release them from the oppression of non-Islamic laws. All Muslims appeal to the Islamic Aqeedah carried by our respected brothers in the Muslim Armies of Turkey and to those in power. We realize your great potential to liberate all those suffering under the injustice of the current policies against Islam and Muslims. We pray to Allah سبحانه وتعالى that you realize your duty to come to the rescue of the needy Ummah and turn your back on the tenants of nationalism and self-interest, principles that will take you far from the rewards if your true Master Allah سبحانه وتعالى who accepts all repentance and is true to His promise to those who give their lives and energy to make the Quran and Sunnah dominant in the world again.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ فَاسْتَبْشِرُوا بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُم بِهِ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ
“Indeed, Allah (has) purchased from the believers their lives and their wealth, because for them (is) Paradise. They fight in (the) way (of) Allah, they slay and they are slain. A promise upon Him true, in the Taurat and the Injeel and the Quran. And who (is) more faithful to his promise than Allah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted [with it]. And that it (is) the success the great.”
(9:111)
Imrana Mohammad