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Article Credit: Arvin Niknia, Independent Author
Superstitions have invariably existed. Prejudices and misinterpretations. An excellent example of that is the Greek understanding of the Persians:” Perseus and Andromeda had seven sons: Perses, Alcaeus, Heleus, Mestor, Sthenelus, Electryon, and Cynurus, and two daughters, Gorgophone and Autochthe.” Greek mythology identifies Perses as the ancestor of the Persians. Humans have always tried to find an explanation for the world. We perceive the world through our senses. This means that the world may not exist as we see it. Paradigms and knowledge that were only partially correct anyway. What is the truth?
In my previous articles, I wrote about Islam, an ideology. I also wrote about the oppression of Muslims in the Muslim world. I wrote about the” Zanj Rebellion,” which is clear proof of Islamic oppression against blacks and enslaved people. The Bloody Slave Revolt in the Islamic World. Like all other ideologies, Islam promised equality and a fictitious paradise, but then it all turned into Islamic capitalism. Only Muhammad’s closest relatives received pensions and money after Muhammad’s death. They filled their pockets with money and wealth. Muhammad created a new ideology by mixing Christianity and Judaism with Bedouin traditions.
Many Muslims around the world fast because of Ramadan, but they do not even know why they do it. Fasting is a tradition that was copied from the Jews. They fasted for their God,” Jehovah.” Initially, it was not a whole month but only a few days. Bedouins fasted, but it became a tradition when Bedouins did not have enough food in the month of Ramadan, which became an excellent solution to that disaster. In the Islamic world, many questioned the Quran and Islam, “rationalism.” Mu’tazilism argues that if the Qur’an is the literal word of God, then logically, he must have preceded his speech .Many questioned the existence of the world “existentialism.” People like Hassan Al-Basri argue that real life is life after death.
Al-Junayd focused on resistance and mysticism, which founded the Sufi doctrine. Abu al-Hasan al-Ashari argued that man is born in frameworks “determinism” but decides his own life and, therefore, may well be punished after death, a compromise between reason-based rationality (Upazila) and uncritical acceptance of tradition (Ahlus Sunna).
I wrote about Judaism and Christianity and how man created good. Man likes to worship; therefore, the king was created as God’s representative. People began to worship kings and idolize them. Naturally, people chose a leader who was called king because animal herds also had a leader. Every human being is born in a particular position, but luckily, this position can be changed. This was the reason why several kings were overthrown and replaced. This also happens in animal herds.
I wrote about colonialism and the” Urabi Revolt.” This is clear proof of the brutality of colonialism. The British strengthened superstition in the Middle East and strengthened religion and thoughtlessness for their benefit. The British removed the “Gunga Rao” tradition in India, which was a cruel execution. They built roads and partially modernized several countries, but only because of themselves. I am referring to the Iranian city of “Abbadan,” a British paradise. Access to facilities was, of course, forbidden to Iranians themselves. The British removed traditional superstitions but strengthened religious superstitions. This was to create dominans. They benefited from this during the First World War when they sent Muslim Indian soldiers into battle against the Ottoman Empire.
In contrast, Germans, Danes, and Swedes were more cooperative in the Middle East as they saw the British as their competitors. They could not throw the British out; therefore, they chose commercial cooperation solutions. I wrote about the brutality of nation-states that were legalized through legislation. The nation-states that they called their opponents terrorists to legalize the extermination. What I had written about the Palestine-Israel conflict turned out to be true because now Israel wants to take over the Gaza Strip. I criticized democracy and wrote that socialism in northern European countries has created passivity among the people. The people receive money” bought off,” and therefore, the minority accepts the majority’s decisions.
Socialism takes money from the rich and gives it to the poor. This is, of course, not OK because the state must raise the money itself through exports and investments. Oppressing one group for the benefit of others is not justified. In addition, the money is primarily used for purposes other than investments, efficiency improvements, and modernization. Therefore, socialist countries are mainly dependent on the capitalist countries and the innovation. Socialism brings lower competitiveness therefore the Nordic countries had to mix socialism and create the Nordic model. Subsequently, Sweden in particular moved towards neoliberalism, which means lower welfare. Can the Nordic countries really retain their welfare in the future? Thanks to capitalism, China became a great power, and thanks to neoliberalisme the world became a war zone. After CIA interference in Chile, Augusto Pinochet took power and neoliberalism became a reality.
Neoliberalism wreaked havoc in the Middle East, leaving in its wake the Iranian Revolution and the Gulf War. Despite efforts by Middle Eastern nations to resist the intrusion of neoliberal policies into their markets due to crony capitalism and rampant corruption, they ultimately faltered. Internal and regional conflicts plague the Middle East, exacerbated by border disputes and deep-rooted cultural issues. Racism, often manifested as “metaracism,” adds complexity, with historical divisions perpetuated by colonial powers like France and ongoing issues such as slavery in countries like Mauritania.
Fear of neighboring countries looms larger than apprehension towards American and Western nations, highlighting the precarious geopolitical landscape. Africa and the Middle East face significant challenges, but they also possess immense potential for growth and development. I recall the instance when Muammar Gaddafi voiced concerns about the illicit Western intervention in Iraq, only to be met with derision from Syrian President Bashar Assad. Sadly, both nations subsequently fell victim to foreign attacks, underscoring the vulnerability of sovereign states in the face of external aggression.
Throughout history, man has tried to fight for justice and freedom. Feminism created some success, but not entirely. Individualism, modernity, socialism, communism, Islam, and Christianity. They all came and promised a better life for men but oppressed people who had different opinions. It was all about hegemony. How can man achieve freedom, democracy, and self-determination when he is a product of “power”? Rules and norms govern everything; “freedom does not exist.” The people who have the power and have had the power throughout history have dictated what is right and wrong, but every time you comply with a rule, you break another rule so that nothing can be right or wrong!
Those in power have created a system—a tax system—that could keep the state running. Surveillance society and modern slavery. To call it civilization. To dictate to others how they should be and behave.” Making a New Man”. A human who obeys and does not think is a robot. Robots must take our places. This, of course, gives more efficiency but, at the same time, more power to the state. The states introduced centralization but continued to call themselves democratic states, elected by the people.’ EU financial pact,” which means more centralization and less democracy. Money that is sent to Ukraine. A war that neoliberalism has created itself. People called the king a dictator, but it was actually the system that was authoritarian and not the king. The king was merely a product of the people and the system.
Putin is a product of democracy and a system that turned into more of a dictatorship. The nationalization of Western goods in Russia strengthened Putin’s populism like Mao Zedong in China , and the confiscation of Russian goods in the West strengthened capitalism and neoliberalism . Banks controlled everything. When you work, you put your money in the bank. When you borrow money from the bank, you pay interest to the bank for some money you did not get in hand. Cash must be abolished because it is unhealthy for banks. We all move the time towards a more centralized and monitored society. Centralization creates economic efficiency but impairs democracy. This means countries have more focus on the economy than democracy.
In a nutshell, I would like to thank great historians such as al-Bukhari, Al-Tabari, Arthur Christensen, Leila Ahmed, and sociologists such as Ibn Khaldun ,Michel Foucault, Jean-Paul Sartre, Zygmunt Bauman, Judith Butler, Nancy Fraser and others for enabling me to write articles.