Ali Reza Bahmanpour:
“Leadership at times of crisis; Example of Imam Khomeini”
Stephen Sizer:
"Religion and Politics: The Responsibility of Citizens to God and State from a Christian perspective".
Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi
“Idea of religion and state in Islamic thought”
Twenty three years have now passed since Imam Khomeini passed away. Yet the issues linked to his life have continued to dominate the political, religious and intellectual scenes. Within the context of the Arab Spring, the three topics are vital as most revolutions have now stagnated.
Chairman: Today’s programme is very important. We have a host of speakers very knowledgeable in their field of speciality. Just as a preamble I would like to say that it is over two decades since the said demise of Imam Khomeini.
It is not just his demise but actually the advent of the Islamic revolution in the late 1970s. He was a game changer. What happened over 33 years ago was that people of faith had the courage to talk about politics which they did not have previously. People of faith were usually shunned away as though they had no view of what was happening globally.
During the Vietnam war in the 60s and 70s there was no input from people of faith – it was really a secular opposition to the Vietnam war not really based on any religious ethos. Imam Khomeini in his admirable way without any doubt changed the whole manner in which we discuss, politics, geo politics, social relationships and how and where the world going.
The world in 2012 at this moment still fears what Imam Khomeini stood for. This is the reason Iran is being isolated. It is by the machinations of the IAEA and the GCC countries. The particular reason for isolation is not because Iran wants to have a nuclear weapon but because Iran is creating a knowledge base to challenge the global control of knowledge that the West has. That is what I think is frightening.
Iran has said many times that it is not interested in nuclear weapons, but that is not the issue. The issue is that Iran has created an educated population and what the world does not like is poor countries, the deprived nations, the oppressed nations to have knowledge whereby they can change the world.
Why do the world’s students go to Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard or MIT, Just imagine a change in the next 20 years that the world wants to go and study in Tehran or in Qom. That is what frightens the world, not the issue of nuclear weapons. It is actually the whole fundamentals of knowledge and the control of knowledge.
Peter Challen: May all our deliberations be in the name of the one living God of the cosmos, of planet earth, of the heart of every one of us. It is an enormous privilege to be here a year after I was with a large group of you in Manchester, paying tribute to Imam Khomeini.
I want to this time to pay my tribute in terms of the influence that such thought can have in contemporary society and to aid me in that I am going to use some visual metaphors.
Imam Khomeini said Islam looks on the world with love. You could hardly find a simpler or demanding phrase. If you look upon the world today it is clear we have a long way to go.
I want to indicate how in the last few weeks a very intense effort has been made in London to move towards a spiritualised view of economic and political life and that is the attempt that I will make in sharing these slides with you.
In the spirit of Imam Khomeini’s global faithfulness I will try to describe how any remembering, putting together of Imam Khomeini’s vision and political astuteness should acknowledge the uniqueness of the Iranian 1979 revolution and its continuing inspiration. It is the continuing that I want to emphasise that he was quite clear that all nations should be independent, should create social and economic justice, should export social and economic justice. These are tremendously powerful aspirations, ones that I have held throughout my 54 years of Christian ministry. And so it is a privilege to relate the way I work to that vision that has been so influential in the world and is to be even more influential.
I want to introduce the idea of a phrase the replenishing economy – and I am not using sustainability. We have come to see that replenishing is a much stronger word in relation to the laws of nature. It is the nature of this planet earth to constantly replenish. This is the creative energy of God at work.
I am describing a unique project. It is called the Queligin seminars and they lasted for 12 days, 12 seminars in 12 days. They took 12 agencies and asked them to give from their starting point of activity in the political and economic scene and see if we could all converge around an understanding not of the control of knowledge as was stressed just now – even though this is so important – but the control of the gift of life, the heritage to which we should all have access. In our modern, global economy very few relatively do have that access. That was our attempt.
We believe that we were restoring, if we could a sense of tawhid, or Christian terms the kingdom of God. God is about relationships, the interaction of all creativity in this amazing planet. The particular theme was the reinstating of the commons, first in our minds and then, hopefully, in political and economic life.
These seminars were guided by a deeply spiritual philosopher who is also an international development economist. Some of the agencies which took part were the New Economics Foundation, the Civil Forum and there are other institutions active in the world of political and economic reform. So there we were: 12 seminars in 12 days, restoring a sense of tawhid, or kingdom of God, reinstating the commons.
We were working towards a matrix of the modern, post modern financial capitalism. What we observed in the build up in the development of the global economy over centuries, but with incredible exponential growth in the last 40 years, we have detected that in private sphere it is growing exponentially. Part of the occupy movement and part of the Arab spring has been the understanding that a tiny percent owns the assets of the world, the commons, the heritage, the gift of life to humans and to all the species and creatures of this deeply, deeply interdependent sphere and the exterior aspects of capitalism, public capital, control, has grown immensely, exponentially.
However on the other side personal capital is all degrading and the commons capital, access to heritage, the natural gift of life is degrading to. I am going to ask you to visualise the extent of this degradation covering areas affecting all major disciplines. It is a matter of the housekeeping of the planet – it is not a matter of human conceit that so much of expert economic discipline has developed over the centuries. This is the model that has developed – 36 aspects of it.
So much expert economic discipline has developed over the centuries. And this is the model. I am not asking you to begin to understand it but to accept that everything on the right is expanding exponentially, totally out of kilter with the laws of nature and everything on the left , you may see the little brackets, is degrading rapidly. It is an exceedingly serious situation that we are in globally, affecting everyone, affecting the planet itself.
That figure has description which I will not go into here. This explains why we have to begin to understand the loss of the commons and their recovery. So after this lies the replenishing economy, the thing I wanted to put before you. Replenishing all areas covered by all major disciplines. In other words we are beginning to look at interdisciplinary economic history, one that must be right for biology and for chemistry and for physics and for social sciences and so on and not just for econmists in a very narrow discipline. So I emphasise this – replenishing areas covered by all the major disciplines.
And you will see the same basic outline. On the right hand side is the growing, emerging sense of trusteeship. That has to grow rapidly and replace the concept of ownership. God is embarrassed by possession. This earth is a gift. It is not to be possessed. It is to be held in trust responsibly. Also in public capital the same thing is happening. The gradual emergence of a sense of trusteeship. Right down at the ground level it needs an enormous amount of encouragement and support but it is there. It is starting and we all have a part to play in perusing it.
And on the left had side there are great movements now towards mutual well being. I could point out so many website where we are inspired by that activity. And in the commons capital the global commons trust now it has been running for 50 years under the influence of that great economist Eleanor Austin the first woman to get a Nobel Prize for economics. So we are moving and when we move further and further we will have new model and this model is an image, a visual metaphor of the possibilities of creating a replenishing economy – 36 items and to look at them and study them you have to have an inkling what all the disciplines are about – far beyond the range of hubristic economic disciplines that rule our lives.There is a neat description of these images of what a degrading, replenishing economy is about.
James Quilligan who was a philosopher and international development economist who led these seminars and responded so brilliantly to the many more than 400 people who attended these seminars, he responded so gently and brilliantly.
I saw him as a deeply spiritual man. I didn’t know his background but I discovered that he holds a meditation class in his home three times a week. When he is away as he often is travelling and speaking those groups still keep on meeting and people from all faiths come to his home three nights a week for meditation and on Saturday. And on Sunday, though he is weary of its dogma, he goes to the Roman Catholic church and worships God there.
This reminds me that we have good news to share. And we must share it in such a way that the words come later. It is the witness that counts. And what I am talking about here is the witness of the deep intricacies of the structures of our societies which are extremely out of order. They are generating a massively, rapidly degrading economy and we must transform it as quickly as possible.
Let me just run through the attributes of the kind of economy that we are talking about: consumers become the producers of their own resources. That is a great principle for political economy in the great spiritual traditions. Trust sets a pattern on the extraction and use of a resource to preserve it for future generations. The intergenerational concept must be restored to our thinking.
Businesses flourish by renting a proportion of the resources for extraction and production so we don’t go beyond the ability of the planet to replenish itself. Governments tax a percentage of these rents funding a basic income for citizens and a restoration of depleted resources. The power of decision-making returns to the people enabling them to participate in the decisions that affect them directly.
Part of the search to occupy, part of the search of the Arab spring, part of the search for the new awareness springing up everywhere so that the dignity of every human being, the dignity of the species and the life of the planet itself must be replenish able, must be sustainable, must flow into eternity. This is the nature of the living tradition of God. The traditional property ownership model is balanced by a trusteeship model of sustainability. quality of life and well being. The lessons of community based resource management have major implications for post liberal forms of multilateralism and global governance.
So back to that model of the Quilligan seminars of 2012 which reflected the theological resonance reflected in the great writings of visions and practical political insights of Imam Khomeini.
There were 12 engagements in 12 days of intense experience of systematic change. Change does not occur from one place. It occurs when everyone in dignity is expressing the God given talents in a community of mutual awareness, mutual encouragement and support.
And the last slide of all is talking about a kingdom of God today. It will be based on an understanding of prior unity, the inherent, coherent existence of love. And the visual symbol here, the visual metaphor is of a DNAand then of a cell and then of a child in the womb and then of the earth. We are all totally integrated and we must create an economy of replenishment generation after generation fed by our strength of mutually and the great vision of Imam Khomeini.
Ali Reza Bahmanpour: The Arab world has long suffered a drought of the type of leadership that helps its people to rise against tyranny and oppression. No such shortage has been so apparent than in recent uprisings, which became even more evident during the post revolution times. The political situation in Tunisia, Yemen and Libya remain state of turmoil, while all eyes are on Egypt’s long awaited elections, which came after much trouble. Different factions don’t really talk to each other, and view each move suspiciously. Who is there to unite all this actors on the political stage for the sake of the people? A leaderless revolution is like an army without a commander. In a war you cannot leave each soldier to decide for him or herself how to engage with the enemy! Someone must be giving them the orders on how to act collectively to be able to overcome an attack, someone must be showing them directions and guidelines so that they can return from the battlefield victorious. In the same manner, a revolution needs someone to guide the people.
So who should we choose as our leader at the time of crisis? Imam Khomeini (ra) provided an excellent example of how a leader should be. He defined leadership in every sense of the word. But how did this man bring about a revolution that has shaken the pillars of the corrupt imperialism?
Before we answer this question, let us examine the history and research behind what leadership is. The concept of leadership has been controversial throughout history, and the search for the characteristics or traits of leaders has been going on for centuries. Many philosophers, theorists and intellectuals, from Plato to Thomas Carlyle, from Plutarch to Eric Berne have all pondered over this question: “What qualities distinguish an individual as a leader”. Some believed talents, skills, and physical characteristics were the answer to this question. Others said a leader is born a leader, and you cannot develop into one otherwise. A few went even as far as introducing various theories: the functional theory or being able to answer the needs of the society, the situational theory which divides leaders into two groups: task-oriented leaders and relationship-oriented leaders, the transactional theory, the Positive reinforcement theory, the Neo-emergent theory. All these posh theories were discovered and have been floating around for centuries, and yet the meaning of a true leader was never realised.
And that’s what Imam Khomeini proved. He revived the theory that was the answer to all the questions of those philosophers and theorists. He established a notion that even the biggest powers on the earth could not resist it from spreading. He emerged as a leader who reformed the world order; who brought light to a gloomy world drowning ever-so-close into complete and utter darkness. What was his secret? It was his incredibly strong faith in Allah (swt) and his strong belief in the principles of Islam. As he beautifully said: “A community that has God as its backing, does not face defeat.”
So how did he obtain the hearts of millions of people at a time of crisis? Was it a promise of western democracy? Was it holding up the banner of ‘changing the system to a more secular system’? Did he always speak of the glamorous yet hollow promises of bringing about ‘freedom’ in a society? No, it wasn’t any of that. He only thought about one thing, and that was reviving the religion of God in the society and leading the people towards Allah (swt). His intention was so pure; it was not for power nor wealth nor any other worldly desires. And that was his secret to leadership.
We should really ask ourselves, don’t we as Muslims believe that Islam was revealed as a religion that has an answer for every single thing around us in our everyday life? From banking and financial solutions to governance, social interactions and even how to treat your neighbour, everything has been covered. So why should we ever seek answer from the west? There is a great quote from Imam Khomeini saying: “Is it not disgracing to Muslims of the world with all their human, moral and material resources, with such a progressive ideology and divine support, to bow down to the domination of the arrogant powers, pirates and robbers of the century!?”
Another factor that was so pivotal towards the success of the Islamic Revolution was Imam Khomeini’s ability to unite all fractions within the society. He mentioned after the revolution “The secret of the victory of this great nation, was the unity of word and reliance on faith.” We must at all times maintain our unity. Under the flag of Islam he managed to bring together people from all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Whether you were white or black, muslim or non-muslim, shia or sunni… the love of Imam Khomeini was there in your heart; that is just extraordinary. And that’s because he lived just like people and rose from amongst them. His words were full of wisdom, and always he acted upon what he said. Not only was he a charismatic leader, but also a source of spirituality, and a scholar in philosophy, religion, theology and ethics.
Furthermore, what’s incredible about Imam Khomeini (ra) was the fact that every step he took in the path of the Islamic Revolution was full of hope and determination. Even long before the revolution in 1979, he never for one second felt that overthrowing a regime which was backed by all the world powers was something impossible. His determination could be seen in the way he planned not only on how to lead the people to an Islamic uprising against tyranny, but also through his strategies for what happens after; he put together the structure of a system that was defined within the framework of Islam to better each individual’s life, as well as the society as a whole. He proposed an ideology that would free people from the so-called western freedom, which is fancy-looking on the outside, but dull meaning. Because when you define freedom as the ability to break all the lines that are essential to the well-being of the society, when you define freedom as the highest value in the society that can overrule all other substantial values such as ethics, morality and you end up with a broken society. You end up with shattered and degraded families. Imam (ra) said this “Exported freedom is that which led our youth to prostitution.” Now once you define the correct bounds for this freedom, you will observe the beauty of a well-established and complete society. Again as Imam (ra) said: “Islamic democracy is more complete than that of the West, since it is within the limits of Islamic laws.”
To promote his thoughts he wrote books, published articles even during exile, made strong speeches that shook the Shah’s regime from its roots. Whenever he got the chance he discussed his plans for the future of the system. Why is an Islamic Government essential, how does it help correcting a society, what is Wilayatul Faghih? All this was done long before anyone could even imagine victory against the Shah in their wildest dreams. That’s the true meaning of hope and determination.
So we established that if you are to lead a nation to rise against tyranny, first you must purify your intentions. Second it is essential to have hope and be absolutely determined to achieve what you believe in. You also should have a strong character that would not be shaken under the pressure of tyrants as time passes. And of course, you have to unite your nation.
Now let us consider the situation today. How many of the so-called leaders who emerged during the Islamic Awakening of the Arab nations came out strongly and hold high the banner of Islam? If you are a Muslim leader you must believe that Islam has the best solution in establishing a government, otherwise it implies that Islam is incomplete. So why should you be scared of urging the formation of an Islamic Government, just like Imam Khomeini did? So why should you repeat every word that comes out he mouth of western politicians? Why echo the imperialist ideology that is rejected today by every sensible mind? Unfortunately many of these leaders cared for power more than they cared for their people, and that’s why as soon as they came to the stage they faded immediately.
Take Libya for example, where we saw an incredible awakening of people against a brutal dictator who called himself a Muslim whist dishonouring Islam through his shameful acts. The uprising was started and finished by the brave people of Benghazi, Derna, Bayda which spread to entire Libya, and then what happened? It was hijacked by NATO forces who only came because of their own interests, setting up a puppet National Transitional Council for the moment; a council whose leader disgracefully holds high the hands of Cameron and Sarkozy declaring them as true winners, as if they cared for one moment about the rights of the Libyans. How can a man be so shameful as to sell what people achieved with their blood to the west? Is that the type of leader we need?
We see the same happen in Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and even in Bahrain, where the absence of a strong leader is what is making the process of the revolution slow.
My dear brothers, respected sisters, we must start to develop leaders amongst ourselves. Imam Khomeini was born just like all of us, but his great faith in Allah (swt) allowed him to revive his religion in the Islamic Republic of Iran. A revival that did not only belong to 1979, nor did it fade after his death, but rather became stronger and stronger as a legacy, that after 3 decades under the leadership of Ayatullah Khameni, is now the greatest threat to western imperialism and the only government to stand up for the rights of our dear oppressed brothers and sisters in Palestine.
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And those who pray, "Our Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous."
Stephen Sizer: Thomas Jefferson once asked the rhetorical question:
"Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath?"
In the 18th Century, on both sides of the Atlantic, there would likely have been a consensus that the answer was self-evident – our civic responsibility is but the outworking of our higher responsibilities to God. When the same revolutionary spirit infected the North American Colonies as it had France, it became a more debatable question there also. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which Jefferson helped write, provided one solution – separate church and state.
Originally this was intended to protect the church from the state. But since 1947, the U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted it to mean that religion and government must stay separate for the benefit of both. Not so today. In an increasingly secularized world, most Americans and Europeans believe the Church should keep out of politics. This morning I returned from a week in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where the contrast with the West could not greater. Indeed, yesterday I spent the morning discussing this issue with Dr Zahra Mostafavi, the daughter of Imam Khomeini in Tehran.
On this 23rd anniversary of his demise, it is therefore quite appropriate to ask the question, what has religion got to do with politics? I suggest a great deal. From a Christian perspective, that we have responsibilities to both God and the state is clearly implied in Jesus’ enigmatic epigram, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’ (Matthew 22:21). The religious leaders had tried to expose Jesus as either a collaborator with or rebel against the Roman Empire. Here is the context:
“Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
In the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul enlarges on the state’s God-appointed role and on the responsibility of citizens in relation to it. His emphasis is on personal citizenship rather than on any particular theory of church—state relations.
1. The Authority of the State
2. The Role of Government
3. The Responsibility of Citizens
1. The Authority of the State
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” (Romans 13:1-2)
The Apostle begins with a clear command of universal application:
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities” (1a).
He then gives the reason. The state’s authority is derived from God. This he affirms three times.
1. “There is no authority except that which God has established”
2. “The authorities that exist have been established by God”
3. “Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted.”
2. While we may have no problem with this logic in a Western liberal democracy, what is remarkable, is that when written, Europe and Palestine were under foreign military occupation. And the Roman authorities in power were becoming increasingly ruthless and hostile toward Christians. Nevertheless, the state was regarded as established by God, who required believers to submit to them and cooperate with them. So whether we enjoy good or bad government, the Bible insists, the state is a divine institution with God-given authority. But surely this injunction cannot be taken to mean that all the Caligulas, Herods and Neros of the 1st Century, and all the Hitlers, Stalins, Amins and Saddams of our generation, were personally appointed by God, or that God is responsible for their behaviour, or that their authority cannot be questioned or resisted? No. We are to understand that all human authority is derived from God’s authority. This means we can say to rulers what Jesus said to Pilate at his trial, ‘You would have no power [authority] over me if it were not given to you from above.’ (John 19:11). Having asserted, the Authority of the State, the passage goes on to outline secondly,
2. The Role of the Government
“For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.” (Romans 13:3-5)
The statement that rulers commend those who do right and punish those who do wrong is not of course invariably true. But it sets forth the divine purpose of government, not necessarily the human reality. The problem is that the requirement of submission and the warning against rebellion are couched in universal terms.
For this reason they have constantly been misapplied by oppressive – usually right-wing regimes, as if Scripture gave them carte blanche to develop a tyranny and to demand unconditional obedience. But, as the context shows, “there can be no question here of an unconditional and uncritical subjection to any and every demand of the State’. How, then, do we determine when submission is not absolute? Just as the Apostle has affirmed three times that the state has authority from God, so now he affirms three times that it has a ministry or calling from God.
1. “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good”
2. “They are agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
3. “They are God’s servants,”
What, then, is the role which God has entrusted to the state?
Simple this: To uphold that which is good and to restrain evil.
These are the essential and complementary ministries of the state and its accredited representatives. ‘God’s servant for your good’ (4a) and ‘God’s servant … to bring punishment on the evildoer’ (4b). However unpopular, and I don’t want to get into a debate over capital punishment or whether a life sentence should mean life, when the state punishes evildoers, it is functioning as ‘the servant of God to execute his wrath’. Now the Bible teaches that God’s wrath, will one day fall on all evil doers. In the here and now this is seen in lawlessness, criminal behaviour and the breakdown of the social order (1:18ff.).
This is to be resisted impartially through the processes of law enforcement and the administration of justice not anarchy or by taking the law into our own hands. Granted that the authority of rulers is derived from God, what happens if they abuse it? What if they reverse their God-given duty, commending those who do evil and punishing those who do good? Does the requirement to submit still stand in such a morally perverse situation? No. The principle is clear. We are to submit right up to the point where obedience to the state would result in participation in evil, in disobedience to God.
If the State ever commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands, then our moral duty is to resist the government, not to submit. Our responsibility is to disobey the state in order to obey God. In this way we contribute, with our lives if necessary, the return to good government. A day spent in Auschwitz and Birkenau recently was a sober reminder of what happens when good people do nothing. In the early history of the Church, the Apostles were forbidden by the Sanhedrin to evangelise in the name of Jesus:
They replied, “We must obey God rather than human beings.” (Acts 5:29). This is the moral justification for civil disobedience.
Whenever laws are enacted which contradict God’s law, civil disobedience becomes a religious duty. There are notable examples in British history of believers who opposed slavery, who fought for trade union rights, who lobbied for an end to the use of child labour and called for the emancipation of women.
Sadly there were also those, usually in high office, who opposed these reforms. A month or so ago I was involved in a peaceful demonstration protesting at the confiscation of land belonging to a family just outside Bethlehem. We were fired upon by Israeli soldiers. This sound bomb sits by my computer alongside tear gas canisters and rubber bullets from pervious skirmishes to remind me of my civic duty to do justice, love mercy – and where necessary resist evil authority. But the role of the state is not only to punish evil, it also exists to promote and reward goodness. This positive function of affirming good citizenship and service to the community is much neglected today. The state tends to be better at punishing than at rewarding, better at enforcing the law than at fostering virtue and service. Yet this is the motivation every citizen needs, especially the young. That is why it is so encouraging that in the annual Queen’s Honours List, those who have given service to the community are affirmed and acknowledged. We have considered, first, the authority of the state, second, the role of the government.
3. The Responsibility of Citizens
“This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:6-8)
If calling for submission to those in authority is a controversial subject, surely the call for the payment of taxes must be one of the most unpopular. Taxation was widespread and varied in the ancient world. There was a poll tax, land taxes, royalties on farm produce, and duty on imports and exports. “This is also why you pay taxes: it is because the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing”
Political parties of the Right and the Left differ over the desirable size of the state’s role in the nation’s life, and whether it should increase or decrease taxation. All agree, however, that there are some services which the state must provide. These have to be paid for and this makes taxes necessary. So Christians should accept their tax liability with good grace, paying their dues in full, national and local, direct and indirect, and giving proper esteem to the officials who collect and apply them. “Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour”
But the Apostle instructs us to go beyond the letter of the law, or the Inland Revenue regulations.
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
Christians, who recognize that the state’s authority and ministry come from God, will do more than tolerate it as if it were a necessary evil. Conscientious citizens will submit to its authority, honour its representatives, pay its taxes and pray for its welfare.
I have always found it helpful to view the role of the Church, irrespective of the party in government, to be Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. Loyal, submissive, prayerful, but holding the government to account in fulfilling its God-given role. We are to submit to the state’s God-given authority, but remain opposed to both tyranny and anarchy. The responsibility of citizens is to encourage the state to fulfil its God-appointed role but in so far as we have opportunity, we will actively participate. That I suggest will lead not only to better government but also a more stable society. And that is I hope one of our reasons we are here today recognizing there is no contradiction between our responsibility God and State. For God intends that we have dual citizenship, both earthly and heavenly.
Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi We have heard a lot of wonderful presentations today and from that we know
that the concept of religion and state is a very important one. It isn’t something which started yesterday or fifty years ago or a hundred years ago. When we trace back we can find that from the beginning of humanity the question of religion and state has always been there. the idea of belief in God and the idea of regulation when it comes to the people. So with this you find that there are really two strands when it comes to an explanation of religion and state. You have got the theoretical mold and you have the practical mold of it.
State and religion do come into one and it is really one essence. Why do I say that? The reality is when you go back to theology there is a debate as to why people believe in a God, why people follow a religion.
And the reason is really dual: first to give inner peace to an individual because if there was no inner peace there would be no religion. God gives us peace, religion gives us peace but the second thing which is most important is the idea that religion takes us to spiritual and physical perfection.
Therefore what happens is is that religion or God giving man orders, laws and regulations is for man to move towards perfection whether it is intellectual, whether it is spiritual, whether it is social whether it is political. So with this you really have the role of the state.
In Islam what really is the role of the state? The role of the state in a nutshell is this: to facilitate man to meet this level of perfection, to go to this level of perfection, to accommodate and to give the right atmosphere for them to climb and go towards a form of annihilation and perfection – enlightenment of the soul.
So we can say that we have balanced the various internal and physical faculties. Now what do I mean by that? When we talk about religion and state the very first thing which comes to mind is the concept of shariah. When you talk about the Islamic government you find negativity in the press. We look at shariah and we think of it as a form of an oppressive system.
When you look at shariah you can see it on three levels and this is something when you go back to Hinduism you find the concept of dharma which comes back towards shariah. In the same way in Judaism the concept of the commandments goes back to shariah again. Sharaih is really a set of laws or parameters that God has given for man to facilitate man to go towards perfection.
So when you look at shariah on the outer level you find it is in the physical world. God has created the physical world in equilibrium so everything is in balance. It is man that when he comes into the world he creates disequilibrium. If you were to take man out of the universe you would find perfect levels of equilibrium within the universe. Today we believe that modernisation means big cars and big factories. This is not the case. Why? Because it is causing disequilibrium to the environment around us.
So the first level of God’s law which is the shariah has to do with the physical world around us. God tells us that if you fight against nature it is going to bite back at you and this is exactly what we are seeing in the world today.
The second level of shariah, or dharma or the laws is the ability for man to basically balance his own self within society and within himself. What does that mean? That means that man has been given the optimum condition by God. The reality is that God does not need us to worship him, God does not need us to follow his laws. If we are following the laws of God it is because God wants us to strive towards a level of perfection, to go towards him and to have a level of a peace of mind and to remove negative suffering. The purpose of religion therefore is to remove suffering from the soul of man and this is when the state comes to facilitate it.
So on the second level you find the laws of the sharaih which have been given by God and implemented by the state for us to have equilibrium within ourselves and for us as a social unit to work coherently.
But the final level or the internal level of shariah is to attach us or to take us towards God. This is where mystics and philosophers have been debating. From this debate – you look at Plato’s republic – there is the idea that there are various different strands, from democracy going all the way up to a philosopher king.
This very ideal was later expounded by Ferabi, Ibn Sina and finally going many centuries later to Mullah Sadr. Many people would say today that the mould of the vilayet el faqih in Iran is based on mullah Sadr. I disagree with this. They believe that this is the case.
And even though Iman Khomeini was from the school of Mullah Sadr – transcendental philosophy- nevertheless what you see within Iman Khomeini is more based on jurisprudence as well. A lot of people forget the fact that he was a jurist as well as a philosopher. So you see the synthesis between philosophy and jurisprudence come together in Imam Khomeini’s ideal.
Philosophers therefore debated what is an ideal state? Who should rule that state? And this was not left untouched by Islamic philosophers either. As you know in the Western world today what we know about philosophy, especially Greek philosophy is because of the likes of Kindi,Furabi, Ibn Sina, IbnRushdt – these philosophies were later translated into Latin and came onto the continent.
As you know a thousand one hundred years ago Europe was in the dark ages. What alleviated Europe from the dark ages was the revival of Islam and the revival of Christianity and Judaism on the soil of Islam. So if you have the likes of Thomas Aquinas ninety percent tof his philosophy is that of Ibn Sina’s. If you have Moses bin Memonite within the Jewish tradition his ideas go all the way back to Islamic philosophers.
So there was a period of time when Islamic philosophers, Christian philosophers and theologians and Judaic philosophers all lived together. And this was the golden period of these three religions. So we know that is education which can lead to people living together under one state in harmony and peace.
The philosophers therefore came forward and devised a rule when it comes to state- they said what is the role of religion? And they concluded roughly the same thing that Plato concluded – the idea of a philosopher king or the idea of a ruler who is a nabbi. This does not mean that every person is a prophet. The idea of nebula here is something transcendental. It is the idea that a person reaches a level of spiritual perfection as well as intellectual and spiritual perfection.
When Mullah Sadr was talking about the idea of a ruler he talked about an ulem or scholar who was enlighten who was connected to the active intellect, who was also connected in terms of jurisprudence and politics and philosophy and with the people as well. He said that when a person like this comes into the forefront he then acts for governance. And this is really the Islamic mold.
Is it democracy? If we look at democracy today four years ago a president was elected.Within about five or six months 30% of his popularity fell. When it goes under the 40 percent mark is that really democracy? Do people know what is good for them? Do the majority of the people know that?If everyone given an equal voice we would not have a system because people change and their views and opinions change. A lot of people changing their views and opinions reaches anarchy.
So if you look at Islamic philosophy you find that even if democracy is a good thing as a model there is something higher than democracy – it is the rule of prophets such as Solomon, such as David and from them the rules of people who are well within the Islamic teachings and who know God’s rules and who know man’s rules.
So in an Islamic state when this has been established there are two things which are important : first is security. And if you look at Islamic jurisprudence there are certain rules and regulations – one of them is security. You can break your prayers and fasting if your life or the life of people around you is in danger. So the most important thing in Islamic government is security. That is why you see today all over the Islamic world women walking at 2am or 1am freely – they have no threat whatsoever of being attacked because the very first thing that an Islamic government does is to establish security. This is the first principle.
The second principle is that of the individual. People think that within an Islamic government there is no such thing as the individual. There is. Individual rights are very important and that is why within fikr the life of a person, the property of a person, the respect of a person is very important.
So here you find security which is a social dynamic and you find the individual which is a very much inidividual dynamic. So now you find two things which are coming together and being synthesised. Is there an ideal system in place? No because that is for mahdi to come and establish. But what we have is the best that we do have in the mold that we have today.
Nobody in the Islamic world is saying that we have the ideal system. What we are saying is that we have the best system that we can find and this is the system of Islamic governance. And so in this way the state is very much part of Islam. Why? Because the state is part of man’s perfection. If you were to take the social system out and the economic system out you find that man becomes deficient. For man to perfect himself all the various faculties of his life must come together. When that comes together man can go towards a form of perfection.
So really in a nutshell to conclude Islam and the state. The state is an integral part, there is no duality. Everything is tawhid. Everything is oneness man should find oneness in the state as well as in himself. To become a good citizen means to become a good Muslim and become a good person. The religion is based on human values. If you look at the ethnical formation it is based on virtue ethics. The very same virtue ethics that Aristotle expounded is what Islam is expounding. It is based on human virtue. There is a paramater here, there is a system to facilitate the state to progress and religion plays a check and balance within the state even for those countries which are secular Islam has given a model as well.
You find that even in a secular state religion will take the moral ground, the ethnical ground becuase even in the 21st century if I was to ask you is there a model of ethics within a secular state is it ideological, is it ontological, is it consequential there isn’t any.
Even in Europe. I was in parliament three days ago and they were discussing what is the role of religion and the conclusion was that the role of religion in Europe should be an ethical one. Why? Because Europe in the secular system cannot come up with an alternative. So you find that religion is an integral part of the state which is an integral part of life. Thank you very much.
Murtaza Poya: I am extremely grateful to the Abrar foundation for giving me this opportunity to address you. We have all been enlightened and enriched by the former speakders. It was really beneficial to see speakers from two different schools of thought or different religions which are actually one religion. There is only one religion and that is Islam. These are all stages of Islam that we have been passing through starting from Judaism Christianity and now the Muslim faith. The whole idea is to treat the human being as the focus of all effort by Allah.
It is the salvation of the human soul which is dearest to Allah and he finds excuses for us to alleviate our soul no matter what we are born: Muslim, Christian, non believers, maybe a Hindu but the focus of Allah’s attention is the salvation of the human. This is what all religions are about and what all ethoses are about. How to inculcate a divine ethos in a society, in a millennium which has been bereft of morality. Unfortunately secularism has been imposed on mankind, not only on Christians and Jews but even amongst Muslims. We are basically secular in our approach. We have to have a unified thought process. Muslims became secular within thirty or forty years of the prophet’s demise. We separated the caliphate from the akl al taqwa.
Who has a claim to rule over Muslims? People of piety and morality. This is what Imam Khomeini’s message is. He is a piety, power paradigm. A piety power paradigm. Piety is not just secluding yourself from humanity and involved in meditation. Piety is how much service can you render to humanity beyond colour, confession and creed.
For Imam Khomeini the objective was the liberation of the oppressed from the oppressors. And it mattered little to him whether the oppressed were Muslims or non Muslims. What mattered to him was the liberation of the mustadafin from the mustaqabarin. And if the mustaqbar was a Muslim he repulsed him even more because the Muslim is supposed to have been guided to the final message of Prophet Mohammed.
And despite that message if he still continues to be a tahud, the anti God the anti Christ he is to be abhorred even more. And this is the message of Imam Khomeini. Inculcate within yourselves piety and that piety cannot come without a moral basis. Without a divine ethos being your underpinning. One of my speakers was very clear that it is security which is impo
