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The Concept of Freedom

By: Mazhar Khan Pathan

Broadcasted on BICNews 8 July 1997

No slogan has been paraded about as much as 'FREEDOM'. The idea of 'Freedom' is continually propagated by pop songs, Hollywood films, soaps and even politicians. "It's my life, I'll do as I please!", is a typical expression used in many films and soaps to hammer this idea of freedom in to the minds of the people. Question anyone about freedom and they will rise to defend it, whether they are a socialist, capitalist, Christian or an atheist. Revolutions occur in the name of freedom. Lenin promised the masses freedom if the Tsarist regime in Russia could be over thrown. Even the ANC trumpeted this idea of 'Freedom' to remove the oppressive racist regime of South Africa.

So many people in today's society carry the idea of freedom without ever thinking what it actually means. How can a capitalist and a communist be both calling for freedom when one is the sworn enemy of the other? It seems that everyone has their own idea of freedom! A purist would say freedom means that a person is only accountable to himself, no one has the right to tell him what to do. Western secular societies claim to be built on freedom. Freedom means :

- Freedom of ownership
- Freedom of belief
- Freedom of expression
- Freedom of the individual

Effects of Freedom

According to the belief of freedom, people are free to own what they like. Therefore water and gas can be privatised in the name of freedom. Whenever we buy something we pay for it. Who do the water companies pay when they take the rain water for nothing and then sell it to us for huge profits? Freedom of ownership means a prostitute can sell her body. It means a person 'owns' their life and can do what ever he or she pleases. They can abuse it with drink and drugs or they can commit suicide if they so wish - all in the name of freedom. In the name of freedom of belief, everyone can believe in what ever they like and it doesn't need to be justified. It is permissible if someone wants to believe that a rat, a dog or a cow is a god. People are free to be satanic worshippers, or believe in self proclaimed saviours like David Koresh (remember Wako 1993) or Shoko Asahara, the leader of the Aum sect in Japan (alleged to have used chemical weapons on their underground). Freedom of expression means that people are free to invent lies, false allegations and slander against others. It is allowed for people to produce films like "The Last Temptation of Christ", to insult and hurt the feelings of millions of people world wide. It is allowed for the world media to victimise the Muslim population for a bomb blast in Oklahoma city, which gave justification to many to attack innocent Muslims in America. Freedom of expression also means that people can talk complete nonsense, remember the headline "Freddy Starr Ate My Hamster"? In the name of personal freedom people can have sex with anyone or anything. A man can have sex with as many partners as he likes. Personal freedom can give rise to all sorts of things like child sex rings. Even animals are not safe, since personal freedom can extend to them as well.

The Problem with Freedom.

The fact of the matter is Freedom does not really exist. In reality everyone is subjugated by someone or something else. Since freedom leads to chaos and a breakdown of society, certain 'patches' are put in place to protect people from.....freedom!! So on the one hand people are told that they are free, but on the other, they are not. For example, bodies like OFWAT and OFTEL exist to limit the freedom of various companies. The monopolies commission exists to curtail the freedom of ownership. The government legislate to limit personal freedom by passing laws like the criminal justice bill. The government also bans the use of drugs to curtail peoples freedom. Freedom of expression does not exist either. Various institutions ban Muslims from holding debates on issues like Israel or Freedom. So really freedom does not exist, because someone or somebody decides for you what you can and cannot do. Some will say this is fine. One is free as long as they don't infringe on someone else's freedom. But who gives anyone the right to define for someone else what is or is not freedom?

After all, according to freedom no one can tell anyone else what to do. Freedom is thus a myth. 'Freedom' is the false god of the western world to which it is dogmatically attached. It is a myth that has been sold to the people which keeps them drugged up and stops them from thinking. It is this illusionary idea of 'Freedom' that produces people with an immunity to responsibility. It stops anyone from telling anyone else what to do. Each individual is responsible to only them self. It should therefore be of no surprise why so many people cheat on there partners, why rape is on the increase, why crime and violence is on the increase. One mans freedom is another mans misery!!! The heart of the matter is who defines what we can and cannot do? In Britain, a small group of limited human beings pass laws telling the rest of the nation what is legal and illegal. If you disobey them you are punished, thus making men slaves to other men. The fruits of man-made laws are clear for all to see. The South African dream of freedom is fast turning into a nightmare. Johannesburg is now bearing the fruits of freedom. Officially it is the most dangerous city in the world, more so than New York, the capital of 'FREEDOM'.

What's the Alternative?

If we reflect on our surroundings, we see that nothing is free or isolated. Everything that exists in the universe has a purpose and follows a certain law, from the stars in the night sky that guide the traveller, to the leaves on the trees which help to purify the air. The way the Earth orbits the Sun, the way the birds fly south in the winter, the way the rain revives barren land! The whole of creation follows a certain law, resulting in a harmonious existence. If the universe was free there would be chaos. The Creator of the universe is also the Creator of mankind. He too designed a system by which mankind should live and this is called ISLAM, but he gave us the free will to use our mind to come to the conclusion that the only One who can define what is legal and illegal for us, is the one who created us in the first place. Islam thus liberates man from enslaving other men, to the obedience of Allah, the Creator of the universe. We invite the reader to throw away Freedom the false god and look to Islam for liberation from man-made laws.

Mazhar Khan Pathan

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