On the dawn of Wednesday, 21/8/2013, Bashar the butcher ordered the bombing of neighborhoods in Eastern and Western Ghouta of rural Damascus using chemical weapons, leaving about 1300 killed and thousands of cases pathological symptoms as a result of this weapon that had struck children, women and men, in a scene that leaves no mercy what so ever in anyone's heart for the perpetrators of this act, which was denied by the criminal regime, and was described by the crow of the Syrian media Imran Al-Zobi as a ridiculous claim. America, the master of crime and global terrorism, with its habit of covering up the crimes of its agent, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, "We are formally requesting that the United Nations urgently investigate this new allegation". He did not say to "instantly investigate" especially since an international investigation team already exists in Damascus since Sunday of 18/8. In turn, the head of this investigation team, Ake Sellstrom, commented on today's attack saying that the source of the attack's news should be investigated, noting that while he had only seen TV footage, the number of casualties reported raises suspicions. As for Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, he expressed his "shock" at these allegations. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich announced that "The missile with a chemical poison gas serine was launched by Syrian rebels and targeted the eastern neighborhood of Damascus". Russia considered the attack as a "provocation planned in advance" in conjunction with the beginning of UN experts task... as for what was released from the Security Council in a meeting held on the same day as the massacre allocated for the Syrian issue, it expressed its concern over the allegations of the use of Chemical weapons in the Eastern suburbs of Damascus. At this meeting, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN Jan Eliasson informed the Security Council that the Syrian authorities refused to expedite the investigation team to go to places which is said to have been targeted with chemical weapons.

This is how the Kaffir Capitalist West along with the unjust International Community describes this heinous massacre as an allegation; this description indeed holds in it the will to cover over this crime. The Western states declare day and night that what it fears most is the chemical arsenal falling into the hands of extremists meaning Islamists, whereas, it is silent over the Syrian regime's possession of this arsenal, it even covers up the regime's use of it in such a hostile wicked way against the Muslims even if they were children and innocent women; and that is only because they fear the Islamic nature of the revolution in Syria, which declared its identity from the beginning by raising its slogans: "It is for Allah, it is for Allah" and "Syria wants an Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate"".  In reality, this crime is firstly planned by the Capitalist Kaffir west, headed by America. Bashar is nothing but one of its death tools, and if he were not thus, he would have not dared to commit this crime which beasts refuse to commit something of its sorts.  This crime is intended to drive Muslims to abandon their project of ruling by Islam. This event requires us to issue an outcry to the hearts rather than a political analysis illustrating the hidden intentions of this cursed regime, which now poses greater danger than the germs of this era known as Swine Flu and Mad Cow disease.

O Muslims throughout all Muslim lands: The first Shar'i obligation upon you towards these incidents is to declare what your brethren in Syria have declared - that you want the rule of Islam, and that you eradicate these agent regimes which do not differ from the Syrian regime in their crimes, their distance from Islam and their attachment to the West. These regimes possess armies and weapons that could change the equation on earth, they however prevent this from happening for the same reason as the reason of Bashar's killing of Muslims, which is to prevent the rule of Islam. And the first of them who claim the support of the revolution are the rulers of Saudi Arabia, and the first of the supporters of the other side are the rulers of Iran who erected themselves as enemies to this Ummah and agents to America. We hereby turn to the Muslims in sincere advice for the sake of Allah: your silence over the betrayal of your rulers is what dared the West and its allies of the rulers against you, and your restraint to work for change makes you fall in the sin committed by them, making you partners in their sin.

O soldiers in the Muslim armies: Until when will you stay as a mark of submissiveness although you have only been found for Jihad, making the Deen victorious and fighting the enemies of the Muslims? Are you not aware that you are the first to be accountable of supporting and helping your rulers of oppression, the agents of the west and the enemies of your Deen and your Ummah? The first and foremost obligation upon you is to become the helpers of Allah by giving victory to those working for the establishment of the Deen through the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" State; hence you remove those rulers and allow the workers until the command of Allah is established and the missing glory is restored, thus the lands of the Muslims will unite and the flag of Islam will be raised and the flag of Kufr collapses. The West wanted you to be the protectors of their agent regimes, and Allah (swt) obliged you to be His helpers, so is there a second choice to the choice of Allah (swt)?!  Allah (swt) said:

وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا

أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا مُبِينًا

"It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path." [TMQ 33:36]

O Muslims persevering in patience and constancy in the Sham of promised victory from Allah (swt): It is by Allah a great honor that Allah (swt) has chosen you to be the forefront of returning Islam to His missing house, so guard this honor and bounty. It is true that the price you are paying is great, but do not forget that the commodity of Allah is al-Jannah. We ask Allah (swt) that the Angels wash our deceased, and that Allah (swt) allows them to be quotients of birds in Jannah, and that the Shuhada shall gather their families to Jannah on the Day of Judgment, He is The Most Beneficent, The All-Hearer. Know that the stance you are taking today is the stance that should be taken by the whole Ummah, you have indeed preceded when the people retarded, so glad tidings to you. No one knows what Allah (swt) has of great reward except Him. Certainly victory is but an hour of patience, and most of it has passed by the will of Allah.

O officers among the people of power working and Syrian army dissidents, and O noble fighters in the armed groups: Direct your power for the sake of accomplishing one aim, which is making the Deen of Allah victorious, do not disperse from the straight path of Allah (swt) to the ways of the regimes that are ruling by other than what Allah (swt) has revealed even if it has funded you with money and weaponry, for all of them, without exception, want you to side with them against Islam, and every time they give you in the Dunya, they take away from your Deen until nothing is left. Though what the rulers of Turkey, Saudi, Qatar and others who claim their keenness for the revolution own of weapons, that if they supplied you with one tenth of it, then the scales of power would change for your benefit, the wretched Syrian regime would have become of the past, and the Ruwaibidha rulers would have become Western agendas, waiting for the orders of their masters...only Islam will save you, and the shar'i obligation upon you is to make the Deen of Allah victorious through giving victory to those working for the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" state. And know that when the approach to Allah (swt) is correct, and the work is correct, and the intention is sincere; then the victory will come from Allah (swt) without delay; hence what has been said is true: the closest path to reach the victory of Allah (swt) is the path that was crossed by the Prophet (saw)". This is the path which Hizb ut Tahrir in Syria is calling its brethren to cross. Allah (swt) said:

(*) وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ

إِنْ يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِثْلُهُ وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنْكُمْ شُهَدَاءَ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ

"Be not, then, faint of heart, and grieve not: for you are bound to rise high if you are [truly] believers. If misfortune touches you, [know that] similar misfortune has touched [other] people as well; for it is by turns that We apportion unto men such days [of fortune and misfortune]: and [this] to the end that Allah might mark out those who have attained to faith, and choose from among you such as [with their lives] bear witness to the truth - since Allah does not love evildoers." [3:139-140]

O Allah, facilitate this journey of ours and let us cover its distance quickly, and be our best Companion and Helper. Ameen. Our last prayer is Alhamdulillah, Lord of the Worlds.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph on 23rd August 2013, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called for reducing tensions between Pakistan and India. This was a cowardly response to the martyrdom of many Muslims, officers, soldiers and civilians

This is a response from the Women's Section of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir to the impact on women and children of the crackdown by the Secular Egyptian Leadership against those raising the banner for Islamic rule. It discusses how it is only through the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate", following the method of the Prophet(saw) that will implement Islam fully and immediately rather than piecemeal and gradually that real change can achieved in Egypt and across the Muslim world. It is this state alone that will deliver the true goals of the revolution of political justice, economic prosperity, dignity, and security.

Event:

A spate of killings may signal an escalation of gang violence

When K. Veerappan stopped his car at a traffic light in Georgetown, the old centre of Penang, it was the opportunity his killer had been waiting for. He came up alongside on August 8th and pumped at least ten bullets into Mr Veerappan, killing him instantly.

The murder has shocked Malaysians. It was brazen-happening in broad daylight in the middle of one of the country's main tourist spots. And it was only one of a trio of Penang shootings. On the same day that Mr Veerappan was killed, a house was sprayed with bullets, though no one was hurt. The following day a nightclub bouncer was shot, though he survived. [Source: The Economist]

Comment:

The past few months have shown a worrying increase in crime rate in Malaysia, especially crimes involving fatal shootings. Malaysia already has its share of frequent criminal acts such as burglary, bag-snatching and other petty crimes but lately, almost daily shootings in a country where illegal weapons possession may bring about death sentence is certainly sowing much fear and uneasiness amongst the population. Dozens of shootings had been reported within the past two months but the reason behind them still remains unclear. In the latest shooting spree, on the 24th of August 2013, two gunmen sprayed ‘random' shots on six men at a restaurant in the northern state of Penang and the reason behind the shooting still remains a mystery. It was thought that behind the increase in the rate of crimes involving fatal shootings, a battle is ensuing amongst thousands of gang lords who had been released since 2011 when the current government was pressured to abolish a law which allowed preventive detention. However, many dismissed this attempt to explain the worrying phenomena as a smokescreen to hide police ineptitude.

This unsettling and distressing trend has certainly put a strong pressure on the police force, which for years have faced various accusations of incompetence, corruption and bias, to buckle up and ‘restore public confidence'. In the wake of this disturbing phenomenon, the distressed public has been increasingly involved in ‘vigilantism' where there is a noticeable escalation in community patrols and barricading of neighbourhoods. In response to criticisms on government handling of crime, Prime Minister Najib, whose government had prompted skepticism by claiming that crime has reduced since 2011, made no mention of police or legal reforms. He instead promised strong new anti-crime measures that will respect ‘civil liberties'.

It is very unfortunate that when pressing issues of human problems such as crime are discussed, we never had the pleasure of experiencing real, effective solutions to these problems. As Muslims, our society had been immunized, with the effort of the West, from Islam and to reject the return of the rule of Islam in our lives. Consequently, the true solutions provided by Islam, the Shariah, in solving human problems, are cast aside and even worse, demonised to the extent that even Muslims don't view Islamic solutions as viable and relevant. What needs to be stressed here is that Shariah is not just a set of harsh punishments but a complete value based system that can address diverse problems such as crime, poverty, education and healthcare and many other societal issues and challenges. The Shariah is a complete system of life which emanates from the Islamic Aqeedah and consists of three main bases; values, rules and punishment. All three elements combine to bring peace and stability in society and so cannot be separated or depicted as merely a set of punishments. Crime is rampant not due to some superficial reason but it is mainly due to freedom and the values of individualism and materialism that it spawns. As such, in solving crime, a total implementation of Islam will instill elements of fear of God, purity of morals (akhlaq), collective responsibility, protection of the sanctity of life, property and dignity and the implementation of a set of harsh punishments for perpetrators. The philosophy, on which the Islamic penal system is based, is to protect the society as a whole, which consequently protects the individual via harsh deterring punishments with a high evidential burden and due process to prevent the miscarriage of justice. Punishments are deliberately harsh to prevent crime and send a message out to society that the values of life, property and chastity are sacrosanct.

It is indeed quite difficult to imagine how the government of Malaysia and its police force could stop the shootings and other crimes which are rampant in this country under the current secular and capitalistic regime. Under such regime, we may see problems being partially solved only to re-appear in more virulent forms. It is thus very important for Muslims all over, especially in Malaysia to understand and to return to the completeness and truth of the Islamic solutions and work to implement them in a holistic manner. Under the complete implementation of the Shariah, crimes involving fatal shootings are not the only problems that will be solved.  All societal ills will be duly untangled under the umbrella of the Shariah and Khilafah "Caliphate".

Dr. Muhammad

Malaysia