As Prime Minister Boris Johnson is drowned out in front of Downing Street by protesters shouting “stop the coup”, many ordinary people in Britain are becoming increasingly dismayed by the disregard that the politicians have for their well-being. This fact is not new for Muslims, here in Britain, or in the overseas democracies that colonial Britain has brought down on the heads of the people. In every case, an elite wealthy group feigns interest in the people’s affairs, while in reality working solely for the corporations and powerful backers who exploit the country and its people.

If a group of people stand up to call out the oppression, exposing the corruption, then the true ugly face of democracy is shown, using all manner of draconian legislation and libellous media campaigns to demonise their challenger until they are defeated.

This is the freedom that the Western colonialists have harped on about for more than a century, and it is rotten to the core.

The British establishment used to hide their corruption from the people, but the Brexit tectonic fault line that divides the elite and their political parties has brought the brawl into the streets and the gloves are now off. The immaturity and lack of thought from all of the politicians is outstanding, as both sides contemplate drastic actions to get what they and their backers want. The language of revolution and coups should not really be a surprise, when one considers that the only bond holding Britain together is a feeble allegiance to democracy and a highly divisive and growing nationalism.

Successive governments have long sown the seeds of distrust among their population, along with their corporate media supporters. It was only a matter of time that their insinuating and hate-filled words would bring the people to despair of the politicians and their disregard for truthfulness and honest politics. The Messenger of Allah is reported to have said:

ان الامير اذا ابتغى في الناس الريبة افسدهم

“If the leader looked for suspicion amongst the people he would ruin them.”

This is the reality of political discourse in Britain today: polarised to the point that words have no value to convince one side of the other’s point of view. As with most things that capitalism has infected, the story of Brexit and this latest act of proroguing parliament is one of the corruption of the leadership who are beholden to an elite class of wealthy capitalists.

Brexit could and should have been a simple technical matter upon which the experts decide, but it was foolishly put to the people as a shallow stunt. Arguments for and against are now almost irrelevant, as fact has given way to hatred and suspicion.

In reality, the various capitalist elite groups differing interests are fuelling the division. The people are pulled around from one side to the other, while they and their livelihoods are of no concern to the wealthy elite or their politician-mouthpieces.

None of this is new, as ordinary British people have never had a meaningful role in politics. But the awareness of this fact has never been so acute among ordinary citizens. The governments of May and Johnson have consistently tried to exclude Parliament from having a role in Brexit negotiations, with Boris’ attempt to suspend it and talk of ignoring its ruling merely being the latest and most blatant exposé of the contempt that the establishment really has for both democracy and the people’s affairs. Brexit has exposed the reality of democracy, a ruling system of the elite, by the elite and for the elite.

The false idol of democracy that has been worshipped for so long now lays shattered on the floor. Allah says in the Qur’an:

وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

And say, “Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, [by nature], ever bound to depart” [Al-Isra: 81].

The Islamic political system is free from such contradictions, where the ruler is never above the rule, where politics is not driven by expediency and accounting the ruler is a daily task not once every four years. Muslims are ready and willing to debate the validity of the Islamic system over the failed and futile democratic system.

There are many examples of how the Prophet (upon whom be Allah’s blessings and peace) was not beholden to any elite group. For example, a rich man stole and tried to seek favour to avoid punishment, so the Prophet called the adhan in the mid-morning to gather the people, then he angrily said:

“Did you not know that Allah had severely punished the people before you because they refrained from punishing the rich but would punish the poor for the same act of stealing? By Allah, if my daughter Fatimah were to steal, I would cut her hand too, no doubt about that.”

Such is the example of justice and principle that we must bring to the attention of the people, particularly as they awaken from their intoxication, to see that the democratic drug has all along been a poison, eating them alive from within.

Allah the Almighty says:

أَفَحُكْمَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَبْغُونَ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حُكْمًا لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ

“Then is it the judgement of (the time of) ignorance they desire? But who is better than Allah in judgement for a people who are certain (in faith).”  [Al-Ma’ida: 50]

Yahya Nisbet,
Media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain,
4th September 2019