London, UK, 5 November 2008 – The western world is rejoicing at the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. The hatred for Bush and the unpopularity of US policy over the last 8 years has been hugely damaging for the ‘freedom and democracy’ brand and many hope Obama will be the saviour who will change America’s image as a war monger in the world.
Commenting on Obama’s election, Taji Mustafa, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain said, “America is not one man. America is its institutions, which have compromised the very principles they claim to uphold. America has its capitalist system whose weaknesses lie exposed. One man can never change those problems that are systemic in a state, no matter how eloquently he pledges to do so. America is a capitalist state with a capitalist foreign policy and that is to colonise other states. As such she will seek to maintain her domination of the Muslim world and continue that capitalist agenda of exploitation. Presidents come and go, policies may be amended, but there will be no real change.”
“We should look beyond personality and evaluate declared policies. Barack Obama has declared his willingness to attack Pakistan, intensify the war in Afghanistan and keep promoting disaster capitalism. He has also pledged unstinting support for the brutal Israeli occupation of Palestine. Where is the ‘real’ change from the policies of George W Bush?”
“Real change in the Muslim world cannot come from having faith in one man. It will never come from emulating a failed capitalist system. It will only come when the Muslim world transfers its faith in Islam to faith in Islam’s political ideas and restore the Islamic Khilafah: an accountable, just system, not open to manipulation, which puts the poor and needy at the centre of its economic programme, and which will defend its lands from occupation and exploitation.”
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