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Cruelty and Disorder in Disbelieving
Societies
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If Allah were to punish people
for their wrong actions, not a single creature would be left
upon the earth, but He defers them till a predetermined time.
When their specified time arrives, they cannot delay it for
a single hour nor can they bring it forward.
(Surat an-Nahl: 61)
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As
we analysed in the previous chapters, in all corners of the world,
Kosovo, Kashmir, Palestine, Chechnya and in many other countries,
Muslims are subjected to uninterrupted and merciless cruelty and
unending trouble. It would be wrong to believe that the ways these
proceed do not relate to one another. On the other hand, attributing
these clashes to the innate political and geographical traits of
individual countries would prove to be a poor understanding. All
wars and violence that occur in world history, no matter where,
indicate the existence of people who take advantage of them. All
Muslims should see and be aware of these incidents. Otherwise, one
risks seeing world events as spontaneous accidents requiring no
solution. In a hadith, Allah's Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad also
referred to oppression, and said that it will be "a darkness on
the Day of Resurrection."19
The 20th century has especially been a time marked by unprecedented
brutality. Among the movements sustaining wars and brutality, communism
- which advocates a materialist philosophy and entirely refuses
religion, moral values, and family - is the foremost. In countries
where communism has control, history provides more than sufficient
evidence of how wretched a life disbelief brings to societies. In
order to have a clearer insight about this brutal system, only a
brief look at the history and the current situation in Russia, a
country that remained under communist rule for decades, will be
helpful.
THE TRACES OF COMMUNISM - A SYSTEM BASED ON DISBELIEF
- IN HISTORY
Marx
and Engels, the founders of dialectic materialism and mentors of
communism, were both devoted atheists. Maintaining that all forms
of improvement in the world are attainable through conflict, they
believed they could achieve their goals only through a communist
revolution. They both felt a deep-rooted hostility towards religion,
and saw the elimination of religion as a preliminary condition for
their views prevailing. Marx and Engels believed the communist movement
could only start once faith in God and the obstacle of religion
were eliminated. Marx was never able to put his views into practice.
After his death, Lenin carried out the revolution.
Lenin,
who seized power after a bloody civil war between his communist
militants and the remains of the aristocratic armies, provided hints
about the policy that would be pursued following his rule. In his
time, those resisting him and the communist system were executed.
The civil war lasted for three years, and it brought complete devastation
to Russia. Following this bloody war, Lenin founded the first totalitarian
single-party dictatorship in the world.
Lenin's time was one of overall ruin for Russia, especially
in terms of its economy; additional taxes were imposed on people
who were already very poor. Starvation and misery increased steadily.
His policy brought extensive nationalisation, food rationing, and
control over industry, and no one could run the risk of resisting
his policies since they well knew the end of those who even attempted
it.

During the reign of the communist leader Lenin, tens
of thousands of innocent people died of hunger. The
famine which was prevalent during the time of Lenin
and Stalin happened simply because resources for the
nourishment of the public were spent on ideological
purposes.
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By the time Lenin died in 1924, the politics he pursued
earned him the intense hatred of people, including his closest associates.
His successor as the chairman of the Communist party was Stalin,
the bloodiest dictator world history has ever known.
People's experiences of the twenty-five years during
which Stalin ruled have revealed, over and over again, the utterly
merciless nature of the communist system. There was no end to murder,
massacre and torture. His "communism project" became an utter grief-ridden
experience for the public; millions drifted into starvation and
misery, villagers were used for forced labour and people were severely
oppressed. Meanwhile, all forms of religious practises were outlawed.
Stalin started by confiscating the fields of villagers, who made
up 80% of the total Russian population. As a part of the policy
of nationalisation, officers collected all the villagers' crops,
causing famine to millions of women, children and elderly people.
In Kazakhstan alone, 20% of the population died of hunger. In the
Caucasus, the death toll rose to more than one million.
 Stalin
was responsible for at least twenty million deaths throughout
Russia. From what historians relate, he derived pleasure
from such brutality and, in his Kremlin office, very
much enjoyed examining the reports of the death tolls
coming in from the labour camps. Terror in Stalin's
time was not only directed at those who voiced objections
to the system or at intellectuals. Under the attacks
of communist militants, everyone was under threat.
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Thousands of people who attempted to resist these policies
were interned in labour camps in Siberia. In these camps, where
forced labour was extremely arduous, the majority of captives did
not escape death. Thousands of people were executed by Stalin's
secret police. Forced emigration became part of the Stalinist policy;
millions of people were relocated, leaving their homelands for remote
parts of Russia.
Stalin was responsible for at least twenty million deaths
throughout Russia. From what historians relate, Stalin derived pleasure
from such brutality and, in his Kremlin office, very much enjoyed
examining the reports of the death tolls coming in from the labour
camps.
Terror in Stalin's time was not only directed at those
who voiced objections to the system or intellectuals. Under the
attacks of communist militants, everyone was under threat. Indiscriminately,
masses were interned in the "Gulag", a network of forced labour
camps, where many were executed. Stalin ensured an absolute power
over masses through terror. Twenty-five years of his dictatorial
rule left behind nothing but impoverished masses.
Russia is a clear illustration of disbelieving societies
in which a contented and happy life is
unlikely to exist. That is because, due to its innate nature, disbelief
tempts people into committing all sorts of crimes for personal benefit,
including murder or even subjecting children to violence for pleasure.
The Russian society of today bears witness to the destructive effects
of the anti-religious system from which people suffered for decades.
Degeneration is the legacy of this system. Reversing this situation
is only possible through teaching the values of Islam to all people
and helping them to regain their spiritual values.
THE ONGOING OPPRESSION IN MAO'S CHINA
Stalin put the project of communist revolution into practise
in Russia leaving behind twenty million dead. This bloody regime
in Russia was imitated by another communist regime in China.
In 1949, under the leadership of Mao Tse-Tung, communists
took power in China after a bloody civil war. Like his close ally
Stalin, between 1949 and 1976, he established a repressive and bloody
regime. Countless political executions took place in China. The
army was consisted of communist troops of men and women. In the
following months, the young militants called the "Red Guards" by
Mao threw the country into terror.
Economic deterioration in Russia had its parallels in
China, thanks to the principles adhered to under the name of "socialist
change and equal rights." The same scenario was repeated in China;
people were no longer entitled to their rights and all their property
was confiscated for the benefit of the state. In brief, also in
China, the communist regime, which was presented as the refuge and
the saviour of the masses, seized fields, animals, crops and people's
property just as it had in Russia.
Nationalisation was presented as a prerequisite of "socialist
change." "Social justice" only worked to enrich the people in power
and those flattering them. Meanwhile, the public whose "rights were
supposedly protected" starved to death. Economic problems became
more burdensome, requiring fundamental reforms. Yet, every reform
only added to the misery and social disorder in the country. Each
failure in economic reform claimed thousands, even millions of lives.
In this country stretching over a vast geographical area, Mao carried
out a mass genocide of his own people, especially minorities.
 
In an effort to conceal his dark reality,
Mao used posters clearly representing him as an idol.
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The communist party hierarchy and its dictator, Mao who
held absolute authority in all domains of life, closed China against
all external influences and held the press and communications under
strict control. Any criticism or protest brought against government
policies ended in execution. Authors, artists and scientists who
had worked on the culture, history and language of minorities were
gathered and executed by this bloody dictatorial regime. Still today,
the world including the UN cannot collect real information about
incidents taking place in Red China, such as the case of executed
Uigur Turks.
Elimination of religious beliefs is the main goal of
every communist regime. To this end, a systematic policy of repression
and propaganda is employed. Religious beliefs are replaced by philosophies
developed by idolised leaders. This was also the case in China,
one of the major anti-Islamic countries in the Far East. Beginning
in the period of Mao, rulers in China prohibited every sort of religious
practise. Imams were subject to severe torture and mosques were
closed. Religion, considered to be the greatest obstacle to the
materialist system, became a subject discussion of which was banned.
People in China were steadily indoctrinated into the
infallibility and superiority of the totalitarian leader. In schools,
the "Red Book", in which Mao extensively explains his bizarre philosophy,
was incorporated into the curriculum. Young children and the youth
were instructed in the materialist philosophy, which presents the
concept of God as a major hindrance to human development. People
were encouraged to kill one another, even their own mothers, if
it was in the interest of the communist system.
The mass executions carried out by the Khmer
Rouge in Cambodia, another communist country, reveals the
cruel and inhumane nature of communism.
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Communist ideology sees the concept of family as against
its own purposes. To this end, millions of families in China were
broken. For the so-called interests of the state economy, families
were separated, children were taken to orphanages and family members
could only gather once a year.
These are all important issues, since today communism
is still propagated around the world. The end of a country in which
communism is adopted will not be different from Russia or China.
The only way to protect a nation from this system marked by massacre,
violence, hunger and inhumanity, is to make people - especially
young people - conscious of religion. Disbelieving people who are
unaware of the true religion and consequently do not know the values
brought by the religion are prone to communism. This is the reason
why materialists consider religion to be the most important and
efficient power against them. Explaining the religion purified from
all bigotry to them as well as providing the evidence regarding
the defects of the philosophy of communism are among the precautions
one can take to protect a nation against such a disaster.
The communist regime deceived the masses by presenting
communism as "the only way to true salvation." "To attain the goal
of communism" it inflicted inhumane torture on millions of people.
Amnesty International often reports the continuing brutal treatment
and torture of so-called "ethnic communities" and especially Muslim
minorities living within the Chinese borders. Prisoners are not
allowed to defend themselves and are constantly forced to hold their
heads in a bent position. It is known that Muslims are punished
with cruel and inhumane methods.
Historians now argue whether Communism killed one hundred
million people in total or "only" eighty million.
THE DETRIMENTS OF THE ANTI-RELIGIONIST SYSTEMS
FOR PEOPLE
1. All reasoning based on moral values and conscience
are eliminated and societies are oppressed under totalitarian regimes.
Under these regimes, people are not entitled to enjoy their fundamental
rights and freedoms. Moral values are entirely refused and groups
with vested interests dominate society. The disbelieving system
disallows any activity not serving the interests of the prevalent
disbelieving system.
2. People are indoctrinated into believing that the dictator
is infallible and that his decisions are relevant. In all anti-religionist
regimes (fascism and communism), the perverted practice of idolising
the leader is common.
3. Freedom of thought and religion
are entirely curtailed. Entrance to mosques, churches and synagogues
is disallowed, and communication of the religion is prohibited.
A special fund is allocated from the national budget to combat religion.20
4. The state holds complete control over the economy.
Private investment is disallowed. Factories, means of production,
manufacturing facilities and banks are nationalised.
5. Communist soldiers confiscate private real estate.
The fields and the villagers' crops are nationalised "in the best
interests of the country:"
6. Hunger and starvation claim millions of lives, including
women, children and the elderly. The system created poor and disadvantaged
people, imposing hard lives on everyone. In this life, buying a
loaf of bread, for instance, meant waiting in queues for hours.
7. People were interned in labour camps and executed
en masse. Those remaining were used for forced labour under very
difficult conditions. Those unable to adapt to working conditions
were exiled to Siberia.
8. Rebellions were put down bloodily by communist militants.
Insurgents were shot dead before the eyes of the public.
9. Those opposing the system or offering criticism, be
they politicians or intellectuals, were executed.
MASSACRES BY COMMUNIST
LEADERS
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10. Those holding power revelled in
extravagance while ordinary people led their lives in misery. For
instance, when the Communist Party held power, the difference between
the salary of a worker and a member of the Communist Party was between
25 to 30 thousand roubles. The salaries of Communist Party members
were 25-100 thousand roubles. The majority of the public had only
a salary of 150 roubles. Moreover, Communist Party members had mansions,
cars and access to free health services. None of these benefits
were available to the public whose labour formed the backbone of
the national economy.21
11. The police forces of the oppressive regime terrorised
the public. The public lived under constant threat.
12. The Communist Party committed the country to endless
cycles of civil strife, rioting and disorder.
13. The oppressive and totalitarian
system also had its influence on schools. According to Lenin, education
should not be objective, impartial and isolated from politics. In
his address at the First Congress on Soviet Education on the 25th
August 1918, he stated that the main purpose of education is to
remove the bourgeoisie. He explicitly declared that there is no
education outside politics and to claim otherwise is sheer lies
and hypocrisy.22 The purpose of education is to
raise faithless and morally weak generations numbed into serving
the interests of communism.
14. The youth were brainwashed with disbelief and the
system raised militants instead of peaceful generations.
15. The concept of the family was eliminated.
Babies were separated from their families and raised in orphanages.
The concept of the family was considered to be against the "interests
of the state." In Communist Party meetings, views such as "The revolution
is doomed to remain weak as long as family ties and the concept
of the family exist" were expressed.23
16. Art and science did not find an environment in which
to flourish under communist regimes. A major portion of the national
budget was allocated to armaments, mostly used for the subjection
and execution of the masses.
17. Youth were not provided with any purpose in life
and so they ended up with soaring suicide rates. The system itself
pushed teenagers to drug and alcohol addiction.
18. Freedom of press was entirely curtailed. Publishing
and broadcasting were only allowed as long as they praised the system
and the leader. Otherwise, they were silenced.
MASSACRES BY COMMUNIST
LEADERS

Bolsheviks led by Leon Trotsky shooting members of the White
Army (above). The massacre known as "Bloody Sunday" (middle-left).
Innocent people executed during Stalin's regime (middle-right).
Clergy shot dead during the Paris commune.
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