News

The Standard Newspaper reported on 31st January 2014 that most Kenyans feel the Government has failed to tame rising insecurity as indicated in a new opinion poll. The survey said Kenyans believe the Government is not doing enough to keep them safe. The poll released early on Friday also noted that Kenyans are unhappy with the way the 10-month-old Jubilee Alliance administration has failed to address the rising cost of living and joblessness. One out of every three Kenyans thinks the administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto has performed dismally in keeping Kenyans safe from thugs, terrorists and other outlaws, who have wreaked havoc in the country in recent weeks. The study by Strategic Research and Communications Consulting for Africa Limited lists insecurity, unemployment, corruption and poverty as major concerns. The terror alert issued just two days ago, coupled with increased cases of robbery, muggings, and theft have had Kenyans a worried lot.

Comment

Kenya could turn out to be one of Africa's most insecure nations if the magnitude and frequency of the attacks witnessed today are unchecked. Inequality, weak law enforcement and corrupt justice systems have seen crime rates almost triple particularly in urban areas like Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, with carjacking's hitting unprecedented levels. Nairobi averages about 10 vehicle hijackings a day, with authorities having limited capacity to deter or investigate them. A recent research by the National Crime Research Centre shows that there are 46 criminal gangs in the country. Over 50% of these groups engage in drug trafficking while 34% participate in extorting money and other criminal activities.

In 2013, there were cases of over 40 policemen being gunned down in Baragoi, prominent Muslim clerics executed in Mombasa, tribal clashes engulfed the North and the attack on the Westgate Mall, and they have never been fully resolved. It is a terrifying experience to walk at night in major towns and neither is it secure to walk during the day. There are regular news reports of how businesses are robbed in broad daylight despite having CCTV cameras yet no arrests or efforts are made to resolve them. A recent fiasco to reform the police force flopped with senior police officers being interviewed by a panel that mostly dwelt on financial resources of the interviewees rather than functional capabilities. Now, there are fears the crime wave could stain the country's investment climate. Tourism is the world's largest industry accounting for more than 10% of the world total employment and generates 14% of Kenya's GDP. Indeed, the insecurity risk to tourism was one of the key concerns the government expressed after the Westgate attack that left at least 67 dead including 18 foreigners.

According to the Constitution of Kenya and other relevant laws, functions of county governments do not include matters regarding national security, foreign affairs and education. It comes as a surprise when government functionaries threaten the counties with dissolution if they do not tame insecurity in their areas! This is an indication that the government has failed in its responsibilities and is looking for a scapegoat in the counties. Just as we are nearing one year since the Jubilee government came to power, it is a grim assessment that they would like to wish away. Corrupt cartels are rearing their ugly heads once again, poverty and hunger ravages the arid areas of the north, unemployment is at an all-time high and insecurity is felt in all parts of the country. During the run-up to the general election in Kenya, Jonnie Carson, formerly the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs famously stated that "choices have consequences" and sure enough, Kenya is experiencing them. Since America decided to outsource the so called ‘war on terror' to outpost countries like Kenya, the country has been on the receiving end of instability in the region. Frequent terror alerts are issued by the West that harm the economy leading to unemployment and insecurity while at the same time being forced to use the meager resources to fight America's war on terror. While there are marauding gangs in the North of the country that kill at will, security agencies are being utilized to create a buffer zone/state (Jubaland) in Somali. This is in the false belief that such a state will reduce the threat posed to Kenya by Al-Shabaab. All these are symptoms of a failed system which bedevils the whole world. Since Kenya implements the Capitalist ideology that judges issues based on the measure of benefit together the Democratic system that sedates the populace with false hopes of change, we are likely to continue facing the same problems even if new faces are brought into office.

While the president enjoys massive security, he has relegated the dire situation facing the public to the periphery with too much tough talk but less practical solutions. It is only through Islam which is a comprehensive ideology and system of life that real change can be felt. The Prophet (saw) stated in a hadith that a time will come when a traveler will move from Hadhramut to Sanaa in Yemen fearing nothing on the way but Allah and the wolf. It is this prophecy that Islam will fulfill through the establishment of a Khilafah "Caliphate" state. With all security responsibilities vested in the Khaleefah and vast resources availed to him, the role of the public remains to account him for any lapses that may occur in tackling security matters. Only then will the citizens of a state walk with their heads high and sleep peacefully in the knowledge that their security is taken care of.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Kassim Agesa
Member of the Media Office Hizb ut Tahrir in East Africa

News:

‘World Hijab Day' takes place on February the 1st. Founded by New Yorker Nazma Khan, the movement urges Muslim women across the globe seeking to explain to wider society why they wear the hijab, to try to promote a better understanding about it. Styles include getting people to try on hijabs. The question is - will such activities deal with the attack on the hijab?

Comment:

Why do we wear hijab?

For the majority of Muslim women who take the decision to wear hijab, commonly the name used for the Islamic dresscode for women, there is no denying they do it of their own free will. It is an active decision they make. But we must be accurate in explaining that this does not mean wearing hijab is a choice we make. Because something that one does as an act of submission, as a response to a command to an All Powerful All Encompassing Creator cannot be seen as a choice.

In Surah Ahzab: 36, Allah (swt) says:

«وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا مُّبِينًا»

"It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error."
Surah Nur: 31 as well as hadith, make covering in a specific manner a command for Muslim women.

So if asked why we cover - Yes, we wear the hijab because contrary to popular opinion Muslim women actually make a conscious decision to do it. But the only reason WHY we cover is because we submit to our Almighty and All Encompassing Creator and obey him in his command.

Why is there an attack on the hijab?

People dress in so many different ways today, so why is how you cover your hair still so much of a problem? Because the hijab has always represented something more than a form of dress. It is a sign of the Muslim woman, who must be liberated.

In relation to the war of the US in Afghanistan First Lady Laura Bush declared:

"The fight against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and dignity of women."

And this attack through the hijab is nothing new. Rather it has always been the cover for the attack on Islam as a whole - Its values, its principles, which were always different to the values of the West.

William Gladstone, British Prime Minister in 1894 said: "The situation in the East will not be successful until we remove the Hijab from the woman and use it to cover the Qur'an."

At that time in the East from the way women dressed to the political system, was shaped by Islamic values and laws.

So if we are aware how this attack on the hijab came about, then we know that just explaining what it feels like to wear a metre length cloth in itself, won't change that much.

How do we explain hijab?

Just as many politicians of the past understood, the rules and laws of Islam do not end in just ritual worships. The Islamic values and rules actually achieve a wider impact for a whole society, which they came for. And hijab is one of them.

The Islamic society has an overarching view that women must be viewed and treated as the honour of society. But this view isn't just left to be held in the minds of people. Allah (swt) has given the Muslims a host of social laws to ensure this view is protected and maintained. These social laws take the potential for women to be seen as an exploit or in a derogatory manner, out of society. They act in a preventative manner.

So rules such as the dresscode, the hijab, segregation of the sexes in society to minimise mixing, the prohibition of even falsely slandering an innocent women with a harsh punishment as a result - these were all societal practices implemented by the Prophet (saw) in Madinah.

And when implemented what do these rules achieve? Well they all work to ensure that everyone in society continues to view and treat women as the honour of society and nothing less - At home, in work, in school.

So hijab, as well as being an action carried out by the individual, is one rule out of social system which impacts the societal. Hijab as part of the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate" system, can change the plain for women and the lives they lead.

THIS is what we need to explain to the world.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Umm Abdullah Khan
Women's Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Britain