“IF THEY ARE ‘ONE OF US,’ I AM NOT PART OF THAT ‘US’!”

These are actually Rachel Corrie’s words. She was an American of Israeli descent.

“Domestic and national,” supposedly… Spare us! Wrong is wrong, whether domestic or national… We judge deeds, not words. We support what is right and oppose what is wrong. We seek refuge in Allah from our lower selves, our egos, our whims and desires, and many of our assumptions. We know that our lower self, that SELF-centered thing within us, is potentially inclined toward Satan.

Today we live in a world turned inside out. How national is Shabbat? How right is it to oppose false gods? These are the questions we must consider first. How legitimate is the National Lottery? How legitimate are some of the Ministry of National Education’s rules?

Let us admit it: “İnnî küntü mine’z-zâlimîn.” Yes, we have been among the ignorant and the unjust. Allah (cc) does not help an unjust and ignorant community, nor does He grant them guidance. Unless we change ourselves, Allah’s (cc) help will not reach us.

In politics, bureaucracy, religious communities, business, academia, the media and NGOs, we have all gone bankrupt! It is not only funds, the stock exchange and the banking system, or various industries, that have collapsed… This “social earthquake” and “moral crisis” we are experiencing have proved more devastating than the expected İstanbul earthquake. Religion is not the problem; many people and communities who pass themselves off as devout, and most religious organizations and groups, have been crushed beneath this crisis. While trust in Muslims in Islamic countries hits rock bottom, conscientious people of every religion, ideology, language and color who encounter the truth of Islam through the example of Gaza are embracing the faith, in defiance of the apostasy in our midst.

The moral failings of the ruling elites in Muslim countries, their addiction to money, office and lust, have been more devastating and painful than Islamophobia.

Keep your distance from anyone implicated in this corruption unless they confess, return whatever they obtained unjustly—property, office, money, a diploma, whatever it may be—and ask forgiveness from those they wronged. Otherwise, Allah’s wrath will never leave them, in this world or the hereafter.

Now let us all read these renderings of the verses once again: (Bakara 258): ”Have you not seen the man who argued with İbrahim about his Lord, (growing spoiled and arrogant) because Allah had given him sovereignty? (…) Indeed, Allah does not guide a community of wrongdoers.” (Âl-i İmrân 86): “… Allah does not lead an unjust community to the right path”. (Kasas 50): “… Who could be more astray than someone who follows his own desires without guidance from Allah! Surely Allah does not lead an unjust people to the right path”. (Ahkâf 10): “… Without doubt, Allah does not lead such an unjust community to the right path”. (Tevbe 109): “… Allah does not lead such a community of wrongdoers to the right path”. (Mâide 51): “… Surely Allah does not guide a community of wrongdoers”. (Cuma 5): “… Allah does not lead an unjust community to the right path”. (Nisâ 168-169): “Surely Allah will neither forgive those who disbelieve and commit injustice nor show them a way. He will show them only the way to hell, where they will remain forever.” (Saf 7): “Who could be more unjust than someone who invents lies about Allah, even as he is being invited to Islam? Allah does not guide a community of wrongdoers.”

Where there is oppression, there are the oppressed; where there are the oppressed, there are also oppressors. The oppressor may be an individual, a community, or even the great majority of the population. At the same time, “oppression is the absence of justice.” Those who take bribes, practice favoritism, rig tenders, manipulate the stock market, pave the way for fraudulent transactions and pass on insider tips also belong to this community of wrongdoers.

Yes, such people exist among our own and among the others. There seems to be little difference left between us, whether in absolute numbers or percentage terms. If these people are still considered “one of us,” then I am not part of that “us.” I seek refuge in Allah (cc) from being with them or inclining toward them. Those who stay close to them, and those who try to whitewash them for whatever reason, are in an even worse position than those who remain silent in the face of injustice. In the end, the fire that will burn the oppressors will also touch those who support them and those who remain silent despite knowing the injustices they commit. May Allah protect me, my family, my brothers and sisters, and all the oppressed from their evil. May Allah (cc) have mercy on those who keep their distance amid this apocalyptic turmoil.

If people insist on doing this filthy business, they could at least stop parading as Muslims! Headscarves on their heads, beards on their faces; ostentatious images of hajj and umrah, posts of iftar tables… With all this, they have destroyed trust in Muslims too. What insatiable, unbridled appetites they have! They are so attached to this world that “if you gave them two valleys full of property and money, they would ask for a third.” May their hands wither!

Some have surpassed even the shamelessness of “40 people sharing a single coin, while a single person gets 40 coins.” Things have reached the point where, in central government, local government and even the private sector, it is a case of “I offered a greeting; they would not accept it, saying it was no bribe.” Look, they say a thief steals a bunch of grapes from a vineyard, but a bribe-taker sells a vineyard for a basket of grapes. When competence and merit, consultation and collective deliberation are divinely commanded principles, how can a believer abandon the duty to bear fair witness and resort to favoritism or produce fake diplomas? Does such a person never consider that Allah (cc) sees them? How can someone who believes in Allah (cc) and the Last Day do this? How can those charged with watching for these injustices remain silent about what is happening, turning into “mute devils”?

“O Lord, show us truth as truth and falsehood as falsehood; grant that we unite around the truth! Protect us from the evil of those who spread corruption while posing as reformers! Guide us along the path of those You have blessed, not the path of those who have incurred Your wrath.”

Protect us from the discord sown by those who try to manipulate opinion polls and statistical agencies’ findings, chamber elections and the public’s vote in general elections to suit their own wishes, and by trolls who strive to steer people’s perceptions according to their whims and desires! Shield us from the evil of individuals and circles who disregard the duty to bear fair witness and the command to keep weights and measures honest and uphold the balance!

Do not let your loyalty to certain people conflict with faithfulness to the promise you made at “Kālû belâ” and the promise you made to Allah and His Messenger when you said, “We believe.” Do not take your religious and state leaders, or anyone other than Allah (cc), as a god and lord. Let us not pass judgment on something we do not know. Let us not cease to bear fair witness regarding the times and places we live in, the people and the events. Never let anyone else do your thinking for you. When listening to someone’s words, look at where the speaker’s feet are taking them.

Never imagine that going on hajj and umrah, attending Friday prayers and then saying “I have repented” will absolve you. Let us be careful: may Satan not deceive us by invoking Allah!

From CHP to Yeni Parti, the state of the Kemalist left is well known. How many factions the nationalists have split into is plain to see too. Following the recent events—the broken families, prostitution, corruption, drugs, gambling and the crisis involving investment funds and forex—serious self-criticism is taking place among the AK Parti grassroots, but its results are not yet fully visible in the top leadership or in its actions.

As examples of self-criticism within the party, complaints such as these are no longer exceptional: “Field data and in-depth interviews point to a distinct sociological fracture within the AK Parti grassroots. On one side are ‘bureaucratic and pragmatic circles’ who use President Erdoğan’s charisma as a leader and his political capital to advance their own positions. On the other is a ‘reactive grassroots base with no ulterior motives,’ which selflessly embraces the party’s institutional identity and ideological aspirations and works on the ground without expecting anything in return. The grassroots’ greatest grievance is the perception that the political and social sacrifices made are being squandered by these ‘shadow capitalists.’ AK Parti’s ability to consolidate its voter base in the future will be directly proportional to how far it closes the gap between these two groups.”

These criticisms actually apply to the other parties to a large extent too.

What did Akif say in his poem “Spit”?

“Spit on the blows that strike the nation so vilely!
Spit on the whores who applaud them!”

May Allah have mercy on him and on us. The “What Would We Know?” section of Abdurrahim Karakoç’s poem “Stoning the Devil” uses irony to describe just how filthy the dealings of the “great men”—those in power, the bribe-takers and the liars—are. Though the poem seems to tell yesterday’s story, this disease has unfortunately metastasized everywhere today.

How to prosper through lies and deceit,
What would we know, sir? The great men know.
How to plot against the people,
What would we know, sir? The great men know.

What it is like to give and take bribes,
What it is like to steal from the treasury,
What it is like to grow rich without breaking a sweat,
What would we know, sir? The great men know.

How to gain power early and start crowing early,
How to build mills and grind people’s heads,
And above all, how to herd people from square to square,
What would we know, sir? The great men know.

We cannot tell a copy from an original,
Know nothing of curtains, stages, solos, choruses or musical suites,
Nor the rites and procedures of swindling,
What would we know, sir? The great men know.

How to knock back whisky and vodka and have a good time,
How to unwind in a belly dancer’s lap,
How to divide the people and sell out the homeland,
What would we know, sir? The great men know.

Whatever kinds of trickery and fortune-telling there are,
Whatever devilry and cunning there are,
Whatever fraud and deviousness exist in the world,
What would we know, sir? The great men know.

They say, act dishonorably… We do.
They hold out a hand and say, kiss it… We do.
They point to an idol and say, worship it… We do.
What would we know, sir? The great men know.

As we watch the “mother and father” show,
We feel its pressure, its oppression.
The postgraduate science of buffoonery,
What would we know, sir? The great men know.

As the saying goes, the obvious needs no announcement,
Good morning to the imitation, greetings to the original.
In short, whatever villainy there is,
What would we know, sir? The great men know.

Watch out for those who come from outside and join your ranks. Who were the people who stood with you in the early days, only to be pushed aside later? Why did things turn out this way? Look into it…

People who struggle even to meet their running costs, let alone invest, because Treasury funding is being offset against their old debts, and who think they will be in trouble if their past accounts come to light, will bring neither themselves nor you any credit by joining you. Such dealings only increase suspicion. Temporary, easy and pleasant-sounding solutions designed to get through the day will open the door to far greater problems tomorrow. Those who arrive today may take away more than they brought when they leave tomorrow. Meanwhile, the material and moral burden on those who remain grows a little heavier every day.

Let us not be among those who remain silent in the face of injustice. Let us not lose what sets us apart. Let us not consent to oppression or bow to oppressors. For those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, Allah is enough! Allah is sufficient for us! That is all for today…

With greetings and prayers.

Abdurrahman Dilipak

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