On
picture: Chechen Mujahideen stand in front of a wall, the slogan on
which reads – «Freedom or death! Chechnya is a subject of Allah! Allah
Akbar!».
It happened that both of these terms turned
out to be intermingled in the minds of the people concerning the armed
resistance of nations traditionally practicing Islam. It is also
believed that Jihad is only a 'religious appearance' of fight for
national liberation.
Let’s
try to shed light on this issue from the Islamic standpoint. Jihad is
one of the duties of each Muslim entrusted by Allah through Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him). Jihad is a Holy War against unbelief. It
can assume various forms. A mother raising children in religious
spirit, a madrasah teacher explaining the Koran to the students, a
scholar in a temple, who strengthens Muslims in their Faith, a man
fighting with sinful thoughts, or a warrior fighting against Kafirs
(infidels) – all of them are participants of Jihad. Even direct
elimination of enemy during a war is not a goal in Jihad: «But (even
so), if they repent, establish regular prayers, and practice regular
charity,- they are your brethren in Faith: (thus) do We explain the
Signs in detail, for those who understand». (Quran, Sura 9:11
Repentance).
According
to Islam, the goal of Jihad is to promote the Faith and eliminate
unbelief. The highest value of Jihad is God, Who reveals Himself to
people in Scriptures through Prophets. Jihad itself is an Islamic
value.
Decolonization
as national liberation fight was implanted in European social
metaphysics of the 18th century. Many ideologists noted that the War of
Independence in
Who
is considered to be the people? Liberals are defining the people as
economically independent private owners exclusively, when the poor are
not part of the people, but are 'proletarian masses'. Socialists
however are viewing working people as the people, when the rich are
'exploiters and oppressors'. Nationalists see the people as the
ethnicity first of all. So what is the common good? Growth of material
wealth of each citizen? But Western nations became rich by plundering
and exploiting the colonies. The Spaniards were bringing gold from
Thus,
decolonization and Jihad end up belonging to two different frames of
reference. Can Jihad take a form national liberation fight? In order to
answer this question, we must examine the way nations are viewed by the
Holy Koran. According to the word of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him), it was the will of Allah to divide the mankind into nations: «O
mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female,
and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not
that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the
sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full
knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)». (Quran, Sura 49:13
The Walls)
The
specifics of each nation is in the 'ritual of worship' (Sura 22, verse
34 The Pilgrimage), which can be identified with Russian historian L.N.
Gumilev’s 'stereotype of behavior', i.e. the language and traditions
(Adat), which cement any ethnic community. God talks not to each one
individually in the spirit of European Protestantism, but with each
individual nation through His messengers. «And for every nation there
is a messenger» (Quran, Sura 10:47 Jonah).
But
Jihad should not degenerate into interethnic hatred, for the Holy War
is not for or against any particular nation, but against unbelief in
the name of Allah. Meanwhile decolonization would often develop into
internecine strife. National liberation fight of African nations got
virtually stuck in tribalism. In 1999 Russian propagandists tried to
use the rhetoric of national liberation fight in order to set the
Dagestani population against Dagestani Mujahideen and Chechen
volunteers who came to the rescue. In the Holy Koran we can find clear
testimonies that in some cases Jihad is carried out within a nation.
Prophets were coming from the midst of the nations and were testifying
to their fellow countrymen about Allah. But as soon as the dilemma of
God or tribal solidarity would arise, they would always choose the
former. Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) even disowned his own father Azar as
soon as he found out that his father was an enemy of Allah (Sura 9,
verse 114, Repentance).
He
that worships his nation equally with God (remember the Russian slogan
«For God, For the Czar and Fatherland»?) thereby ascribes partners to
Allah: 'Whoso ascribeth partners to Allah, he hath indeed invented a
tremendous sin». (Quran, Sura 4:48 Women).
At
the same time it cannot be denied that the experience of many national
liberation movements among Muslim nations shows that Jihad does not
contradict national tendencies to freedom and independence, but often
serves as cementing ideological basis of national liberation fight of
colonial nations. The situation in
Alexei Ivanenko,