بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
What is the Value of Education when Security is Absent
and Books are Stained with Blood?!
(Translated)
Knowledge is an expansive sea, deep in scope. However much the human delves in it and dives into its depths he will never be able to take in much from it. Whatever the person’s standing in respect to knowledge he will not take from the knowledge except a little due to the Qawl of Allah Ta’Aalaa:
(وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا)
“And you have not been provided of knowledge except a little” [Al-Israa’: 85].
Allah has made education from amongst the required matters for the human being and has made the ‘Ulemaa (those possessing knowledge; scholars) better that the Juhalaa’ (the ignorant). The highest goal of education is the goal of the Deen foremost and everything else serves or is a lead up to that knowledge. The one who is learned in the matters of the Deen and the Dunyaa (life of this world) is the opposite to the one who is ignorant and is open to delusions and superstitions which divert him from the matters of his Deen. Also, his conduct in the matters of his Dunyaa will not be carried out well and he will be a follower to the learned, the knowledgeable one (‘Aalim) and the innovator, whilst he will remain riding at the back as an imitator who is not beneficial to himself or others.
Based upon this, comes the importance of education and the necessity to take a firm grasp of the sciences and areas of knowledge. So, just as education has its means and styles to acquire and obtain it in addition to spreading it amongst the individuals of the society, and just as it has a number of results like lighting up the path of generations to see the world with insightful eyes, then due to these means and results it has become important for the states to strive to preserve it and secure it for all of the individuals of the society without regional discrimination (village - city) or gender discrimination (male - female). The most important matter for the state to secure is the security as this is from the foremost demands of the human being in his life, whether it is considered to be a necessity for every human effort whether it is individual or collective, to realise the public interests of all. Our Noble Messenger (saw) said:
«منْ أَصبح مِنكُمْ آمِناً في سِرْبِهِ، مُعَافَىً في جَسدِه، عِندهُ قُوتُ يَومِهِ، فَكَأَنَّمَا حِيزَتْ لَهُ الدُّنْيَا بِحذافِيرِها»
“Whoever amongst you awakens secure in his mind, healthy in his body, with his daily food, then it is as if the Dunyaa has been given to him”.
Security is a blessing from amongst the greatest blessings of Allah ‘Azza Wa Jalla upon His servants. It is the demand of every Ummah (nation) and the objective of every state. For its sake, soldiers are recruited and money is collected, and to realise it, revolutions and conflicts were undertaken. The Qur’an Al-Kareem has guided to the supplication of our master Ibrahim (alaihi assalam) to His Lord, to bestow Makkah with security and tranquillity when he left his wife and precious son there. Allah Ta’Aalaa said:
(وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَـٰذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ)
“My Lord, make this city (Makkah) secure and provide its people with fruits” [Al-Baqarah: 126].
Therefore, Ibrahim (as) placed the blessing of security before the blessing of food and nourishment. What is the value of nourishment if security does not exist? Had there been a value to nourishment without security then the humanitarian assistance that our governments send, to fling dust in our eyes, would have changed the condition of 2 million children in Yemen suffering from malnourishment, the famine would not have manifested upon the horizons of South Sudan and the FAO organisation would not have rang warning bells of malnourishment threatening more than 16 million children under the age of 5 within the west African states. Therefore, the absence of security makes all of the components of a noble life disappear along with it.
Also, what is the value of education if security is absent and the book is stained with blood? This is what is taking place in most of the regions of the Islamic world; in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and other lands from the Islamic lands, where the conflicts and struggles are continuously being kindled. UNICEF, a UN organisation, said: “Nearly 535 million children, which is equal to one in every four children in the world, live in regions suffering from conflicts or disasters. And they are unable, on most occasions, to obtain health care, education, nourishment or protection, which makes them vulnerable to diseases and violence”. It added that more than 390 million children from those suffering from these situations live in Africa south of the great desert whilst around 65 million children suffer from crises within the Middle East.
Based upon these shocking statistics and after a deep study of these lands, their capabilities and resources, we view that most of those children live in regions of struggles and conflicts that fall under the controlling influence of the major colonialist states. It is these nations, under the pretext of securing their security and the security of their peoples, wage wars and create instabilities to accomplish their material interests, which are not accomplished except upon at the cost of the blood of the innocent and through their persecution and displacement. That is because they are interests established upon a principle that is in opposition to humanitarian values in accordance to its colonialist objectives.
For years, the major states have declared the opening of their military fronts in a number of Muslim lands and particularly since the revolutions of the Arab Spring to restore the tight grip upon the Islamic Ummah to bring change. The wars are still taking place devouring humans, stones and trees and particularly within Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya. In the most recent UNICEF report, it indicated to 2.4 million children in Syria, 3 million children in Iraq, 2 million children in Libya, in addition to 2.9 million children in Yemen do not attend school.
According to this report, more than 13 million children in the Middle East region, about 40% of the region’s children, do not frequent schools due to the conflicts kindled in their lands. That is in addition to the situations of the refugees in the neighbouring lands that they have sought refuge in search of what they lost in their own lands in terms of security and a dignified life, which they did not find due to the absence of infrastructure across many sectors of these states; economic, social and educational.
This leads to an increase in illiteracy levels and consequently the spread of ignorance, poverty, unemployment, violence and exploitation. According to Human Rights Watch reports, 212,000 children in Syria from an original 708,000 have registered for education in Turkish schools in the year 2014-2015. That is whilst many of the children have resorted to begging or illegal work for paltry wages. The number of refugee children from Syria who have not frequented schools within the neighbouring countries due to the inability to bear the burden of additional students has reached more than 700,000 refugee children.
The lack of provision of security and the increased rate of murder and deliberate targeting of schools on a repeated basis makes education a difficult dilemma which is difficult to realise and secure. According to the UNICEF there are approximately 8850 schools in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya which have been destroyed or damaged to the point where they cannot be used. That is because they have either transformed into shelters for fleeing and displaced families or they have been occupied by factions involved in the conflicts.
Statistics of the Iraqi Ministry of Education have revealed that Iraq needs to establish about 10,000 schools to meet the steady increase of students. And according to statistics of the Lebanese Ministry of Education, also, the schools in Lebanon this year were not able to absorb more than 200,000 refugee children. As for Libya, then the schools suffer from throngs of children which has led to overcrowding of classrooms reaching 50 students or more. That is due to the lack of maintaining and repairing schools across a number of Libyan towns and cities damaged during the war and due to the increased movement of internally displaced people. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that there are approximately 218,000 internally displaced people in Libya.
The children, of varying age ranges, have lost their opportunity to receive education due to the conflicts and wars, which continue, we see that the education sector, just like other sectors, suffers from numerous problems and major crises. That is as these wars have had a negative impact upon education and the manner of securing it for all, where those who have fallen through the cracks have been drawn away from education by fighting organisations and militias. Usually, the material return represents the motive for children being drawn to their ranks due to the deteriorating economic conditions. According to a report published by the Washington Post in May 2015, children represent approximately a third of the number of the Houthi forces which comprises of 26,000 fighters, and the number of military camps training children in Syria and Iraq exceeds 14. That is in addition to the harm befalling the educational worker as a result of some fleeing and others being arrested. In Yemen, reports have pointed to the killing of 40 teachers in Ta’iz and the wounding of dozens in addition to the displacement of thousands. In Syria, no less than 25,500 teachers and 523 education consultants have left their work in the areas which have been subject to the most destruction. They preferred to seek asylum in neighbouring countries or to flee internally to areas that the regime controls so as to guarantee the obtainment of regular wages ranging between 200 and 450 US Dollars per month.
Due to the prolonged nature of the conflict to that which has no end, the ramifications of the deterioration of the education situation within the Islamic world include direct threats to the future of this generation as a whole. Due to the absence or lack of education a generation without an identity is being generated, led according to the authority and policy of power, where all of its components (intellectual, cultural and educational) are subservient to those who have made the generation lose its creativity, distinction and dignified life. This is what the enemies of Islam desire and this is confirmed by their repeated and systematic targeting of the future generations and schools, in Syria in particular. They demolish the school walls upon the heads of the children who have persisted upon their education in spite of the difficult circumstances, atmospheres of fear and terror that dominates, as a result of the crusader colonialist aircraft that fly back and forth, seeking revenge upon the areas and regions that demanded the change of the regime and raised Islamic calls and slogans. It is as if the message of the strong will and resolve that those resilient children sent agitated the malice of the tyrants. The message said: Verily, we are the future generation and we will never be in awe of your artillery, because the Ummah of ‘Iqra’ (read) will bring your thrones crashing down, even if it is after some time.
Who then is the one currently responsible to protect education and its people including the students, university students and the creative or innovators, from the explosive barrels, chemical weapons, snipers and starvation?? And from the aircraft of the Arab crusader coalition? And from the militias and armed organisations?? This is the question that must be presented before those who claim that they are the great states that lead the world, those who have set the international laws, those laws that remain merely ink upon paper before their barbaric crimes whilst using their illusionary war against ‘terrorism’ as their excuse. That is because their war is only against Islam and the Muslims and not anything else.
The claims of supporting the weak states, freedoms, human rights, world peace and international justice, no longer fool anyone. They are all repetitive slogans used to cover up the ugly faces and black hearts so that oppression and darkness spreads and prevails. However, after the black of night, a morning will dawn with its light and rays, so that this light spreads and prevails over all corners of the world. It is the light of the Haqq (truth), the light of the Khilafah "Caliphate" State (Caliphate) that will apply the Hukm of Allah upon the earth, so that security and safety encompass all, to bring mankind out of the darkness of capitalism and the West, to the light of Islam and the justice of the Qur’an. This will confront the colonialist wars with an army of believers in Allah alone, which will vanquish the enemies, liberate the land, and safeguard and protect the honour of the Muslims and non-Muslims ...
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Rana Mustafa