Is anarchism [anarcho-capitalism] compatible with Islam?
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I was raised a Sunni, but I've always had skepticism against believing Hadith as equal to GOD's words. I'm still a young man trying to learn about my religion more perfectly. However, I have my political beliefs fairly well developed. I am an anarchist in the sense of Murray Rothbard (For A New Liberty is a tremendous book). I do not believe a State should have any ability to harm you in a way your neighbor, morally, can not.
Taxation by the State is thievery by the neighbor. (Eminent domain, Inflation, etc fall here, as well)
War by the State is mass murder by the neighbor.
Jailing by the State is kidnapping by the neighbor.
Airport Screening by the State is sexual groping by the neighbor.
Welfare by the State is compulsory alms-giving by the neighbor (not to be confused with voluntary alms-giving / Zakat).
etc,etc.Morality aside, the State has been an enormous source of poverty through its central bank. It creates recessions through manipulating interest rates , and devalue wages. I cannot see how any interpretation of Islam can give credence to such a coercive entity, where Islam is the most non-coercive religion in my opinion. I'm really interested as to what others on this Forum think, given that Sharia assumes the existence of a State.
Peace
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Salaam Mash107,
you are correct Islam does not support a state of any sort, Muhammad never established a state he organised a local community, this is known as a polycentric community system, you cannot have state because a state dominates and owns the Estate, however Allah is the ONLY owner of the Earth and the resources of the Earth, we only have a personal right of use and a communal right of use.
The way forward as Muslims is not through state but recognising the three cancers of the mind
Ownership, you can only own what you yourself create.
Sovereignty, Allah is the Only sovereign so you can not listen to, help or recognise any other sovereign, king, president, whatever.
Usury, the theft of the fruits of another
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As salamu'Aleykoum brothers
I am a french libertarian muslim and i have never read something against liberalism, libertarianism or anarcho capitalism.
I follow just Qur'an for 2 years, i was a sunni before.I just read some aya about zakat as a tax (in 1 or 2 aya) and not just like a gift.
I am a rothbard's fan and with my Economy, man and state near my bed, i have my Holy Qur'An. No contradiction here.
As salamu'aleykoum
ps sorry for my bad english.
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Who will pave my roads?
Will my kids be able to go to school?
Who will come if my house is on fire?
Who will come if I am hurt in an accident?
Who will make sure my employer doesn't force me to work in a dangerous situation?
Who will make sure I have clean air and water?
Who will organize the delivery of electricity?While anarchy sounds good on paper to someone who takes many of the government services for granted, it does have its short comings.
Not saying anarchy is bad... I am saying think about all aspects before buying into anarchy.
Just my thoughts.
JewishDude
peace Salam, Shalom, Peace peace -
a top sophist defence of the predominantly jewish authored systems of authority.
That's the way keep the deceptions going, confuse the population with sophistry and deceive with confidence.First and foremost.. Abdun you better get your historical fact straight..
it was not the Jews who invented 'organized government and/or kingdom'.
Babylonians kings, egyptians pharaohs beat the jews much early in terms of 'organized government and/or kingdom'.Moses (which is a jew by the way in case you've forgotten) was one of the earliest leader of the so called 'jewish community, he did implement something which you call as 'polycentric community system' and he divide it based on tribes. Every tribes does not owns a specific 'estate' since they were basically 'estate-less' during majority of his leadership. Living like a gypsy from one place to another..Although he did implement some kind of 'judicial system' to maintain rule and order within the community.
After Moses, Joshua divide the land they conquered from the philistines (which is different folks than the today 'arab phillistines' by the way, the ancient phillistines was more of phoenicians..) based on tribes.. each tribes had their own set of 'estate / land'. There were no king in that community of jews however there are 'taxes'.. a certain amount of harvest and/or flocks to be given for the welfare of all communities.The first 'king' within such 'jewish polycentric community' were Saul who were being coup'd etat by David / Daud and succeded by his son Solomon/Sulaeman. In the Quran the jewish king David and Solomon were mentioned in high regards...
Having said that.. I don't believe that your idea of 'polycentric community system' and also 'communist/socialist system' (where all estates/land is owned by the state and the state divide and distribute the resources 'fairly' to the people) works in today's era.. A good example of failing 'polycentric community system' is of course Somalia (which basically they have no functional government at all) and a good example of failing 'communist/socialist system' is of course Soyuz Sovietski Socialichetsky Republic a.k.a USSR.
To Mash,
I disagree with your statement "Taxation by the State is thievery by the neighbor"..
Governed rightly, taxation should be a means of pooling/distributing wealth / resources for common society good.The state can be an 'enormous source of poverty' as you put it when it's inefficient, corrupt and mis-managed.
However, the state can be an 'influential actor for social welfare' when it's efficient, clean and well-managed.You just can't blame the knife when you witness somebody using the knife for murder....
As it all depends....Salam / Peace
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Salaam Jewish Dude,
I never said Jews created Government, I said they authored the modern systems of authority, as the modern systems are based upon corporation, estate dominated by state, taxation, the legislative system, a behind the scenes authoring through usury.
I like your constant sophistry, twisting and fabricating, please show where I have ever stated this ' 'communist/socialist system' (where all estates/land is owned by the state and the state divide and distribute the resources 'fairly' to the people)', never have I ever stated such a ridiculous idea.
Obviously you have never read what I explain, I say you only have rights of use, where is a State mentioned, I condemn the fiction of state, corporation and legislation wholeheartedly.
You promote religion with reference to religious fantasy, sophistry is the real tool of the Jews, they have made it theirs with the consistent and endless uses they apply it to, you promote sovereignty and a superior over an inferior man/woman while saying taxation is no good, but how can you remove the symptom if you are ravaged by the disease.
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Hi Everyone,
Since I am Jewish you make all sorts of assumptions about me and try to denegrate me. I think first you should look at my argument, think about it. The last thing you should do is say that by having a Jewish background somehow I am the enemy.
All I was trying to do is to say here are some things that government does provide. Are you willing to give those up?
Please think about the argument before you reply and please do not judge a reply by the background of the writer.
Just my thoughts,
JewishDude
peace Salam, Shalom, Peace peace -
Salaam Jewish Dude,
you are promoting the subjugating authority, a government provides services that people would happily pay for, but they force people to have their service as a monopoly and by force of arms, how is that a good system, its a criminal enterprise, they demand we comply to there extortions, suffer their incompetence and corruption, if you promote an enslaving system people are free to respond.
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Salam all,
I agree with ths that Mohammed Jean Veneuse is worth checking out. Very coincidental that I saw this tonight because I was thinking of posting his link here and asking what people thought.
No the Quran does not posit a specific form of government, however it does not specifically discourage governmental models of ant particular type either. Having said that, I just want to give an opinion What is usually referred to as "Anarcho capitalism" or market Anarchism does not appeal to me as an ideological platform for a Muslim conception of contemporary social organization. Like any other "form" of capitalism, radical marketocracy is a negative concept usually embraced by those who are opposed to the state at every level. Libertarianism seems to me to be inherently contrary to the spirit of the Noble Qur'an in that it negates the commonality of collective social responsibilities in favor of the cult of individual freedom which has overwhelmed contemporary "culture" in the West.
Ironically, we here in the United States use the term "libertarian" to describe this right wing orientation among capitalist-individualist-anarchists, while in Europe and elsewhere the term "Libertarian Socialism" roughly implies a form of anarchism whose central philosophical tenets would seem to revolve around more collectivistic models, greater emphasis on human solidarity, and general opposition to authoritarianism primarily as the term would apply to various forms of economic (readclass) exploitation, racial and sexual chauvinism, and classical economic liberalism as embodied in our contemporary consumer-capitalist model.
I would think that new social models inspired by these types of values would be more in accordance with the overall spirit of the message of the Qur'an than a dog eat dog war of all against all, in which Smith's "invisible hand" is free to strangle this planet in a deregulated orgy of bloodthirsty, profit-driven competition. We already have an international anarchist-capitalist system, dominated by the most profitable institutions over the interests of basic people, and the health of our environment. Capital couldn't be too much more "free" to do what it wants to internationally. and I would not even know where to start a list in which all of the ways in which that is contrary to Islam. Business and profit are fine in Islam, but an anarcho-capitalist system could hardly allow for many other aspects of Islam which are of equal importance, such as the collective responsibility of Muslims to the neediest among them (as embodied in the Qur'anic concept of zakat.
Just my ramblings here, thank you for a thought-provoking question, and peace to you.
La Illaha Illalahu.
