What is Truth?
Ron Ross
Bridges for Peace News
Email: ronrossbfp@hotmail.com
17th October, 2008
Egyptian-born cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has denounced the collapse of capitalism and called for its replacement with an Islamic financial system.
Speaking in Doha at the sixth conference on Jerusalem he said, “The Western system has collapsed and we have a complete economic philosophy, as well as spiritual strength.”
“Islamic philosophy is holding up,” he told the conference which was attended by about 300 delegates including Khaled Meshaal, the head of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to the Iranian spiritual leader Ali Khamenei.
According to a report by the Middle East Times al-Qaradawi said, “All riches are ours …. The Islamic nation has all or nearly all the oil and we have an economic philosophy no one else has.” (Interesting all the oil is own by ‘the Islamic nation’ and not nations – plural!)
He encouraged the conference to take advantage of the current financial crisis. He said Muslims should ‘profit from the crisis to bring about the triumph of the (Islamic) nation, which holds the spiritual and material resources for victory.”
Over in Tehran Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinjad seemed to be reading from the same script - “The oppressors and the corrupt will be replaced by the pious and believers, he said, adding ‘an Islamic banking system will help us survive the current economic crisis.”
The Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was aglow. He described the ‘victory of the Islamic revolution!’
“Now there is no sign of Marxism in the world and even liberalism is declining,’ Khamenei said.
Israel bank chief Stanley Fischer did not share the end of capitalism euphoria. “I believe there will be major changes in the American financial system, in risk management and in supervision over financial institutions. But I don’t think it will be a revolution, and this isn’t the end of capitalism. Churchill said that democracy is the worst system, except for all the other ones. The same is true for capitalism.”
One of the more significant comments about the crisis was penned by Simon Jenkins in The Guardian (15 October, 2008). In a provocative comment he concluded “it was politicians whose laxity and craving for popularity lay at the root of the present trouble.”
Isn’t that the real dilemma? I am watching the US Presidential contest in total horror. Both candidates are competing for popularity and the best mouth will win.
Takes me back to a very old question, ‘What is truth?”
One thing is for sure and certain, truth is not always popular but it does have a future and a hope.
The other way has consequences. Have you noticed?
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Three years ago he joined Bridges for Peace in Jerusalem to establish international radio news and an audio service webcast at www.bridgesforpeace.com Ron was Sports Editor of WINTV for 20 years before joining the full-time missions. You can contact Ron at : ronrossbfp@hotmail.com |
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