Ali Hammuda – The Five Pillars of Tyranny

			oppression has pillars, five of them to be specific. When they are present, the equation of
subjugation becomes complete.
		

			These pillars are fixed, they are found in every civilization that chooses to oppress its community,
regardless of its race, its religion, or even the era. What changes are the faces as well as the
instruments employed.
		

			But as for the underlying principles, they are fundamentally the same.
		

			Now in the eyes of Muslims, the symbol, the Paragon, the idea of oppression has become embodied in
the person of the pharaoh of Egypt, whose story with the Prophet Musa alayhi, salaatu wa Salaam is
perhaps the most repeated story in the Quran, which, on its own is a subtle indication that the
story of oppression will continue to repeat itself all throughout the course of history.
		

			And that the pillars of oppression in each one of those eras
		

			is identical. So what are these pillars?
		

			The first of them, it's the arrogance of authority.
		

			The first pillar is in reference to an authority that considers itself immune to any form of
accountability where nothing should or can stand in its way, an authority that views criticism as
rebellion, or treason, a threat that should be eradicated.
		

			Now, if we were to rewind back to the story of Prophet Musa Moses on the Pharaoh, you find that this
pillar of oppression is represented by the figure of the Pharaoh himself, whose reign was
unchallenged, whose opinions were above the law, and who considered advisors as opposition deserving
of jail or torture or even execution. This is your first pillar of oppression, the the tyrannical
regime the tyrannical authority. The second pillar of oppression is the hypocritical minister.
		

			This second pillar of oppression culminates in a minister or ministers who cozy up to the authority
that reassure it, that it is justified in its measures, that take every opportunity to give a round
of applause for its statements, and fulfilling its every instruction without the second thought.
Now, if we were to rewind back to the story of Prophet Musa, this second pillar of oppression is
represented by the figure of Hamilton, who was the pharaohs minister, of course.
		

			The third pillar of oppression are the financers. Every suppressive regime requires wealthy members
of society who have a personal interest in the existence of such a regime.
		

			They vehemently oppose any efforts for reformation because it's threatens their fortunes, their
status, their positions. So they extend a very generous hand in ensuring that the authority remains
unchallenged, and that any voices of reason are quashed.
		

			And now if we were to rewind back to the story of Prophet Musa, this third pillar of oppression is
represented by the failure of our own, who was, of course the wealthiest of human beings to exist,
and he was a financial supporter of the cause of the Pharaoh.
		

			The fourth pillar of oppression is the religious authority. That's right. This fourth pillar is in
reference to religious clergy men, who painted the injustices of the authority with the gloss of
religion, who not only justify their decrees, even if they are blatantly contradictory to their
religious verdicts in the past.
		

			But they do it under the guise of mass law, public interest, or they justify it under the guise of
law, that necessity, and perhaps will even praise the decisions of the authority as being the
essence of wisdom and even divinely inspired. They are scholars who sell their homes in the
hereafter for a very petty worldly return. And if we were to rewind back to the story of Prophet
Musa, we find that this fourth pillar of oppression is represented by the magician's of the pharaoh
that is, of course prior to them, embracing the snap.
		

			And then you have the fifth and final pillar of oppression and that is the media.
		

			No dictatorship can exist without it. It's a body that seeks to sway public opinion for the benefit
of the establishment only, of course, covering the stories that glorify it, and turning a blind eye
from those stories that may detract from it.
		

			And if we were to rewind back to the story of Prophet Musa this fifth
		

			pillar of oppression is represented by the gatherers who are the gatherers. They were those who
rushed out into the street to congregate the masses of Egypt to witness the duel between Prophet
Musa and the magician's. And what did they say? In their media campaign? They said to * and to
monitor on your own Will you all not gather ly learn anatomy or Sahara in the cannibal hormone
hardly been so that we may follow the magician's if they are victorious.
		

			Notice the wording so that we may follow the magicians if they are victorious. What if they are not
victorious? Will you then follow a prophet Musa if he is victorious over the magician's? Well, guess
what? They didn't even consider mentioning this to the people as a viable option, because they wish
to sway the public opinion and to only give them one particular version of events and how things
could involve to serve the authority.
		

			So these are the pillars of oppression, which if any one of them is missing, then the building of
oppression cannot stand and a quick and cursory glance at the political scene of today, particularly
in much of the Muslim world, displays Subhanallah how similar yesterday was to today