The Oxford dictionary describes materialism as “the tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values”. Materialists innately pay lip service to religion or any higher principles. They will use whatever to achieve their objectives. Materialists also come in various shapes, sizes and colours and operate at all spheres of global society.
In 2009 at an Arab Summit, Muammer Qaddaffi accused King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia of being “made by Britain and protected by the United States”. The Saudi King responded by hinting that Qaddaffi should remember who had paved his way to power. Ironically those responsible for establishing Saudi Arabia also established Israel and most of the existing Arab States.
Therefore Qaddaffi son, Saif al-Islam and his Jewish girlfriend publically requested their friend Tony Blair’s support when he was captured. In the end, Qaddaffi like Saddam Husain died in an orgy of violence, betrayed by the materialist they originally served. Mubarak of Egypt and Saligh of Yemen like other materialists have avoided a similar fate. Syria is conceivably a repeat of Libya and Iraq.
The regular massacres in Egypt, Syria and so on, also illustrate the Arab ruler’s willingness to slaughter their own people, instead of liberating Palestine. This suggests that the primary interests of Arab leaders are materialism and retaining hegemony over their fiefdoms. From the irrational violence I resolved that at the uppermost level of most regimes worldwide, materialism dictates the agenda.
The rhetoric that Palestinians and Muslims hate Jews is false. According to www.timesofisrael.com “The Israeli Defence Force may punish a group of soldiers for joining a Palestinian party in Hebron after a video emerged of infantrymen in full gear dancing to PSY’s Gangnam Style with their Palestinian hosts”. Ironically the party was also attended by the Jaabari clan who are known members of Hamas. In contrast, some of the most ardent supporters of Israel are Zionist Christians whose intrinsic objective is the eventual conversion of all Jews. Oddly, Muslims have no such motivation.
Before the advent of democracy I attended a seminar at UWC which focussed on the relationship between religion and the struggle for democracy. Those who addressed the assembly were the existing academic and intellectual elite. A young UCT Islamic Studies lecturer who is now a reputable academic in the USA asked a prominent UCT Professor what role religious leaders should serve in the struggle for democracy. The Professor replied that religious leaders should be utilized to mobilize the people to overthrow the Apartheid regime. The leaders should then be pacified back to inactivity.
In our society, materialists will also do anything to accrue wealth. Recently the Constitutional Court reduced Sheryl Cwele’s prison term from 20 to 12 yrs. Cwele the ex-wife of State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele was convicted of dealing in cocaine in May 2011. As the ex-Director of Health and Community Services at the Hibiscus Coast Municipality, Cwele earned about R800 000 per annum.
Sincere Jews, Christians, Muslims and others, should know what is happening within our global and local community. Those who seek to destroy civilized values and enslave our humanity use whatever is required to undermine civility. Drugs, gangsterism, racism, tribalism and religion are just a few weapons in their arsenal. Rational people should recognise who their actual enemies are?
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress