Racism is an ugly reality of day-to-day life. It is something that encapsulates the entire planet to varying degrees. And race is not the sole differentiator either, divisions exist based on nearly every imaginable characteristic; ability, age, nationality, religion, language, caste, wealth, and many, many more. The effects from these characteristics have led to a society that is deeply divided on multiple facets.
People are filtered on factors outside of their control. The person who was born on the wrong side of an imaginary line finds themselves unable to travel to a majority of the planet, through no fault of their own. Others face discrimination because of being born in a particular area of a country. For others, they are denied an opportunity to practice a profession they are best suited for, due to being born into a poor family.
Racism vs. Islam: The Example of the UAE
Looking at the Islamic world, we find numerous states that claim to adhere to Islamic principles but are fundamentally built on racism. The UAE stands out as a prominent example. Until the 1980s, the UAE was a simple Bedouin nation. It was the discovery of oil that triggered its rapid development into one of the world's most industrialized nations. However, this progress was largely built on the exploitation of immigrant workers, who have been treated as virtual slaves and continue to face such treatment today.
It is estimated that migrant workers constitute at least 88% of the UAE's population. These workers, primarily young men from India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, flock to the UAE in search of employment opportunities, only to be exploited by large construction companies and agents. They are often lured by promises of earning around $500 a month, a significant sum compared to their potential earnings in their home countries. However, upon arrival, they typically receive a meager wage of between $135 and $190 per month. This compensation comes at the cost of enduring grueling 12-hour shifts in extreme heat, 365 days a year. Reports indicate that heat exhaustion has led to the premature deaths of thousands of migrant workers, as the intense conditions place severe strain on their cardiovascular systems, resulting in fatal heart attacks.
In June of 2021, the homes of at least 375 African migrant workers were raided by police, as reported by Amnesty International. Stripped of all their belongings, they were detained at Al-Wathba prison for 2 months before being deported. They were denied the opportunity to prove their legal right to remain in the country and access to legal counsel. Amnesty International’s investigation concluded that the only reason they had been brutalized in such a manner was because of the color of their skin. Human Rights Watch chronicles extensive cases of abuse of female domestic workers from countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and Nepal, in the UAE. Abuse such as confiscation of passports, working without breaks and days off, together with low salaries, are rife as reported by The Guardian in 2023.
Favoritism exists among other nationalities with some more advantaged than others. This is seen in jobs and things like visa-free travel, but all are second-tier at best to the Emiratis. Despite purporting to be an Islamic country, Muslims from other nations are also severely disadvantaged. Reports of labor force abuse of Pakistani citizens are rife and a daily occurrence with exploitation, poor salaries, and low incomes are reported regularly.
The result of this is plain to see. There is a ruling class that is more interested in the pleasures of this life than fulfilling the needs of its residents. In the meantime, everyone else is left fighting to survive.
What about the Divine Just State?
Upon reflecting on the topic of racism and a Divine Just State, one must consider how such a state would manifest. By its essence, a divine just state founded on racism cannot be just, let alone divine. Such a state would prioritize the interests of one group over all others, thereby undermining justice. Inevitably, it would create disparities where some are privileged while the majority are disadvantaged. This approach fundamentally contradicts the principles of a Divine Just State and would ultimately lead to its collapse under such inherent injustice.
For these, and many other reasons, the Divine Just State cannot be a state that is built on racial discrimination. To do so would create fundamental flaws that would lead to a state that is discriminatory by its very nature. It would, in effect, be no different from existing states that advantage one group over another based on race.
Leading the Way
Abdullah Hashem Aba Al Sadiq is the Qaim, the Riser of the Family of Mohammed. In the hierarchy of the religion, he is third after Imam Mahdi and Imam Ahmed Al-Hasan. He is the face of The Ahmadi Religion of Peace & Light. Were the Divine Just State built on racist views—that people of a particular race have superiority over everyone else—then surely it would be something enshrined in the leadership. After all, anything less would be hypocrisy. How could a state propagate a racist point of view in this manner, yet not feature those same characteristics in its leadership?
Aba al-Sadiq’s background is interesting for this very reason. He is of mixed race. His father is Egyptian, and his mother is from the United States of America. This heritage gives him a deep understanding of how to bring nations together and bridge cultural differences. Furthermore, Aba al-Sadiq has been actively working on building a community with people from all over the world. He has created a community that ascends above color, race, and heritage and has encouraged them to live and build family bonds with each other.
Freedom to Practice Religion
Many countries identify themselves as religious nations. For instance, the majority of Middle Eastern countries are Muslim, Israel defines itself as a Jewish State, and there are Christian-majority countries like Greece, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. The degree of religious tolerance varies among these nations. In the Middle East, for instance, there is a notable tendency to marginalize non-Muslims and their beliefs, occasionally leading to direct discrimination against them.
In December 2022, the US Department of State issued a press release that designated Burma, the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Iran, the DPRK, Pakistan, Russia, and Saudi Arabia as Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom. This illustrates just how widespread and entrenched the problem is, particularly that state actors are engaged in such acts.
This type of intolerance will not exist in the Divine Just State. The Divine Just State, in its very constitution, gives people the right to practice their religions.
Language is often closely linked to ethnicity, as citizens of a country typically speak its predominant language. Mexicans and Spaniards speak Spanish, French citizens speak French, and Germans speak German. Language plays a role in creating divisions as a result. Travelers to Germany, especially those seeking to stay there long-term, would need to learn German in order to get work and, realistically, to survive long-term while getting the most out of life. This situation repeats frequently across the planet.
To be a Divine Just State, a state cannot allow for divisions along the grounds of language. For that reason, the language of the Divine Just State is English. English is the most spoken language on Earth. It will be the official language of the Divine Just State. Gone will be the need to learn multiple languages and any associated disadvantages of it. Other languages will exist, but English will be the main language spoken.
The Divine Just State is defined by its adherence to divine justice, wherein individuals are assigned roles by God that align with their unique capabilities and innate talents. Factors such as creed, language, color, or religious affiliation hold no significance in this system. Consider this: what difference does it make if a skilled carpenter is from France or Pakistan? Why should one be disadvantaged over the other? Skill is skill.
This principle forms the foundation, the fundamental essence of the Divine Just State. It eliminates divisive factors and ensures that all citizens' needs are met, enabling each individual to fulfill their duties to the best of their abilities.
This is the Divine Just State.