Universal Peace.

I read many diifucult times in last two years, Islam and Universal Peace,(Sayyed Qutb).Published in English by American Trust Publications in 1977, Unless you are known Islamic reader Sayyed Qutb is considered by many as a ideologist of Muslim brotherhood, and he paid his life for it.

Sayyed Qutb was born in Assiyut in Egypt, apporoxmitely 1906. His education like many lower class children started at local Koran school, and he memorized entire Koran like many children in Islamic world. We know little about his youth, but I assume as showed in his later books, that he was a novelist at heart, one may even suggest as failed or un-published confused Novelist, in short an Artist.
One of his best books is ( Al-Tafsir al fanni fi al Koran) or The artistic Imagery in the Koran, It shows the novelist part of the man. He went on to study Azhar University, oldest Islamic university founded by Shia Muslims, he also worked as public servant and a teacher, he visited United States with great distaste of American materialism and sexaul perversity, a theme will dominate Islamic Radicals generation to come, he was an observer and a typical guest, watchful but distant. He also visited Italy and Germany, some even say Swizerland, but that is beyond the point. Upon his return in Egypt, he become active member of Muslim Brotherhood, and edited and wrote newspapers funded by MB.
The Ikhwan as they were known was anti-British group and abhored the foreign King of Egypt, they also advocated Morality and Social engineering. Sayyed Qutb lectured through Arab world and become very well known intellectual, a position he may desired, but as famous as any novelist of that era.
After Nasser and so-called free officers took the power from lazy, overweight King, they banned the Muslim Brotherhood and arrested and killed many of their leaders, Nasser claimed the MB tried to assasinate him, Sayyed Qutb wrote books in prison among them his most famous book, The Shade of the Koran, almost poetic style of his prose and as gifted writer it is the best of all his books, available also in US.
The book in hand is Islam and Universal Peace, and I chose this book to translate my vision of Peace in this diffucult time, the seperation between Religion and Politics is non existance, hatred, racism, xenophopia, and above all the unquestining public who gave up their freedom of thought to ignorant and radical Politicians, clergy and un- intellectual recieved opinion dispensers.
Sayyed Qutb divides his book seven chapters, it reads like sermon, of course he was preacher, among them are;
Islamic concept of Peace; In Islamic faith, he writes, Peace is the rule while war is exception, peace means harmony in the universe, the laws of life, while war is the result of violation of harmony as injustice,despotism and corruption. Sayyed Qutb is agreeable so far, then he attacks those he considered outside of that boundry," War is permitted against atheisim(Nasser-Soviets) which is the worst kind of injustice. Such a peril should be checked by temporary drastic measures in order that peace be maintained. Those who don't believe God are bound to hell, according to Sayyed Qutb, why we should let them rule us, Fight them, that is why some radicals chose him over other more moderate clergy, he suffered and he been there.
Nasser and his boys read carefully what Qutb was writing, and they used his own words to hung him in prsion in 1966. He become the mischief who wants destroy the civil society and stabilty of Egypt.So they Killed him with delight of Soviets. Chapter title Peace of Conscience, he attacks vehemnetly Christianity and their fabricated, ungodly morals, the beliefs of the church, and even goes to call them corrupt, in simply put, they are infedels as long they support those who oppress us in Egypt, Now Mr.Qutb behaves like an bedioun Arab, Friend of my enemy is my enemy, Osama took those words thirty years later, If you support the corrupt Saudi Royal Mafia, you are my enemy, because they are enemy of Islam, all these nonsense is to seek the ultimate prize, Political Power.
Sayyed Qutb, as I wrote the was my companion in diffucult time, I wonder if he would accept current carnage of blind leading blind in Muslim World, where the civility is rare commodity, where person's life is worth nothing, where corruption and oppression is the rule of law. Was he radical Islamist? some right wing (or rather chicken wing) who never read him or visited Middle East convince us to believe, deep down after I read him many times, my conculusion is simple, he was man of his time, he never understood America like many Arab/ Muslims who even visit or live here, but common misunderstanding is two ways, Americans and the rest of west are as Ignorant about Islam, and most of the time are as ignorant as Muslims, whether we need a dailogue or war is up to our politicians and warmongers, I call for quick and rational dialogue between those of us who love humanity with great passion and value the human lives and dignity.
Sayyed Qutb was killed by Egyptian goverment because he protested against imported ideas of Secularism and socialism as a alien to Muslim Culture, he resisted and spoke up against opprresion of his people, under the disguise of modernity,he paid a for his life, it pains me when his name is slandered by Radicals who read between the lines in search of excuses to hate, or those in the west who never read him or understood him. Sayyed Qutb died for his beliefs in Islam and that no human should oppress other living creatures, and humanity as he quoted from the Koran;
Ye are the best of People (human beings), evolved for mankind, enjoinig what is right,forbidding what is wrong, and believing in God"
Now, wrong and right are mixed, where should we turn for moral leadership.