Social Justice Movements and Their Impact

From time to time people of conscience have engaged in activities directed towards improving conditions of human beings by challenging existing state of affairs and circumstances, in which people are living or suffering, by promoting a just society, changing these activities into social justice movements.
All Social Justice Movements were launched to challenge injustice and for recognizing diversity of human beings; working to mitigate and alleviate the sufferings of the people; helping during struggle and hope; freeing from the shackles of unjust economic, political and social systems; and taking actions to protect their human rights by applying fairness. Social Justice exists when all people in a society share a common humanity and receive equal treatment by placing more emphasis on taking care of the least advantaged members in the society. This means that only a society that works for justice can achieve social progress and development, and in the process may end up establishing peace.
Most of the social justice movements include areas of improvement that call for the greatest benefits for the least advantaged members of the society. In some cases schemes have been formulated under which the benchmark has been chosen to position least advantaged in a better competing arrangements of income in a society. One such scheme said, “For example, if in one arrangement, the most well off class (e.g., chief financial officer) received compensation in the amount of ten million dollars per year while the least well off (e.g., average workers) were paid a salary of $14000, and in another the most well off received compensation in the amount of three million dollars per year while the least off were paid a salary of $30,000, the second arrangement  would be to the greatest advantage of the least advantaged and thus the most just.”
Inequalities of income and wealth are to be arranged for the greater benefit of all to break the cycle of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The world has become a complex place, not that it was not before, but it seems like it now, because all incredible events taking place around the world are now being shared by the same individual on the same day, through the available technological means, like internet and social media, allowing him to know about activities around the world in an instant, making him feel that the entire weight of the world is on his shoulders. Earlier it was impossible to know, on the same day, all good things happening or all bad things happening in the entire world.
Given the new realities of the world, the social justice movements have to tackle myriad issues and challenges at the same time or get subjected to the anger or ridicule for neglecting important issues. The same old rigid class systems of the privileged groups are now controlling the political, economic and social arenas using new tactics, methods and rationalisation techniques to impose their own will using new schemes in the name of equal opportunity without giving any considerations for the welfare of those at the bottom.
In ancient times, slavery, legal in an economic system that controlled human beings and classified them as property, was readily accepted and practised. This system has now moved to a different level where the methods and strategies employed are diverse but slavery is still there. One of the examples is the arrival of 12.5 million Africans between 1525 and 1866 in North America. Even though slavery was abolished on December 6, 1865 in the US, it still continues to exist in one form or other. The European-American colonisers also had the idea that a majority of the African-American population should leave the United States and settle in African or Central America. At that time the country of Liberia was founded by former slaves from the Unites States of America.
In the US the European-Americans practised racial segregation in most parts of the American south and authorised segregation and separation. This led to treatment of African-Americans providing them lower standard of living that was inferior to those provided for European-Americans, regulating a number of economic, placing African-American at educational and social disadvantage, and ordering prohibition of intermarriage. This means a wall was created between the different races.
Islamic concerns are based on a humanitarian, social, economic and religious basis. Social justice has a central place in Islam. Islam is for all humanity, it tackled the slavery practices of pre-Islamic Arabia through the most humane method, by assimilating the slaves into the Islamic society. One of the contributing factors is the Islamic value practised during the time of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The freeing of slaves was considered as an act of piety. A slave after being freed was not asked to leave but was assimilated in the Muslim society because Islam does not recognise race consciousness. Islam has proclaimed that an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab except for piety. Racism does not exist in Islam.
Even after the spread of Islam, the Arabs practised slavery in one form or other. The European-American slave traders and slave practitioners exaggerated Arab slavery figures and started associating it with Islam. The western societies, oriental societies and some other Asian societies have the habit of blaming Islam for the bad acts of Muslims. Even today, it is their method to spread misinformation and disinformation about Islam. The people with Islamic values are fighting back by educating them, and exposing their mischief and ignorance level.
The vast majority of labour in the medieval Islamic world consisted of free, paid labour, whereas the Christian world always employed slaves both in Europe and in the United States. There are people in the Arab world who use the same techniques of employing and subjugating people as the Western world but these westerners have the audacity to spread disinformation, misinformation and lies and call it Islamic slavery. These numbers and claims are not only wrong, exaggerated and immoral, but dangerous, resulting in hate crimes against Arabs and Muslims. In today’s world slavery and servitude exist in one form or other resulting in torture, cruel and inhumane treatment or punishment. Many social justice movements address these conditions and issues.
The subjugation of women was typical in ancient times. In modern societies it has taken a different form. Let us take only one example, based on profiting through subjugation. In the western world it is being carried out by placing women on the pedestal and convincing them to advance their beauty, bare bodies and sexiness. They call it the liberation of women and in the process become rich by selling beauty products and clothing. They speak about hijab, niqab, chador and burqa because the Muslim women would not buy their so-called beauty products.
The Qur’ān gives equal rights to men and women but squarely places the responsibility on the shoulders of men to protect and support women. The Christian world accuses Islam for subjugating women. In many ayahs, including the following “Surely, for men and women who have surrendered (to God)…believing men and believing women, truthful men and truthful women, patient men and patient women, humble men and humble women, charitable men and charitable women, fasting men and fasting women, men and women who guard their chastity, and men and women who are ever mindful of God – God is ready with forgiveness and an immense reward,” the Qur’ān emphasises equality between men and women with the only condition of piety. A whole chapter or Sura is named after Maryam, mother of Jesus – Prophet Isa. Now to hide their own shame as to how women are described in the Bible, and how they are sexually and immorally exploiting women, they continue to talk ill of Islam and attack Islam.  The Biblical view of women is:
Burn The Daughter! (Leviticus 21:9); Cut Off Her Hand! (Deuteronomy 25:11-12); Female Births Get Penalty (Leviticus 12:2); Female Inferiority (I Corinthians 11:3); Jesus Will Kill Children (Revelation 2:22-23); Kill The Witches! (Exodus 22:18-20); Rape My Daughter (Judges 19:24-25); Silence The Woman! (I Timothy 2:11-14); Women Shall Not Speak (I Corinthians 14:34-35).
These Islmophobia practitioners are wearing the burqa of ignorance and deceiving the whole world. They continue to spread misinformation and disinformation about Islam and Islamic Fiqh and call it a movement to fight for social justice for women in Islam. Let us take one example: “Muslim societies have laws that treat women unfairly, many of these laws, like Saudi Arabia’s ban on female drivers, have no basis in fiqh.” At the same time, “a woman’s property, held exclusively in her name, cannot be appropriated by her husband, brother or father. (For centuries, this stood in stark contrast with the property rights of women in Europe.)”
The various aspects of greed, political motives, religious ignorance, hate, racism, discrimination are now being exposed daily around the world.
Muslims are in the forefront of assessing government policies or social conditions around the world, including Muslim majority countries, to determine if they are consistent with social justice value of Islam, identifying them and launching movements to correct them. Without going into details the elements of social justice in Islam include Zakat or alms-giving, charity and assistance to the poor that are concepts central to social justice. In addition to this Islam is deeply rooted in the tenets of volunteerism and social activism.
The world is witnessing an increase in number of social justice organisations fighting for the people because of lack of decent political regimes and laws in the so-called democratic countries, including oil rich Arab countries that do not fully respect basic human rights in the following areas: general freedom; dignity; life; liberty; security; equality before the law; freedom of movement and residence; right to seek and gain asylum from persecution; freedom of opinion and expression. Additionally, fighting for those who are victims from accusation of involvement in terrorism; arbitrary arrest, detention or exile; torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment; among many others.
A microscopic look at the world affairs reveals three top problems that need to be addressed immediately and constantly. The so-called war on terror, actual wars and unemployment in poorer countries, has increased arrival of refugees and migrants into European Union countries. These poor people see every day that the US and the European countries are getting richer and richer and they are getting poorer and poorer. In addition to the three conditions a fourth one is the hidden and low profile terrorism used in the anti-Muslim riots and communal clashes in the so-called democratic countries where Muslims and minorities become refugees in their own lands; lose houses, businesses due to looting and burning; become poor and unemployed. One cannot be unjust and at the same time called democratic. This is crime against humanity and crime before God.
Social justice movements developed around principles of justice that are relevant depending on the circumstances, and raise their voices demanding  changes toward more fairness in society, and if based on God consciousness and moral grounds; ready to take responsibility and accountability for their actions ; demonstrate commitment to the welfare and the betterment of a society are worthy of existence.
[MOHAMMAD YACOOB is a retired industrial engineer and engineering proposals analyst who lives in Los Angeles, California]