Lebanese Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadhlallah: In the Arab World, Dictatorship Begins at Home

Following are excerpts from a speech by Lebanese Shiite cleric Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadhlallah, which aired on Al-Massar TV on July 7, 2008.

Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadhlallah: If the [Islamic] nation gets used to thinking, if the nation realizes that it must not let its mind stagnate, and if the nation becomes accustomed to accepting things only after thinking them over with its mind and believing in them – nobody will be able to control us, nobody will be able to become a dictator ruling us, nobody will be able to enslave us. We have been raised to be submissive... You have probably seen this time and again at home. At home, the father does not let anybody else speak. The wife does not have the right to speak. The children do not have the right to speak. The father says: "I make the decisions, and nobody may object or disagree." Right? He is the father. But your children have grown, and maybe your wife is educated and experienced, and you – who are you?! Did Allah give you a brain that is unparalleled? No. Do you know what this education leads to? This education raises children who refrain from opposing the ruler. Their father does not allow anybody to speak, so they learn that they do not have the right to speak. When we consider the political parties – there too nobody opposes, disagrees with, or criticizes [the leader]. Whoever criticizes [the leader] finds himself outside. This is true even for the secular parties. The parties call for freedom. They shout that the ruler denies people their rights, but within the party, people are being denied their rights. When there are centers of power, nobody can express opposition. Whoever expresses opposition finds himself outside. This happens throughout the Middle East. I am not talking about anywhere specific. We raise our people to submit to the strong. Therefore, nobody expresses opposition. They are afraid. It is better to not talk, to not object. That is why we have tyrants who are like gods. Among the Arab and Islamic peoples, you might find people who criticize Allah and the Prophet, God forbid, but can you find people who criticize mortals like the president or the king? No, this is not allowed. Such people go straight to jail or to the gallows. If you say something against Allah – never mind. If you say something against the Prophet or the imam – never mind. But if you say something against the president, the king, the Emir, or any senior politician – that is not allowed. What does this mean? It means that we have succumbed to being slaves, because this is what slavery means.