Press Release
Adopting Economic System of Islam and Getting Afghanistan out of the Prison of Nation State System is the Only Way to Achieve Real Development!

The World Bank has published a new report on Afghanistan’s economic prospects in the coming year, declaring that the lack of growth in GDP and reduction of foreign aid have caused economic stagnation in Afghanistan, which will continue until 2025.

When international organizations and/or institutions publish a report about the economy of a third-world country, they pursue evil political and economic aims – because these institutions are strong arms of colonial powers that are striving to secure the dominance and hegemony of the US and the West. The World Bank has proposed increasing foreign aid and mining as a solution to address the economic challenges of Afghanistan. Insisting on failed and repeated prescriptions will only worsen the disease instead of addressing its root cause and would plunge the economy of Afghanistan into the trap of Western exploitation.

We believe that unless the economic system of Afghanistan is transformed, and instead a new economic system based on the principles and values of Islam is established, the Afghan economy won’t see real growth and development. After the disgraceful withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan and the collapse of the then Republic, an opportunity to establish an economic system based on the rules of Islam was present; but unfortunately, not only this opportunity was not taken, but the rotten governance structures as well as failed economic policies of the fragile Republic kept continuing with slight changes. Currently, the economic system of Afghanistan is a mixture of capitalist economic system and some of the rules of Islam. The upsetting truth is that the ruling regime has failed to introduce and/or endorse an economic model based on Islamic Sharia and apply it based on the reality of Afghanistan over the past two and a half years.

At present, Afghanistan’s economy is dependent on foreign aid. The United Nations and international institutions have created a kind of relief economy based on humanitarian aid in Afghanistan as 40-80 million dollars are injected into the economy by the UN every week. This situation has created a kind of parallel government with dual economy.

On the other hand, the current regime’s economic focus is on heavy collection of taxes from people and businessmen as well as improper extraction of mines. Imposing intolerable taxes and increasing the tariff rates have put the people in a very dire situation. Islam considers various types of taxes practiced by the current systems as illegitimate and does not allow the Muslim ruler to collect taxes from the people to finance the government expenses. The Messenger of Allah (saw) has said: «لاَ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ صَاحِبُ مَكْس»“One who takes tax will not enter Paradise.”Similarly, in the economic system of Islam, mines are part of public property of Muslims. This means that neither the government can turn mines into a means of income to finance its expenses nor can it secure mining contracts to domestic and foreign companies in exchange for money. Besides, large and strategic mining contracts are restricted from being awarded to the private sector through bidding processes which will be exploited by them for their own benefit. Only the Islamic State is allowed to regulate and monitor the extraction and utilization process of mines aimed at distributing the generated benefits among the people after deduction of production costs.

Therefore, the time has come for the ruling regime of Afghanistan to implement the economic system of Islam in its comprehensive form as well as avoid the gradual implementation of Sharia rulings, instead of solely relying on humanitarian aid, imposing heavy taxes and improper extraction of mines. Besides, real development will never be possible within the framework of Afghanistan’s current borders – because this land is in the prison of unjust nation state system. Therefore, Afghanistan can only become an economic and industrial power by expanding its borders through Dawah and Jihad with an aim to find access to the ocean and get the Central Asia and Pakistan united under the Khilafah (Caliphate) upon the method of the Prophethood.

[وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ ءَامَنُوا وَٱتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَـٰتٍ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ]

“And if the people of the towns had believed and feared, then We would surely have opened upon them blessings from heavens and earth.”

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Afghanistan