Visions on Tyranny and Freedom Issues
Atyaf Publishing and Distribution House published a book titled "Visions on Tyranny and Freedom Issues" by Sheikh Fawzy Alsaif who indicated that the reason of writing this book was because of the negative impacts of tyranny that the Muslim society sufferers from. Tyranny is the result of the individualistic belief that his/her right is more important than the others' rights, and that he/she has the right to decide on behalf of them.
The author divided his book into three chapters; political tyranny and its devastating outcomes, religious tyranny and intolerance and freedom of expression and opinion.
In the first chapter, he defined tyranny as it is an arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power in ruling a group or a society. He mentions the forms of tyranny and how it can be practiced by individuals or sometimes groups. A political leader, for example, could turn to a tyrannical man who controls his followers, and sometimes a party or a state could be oppressive and deprive people of their freedoms.
The author explains how tyranny arises through various sources; some of which are glorifying tyranny and tyrannical individuals, people's ignorance of their rights and subordination and getting used to it. Then, he refers to the deteriorating impacts of tyranny to the nation.
In the second chapter, Sheikh Alsaif indicates the signs of religious tyranny and how Islam rejects it through three different approaches; ethical, intellectual and legal. He explores each approach in detail pointing some examples.
In the freedom of expression and opinion chapter, the author states that confronting tyranny is not common among populations, and if there were any studies or attempts, they are performed by elites; not by commons who ignore it although they are affected by the tyrannical practices. He confirms that resisting tyranny should be a popular culture that is applied through peaceful and defensive actions.
He indicates that tyrannical individuals are usually aware of their oppressive and tyrannical acts but they put them under other titles although they do not affect the reality. Moreover, he discusses the approaches of confronting tyranny, and states that oppress individuals become worse if there is not a culture and a firm society capable of resisting their tyrannical actions.