The conference “Afghanistan and a just Islamic government in the thought of Martyr Mazari” was held on the Thursday morning, March 10, 2022, in the conference hall of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in Qom.
At the beginning of the ceremony, which was held on the 27th anniversary of the martyrdom of Abdul Ali Mazari, the head of the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, with the participation of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, while welcoming the guests, Hojat al-Islam Zaki, said, “If government is not healthy, people happiness will not be achieved. Also, monotheism and sovereignty must be from God, otherwise it is polytheism.”
“Obedience to an oppressive government is not permissible, and only to a just ruler it is allowed. The “principle of grace” also refers to the fact that obedience to a just ruler is permissible. Islamic rule must be inclusive ,” he said.
In the continuation of this conference, Dr. Hadi stated, “Islamic government has two key concepts. One is the expression of Islamic rules and regulations, and the other is that the executors of the rules must be appointed by God. In Islamic government, on the other hand, Islamism, divine appointment, and acceptance are the main components. People are a key pillar in an Islamic government. But the Sunnis consider allegiance as a pillar and accept the rules of a governor who has force.”
“It is necessary to establish an Islamic government based on Islamic teachings, and the pillar that must be considered in this type of government is the people and the parties,” he added.
Introducing the character of Martyr Mazari, Dr. Nowruz Saberi, researcher, and head of the Assembly of Ulama of Daykundi province said, “He was born in Mazar in June 1947, and met Allameh Balkhi in 1965. He met with Imam Khomeini in Iraq in 1976 and received books from the Imam to bring to Iran. But he was arrested at the border by SAVAK.”
“Martyr Mazari wanted to establish an Islamic government in the form of Velayat-e-Faqih in Afghanistan,” Dr. Saberi said.
“The Islamic government must be inclusive and must not consist of just one particular ethnic group. Government must be based on justice,” Saberi stated.
“One of the characteristics of the rule of Islam is that its law must be based on Islamic Shariah,” he said, “Another characteristic of the Islamic government is its legitimacy. The ruler of such a government must also be divine.”
“The Mojahedin all fought against the communists and won. But when the Islamic government was formed, the Shiites were ignored, and they were not given any position in the government. Therefore, Martyr Mazari decided to unite all Shiite parties. He formed the Unity Party and insisted on the rights of Shiites. At the same time, the party was pressured by the government, and later, Mazari was martyred,” he said in another part of his speech.
Dr. Hayatullah Rasuli, a professor at Al-Mustafa (p.b.u.h) International University, said, “When concepts are not defined, ambiguity arises. There are two concepts in Islamic government: a “government” in which “Islam” rules.”
“When Islam rules, the laws must also be Islamic. In Afghanistan, given that there is no single, ruling Islamic denomination and an absolute majority, we cannot accept that the law of a specific denomination prevails. When a denomination does not have the majority, the country’s law should be based on the general Islam, and specific laws, such as private law, should be based on denomination,” he stated.
“The ruler of a Muslim country must be a Muslim. The question arises, what denomination should the ruler follow? Problems arise if the ruler is a follower of a particular denomination. Our answer to this question is that the ruler must be just, that is, not Fasiq (someone who violates Islamic law),” Dr. Rasuli said.
“There are several models of Islamic government. The first model is that the ruler is a Nabi (a prophet who is in contact with the revelations, whoever he can be a messenger or not) and has no error. The second model is the political theory of Imamate, and the third is the model of the rule of a just Faqih. Therefore, if there is not just Faqih in the society, there can be no Islamic government. The fourth model is the rule of just believers. Therefore, the ruler of a Islamic country can be a Muslim and just person,” he stated.
“Martyr Mazari said he wanted an Islamic government, popular, inclusive and based on justice. There is no religious or ethnic majority in Afghanistan. Therefore, the government must be formed based on ethnicity,” he stated.
“We have not been able to continue the path of Martyr Mazari. Mazari did not approve of any ruler,” stated the professor of Al-Mustafa (a.s.) International University in another part of his speech,
“Mazari was a supporter of the federal government. Of course, by stating that federalism is an administrative model, not a political one,” he said.
Dr. Yousef Arefi, professor and researcher said, “By his leadership, Martyr Mazari could impress people. Mazari was able to lead the Hazara people. He was able to build political capacity and power from a community which had been subjected to wrath and rejected society. Martyr Mazari knew the problems of the Afghan people and sought scientific and practical solutions. Mazari’s talk of ethnicity was a testament to his insight and deep understanding of the Afghan people.”
“In a country like Afghanistan, with many ethnicities and religious thoughts, forming a government faces many challenges,” Dr. Arefi further stated.
“Martyr Mazari’s whole effort was to achieve justice and the peaceful coexistence of the Afghan people,” he said.
At the end of the conference, stating that the resistance is not only armed, Hojat al-Islam Shiva said, “There is also cultural and political resistance in our literature. Martyr Mazari’s views can be used at the national and regional levels. Because some Arab countries have similar problems to us.”
“Our situation would have been much better if the politicians had been in harmony,” Shiva added.
“There are 10,500 clerics and tens of thousands of university graduates in Afghanistan, we need to coordinate and cooperate with their enormous capacity,” he said in another part of his speech.