The lesson of Tunisia: Is not Islam more important than earning one's living?

The events accelerated in Tunisia this month after the incident of the university graduate (Muhammad Bou `Azizi) who set fire in his body after all decent ways of life were blocked before him. He was humiliated while earning his living and after he had gone to complain about oppression and as soon as he entered the governmental department, he was suddenly attacked by an arrogant female clerk slapping him on the face! He went out after his mind stopped thinking and set fire in himself, may Allah forgive him. By setting fire in his body, he set fire in the body of all Tunisia: a revolution that caused the tyrant regime of Tunisia to fall after it had ruled for more than 20 years.

The regime remained a long time fighting Islam, preventing all features of religiousness, oppressing people, stifling freedoms, and practicing, in its prisons, the worst kinds of torture that cannot be done by the most predatory monsters. May Allah keep him dispraised and fugitive for the rest of his life in order to taste the bitterness of his arrogance and criminality, and may Allah (may he be praised and glorified) curse him until the Day of Recompense.

We stand before this calamitous event to draw attentions to the following facts:

First, freedom and insurgency against injustice and tyranny must be instilled within the Muslim peoples as a sole right and one of the most important duties ordained by its religion and the demands of its humanity.

Second, subjugation, tyranny, and oppression will end "And those who do wrong will come to know by what overturning they will be overturned." There is a great lesson in the humiliation of (Bin Ali) who ran away and escaped Tunisia for those who are heedful and a great lesson that the people are able to reckon the criminals if they united their powers and word.

Third, the responsibility of scholars, people of opinion, and callers to Islam in submitting demands for the sake of (the glory of the religion), in order to be (the reference of Islam), and (the status of the Islamic Shari`ah) more important than (earning one's living) taking into account the importance of that demand and the deformity of subjugating and humiliating man for his life demands.

This requires (promoting awareness and education) of the people because religiousness is a natural necessity, divine obligation, and one of the most important ordinances of Shari`ah. Therefore, it is worthy that a person would sacrifice every dear and cheap for achieving it. Hence, if people are brought to understand this demand and its importance for their happiness and satisfaction of their Lord, and to guarantee their survival in the hereafter, and they were raised to its importance, courage in seeking it, and persistence to have this demand, we would have seen readiness from the Muslim peoples to sacrifice everything for that goal as the Tunisian people sacrificed and revolted for its dignity and against tyranny.

Fourth, focusing on the role of youth in the change and the huge available powers they have. So, the Islamic awakening should pay attention to embrace the youth, directing their powers, and benefiting from their huge powers which were crystal-clear in that revolution which was named "The revolution of the youth in Tunisia".

Here comes the turn of advice for scholars, truthful callers of Islam, and pioneers of change to learn the lesson and lead those youth. First, to refute the old saying: "Religion is the opium of peoples," and second to restore the role of scholars in leading peoples, and not to leave the arena free for the leftist currents and secular parties to steal the achievement and fill the gap as happened many times!