Refutation of the Capitalist Western Thought by Hizb Ut Tahrir

The distinct foundational basis of capitalism is the adoption of the idea of freedom of private ownership. That adoption is itself the result of the adoption of the idea of individual freedom. Since the capitalist ideology is based on the idea of freedom, with its individualism, the most important aspect of freedom of the individual is the freedom to possess whatever he wants, however he desires. Freedom of ownership is amongst the sanctities of Capitalism. According to their view, it is therefore mandatory to open the doors to possessing and developing wealth for individuals, by limiting state intervention, formulating laws that are mandatory in the protection of freedom. The legislation of Western laws is in origin to recognize individual private ownership of all the means of production, making the state responsible for protecting that freedom. The state is not to legislate any laws that would nullify that freedom, whilst restricting freedom only to the extent necessary to protect the freedom of others.

This is the original capitalist philosophy towards private property. However, the reality is that private property has developed over time from individual property alone, to the property of both individuals and groups, as limited property, in their words. This transformation occurred as a result of capitalists scrambling for profit, production and development of capital wealth. Capitalism is no longer defining the freedom of individuals in ownership alone. Instead, Capitalism now ensures freedom of both the individual and a group or collective to possess. This is because industrial and technological developments imposed a new model of competitive economy. It led to multiplication in the volume of capital wealth and investment. This in turn imposed the necessity of owning the megaprojects, of huge capital investment by groups, as companies, such as joint stock companies, rather than a single individual. Capitalism also imposed state intervention, extending its role to fund and invest in many capitalist nations, to serve the goals of the so-called welfare state. This development indicates the fictional vision and invalidity of the capitalist economy. This is due to its contradiction to the origins upon which it was built, whose characteristic was the distinct characteristic of capitalism.

The idea of freedom of private ownership of all things is invalid in itself for two reasons:

Firstly, freedom of private ownership will inevitably lead to the concentration of the means of production, in the hands of a few individuals and groups. Freedom of private ownership ensures the concentration of wealth in the hands of a small capitalist class. It is this capitalist class which dominates the nation’s economy, by becoming the authority working to subjugate the political authority to its will, making the state a mere tool to serve its interests.

This is the reality of what is actually witnessed in capitalist nations.

Secondly, determining the type of ownership is related to the economic resources themselves and the economic system’s view towards the distribution of wealth. This is because wealth includes what is, and what is not, to be privatized. Since capitalism basically means the increase and development of wealth, it does not mean the distribution of wealth. Capitalism asserts that all economic resources are to be privatized. This is wrong, because economic equity in any of the societies necessitates differentiation in types of ownership, thereby distributing wealth and preventing the concentration of wealth within groups. Moreover, taking care of the rights of groups mandates a certain type of ownership of public utilities, such as minerals and energy. Accordingly, the fact is that properties must not to be limited to private property alone. Instead, they are to be actually differentiated into private property, public property and state property. Each of these three divisions are distinct in Islam, unlike Capitalism and Socialism, which testifies to the greatness of the Islamic economic system. It is the only system that is capable of organizing the affairs of humans to ensure their basic needs, achieving their true well-being.