Sayid Qutb: a teorização do fascismo islâmico

Sayid Qutb é o teórico principal do fascismo islâmico contemporâneo. Nasceu no Egipto em 1906, foi professor e crítico literário no início da sua carreira e fez um mestrado no Colorado entre 1948 e 1950. Chocado tanto com a liberdade sexual como com a segregação racial que observara nos EUA, aderiu à Irmandade Muçulmana (que fora fundada em 1922 por Hasan Al-Bana) após regressar ao Egipto. Posteriormente, foi preso em 1954 por envolvimento numa tentativa de assassinar Nasser, e enforcado em 1966. Entretanto, escrevera na prisão as obras mais influentes nas correntes jihadistas actuais: Milestones e In the Shade of the Quran.

Transcrevo de seguida alguns excertos sgnificativos de Milestones.

• «It is therefore necessary that Islam's theoretical foundation-belief-materialize in the form of an organized and active group from the very beginning. It is necessary that this group separate itself from the jahili society, becoming independent and distinct from the active and organized jahili society whose aim is to block Islam. The center of this new group should be a new leadership, the leadership which first came in the person of the Prophet-peace be on him- himself, and after him was delegated to those who strove for bringing people back to God's sovereignty, His authority and His laws. A person who bears witness that there is no deity except God and that Muhammad is God's Messenger should cut off his relationship of loyalty from the jahili society, which he has forsaken, and from jahili leadership, whether it be in the guise of priests, magicians or astrologers, or in the form of political, social or economic leadership, as was the case of the Quraish in the time of the Prophet-peace be on him. He will have to give his complete loyalty to the new Islamic movement and to the Muslim leadership.
• Islam, then, is the only Divine way of life which brings out the noblest human characteristics, developing and using them for the construction of human society. Islam has remained unique in this respect to this day. Those who deviate from this system and want some other system, whether it be based on nationalism, color and race, class struggle, or similar corrupt theories, are truly enemies of mankind!
• Islam provides a legal basis for the relationship of the Muslim community with other groups, as is clear from the quotation from Zad al-Mitad. This legal formulation is based on the principle that Islam - that is, submission to God-is a universal Message which the whole of mankind should accept or make peace with. No political system or material power should put hindrances in the way of preaching Islam. It should leave every individual free to accept or reject it, and if someone wants to accept it, it should not prevent him or fight against him. If someone does this, then it is the duty of Islam to fight him until either he is killed or until he declares his submission.»

O ponto central do pensamento de Qutb é que o único regime político legítimo é o Califado. Todos os outros regimes baseiam-se em leis feitas pelos homens e são, portanto, imperfeitos, injustos e ilegítimos. Teorizou sobre a necessidade de formar células militantes que ajudassem a restaurar o califado. Lendo as linhas acima, nota-se que o apelo à formação dessas unidades se aproxima, pelo ascetismo, de algumas «seitas». O termo Jahiliyyah referia-se originalmente ao estado de ignorância anterior ao Islão, mas Qutb aplicava-o às sociedades muçulmanas suas contemporâneas, o que significa que as considerava tão pervertidas que nem deveriam ser consideradas islâmicas.

Um dos irmãos de Sayd Qutb, Mohamad Qutb, foi professor de Estudos Islâmicos na Arábia Saudita, onde teve como aluno Al-Zawahiri, o braço direito de Bin Laden.