Western democracy prioritizes individual freedom above religious and social constraints.

It includes various forms such as political, personal, and social freedoms, rooted in secular principles.

Covers freedom of belief, thought, preferences, and association without harming others.

Absolute freedom can lead to misuse of power and is often influenced by interests and powerful groups.

Unrestricted expression of opinions and ideologies can lead to societal conflicts and challenges.

The concept of freedom in Western democracy transcends everything; there are no religious texts or social norms that stand in the way of personal freedom. For them, freedom means that a person can do whatever they desire without restriction or condition, and that they can work to achieve their own interest, or what they believe is their interest, seeking benefit for themselves.

Sources of Freedom in Western Democracy

The democratic system defines freedom in all its forms, such as political freedom, which means that the people govern themselves or choose their rulers freely; personal freedom; freedom of opinion; freedom of assembly and association; freedom of religious belief; freedom of education; and other personal and social freedoms.

Western democratic system's vision

The Western democratic system's vision of freedom is based on the principles established by secular thought regarding the concept of freedom and its purpose. British philosopher John Stuart Mill asserts that an individual enjoys absolute freedom and can do as they please, without anyone intervening in their affairs or life. The individual alone is responsible for themselves and is the most entitled person to be the guardian of their own conditions—be they physical, mental, material, or moral. It is not permissible to force an individual to perform any task or refrain from any task, claiming that such performance or abstention is in their interest or leads to their benefit or brings them good and happiness, especially when, in the view of others, it is deemed to be the exact truth.

 The Aspects of Freedom Include:

**First**: The sanctities of consciences and the depths of inner thoughts, which necessitates freedom of belief in its broadest sense, freedom of thought, feeling, and the freedom of opinions and inclinations in all matters and discussions—whether practical or scientific, material or moral, religious or worldly.

 Second : Freedom of tastes and preferences; meaning that we are granted freedom to take the paths in life that align with our natures, and do as we wish, provided we bear the consequences that follow. No one should object to this from among our peers, nor should there be any obstacles from them as long as our actions do not inflict any harm upon them, even if in their view, it is evidence of folly or foolishness.

 Third: From that freedom restricted to the individual, there arises the freedom for individuals to unite and cooperate on any matter that does not harm others, as long as those gathering are adults and mature, and have not been coerced or deceived into the assembly. Any community that does not generally respect these freedoms cannot be justifiably described as free, regardless of its governmental form. Furthermore, any society lacking these freedoms in a full, unblemished, and pure manner is not entirely free. This is what the foundational theories of freedom in the Western democratic system dictate.

 A Critical Perspective on Freedom in Western Democracy

Western theories establish the concept of absolute freedom, which is unencumbered by religious texts or social norms. However, this freedom leads to chaos, wherein every individual believes they are free to do whatever they wish and legislate as they please to achieve two objectives: one being power and control, and the second being interest and benefit.

For example, the wealthy may legislate for usury and monopoly, the powerful for tyranny, and those driven by desire may legislate for vice. Furthermore, Western freedom does not adhere to fixed values; rather, it is subject to interests and whims. Consequently, this freedom does not align with truth but instead stands alongside capitalists and influential pressure groups, particularly Zionist groups with their vast political and media influence.

The Satanic Verses

In 1988, after the publication of the book "The Satanic Verses," Muslims in Britain attempted to use the law banning blasphemy against the author Salman Rushdie, but they failed; because the law only punishes blasphemy against Christian sanctities; thus, Salman Rushdie was not violating any British laws when he insulted Islamic sanctities.

In contrast, we see a tremendous success for the political and media influence of Jewish lobbying groups and Zionist organizations. In France, in January 1998, Roger Garaudy was tried for his book "The Foundational Myths of Israeli Politics," and he was fined $20,000. The situation did not end there; Garaudy received several death threats over the phone, libraries that sold his books were attacked until they ceased to do so, and the publisher of the book was physically assaulted, and his library was looted. What value does freedom of thought hold if it exposes its bearer to pressure and terror?!

Additionally, freedom in Western democracy allows for the expression of any opinion, the publication of any ideology, and the promotion of any thought, even if it involves disavowing the homeland, denying God and His messengers, attacking the laws, ethics, and customs of the nation, and ridiculing the principles upon which family and social life is built, without regard for those nations' rights to respect their laws and sanctities. There are many examples of this, such as the criminalization of minarets in Switzerland, and the violation of the sacredness of others through words, images, and offensive films, as happened in Denmark in 2005 and in America in 2012.

The Values of beliefs

This indicates that Western thought is based on elevating its own value while belittling and diminishing the values and beliefs of others under the guise of freedom. Absolute capitalist freedom is merely a ready weapon in their hands that paves the way for them and clears a path to glory and wealth at the expense of others.

Wishes without Restrictions

As for personal freedom, for them it means that a person can pursue their desires and whims, eat what they wish, and do as they please without restrictions or order; this is not freedom, but pure chaos that leads all individuals to ruin. Furthermore, a person who is controlled by their desires and succumbs to their instincts is actually devoid of freedom; they have become a slave to their desires, a captive of their instincts, unable to free themselves from them, to the point of losing their mind and depriving themselves of dignity, yet they claim afterwards that they are free.

Dr. Muhammad Imara states: “And if it is said that freedom consists of not interfering with anyone in their private matters; we say: this is a regression to animalism, and an exit from the limits of humanity. However, true freedom is the demand for rights while respecting limits.”

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(1) Liberty: John Stuart Mill, Translation: Taha Al-Seba'i, pp. 17-21.

(2) Religion and Politics: Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, p. 60.

(3) Freedom of Expression in the West: From Salman Rushdie to Roger Garaudy: Sharif Abdel Azim, p. 9.

(4) Our Economy: Dr. Muhammad Baqir Al-Sadr, p. 375.

(5) Islam in the Face of Challenges: Dr. Muhammad Imara, p. 23.

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Soft power has posed a significant danger to historical facts, Arab and Islamic identity, and the origins and history of nations. American cinema, in particular, has contributed to solidifying the meanings of intellectual occupation, using "Hollywood" and its stars to change fixed concepts. Many dramatic films have been written that played with history and attempted to appeal to the audience to present a different image of the Zionist reality since the inception of the Zionist movement, as well as to improve the Jewish narrative from before Christ in an attempt to connect the Jews of the past with the Jews of the present to impose rights that do not belong to them and a history that is not theirs.

One of the most prominent American production companies that contributed to the service of Zionist thought is the "American Cannon" company.⁾¹⁾ Among its dubious productions are the films "Eight After One," "The Hole," "The Exit," "She," "The Shadow of the Giant," "Independence Day," and other films devoted to defending Zionist thought.

And even today, despite the daily massacres by the Zionist entity in Gaza and Rafah, the trade of alleged persecution throughout history is still ongoing, especially at the Berlin Festival. One of the most famous films related to this historical genre is 'Schindler's List' directed by Steven Spielberg.⁽²⁾

A dubious Zionist cinematic history.

Zionism used the idea of cinema since its spread at the beginning of the last century. One of the most important ideas that were presented and for which prior plans and a substantial amount of spending were allocated was the idea of the right of return and the old homeland. The West responded to the idea of creating an alternative and artificial homeland for the Jews, gathering them from the diaspora and implanting them in Palestine to protect Western colonial interests in Arab and Muslim lands.

Then came "Sykes-Picot," which significantly contributed to the fragmentation of the Arab homeland and facilitated the process of its occupation and the implantation of the entity within it. The most important companies in Hollywood were established to serve this idea and work artistically and subtly to impose the notion of a land without a people, for a people without a homeland. American cinema, in particular, was active in two stages: the first before the establishment of the entity, aiming to create the state, and the second aimed at consolidating the so-called state.⁽³⁾

The deceptive means to achieve the first goal was to market the Nazi persecution of Jews in Europe, in addition to the Holocaust, which was exaggerated and inflated, with many events being claimed before and during World War II (1938-1945). This persecution was considered a justification for Europe to unite in finding a solution in an alternative homeland for these persecuted individuals.

In the second phase, the Arab-Jewish wars were used to portray Arabs as a people of rabble, chaos, racism, and terrorism, while depicting Jews as a peaceful people with a historical right to the land and status. Jewish cinema managed to excel and promote its unjust cause, while the rightful Arab and Muslim owners were lagging behind in using soft power in general. Arab arts were limited to presenting aspects that were not concerned with the history or future of the nation. This was further aided by the Jews' control over the art market in its early stages, their influence on Arab production companies, and their ability to conceal their identities by changing their Jewish names to Arabic ones to avoid being rejected in Arab societies as actors, producers, and directors.

Film 'The Return of the Mummy' and the Search for Identity.

The film "The Mummy Returns"⁽⁴⁾ was shown in the Arab countries after its release in America and Europe. This film promoted the idea that Jews were the ones who built the pyramids, claiming they were slaves under the Egyptian pharaoh. The scenes in the film depicted Egyptians as a group of savage, ignorant, and superficial people. Despite the power of the mummy, the Star of David was portrayed as the only defense against the mummy's wrath, due to the star's supernatural power and ability to protect those who believe in and carry it. The mummy ultimately submits to the Jewish character and takes him as a friend and assistant. Although the mummy refers to the Jew as merely her servant, the initial implication for the viewer is that the Jews are the true origin of the matter, and that they are the rightful heirs to that civilization, even if they are depicted in the film as mere servants who have suffered oppression and injustice.

Similarly, to that film and the use of implicit and indirect messages, Zionist cinema has followed this approach. As we previously mentioned, the control of Zionists over production companies was not limited to American production companies, but also included production companies with Arabic names, some of which carried Islamic names, especially during the 1950s and 1960s. Examples of these artists of Jewish descent who conveyed the Jewish message through their films include the Egyptian artist Omar Sharif, or Michel Chalhoub.⁽⁵⁾ In his latest French film "Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Qur'an," he plays the role of a Muslim merchant who has no goals in life and no ambitions in his simple trade, except for his concern for a Jewish boy whom he adopts in a humanitarian way to help solve the many problems resulting from the absence of his "wronged" father, who suffered from depression due to the persecution he faced as a Jew. The boy is driven to theft, but the man lets him go out of sympathy. Their relationship then develops after the Jewish boy steals the Muslim man's trade, creating a sense of moral responsibility between the Muslim and the child, who was forced by circumstances to steal from the man and seize his business. This sends a clear message about a deep normalization process and acceptance of the status quo, even showing empathy for the favored Jew.

Jewish cinematic attempts to distort Islam

The idea of cultural normalization and imposing a Jewish reality on the world did not overshadow the call for a Zionist homeland. Attempts to directly distort Islam through cinema largely failed, although some of those attempts succeeded to a significant extent. In 1926, Dawad Arifi, of Turkish Jewish origin and interested in cinema and art, came to Egypt. He wanted to produce a film about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), aiming to portray the character of the Prophet. He presented the idea to the Egyptian actor Youssef Wahbi, but he rejected the idea outright. When King Fuad learned of this, he issued an order for Arifi's expulsion from Egypt, and the Egyptian Ministry of Interior completely rejected the idea.

However, Arifi claimed to be Muslim and approached a production company owned by one of the Egyptian actresses, Fatima Rushdi, to present several questionable films that touch on religion and foundational concepts, but under Islamic Arab titles such as the film "The Call of God." Thus, some Jews managed to infiltrate Arab cinema and produce films that were able to create a public consciousness contrary to Islamic values and Arab traditions. Arifi was not the only name that succeeded in infiltrating the depths of our country and artistically distorting the awareness of its masses; rather, the Zionist control over Arab cinema was the foundation.

After those horrifying facts about the Zionist artistic history - which is but a tiny part of those facts - Muslim businessmen and institutions concerned with Islamic thought must pause to reflect on the issue of artistic production and engage in the film industry to create alternatives and confront corrupt ideas with correct thought. Especially since the Islamic artistic concept has succeeded greatly through a series of Turkish historical series such as "Resurrection: Ertugrul," "Ottoman," "Saladin," and others that have gained unprecedented popularity and success, to the extent that one of them occupies the top ratings globally. This matter deserves attention after a long history of collusion and conspiracy.

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Sources :

1. An American company that produces some of the most influential films in Hollywood's history, known later for Cannon Films, produced a number of action and romantic movies whose profits went to founders "Israeli," namely: Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.
2. "Schindler's List" is an American film produced in 1993, directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the book "Schindler's List" (also known as "Schindler's Ark") by Thomas Keneally. The film tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a German Christian industrialist who saved 1,100 Polish Jews from being murdered during the Holocaust in World War II.

The film won 7 Oscars out of 12 nominations, ranked ninth on the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 films of all time, and placed sixth on the Internet Movie Database's rating of the top 250 films in history.

3. The Cinema and Zionist Media by Samir Farid, with modifications.
4. The Mummy Returns: an American adventure film produced in 2001, written and directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velasquez, and Arnold Vosloo.

The film is a continuation of the events of the movie "The Mummy," which was produced in 1999, set in 1926. The film "The Mummy Returns" continues the story in 1933 (one year after the original "The Mummy" was released in American theaters in 1932). The film was shot in the United Kingdom, Morocco, and Jordan.

5. Omar Sharif (his original name was Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub), (1350 - 1436 AH / 1932-2015 AD) was an Egyptian actor who participated in many films in Hollywood. Among his most famous roles are starring in films such as "Doctor Zhivago," "The Pink Panther," and "Lawrence of Arabia." Sharif was nominated for an Oscar and won 3 Golden Globe Awards, as well as a César Award.

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