Press Release
Controlling the Employees’ Money is a Great Injustice
(Translated)

Media sources reported that the Fakhfakh government is preparing to issue a decree authorizing the deduction of a working day from employee wages during the month of April, under the pretext of mobilizing resources to face the repercussions of the Coronavirus epidemic. This decision comes at a time when people suffer from high prices and a terrible deterioration in purchasing power, on the other hand, the government announced the increase in the price of drinking water, and the Minister of Finance announced the government's full commitment to relieving the debt; and its amount this year is nearly 12 billion dollars. In a completely reversible process, where the people of the country should be the top priority to be provided with adequate food and health care, and where any increase or other financial commitment is supposed to be postponed, but how can an agent government make sovereign decisions?

Whenever the Prime Minister wants, he comes to us repeating that Tunisia's resources are scarce, as a prelude by which he justifies his unjust floundering policies but refuses to pay attention to the looted funds estimated to be in the billions, accumulated in the accounts of the corrupt agents of Ben Ali. He acts blind to the fortunes that the colonial companies loot to deprive the Tunisians of huge funds they are in desperate need of today, and it does not occur to the Prime Minister to reduce the expenses of some ministries that are not needed, or the privileges of their supreme framework. Or transfer the money allocated for recreational activities that are tampering with in order to confront the epidemic, instead of all this, the government of Al-Fakhfakh can only find pockets of employees who are overburdened by the flames of prices, to carry them humiliating dependencies and miserable options, that cause the reduction of their money unjustly. It is Al-Bakhs (reduction) that Allah (swt) says:

[وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءهُمْ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ] “...and reduce not the things that are due to the people, and do not commit mischief in the land, causing corruption.”

O People of Tunisia:

Allah (swt) forbade the state to take people's money for falsehood and considered it an injustice and oppression, and called it maks (extra tax).

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: «لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ صَاحِبُ مَكْسٍ» “One who wrongfully takes an extra tax (sahib maks) will not enter Paradise.”

O People of Tunisia:

The Islamic State is not allowed to take people's money except for what Allah Almighty ordered. The Messenger of Allah (saw) says:

«لَا يَحِلُّ مَالُ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ إلَّا بِطِيبِ نَفْسٍ مِنْهُ» “It is not permissible to take the money of a Muslim except if he is fully content.” Therefore, the state is responsible for caring for the affairs of the people with dignified care and is responsible for securing the country's wealth and public money to provide the necessary funding, if it does what it must, and then it was unable to find the necessary resources in an emergency, such as an earthquake or an epidemic. The Shariah permitted the Khalifah (Caliph) to impose on the Muslims a tax taken from the excess of their money if the amount in Bayt ul-Maal (State Treasury) was insufficient after exhausting the capacity to collect from expected places.

Retrieving your money from the looting companies and corrupt capital is sufficient today to mobilize the state treasury, without the need to impose taxes and withhold wages, and it is a decision that cannot be taken by a government subject to Western powers. This requires us all to deal with matters radically by establishing a Khilafah Rashida (righteous caliphate) on the method of the Prophethood that unites Muslims and governs them under the Shariah law of Allah, and protects you from the evil of pandemics and evils and thus you will be:

[خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ] “the best of people ever raised-up for mankind.”

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Tunisia