Press Release
Russia Is a Colonial Power and a Historical Enemy of Islam and Muslims; Signing a Military-Technical Agreement with It Is Alarming
(Translated)

On the sidelines of the Moscow International Security Forum, an agreement on military and technical cooperation was signed between the Government of Afghanistan and the Russian Federation, in the presence of Afghanistan’s Minister of Defense and the Secretary of Russia’s Security Council. However, the details, scope, and precise content of this agreement have not yet been made available to the public in a transparent manner.

We believe that any cooperation in sensitive military and technical fields must take place with due consideration for the rulings of Sharia, the interests of the Islamic Ummah, the comprehensive independence of Afghanistan, and the historical experiences of the Muslim people of this land, lest Afghanistan be turned into an arena of competition among the great powers.

In reality, in the historical memory of the Muslim people of Afghanistan and the Islamic Ummah, Russia is not merely an ordinary state. Russia is one of the colonial and hostile powers whose name remains associated, in the memory of Muslims in Afghanistan and across the world, with coups, occupation, bombardments, and millions of victims. From its role in weakening the Ottoman Caliphate and participating in the fragmentation of Muslim lands, to its domination over vast parts of Central Asia and the Caucasus, its occupation of Afghanistan, its bloody suppression of the Muslims of Chechnya, and its support for dictatorial regimes in the Islamic world, all of these form part of Russia’s dark record. This country’s direct military intervention in Al-Sham and its support for the regime of Bashar al-Assad, alongside the expansion of its influence in a number of Muslim lands in Africa, also demonstrate that Russia’s foreign policy remains rooted in securing colonial interests and expanding its sphere of influence.

Therefore, the Islamic Ummah must exercise serious vigilance and political piety in expanding relations with such a power, especially in sensitive military and technical fields, and must act with insight, caution, and foresight. The great powers—whether Russia, America, China, or others—shape their foreign policies around colonial interests and the expansion of their own influence. Therefore, the Muslim and mujahid people and rulers of Afghanistan must not allow foreign relations and cooperation to gradually turn into instruments for influencing their political, military, and strategic decisions.

It is a Sharia principle that both the manner of acquiring political, economic, and military resources must be based upon Islam, and that these resources must also be employed in pursuit of Sharia objectives. On this basis, the use of military resources is legitimate only for preserving and maintaining the Islamic State, manifesting Islam globally, and supporting the oppressed—not for securing national interests. Islam teaches Muslims to seek their true honor, strength, and security in adherence to the rulings of Allah (swt); in the intellectual, political, and geographical unity of the Muslim Ummah; in the independence of political will; and in reliance upon the capacities of Muslims themselves.

The Ummah can attain such a position, and can make proper and effective use of its intellectual, political, military, and economic resources, as well as its trained and capable cadres, only when it achieves political and geographical unity under the umbrella of the Second Rightly Guided Caliphate (Khilafah Rashidah). In the absence of such unity, the immense capacities of the Ummah remain scattered and ineffective. The result of this fragmentation is that Muslims, despite possessing abundant resources, skilled human capital, and strategic locations, become dependent on others.

[وَلَنْ يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا]

“And never will Allah grant the disbelievers a way over the believers.” [Surah An-Nisāʾ: 141]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Afghanistan