Sometimes slavery (thralldom) disguises itself in the garment of freedom. It then appears as breaking away from all restrictions, traditions and customs. It appears as removal from all human responsibilities in this life.
There is an essential difference between breaking the shackles of humiliation, pressure and weakness, and breaking those of humanity and its related responsibilities. The first means real freedom, while the second means giving up basic factors of humanity that release man from heavy animalism.
It is a false freedom because it is nothing but submissiveness and thralldom to ruffian desires and animalism. Humanity spent centuries on Earth struggling against those bestial desires to get rid of their choking shackles and move into human liberty.
Why does humanity feel ashamed of showing its physical needs? That is because it feels by nature that man’s elevation, despite his urgent needs, is the fundamental definition of humanity. Moreover, breaking away from the shackles of those needs is true freedom. That is because overcoming urges of flesh and blood, and defeating fears of weakness and humiliation, assert the true meaning of humanity!
Sayyed Qutb (a late Egyptian intellectual)
Translated by: Amany el-Morshidy
