'Freedom' has become a magical word, creating an image of a person free from restrictions, independent in their decisions, and in control of their choices. Rather, does this person really exist? Or is this image a fictional idea, created in the rooms of modern Western philosophy, presented as the only measure of dignity and freedom?
We are not trying to downplay the value of freedom, as we understand it to be one of the noblest goals of humanity. However, freedom cannot be understood outside its moral and existential context. The West, which introduced the concept of freedom to the world as a key part of its modern project, is the same West that has turned freedom into a tool of control, control over people, consciousness, and over the self. What is called the 'free human being' in liberal societies today is really just a monitored, programmed individual, shaped by algorithms and influenced by the media and advertising, with their existence confined to predefined behavioral patterns.
In the Qur'anic perspective, freedom does not begin with the individual; it begins with liberation from servitude to anything other than Allah, Almighty. It is a spiritual and ethical state that can only be attained through self-purification and awareness, before it becomes a legal right or a social privilege. It is freedom from the inside, before it is freedom from external constraints.
In this introduction, we begin our discussion with three main points. The first, we analyze the concept of freedom in Western philosophy. The second, we look at the hidden ways control is exercised in its name in the world today; and finally, we explore the Islamic understanding of freedom as a moral liberation from all forms of servitude, except servitude to Allah, Almighty, alone.
This independence led to the emergence of various forms of intellectual and social servitude that accompanied the development of societies, indicating that despite its rational aspirations, modernity has resulted in new crises.
In this context, we chose to address the crisis of justice and freedom, by discussing Robert Nozick’s project on the "Minimal State" that protects individual rights without moral transgressions or violations of rights, and Amartya Sen's project, which sees freedom as essential for development and achieving justice, with the capabilities approach as a means to empower individuals.
We also clarify the position of Alija Izetbegović, viewing it as an attempt to overcome the crisis of justice and ethics through a framework that integrates religion and ethics, rejecting a legal system based solely on interests. The paper concludes that true justice can only be built on religious and ethical foundations that preserve human dignity and free individuals from all forms of enslavement.
Based on this question, the concept of the illusory and deceptive freedom, advocated and promoted by savage capitalist materialist liberalism, was defined. This freedom is based on the principles of individualism, self-love, as well as the desire for material possession and unlimited consumption. Furthermore, the tools of media control, artificial intelligence, and technological dominance, predominantly held and controlled by the United States, were described. Through these tools, the U.S. promotes and imposes its model, sometimes through enticement and at other times through intimidation.
Subsequently, the concept of true freedom was defined, one that is founded on a balance between the material and the spiritual, and grounded in ethical and human values. This model is endorsed by the Abrahamic religions, particularly Islam, where the guiding principle for all individual or collective conduct is the boundaries set by Allah, Almighty.
Through both classical and contemporary examples and experiments, it shows that the freedom practiced in the contemporary neoliberal context is, for the most part, an illusory freedom, used as a tool to reproduce compliance, obedience, and the erosion of critical consciousness.
The article also discusses the psychological and social implications of this phenomenon, examining how authority legitimizes itself and weakens individuals' capacity for resistance. In contrast, the article proposes several strategies for resisting this illusion and promoting authentic freedom, based on critical education, reclaiming language, fostering individual-group alliances, questioning technology, as well as the role of religious institutions and global solidarity.
This research paper examines both the current and future impacts of artificial intelligence on the values of freedom, rationality, and the rule of law, contributing to the efforts of academics, policymakers, and concerned citizens who, in recent years, have endeavored, albeit unsuccessfully, to raise awareness regarding the necessity of engaging in a substantive debate about our technological future. Therefore, this article integrates both theoretical analysis and practical guidance.
However, it could also end up becoming an unsettling feature, enabling privacy violations, shrinking civil liberties, and increasing the control of both the state and corporations.
Consequently, privacy has become one of the most vulnerable concepts in the age of artificial intelligence, where 'surveillance' is no longer just a tool used in exceptional cases, such as crises or emergencies, but has become a central element in our daily lives.
The concept has expanded to include "technological surveillance" and "cyber control," which are subtle forms of surveillance that rely on reshaping behavior and choices through algorithms.
This study attempts to answer many of the questions raised, such as: How do technological surveillance and cyber control systems affect the concepts of privacy and freedom in the artificial intelligence age? Can we develop alternative models that promote technological justice?
It also relies on a critical analytical approach, and preliminary results show that privacy is no longer a right that can be violated, but rather a structure that is formulated from within, through technologies that exercise "soft power" that influences individuals' consciousness and behavior.
This study offers an analysis of freedom within the Islamic context, drawing upon religious texts, philosophical heritage, and jurisprudential traditions, with the aim of revealing Islam’s perspective on freedom as a balanced human value. The study begins by establishing the linguistic and legal foundations of the concept of freedom. Linguistically, it is defined as liberation from impurities, while in the legal sense; it is understood as the emancipation of the individual from false forms of servitude, whether material, such as despotism and enslavement, or spiritual such as desires and passions. Religious texts, such as the Qur'an and Hadith, emphasize that true freedom is realized through exclusive servitude to Allah, Almighty, making it a moral responsibility rather than merely a right that can be forfeited. The study also discusses the philosophical foundations of freedom in Islamic thought, such as the monotheistic vision and philosophical psychology. Muslim philosophers believe that freedom stems from the mind's control over desires and instincts.
It also reviews the jurisprudential applications of freedom, such as the right to property and the limits of obedience, emphasizing their controls that maintain a balance between the individual and society.
The author deconstructs the dominant Western narrative surrounding what has been referred to as the "Arab Spring," demonstrating how this narrative reproduces traditional Orientalist patterns that view the Arab world through a rigid, backward, and authoritarian lens, imposing ready-made concepts such as democracy and modernity upon it.
The author argues that portraying the revolutions as a unified democratic wave disregards the economic, social, and cultural differences between the countries and reduces complex phenomena to a binary of "despotism/freedom" or "tradition/modernity." She also highlights how Western discourse enlists symbols such as women or technology (smartphones, social media) to support this modernist framework.
The study is based on the concept of Orientalism as developed by Edward Said and calls for a reconsideration of these narratives in favor of more realistic readings that are aware of the contexts of power and knowledge. It also shows how concepts such as "Eastern despotism" and "modernity" are used to justify Western political and military interventions.
The reader might assume that this is an Islamic characteristic, due to the rising role of political Islam groups in the public sphere, especially since the mid-1940s and continuing to the present day.
Lebanon's society was not exempt from using religious discourse to achieve social interests. In fact, it can be considered the main testing ground for political, social, and security theories, due to its diverse components. The Maronites, as one of the key social groups, were among the first to adopt religious discourse as a tool for achieving political goals. The position of the Maronite Patriarchate played a central role in the establishment of the current Lebanese state, where spiritual, doctrinal, and historical heritage was used in both the state-building process and the struggle for independence. As a result, social and religious discourses became intertwined, and the leader of the Maronite Church emerged as not only a spiritual leader but also the social and political leader of the community, alongside his primary pastoral duties.
software, information, and information exchange in various forms and locations, to a means for governments to dominate and large corporations to control. This transformation impedes the freedom of expression and places people's digital communications under surveillance, control, and manipulation, which could create significant barriers to the freedom and democracy of societies.
The author, Julian Assange, the founder of the famous WikiLeaks website and the broadcaster of controversial leaks and secrets that shook the world, along with three human rights activists (from Germany, the US, and France) in the field of communications and digital knowledge, warns of this dangerous shift. He proposes a solution through a compilation of discussions about the internet, the importance of freedom of expression, the nature of government, and other controversial topics. Assange suggests practical, scientific solutions, advocating for digital encryption as one of the most important tools to combat government overreach, which has become like an electronic pirate attacking the free flow of information. His goal is to create an ideal world free from state control and the influence of large corporations, by establishing new platforms that cannot be accessed by surveillance and creating a free space for exchanging ideas and information, free from any authoritative control.
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