I know that addressing this issue is not what many people would like to hear or read about. Simply, many of us don’t feel comfortable indulging in this topic. However, considering that the modern governments operate indispensably on secrecy, espionage, informality, lack of transparency, and on massive propaganda – which is disinformation, lies, and distraction through information, we should not shy away from knowing about this unholy aspect of our governments. No matter how much we try to ignore it, it is there and it affects all of us, directly or indirectly.
By comparison, the Quran speaks extensively about the unseen, the devils among humans and jinn – creatures which are invisible to us, and the Satan – the one who disobeyed God when ordered to honor Adam. Whether one refuses to believe in such things or not, the Quran doesn’t shy away from talking about a reality which exists, which is created for a wisdom, and which affects people. While we might disagree on the existence of the Satan, we must agree on the existence of secrecy, espionage, and the informally operational aspect of our modern governments.
I would define the modern espionage as a methodology of governing and controlling and ruling people, not simply as an operational technique of gathering information. The modern espionage is not one group of ‘good’ guys trying to eliminate another one of ‘bad’ guys. It is not us vs. them. It is not a country against another one. It is not America against Russia or China. It is not simply spying on our phones, emails, talks, discussions, notes, and plans, even though this is the logistical part which makes the modern espionage more dangerous and special.
The modern espionage is about controlling you and me, controlling all of us, controlling the American people and the Russians, Muslims and Christians, black and white, men and women. The modern espionage has been transformed into a system, into a lifestyle, into a way of thinking and a mindset, into a culture. It is so rampant and so widespread among us that we fail to identify it.
Again, the modern espionage is merely the informal way of controlling people. It is not about formality, badges, IDs, and fantastic missions as in “Mission: Impossible.” No! By dividing people into antagonist groups and countries, governments justify the espionage and massive recruitment of people, as it happened during the Cold War or on the war against the Islamic Terrorism. However, the main objective of governments is merely to control people themselves.
A spy or someone who cooperates secretly with the government could be anyone: a coworker, a teacher, a professor, a judge, a spouse, a parent, a family member, a minister, a minister’s spouse, and their unholy mission is to affect others on behalf of the government. This is very dangerous because all people end up as ‘spies’ and all of us are the target at the same time.
Sabri Lushi
