Sayyid Qutb's Critiques of Capitalism and Communism

This assignment delves into the political and philosophical thought of Sayyid Qutb, focusing on his criticisms of both capitalism and communism. Students are asked to analyze Qutb's rationale for rejecting these systems and how his views reflect his understanding of human nature. The assignment also examines Qutb's support for Donald Trump, considering whether it aligns with conservative ideologies.

Running head: POLITICS
Politics
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Q. 1. How do Whitlam and Blair differ in their attitudes to public services?
Answer: Mr. Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of United Kingdom had expressed his
opinions about the public services and the ways in which the labor party could prove their point
to establish the idealism and realism together and make a strong impact on the minds of the
people of England (Rentoul 2013). He opined that they were more interested in introducing the
market to the people. They thought that the private sector would do everything right and they
presented themselves as the ‘neo-Cons’ rather than promoting peace after the 9/11 incident. They
had created the NHS that opened a huge opportunity for public services and mixed their idealism
with realism.
On the contrary, Whitlam has expressed his own experiences and views about the public
services (Haynes 2015). He has said that their ambition was to build a good government in
Australia. They had the national responsibility of the aborigines on their shoulders and give them
an opportunity to earn their livelihood. He expressed his view that he resolved to examine the
barriers that were put up against the Labor reform and also achieve greatness by the Constitution.
The urban and rural development, industrial relations and the reforms have to be implemented
and the benefits have to be done in terms of the public services effectively (Haynes 2015).
Q. 2. What is Millett’s definition of political relations? Why does she argue that gender
relations are political?
Answer: Kate Millett has thought over the power and political relations over many times and she
has found that power and politics is determined by the races, castes, classes and sexes. This is the
defining scenario for the political relations (Gilpin 2016). She has exclaimed that the political
relationship roots from controlling a collectivity, generally defined by birth over another

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collectivity which is also defined by birth. One of the historic elements that have remained
constant is gender or sex. The sexual differences mean a lot in the struggle for power. Many
oppressive situations are created when the race for controlling the political regimes are offered
(Gilpin 2016). The racism in gender biasness has a massive role to play on who is going to
control the power. This society, being a patriarchal one, has always favored the male
representatives on the chair rather than the female counterparts.
The sex or gender is really very critical and influential in the time of gaining the political
powers and developing effective political relations (Connell 2014). The conventions in the
struggle for power politics have determined the positions of the status quo of women in the
society. The concept of herrschaft or dominance and sub ordinance in the social structure has
always remained an effective measure in the control for power.
Q.3. How do Okin and Nasbaum differ in their application of liberalism to religious belief?
Answer: Multiculturalism is a phenomenon that has been present in the assimilation of the
minority cultures with the majority of cultures. This thing is applied when the indigenous,
aboriginals, religiously minor people try to assimilate into the major culture. The experts have
said that this highlights the cultural differences and has become of an oppressive culture in the
recent times (Laborde 2013). Another important problem that has been recognized and noticed
that of the polygamy as it is concerned with the women. The other problem that was noticed as
well that of the Magrbin girls in France in the late 1980s. The problem was regarding wearing
the traditional Muslim headscarves known as the proper attire for post pubescent young woman.

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The multicultural demands for the flexibility in the society have to be accepted and
diversity has to be respected rather than this cultural imperialism (Kraidy 2017). The women of
the African origin regarded polygamy as one barely tolerable and inescapable thing in the
society. They had to sacrifice their rights and surrender to these social and multicultural
prejudices that affected their individuality and demeaned their respect. The situations arrived that
the flats were overcrowded with their wives and there were no spaces left. This gave birth to
hostility and violence among them (Laborde 2013).
On the contrary to Okin, Nasbaum has established her views as well. Feminism is one of
the most burning in the society that has been dominant from the earlier times to the modern
times. Nassbaum has argued that religion is something that does not give any special value to the
human minds and lives rather it is considered to be a pile of superstitions (Malachowski 2013).
Various questions have arisen in terms of religion and the feminist implications in the society.
These include the question for the Jewish God to be a male or a female one and the sexist origins
of the Islamic religion. It has been found that Islam does not believe in idol worshipping so there
are no questions about its God being a male or a female. The religious movements in the USA
are the Abolitionism and U.S. Civil rights movement (Malachowski 2013).
It has been observed in this context that most of the feminists have been religious
throughout. The sayings from one of the leading feminist persons in the developing world can be
considered because she tried to make her country free from the oppressions of the colonial
oppressors. The debates have arisen around the importance of the women equality rights in the
religious works. The congregation in Chicago in 1859 had revealed that no inequality should be
made between the male and female worshippers. However, the discriminations are made in this
developed world and focus must be on eliminating this practice.

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Q. 4. Why does Hayek argue that ‘social justice’ is a meaningless concept?
Answer: Hayek has argued that social justice is a meaningless conception and it rises from
individual action. He has taken the concept of the market economy in the society and has come to
the conclusion that it has no meaning at all (Lister 2013). It is almost the same meaning as of social
freedom. Social justice or social freedom can be regarded as a collected version of the freedom and
justice. Social accountability has to be matched with the social freedom. Collective punishment can
be associated with this concept as well. If all the villagers are punished for the crime done by one of
them, it is definitely not fair. This is completely an unfair mean. These concepts have no logic and
therefore, Hayek has discarded them saying it is a meaningless concept (Lister 2013).
Q.5. What are Qutb’s criticisms of capitalism and communism? What do they reveal
about his theory of human nature?
Answer: The author of the Sayyid Qutb was born in an Islam family and he suffered from many
uncertainties as he had to search for the actual foundations of Islam. He had been very much
influenced from the Marxist Socialism and he continued to write about for a long period of time
(Schumpeter 2013). He went on to criticize Capitalism of the West and focused on the fact that men
should not be influenced by the greed of money and he should follow the social norms very
effectively. He also focused on the influence of the exploitation and abuse by the private capital and
wealth that is the main source of capitalism (Schumpeter 2013).
This reveals about the human nature that human nature is generally driven by greed and they
should learn to control it by deploying some means of communism and thinking of the ‘proletariat’
people who are the oppressed and deprived section of the society.

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Q.6. What is his rationale for supporting Donald Trump? Is it a conservative one?
Answer: In this rationale of his, he has supported Donald Trump to become the President of the
U.S.A. he has opined that the critical period that U.S.A is going through, must be solved at a certain
point of time. This will further prove the fact that U.S.A needs to adopt some strategies and Donald
Trump is the only person at the moment who can solve this matter. He has slammed Hillary Clinton
and Barrack Obama as well for their viewpoint to reform the great country (Lakoff 2016).
He has definitely not supported the conservative thoughts as they represent a sense of
hypocrisy in their activities and supporting the status quo of the country. This will be very much in
connection with the backward policies that had been adopted by the previous government like tax
deductions and other such things (Lakoff 2016). This is why Donald Trump is the best person to
vote for at this critical point of time.

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References
Connell, R.W., 2014. Gender and power: Society, the person and sexual politics. John Wiley &
Sons.
Gilpin, R., 2016. The political economy of international relations. Princeton University Press.
Haynes, P., 2015. Managing complexity in the public services. Routledge.
Kraidy, M., 2017. Hybridity, or the cultural logic of globalization. Temple University Press.
Laborde, C., 2013. Political liberalism and religion: On separation and establishment. Journal of
political philosophy, 21(1), pp.67-86.
Lakoff, G., 2016. Why Trump?. Huffington Post blog, March, 3.
Lister, A., 2013. The “mirage” of social justice: Hayek against (and for) Rawls. Critical
Review, 25(3-4), pp.409-444.
Malachowski, A. ed., 2013. The Cambridge companion to pragmatism. Cambridge University
Press.
Rentoul, J., 2013. Tony Blair: prime minister. Faber & Faber.
Schumpeter, J.A., 2013. Capitalism, socialism and democracy. Routledge.

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