THE BATTLE TACTICS OF THE DARK CLAN

Those who prefer the life of this world to the hereafter, and bar access to the way of God, wanting to make it crooked; they are greatly misguided. (Qur'an, 14: 3)

Young people who give in to the dark clan soon become totally dependent on the clan's activities to survive and find themselves in a horrible deadend.

In the previous chapter we examined the dark clan's internal cohesion, cover-up strategies and their decadent system in some detail. We will now look at how this cohesive power manifests itself in its self-protection and defence mechanisms.

The dark clan has developed a highly comprehensive and complex defence mechanism in order to protect its existing structure, to preserve its power and to prevent potential harm. Its most important strategy consists of rendering the agent of the perceived threat ineffective or even to destroy it. At this stage it is necessary to point out that the clan regards as enemies those who stand up for spiritual and moral values and who promote good character, justice, truth and righteousness. These people and the values they fight for are one of the biggest obstacles to the continuity of the clan's murky system, hence they encourage transgression and hostility against them. However, these people courageously stand up to all the evil represented by the clan and actively expose its shady activities. Our Lord in the Qur'an reveals certain characteristics of the clan:

You see many of them rushing to wrongdoing and enmity and acquiring ill-gotten gains. What an evil thing they do! (Qur'an, 5: 62) 

Throughout history, there have been interest groups uniting in oppression, unfairness and injustice thereby causing great suffering to people. These groups have done their best to spread immorality and denial in their own era. In this verse of the Qur'an, God reveals that they have existed throughout history:
 

Did they bequeath this to each other? Indeed they are an unbridled people. (Qur'an, 51: 53) 

However, people of good character who believe in God have always opposed them bravely, with perseverance. Those who stand up to evil have been working to bring it to an end, to open the way to peace and safety. Today, the dark clan is in the forefront of evil, and just as it has always been, the ideological battle between the clan and the people of good continues. The clan is making efforts to wear down or even eliminate the faithful and conscientious representatives of spiritual values because of their determined morality. In the Qur'an, God revealed this characteristic of the dark clan in the account of how Lut's people reacted to his summons:

In this representation, people and the animals are portrayed embarking on Nuh's Arc, which God inspired Nuh to build. We sent Nuh to his people and he said, 'my people, worship God! You have no other god than him. I fear for you and punishment of a dreadful Day.' (Qur'an 7:59)

The only answer of his people was to say, "Expel them from your city! They are people who keep themselves pure!" (Qur'an, 7: 82)

As God reveals, the like of the dark clan will not take kindly to people of good character who remain pure, and who remain unimpressed by the suggestions of the clan, which considers anyone who does not adopt its own morality as a potential threat to the continuity of its system.

This historic battle is one of the reasons why the dark clan accommodates the immorality of prostitutes, fraudsters, murderers, drug dealers, arms smugglers, and all sorts of other shady people and always defends them under all circumstances. In morally degenerate societies all over the world, there are people who protect the clan in various media organisations, in the security forces and from within the justice system.

These people cover up the perversions and criminal activities of the clan and make financial gains at the same time. They are used in intrigues for the purpose of destabilising the enemy and to clear the name of the clan.
People active in the defensive mechanism are of two kinds. The first of these are the leaders who organise the corruption. They are the people who make a profit out of immorality, prostitution, drug dealing, arms smuggling, conflict and chaos and therefore promote and encourage decadence. The second group of people depend on the clan's continuity for their own existence and rely on the protection of the clan leaders. These are under the total control of the clan, obedient to their leaders, they move as directed. It is one of their responsibilities to man the frontline in the battle against the clan's enemies.

The clan, however, is unaware of one reality. Evil is doomed to defeat. Throughout history, as God reveals in the Qur'an, the struggle of the deniers has been evil and those who fight for evil have always been defeated:

The people of Nuh denied the truth before them, and the Confederates after them. Every nation planned to seize its Messenger and used false arguments to rebut the truth. So I seized them, and how was My retribution! (Qur'an, 40: 5) 

As can be seen, one of the main goals of the deniers is to obstruct the efforts of those in the service of religion. The dark clan has throughout history unjustly arrested people it deemed to be in opposition to its own system, forced them to emigrate, or even killed them.

IMPORTANT TACTICS OF THE CLAN: CONSPIRACY

Do they not know that God knows what they keep secret and what they make public? (Qur'an, 2: 77)

Conspiracy is a method often used by the dark clan against its enemies. It is a fact revealed by the Qur'an that the deniers use conspiracies against the believers. Many verses reveal that they devise plots and make plans in order to turn people from God and the morality of His religion. God says:

And likewise in every city We set up its greatest wrongdoers to plot in it. They plot against themselves alone, but they are not aware of it. (Qur'an, 6: 123)

The Qur'an further reveals that in their secret night-time meetings, the deniers devised plots and conspiracies against the believers. God says that they are "...arrogant towards it (My Signs), talking arrant nonsense all night long." (Qur'an, 23: 67) 

Another reality that God revealed is that in general nothing comes of secret meetings and discussions, other than disaster, damage to society and chaos instead of law and order (see Qur'an, 4: 114 and 58: 9-10). The meetings were held at night because they believed they were less likely to be discovered and that it would be easier to conceal what they were up to in the darkness. However, even if they were to meet in the remotest and most secret of locations known to no one but them, and even if they were to choose the darkest hour of the night, God would know every detail of their plan. Whilst they are planning against people and setting people up, God is unfolding a perfect plan that will turn theirs upside down. God says:

They try to conceal themselves from people, but they cannot conceal themselves from God. He is with them when they spend the night saying things which are not pleasing to Him. God encompasses everything they do. (Qur'an, 4: 108)

Staging conspiracies is where the clan is most successful and it is the most frequently used method when faced with the threat of danger. They make detailed plans in their secret meetings to eliminate anything considered a potential threat to themselves or their system. Then they take all the necessary precautions for the smooth running of the conspiracies they plan. To achieve their missions, they prepare false evidence if needed and act out the most incredible scenarios with the aid of false witnesses. It is not difficult for the clan leader to find the actors to play out these scenarios because there is no shortage of suitable candidates within the clan.

[Yusuf's brothers said:] "Kill Yusuf or expel him to some land so that your father will look to you alone and then you can be people who do right." One of them said, "Do not take Yusuf's life but throw him to the bottom of the well, so that some travellers may discover him, if this is something that you have to do."(Qur'an, 12: 9-10) Yusuf's brothers envied him and for this reason they attempted to kill him by throwing him down a well.

There are plenty of examples from history of Muslims against whom conspiracies were staged by the dark clan. The deniers forced the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from his home and made attempts on his life. The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was left behind in the well by his brothers as a result of their selfish desires, The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was thrown into the flames by his people, Pharaoh tried to force the Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) into submission by threats. God revealed the deniers' plots against His Messenger, the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the Qur'an:

When those who disbelieve were plotting against you to imprison you or kill you or expel you: they were plotting and God was plotting, but God is the Best of Plotters. (Qur'an, 8: 30)

There is no doubt that those who believe, who are in the service of God and engaged in ideological warfare against irreligious philosophies may come up against these kinds of conspiracy. It is God's will that the believers will have to overcome numerous tests, just as the Muslims of the past did. For all those who are genuine in their faith in God, these conspiracies are an opportunity in which there is much good for them. This is the perspective from which the Muslims see the activities of the dark clan. The believers are also very well aware of the fact that God is witness to everything and that no one can plan conspiracies outside of His knowledge or carry them out, even if they are certain about their total secrecy. God has revealed that He is the All-Knowing:

Do you not see that God knows what is in the heavens and on the earth? Three men cannot confer together secretly without Him being the fourth of them, or five without Him being the sixth of them, or fewer than that or more without Him being with them wherever they are. Then He will inform them on the Day of Rising of what they did. God has knowledge of all things. (Qur'an, 58: 7)

EXAMPLE OF A CLAN: THAMUD'S GROUP OF NINE 

Has news not reached you of those who came before you, the peoples of Nuh and 'Ad and Thamud… (Qur'an, 14: 9)

Known as the Group of Nine in the Qur'an, this gang exemplifies clan formation. God draws our attention to this clan, which existed at the time of the Prophet Salih (peace be upon him) and shows us the plot they devised against him. The one thing members of this group all had in common was their unanimity in evil. The Prophet Salih had repeatedly invited his people to believe in God, to obey God's commands and not to transgress. They did not heed his call but chose to adopt an aggressive stance against Salih instead, whose efforts to spread God's religion were perceived as a threat to their interests. Hence, they came together to plot against him. Taking the lead in this plot, the Group of Nine was one of the dark clans of the time. The Qur'an reveals this plot:

There was a group of nine men in the city causing corruption in the land and not putting things right. They said, "Let us make an oath to one another by God that we will fall on him and his family in the night and then say to his protector, 'We did not witness the destruction of his family and we are telling the truth.' " (Qur'an, 27: 48-49) 

It is truly interesting to note that they swore an oath by God in relation to their plot against Salih. This expression in the verse shows that the gang members, within their erroneous logic, either considered themselves religious or appear to have used a religious style. This fact could be pointing to the possibility today that members of the Dark Clan will claim religious credentials or even that they may camouflage their attacks on the believers in religious terminology (God knows best).

The fate of this plot by the Group of Nine was the same as all the other plots in history devised against the believers. God turned it against them. This reality proves that no plot by the dark clans succeeded in history and that none will succeed in the future. God's response appears in the Qur'an:

They hatched a plot and We hatched a plot while they were not aware. So look at the end result of all their plotting; We utterly destroyed them and their whole people! These are the ruins of their houses because of the wrong they did. There is certainly a Sign in that for people with knowledge. (Qur'an, 27: 50-52)

DEFENCE MECHANISMS OF THE CLAN: LIES AND SLANDER

Slander and lies are important weapons in the arsenal of the clan. The fact that these people are outside of religious morality causes them to lose their sense of shame and to disregard their conscience. Therefore, they do not hesitate to destroy mercilessly people who confront them and to use the most cunning tactics in order to achieve this. God reveals in the Qur'an that these people are inspired by Satan whose counsel for the clan members is to use the tactics of lies and slander. The verses say:

Shall I tell you upon whom the satans descend? They descend on every evil liar. They give them [i.e., satans] a hearing and most of them are liars. (Qur'an, 26: 221-223)

Do those who plot evil actions feel secure that God will not cause the earth to swallow them up or that a punishment will not come upon them from where they least expect? Or that He will not seize them on their travels, something they are powerless to prevent? (Qur'an, 16: 45-46)

These tactics were also adopted by the deniers of the past as revealed by the Qur'an. God has revealed some of them to us and the strategies adopted by these formations. For example, in the narrative of the Prophet Yusuf's life (peace be upon him), his brothers envied the gifts God had bestowed upon him. United in their envy they moved against him, even making an attempt on his life. The mentality and behaviour of Yusuf's brothers is an example of the dark clan's attitude and methods. The plot hatched by his brothers against Yusuf is related in the Qur'an:

In the representation below, Yusuf's brothers are pictured showing his bloodstained shirt to his father Ya'qub.

When they declared, "Why! Yusuf and his brother are dearer to our father than we are although we constitute a powerful group. Our father is clearly making a mistake. Kill Yusuf or expel him to some land so that your father will look to you alone and then you can be people who do right." (Qur'an, 12: 8-9)

The root of this envy towards Yusuf on the part of his brothers was the thought that their father loved him more than them. This made them concerned that they may lose some of their privileges and that their interests might be damaged. (This is the same great fear felt by the clan members). Faced by this prospect they made a plan of action according to their limited intellectual capacity. For their plan to succeed they had to come across to their father as trustworthy and dependable in order to get his permission to take Yusuf with them. Then they would return and say that despite having done everything they could to protect Yusuf, a wolf had killed and taken him. To make it all the more believable they didn't forget to add a piece of fabricated evidence. The verses reveal:

That night they came back to their father in tears, saying, "Father, we went out to run a race and left Yusuf together with our things and then a wolf appeared and ate him up but you are never going to believe us now, not even though we really tell the truth." They then produced his shirt with false blood on it. He said, "It is merely that your lower selves have suggested something to you which you did; but beauty lies in showing steadfastness. It is God alone Who is my Help in face of the event that you describe." (Qur'an, 12: 16-18)

After acting out this wicked scenario, they came crying to their father Ya'qub and insisted that they were telling the truth, proving their acting skills (this type of role-playing for the purpose of deceit is also common among clan members). It is impossible for people of conscience to lie convincingly, but the people used by the clan are capable of convincing themselves of these lies so that they can act out the most dramatic scenarios with authentic conviction.

Another of the clan members' qualities is the skill to fabricate evidence. Yusuf's brothers brought back his blood-stained shirt in support of their lies about the wolf killing him in the belief that this would make them more convincing. This, however, is one of the clan's biggest errors. They believe the fabrication of evidence to be effective as support for their lies and deceit. They become so absorbed in this role-play that after a little while they themselves start to believe their own lies. Even so, the truth cannot be altered, not with lies or with fake evidence in support of them. The truth must emerge.

The Muslims, on the other hand, as always in the face of these traps, put their trust in God. Yusuf in the face of the set-up against him, trusted in our Lord and God revealed to him:

… You will inform them of this deed they perpetrate at a time when they are totally unaware. (Qur'an, 12: 15)

He escaped the well his brothers had thrown him into with the help of a passing convoy of traders and eventually settled in the household of an Egyptian governor.

Another example of the dark clan's methods in the narrative of Yusuf is the trap set for him by the wife of the governor. It is an example of how the clan members can ruthlessly slander others in order to save themselves and how they are protected and minded by their supporters. The governor's wife was struck by Yusuf's handsomeness and offered herself to him, an ugly offer indeed. Yusuf refused but she became angry and slandered him. The verse says:

The woman whose house it was solicited him. She barred the doors and said, "Come over here!" He said, "God is my refuge! He is My lord and has been good to me with where I live. Those who do wrong will surely not succeed." (Qur'an, 12: 23)

When the governor found out about the incident, his wife lied and slandered Yusuf:

They raced to the door. She tore his shirt at the back. They met her husband by the door. She said, "How should a man whose intention was to harm your family be punished for what he did except with prison or painful punishment?" (Qur'an, 12: 25)

The trap set for Yusuf by this woman had other consequences too. When the word about this incident spread, she made certain that Yusuf was imprisoned in order to safeguard her own interests. Despite the evidence proving Yusuf's innocence and her guilt, the ruling elite (in other words the dark clan of that era) sent him to prison. The relevant verses say:

Giulio Romano, Rome, 1519 When Yusuf rejected advances of the governor's wife, she tore the back of his shirt. This shirt, torn from behind was an important proof of the wife's guilt.

He said, "It was she who tried to seduce me." A witness from her people then declared, "If his shirt is torn in front, she speaks the truth and he has clearly told a shameless lie. If his shirt is torn at the back, then she has lied and he has clearly told the simple truth." He saw the shirt torn at the back and said, "The source of this is women's deviousness. Without a doubt your guile is very great." (Qur'an, 12: 26-28)

Then, after they had seen the Signs, they thought that they should still imprison him for a time. (Qur'an, 12: 35)

In these verses, it is noticeable that in relation to the clan there was a serious defect in the justice system. Even though the evidence proved the innocence of the person accused, the system imprisoned him as if guilty simply because those who had made the allegations had status in that society and had made a fuss. This shows us that we must examine real evidence without being influenced by the propaganda and the fuss created by the clan when determining the truth about the guilt or innocence of the person targeted by it.

As clearly seen in the verses about Yusuf, if the Clan's interests are at risk it can activate shadowy schemes, fabricate evidence and destroy innocent people by slanderous methods. As seen in the narrative of Yusuf, it is an important tactical move to present a blameless front whilst being the aggressor. To achieve the desired effect they can shed crocodile tears, make a scene as if they were the victims or make insinuations in order to mislead the public. Their shameless and ugly daring is noticeable straight away. The source of this daring is the certainty of the support they will receive from the other clan members. As was seen in Yusuf's narrative, even though his innocence was proven against the allegations of the governor's wife, the leaders of that society had him arrested, this being in the best interest of the clan.

In the example of past societies given in the Qur'an, another of the Clan's qualities is highlighted. It is their absolute confidence in the belief that their cunning plans, immoralities and crimes will not be exposed. For example, Pharaoh, one of the most savage deniers known to history, was the foremost representative of the dark clan at that time. Pharaoh and his clan were persecuting Musa (peace be upon him) and the believers and scheming against them in the certainty that victory was theirs. The verses say the following:

Pharaoh sent marshals into the cities: 'These people are a small group and we find them irritating and we constitute a vigilant majority." (Qur'an, 26: 53-56)

But another verse states:

Or do those who do bad actions imagine they can outstrip Us? How bad their judgment is! (Qur'an, 29: 4)

It is never possible for the wicked to be victorious over the good. No matter how hard the dark clan works in order to assure its continuity and whatever shady means it resorts to, it is destined to be defeated in the end. This is God's eternal law.

THE OVERKILL STRATEGY OF THE DARK CLAN

… But those who were sure that they were going to meet God said, 'How many a small force has triumphed over a much greater one by God's permission! God is with the steadfast.' (Qur'an, 2: 249)

Occasionally members of the dark clan can find themselves face to face with events which threaten to expose their wicked way of life.

Considered to be very dangerous in cases like these, one of their most commonly used tactics is to resort to overreaction in order to save themselves. The idea being that their aggressive and exaggerated attitude will intimidate their opponent and divert attention from the real issue of their guilty or criminal activities.

For example, a clan member caught selling or buying drugs will make unfounded allegations in order to divert attention away from himself, instead of admitting his guilt and expressing remorse. Various elements of the media often play along and soon the focus comes to rest on the irrelevant allegations and slanders. The public, having been sidetracked from the real issue, forgets who the perpetrator was and discusses side issues instead. Whilst all this is taking place, the clan continues with business as usual.

Overkill can be in effect very intimidating and this is another reason for its use. One is often hesitant about taking people on who throw tantrums or display aggressive and volatile behaviour, even if they know them to be wrong and guilty. Nobody really dares to expose their lies and inconsistencies. Knowing this, the dark clan often resorts to this tactic. It would be a real surprise for members of the clan if someone were to take them on in spite of their overreactions, however, the likelihood in such a case is that rather than backing down, they would resort to even bigger lies and dirtier tricks.

The Qur'an's description of Satan's behaviour reveals the diabolical nature of this strategy. Satan too is a creature who lies, throws tantrums, provokes and confuses people with his trickery:

Do you not see that We send the satans against those who disbelieve to goad them on? (Qur'an, 19: 83)

Stir up any of them you can with your voice and rally against them your cavalry and your infantry and share with them in their children and their wealth and make them promises! The promise of Satan is nothing but delusion. (Qur'an, 17: 64)

Another example from the Qur'an are the words of Musa and Harun, who, faced with the overkill strategy of the dark clan of their time, said about Pharaoh: "Our Lord, we are afraid that he might persecute us or overstep the bounds." (Qur'an, 20: 45). This shows that the deniers join Satan and transgress.

Contrary to the dark clan and similar groups' transgressing and aggressive attitude, the behaviour of the Muslims is always moderate and balanced. Before anything else, believers trust in God and know that He is their Protector. Additionally, God commands the Muslims to be measured, just and patient, whatever the circumstances. For this reason, irrespective of the methods used by the dark clan, the believers will never respond in the same fashion. The struggle of the faithful against the dark clan will always be on an ideological platform. Such a struggle will bring about the end of the dark clan and will destroy their immoral and irreligious system.