The Economic System of Islam — Page 121
121 grandeur. It is this attitude that frustrates the spirit of equality. This incident also suggests that the notion of equality itself has undergone change over time, and a new class of rich is emerging that is rooted in the power and influence within the Communist Party. In short, inequality persists in the Soviet Union, but its form has changed. While reviewing the manuscript for the speech, I came across a piece of news relating to the absence of equality in Russia. I reproduce it below because it throws light on the subject and lends support to my assessment. It was reported by the Canberra correspondent of ‘The Sun’, a well-known Australian newspaper, that the Australian Ambassador to Russia gave a statement before a parliamentary party during his holidays in which he stated: 1. A new class of wealthy people is emerging in Russia because the influential members of the Communist Party as well as those considered technical experts get far better treatment than ordinary people. 2. In restaurants the food served is graded into five classes, tickets for which can be obtained according to party influ- ence or the nature of a person’s job. 3. In consequence, the difference among individuals is as evi- dent today as it was during Czarist Russia. 4. While in other countries the black market is run by the shadier segments of society, in Russia it is in the hands of the authorities themselves. 5. As a consequence, important people can obtain whatever they wish, while the ordinary labourer has to do without many necessities of life.