The New World Order of Islam — Page 6
New World Order 6 rich, and the rich are rich not because God has bestowed riches upon them, but because they have unjustly appropriated to themselves what really belongs to the poor. This change in the point of view has served to add to the resentment between the classes. In the past the poor man, if he was pious, was resigned and content. If he had to pass the time in hunger and privation, he accepted his lot as proceeding from God and praised the Lord accordingly, and if he found good and sufficient food for himself and his family, he praised the Lord for his beneficence. If a poor man was not so pious, even then he resigned himself to his poverty and helplessness and said nothing. Today, the responsibility, which used to be laid at the door of God, is fastened on the shoulders of man. It is felt that the rich oppress the poor, and this feeling adds to the bitterness between class and class. At one time it was hoped that with progress in every direction, the disparities would disappear, but these hopes have not been realised. The advent of industrialism was viewed with apprehension by both sides. The rich said that the multiplication of machinery would provide large scale employment and ameliorate the lot of the workers. The workers feared that one machine would displace several men, and employment would be reduced. In spite of the increase of employment that has resulted from