A recently published list of corruption at government level named Finland as the least corrupt country in the world. Bangladesh was top of the list as the most corrupt country. Where did Saudi Arabia rank? It was 43 out of a total of 135 countries surveyed.
The position which the Kingdom finds itself, in my view, should be taken seriously by all of us — government officials, public and private employees, businessmen, and every citizen. It should drive us to work harder with our top priority being to push Finland from its position as the least corrupt country in the world.
We should settle for nothing less than occupying Finland’s place. In order to do so, however, we must first learn how the Finns landed at the top and what propelled them into first place. First of all, a country which is the least corrupt must be virtually free of such evils as bribery, cheating, nepotism, cronyism, hypocrisy and many others. It should in fact be a society of justice, equality, solidarity and brotherhood.
Our country is the cradle of Islam and home to the Two Holy Mosques: the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. Its charter is the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah which paved the way for people to live righteous lives. Our religion preaches good manners and warns against all that is evil; it is strict in the protection of rights. The first thing that humans will be asked to answer for on the Day of Judgment is the violation of others’ rights. Even animals will be subjected to this divine law.
Islam is a comprehensive way of life and teaches its followers everything required for them to lead a good life in this world and win God’s reward in the next. These are the values our religion stands for. Why then does the Kingdom not occupy a leading position on that list?
We have only ourselves to blame since the faults lie with us. If there is a lesson to be drawn here, it is that something is terribly wrong with our conduct, both when we deal with ourselves and when we deal with others. Our real position should be the one occupied by Finland. There is no excuse why we, as Muslims, should not lead the world.
