I read an article titled "The Population Explosion and the Possibilities of Control" published in Al-Ahram newspaper on Friday, January 2, 1970. I would not be exaggerating if I described this article as insightful in its ideas, profound in its perspective, and filled with facts worthy of respect.

A number of Muslim preachers and religious scholars were drawn to this article because, in my view, it reflects ideas I have previously written about and stood by. The majority of Muslims saw these ideas as the true expression of their religion and way of life, though some disputed them—God knows their motives!

After some good introductions about the population problem, the writer states: "To explain population growth by factors other than economic underdevelopment—or to attribute this growth to other causes, such as the dominance of sexual instinct, the influence of religions that encourage reproduction, or indifference to progress—falls into the realm of scientific deception!"

He derived this honest conclusion from a series of scientific and social observations that are highly commendable.

I admired how he criticized the fabricated pessimistic outcries periodically sent out by a group of imitators of American statistical methods—partial in data but sweeping in judgment. These methods serve a specific political agenda, promoted by certain American opinion leaders who claim that the world is heading toward an "irreversible catastrophe" due to excessive population growth.

This growth, they argue, stems from the fact that Third World countries—home to dozens of developing (or, in their terms, "backward") nations—have failed to curb their "sexual appetites" and have not heeded the American delegate’s call for "family planning" or birth control, which he deemed the only solution to the population problem.

Some American opinion leaders have even openly advocated the use of coercion to limit the numerical superiority of the "lower ranks of humanity" (!) to prevent them from pushing the "higher ranks" backward.

Since birth rates have remained nearly constant for decades, the alarming population growth, unfortunately, arises from lower mortality rates due to improved healthcare worldwide.

The Solution?

According to the elite of Western culture, the answer is not to combat diseases among starving populations but to let illnesses ravage these "surplus" generations. Flooding a struggling economy with hungry children, they argue, would lead to disaster.

But how can such an approach be described?
It is presented as a "humane" and natural course of action (!), as it helps nature "select the fittest and preserve the strongest."

In fact, this approach aligns with the highest achievements of human thought—didn’t Plato say in The Republic that "every child born beyond the necessary number should be killed"? And haven’t we already exceeded that "necessary number"?

Following this Western logic, Dr. White Stevens, a sociology expert, predicts that Doomsday will occur on November 13, 2026, when global famine will wipe out everyone. This brilliant doctor arrived at this date through sociological calculations—not astrology!

Based on this statistical frenzy, Americans call for forced sterilization, strict birth control policies, and even urge the United Nations to take measures to reduce birth rates among Arabs, Blacks, Indians, and other Third World populations—the majority of the global poor.

The article’s author, Mr. Kamal El-Sayed, notes several critical points:

• The U.S. spends $70 billion on military equipment.
• Its monopolistic corporations exploit Third World nations with unprecedented greed, leaving no room for mercy toward the starving masses.

He quotes a common saying in South America: "Five of its people die of hunger every minute, while American companies operating there make 5,000everyminute—that’s5,000everyminute—that’s1,000 per corpse!"

Though the writer seems left-leaning, we recognize that U.S. aid is insincere and malicious in intent. While children may receive small amounts of milk and cheese, their societies remain permanently trapped in poverty, forever dependent on such handouts.

Point Four programs distribute consumer goods only to underdeveloped nations, strangely refusing to help industrialize these regions or empower them to utilize their own resources.

As if the peoples of the "Third World" (as they are called) must remain perpetually handicapped, incapable of developing their own expertise.

And then, they are told: "Forced sterilization is a duty, and birth control is an obligation—otherwise, Doomsday will come in so many years!"

Some narrow-minded individuals take this rhetoric and spread panic, warning of impending doom. If we try to reason with them, they dismiss us as "reactionaries ignorant of sociology’s conclusions and the inevitable apocalypse caused by overpopulation!"

The Core Issue

Is it true that Third World countries cannot sustain their populations, leaving no room for more mouths to feed and bodies to clothe?

This is the great lie that colonialism amplifies to deafening levels!

The Third World is overflowing with resources that could sustain many times its current population—but these resources require visionary minds and capable hands.

If these oppressed nations were governed by honest leadership that:

• Awakened dormant talents,
• Combated lethargy and weakness,
• Mobilized resources and capabilities,
• Prevented oppression and extravagance,
• And shielded national interests from all forms of colonialism—

Then these nations would live in prosperity that even the West would envy!

The problem is not economic, as the deceitful colonialists and their parrot-like followers claim.

Poverty is a poverty of morals and abilities—not of resources or potential!

• Why should a newborn be a consumer rather than a worker, a burden rather than a contributor?
• Why should humanity view these new generations as a source of anxiety rather than hope?

If the material and intellectual efforts spent on killing or preventing these lives were instead directed toward correcting social errors and reforming misguided mentalities, it would be far more rational and purposeful!

But greedy, selfish colonialism wants to devour everything for itself alone. Worse still, it blocks every reform that could improve conditions, ensuring that its flawed logic remains unchallenged.

The underdevelopment of the Third World is neither eternal nor inevitable. Europeans and Americans were far worse off just a few centuries ago—superstition rotted their minds, and diseases ravaged their bodies.

Yet they climbed the ladder of progress while others declined or only began their journey toward civilization. There is no justification for scheming against them or gloating over their struggles.

"You [yourselves] were like that before; then Allah conferred His favor upon you." (An-Nisa 4:94)

All that is needed is a change in the conditions affecting societies. As the poet Al-Mutanabbi said: "There is a place where dignity grows, and a place where humiliation grows. There is a place that awakens the mind, and a place that puts it to sleep."

The delusional alarmists who scream:
"Stop the rabbit-like breeding, or Doomsday will come!"
or
"Control births so the nation can progress!"—

They do not realize that the Third World will not progress even if it loses nine-tenths of its population, as long as its psychological and intellectual conditions remain stagnant.

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• The book “Qatha'if al-Haqq” by Sheikh Muhammad al-Ghazali.