Introduction

Moral degeneration leads to social collapse affecting especially the youth.

In the world we live in a problem exists that is threatening social peace and harmony in every nation big or small: moral degeneration. In other words, people have forsaken moral qualities like being good, righteous, honest, forgiving, just, compassionate and honourable, in exchange for immorality and have chosen amorality as a life philosophy. How this problem (at the bottom of which lies egotism, greed, ruthlessness and carelessness) will be solved represents one of the biggest issues of the twenty-first century.

Actually, many people are aware of the existence of this problem without having a solution for it. Family values are championed in most countries as an important source of morality and there are efforts being made to protect the young, who are the most affected section of society, from decadence.

Education projects, seminars and campaigns, run by either the state or various non-governmental organizations aim to curb the effect of moral degeneration. However, these efforts have mostly failed to have a lasting effect. Moral degeneration is gaining momentum by the day because solutions are being sought in the wrong places and therefore these efforts end up in a vicious circle.

The most important reason for this vicious circle is that those groups or individuals seeking to combat decadence fail to appreciate the degree to which it is being purposely encouraged and directed. The common view, which is true to some extent, that moral degeneration is an inevitable occurrence caused by the bad living conditions prevailing in society, does not provide a clear picture in relation to the causes and solutions to the problem because it fails to take into account a fundamental reality. It views social collapse as an independent phenomenon governed by its own internal processes, whereas the moral degeneration experienced in many countries of the world is deliberately directed and supported by a powerful body of people held together by a complex network of intricate relations and nefarious connections. These people use every means of propaganda, which is particularly effective in societies where spiritual values are weak and where lifestyles are not underpinned by religious morality. It even manages to infiltrate state bureaucracies (some Latin American countries present a shocking example of this as will be seen in the chapters to follow).

Debasement in the sight of God and a severe punishment will strike those who did wrong for the plots that they concocted. (Qur'an, 6: 124)

This powerful network consists of hundreds even thousands of people of all nations, languages and professions connected to one another by greed. Apart from relationships based on illegal or immoral gains, the common characteristics of the members of this group are their animosity towards religious values, their perverse philosophy and their corrupt way of life. It is possible to liken this large community to a clan which has been dispersed to the four corners of the earth. The dictionary definition of the word clan is either a group of people of common ancestry or, without having necessarily biological bonds, a group of people adhering to one totem accepted as the symbol of the group. The famous anthropologist and sociologist L.H. Morgan says in his book Ancient Society that we find an example of clan life in the existing bond between chiefs and members within the clan and in matters of wars, feuds and the sharing and communal working of the land.1 Research reveals that each clan has its own specific rules and taboos. The French historian Georges Dumézil says in one of his articles on totems and clans that each clan has its own secret taboos, unknown to the other clans and that what may be sacred in one may be unimportant and of no consequence in another.2 The word clan defines this community which stands at the forefront of moral degeneration, very well.

The most important feature of a clan is the solidarity between its members. Even if the clan members live in different places, the bonds linking them are rock solid. They have a spirit of unity and solidarity and they protect and defend one another under all circumstances, but it needs to be stated that this solidarity is based on self-interest. The importance of the clan's protection is described in various sources as follows:

… The principle maxim is the clan/tribe not the individual as well as in matters of land, food, commerce, taboos, law, water resources, hunting grounds etc… At the head of the clan is "Big Man." He is the clan's most experienced individual, the best hunter, the best warrior… He is obeyed and respected but clan decisions are taken communally between the clan members… Against an external enemy, clans unite quickly and resist as one body…3

The purpose behind choosing the term "dark clan" is to convey the sense of a web-like structure with offshoots in every country, orchestrating the moral degeneration of today's world. Even though it presents itself as highly modern, its structural design is reminiscent of the historical totemic clans. This dark clan is to be found behind all kinds of despicable deeds, corruption and perversion. It controls drug-trafficking operations, prostitution rings and promotes immorality. The members of this clan manage to portray themselves in a positive light through their collaborators in the media. They enjoy the de facto protection of their collaborators in the security forces and succeed in using the law to their own advantage through their collaborators in departments of justice. They also display a powerful unity against those perceived as enemies. Their greatest enemies are the believers who want to destroy their corrupt business networks, who struggle to make morality, harmony and justice dominant in the world and who strive tirelessly on the ideological battlefield to bring seriousness of the situation to people's attention.

In order to better understand this it is useful to remind ourselves of the situation of some Latin American countries. The corruption and social collapse experienced there is a consequence of the clan's activities. Another notable feature of those countries is the clan's constant determination to undermine the church in its support for devoted Christians, innocent people and those who stand up to its tyranny. This is an important indicator of the dark clan's attitude towards people who live according to religious morality.

Say: 'As for those who are astray, let the All-Merciful prolong their term until they see what they were promised, whether it be the punishment or the Hour. Then they will know who is in the worse position and has the weaker troops.' (Qur'an, 19: 75) When you see them, their outward form appeals to you, and if they speak you listen to what they say. But they are like propped-up planks of wood. They imagine every cry to be against them... (Qur'an, 63: 4)

Another important fact to bear in mind when reading this book is that the dark clan is not a structure emerging from recent history. There always were and always will be, until the Day of Judgment, clan-like organizations and units orchestrating evil, diverting people to denial and degeneration, creating chaos and anarchy and destroying harmony and security. The battle between good and evil has been fought throughout history. Opposite every believer communicating God's religion and virtue, there always stood a similar group, labouring to undermine the believers and to prevent the spread of morality. This is a reality God revealed to us in the Qur'an. It is possible that the Qur'anic expression, "ruling elite of society" (7:88) indicates the people who are the brains behind these clans (God knows best). In the chapter of the Qur'an entitled Al-An'am, 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)

God reveals the unifying force bringing them together:

… The satans inspire their friends to dispute with you… (Qur'an, 6: 121)

It is Satan who brings the dark clan together, organises them against the believers and determines their strategy. However, Satan and his adherents are definitely doomed in the end. God says in the Qur'an:

Say to those who disbelieve: 'You will be overwhelmed and crowded into Hell. What an evil resting-place!' (Qur'an, 3: 12)