Here an interview de Path of Perfection, a label and a distro promoting Hardline. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PATH OF PERFECTION RECORDS // Rebel Music Web www.pathofperfectionrecords.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Can you present your label? what kind of music you produce, and what kind of artists you support (and why)? Bismillah. First we'd like to thank you for your interest and for the opportunity to present Path Of Perfection and everything for which it stands for. Path Of Perfection is a collective of activists formed from the political vegan straight edge hardore scene. Having been involved for more than a decade with the this underground alternative scene, we realized that the lack of both new individuals and collectives should in a way a reflection of an absolute inexistence of vehicles and possibilities to promote this lifestyle the way it needs. This is due to the misrepresentation of this lifestyle by both people who claim adherence to it and also by outsiders who spread lies about both this lifestyle and people living it, creating an invisible curtain that keeps people outside from knowing what it truly is and also keeps people inside alienated from the real world and the real struggles. On the other hand we couldn't possibly rely on the existing projects to fully represent ourselves, because most are based on the ideological principal of atheism, something that we vehemently oppose and from which we abstain. We believe in the One that created the Universe and the Natural Order, and we submit to Him alone. We oppose the notion that revolution and social change has anything to do with atheism, as a matter of fact any link between atheism and revolution is historically irrelevant. There's countless examples throughout history of revolutionary freedom fighters who submitted to the One, and only a western middle-class white dominated scene would want you to think different. Even-though the activist movements exist as a reaction and refusal to the corruptive power dominating the world today, in which we'll surely find those of the Roman Church, that has absolutely nothing to do with the basic belief in the Creator and in submitting to Him alone. With this in mind, we aim to promote effectively this lifestyle by every means we possibly can, as long as it makes sense altogether with our system of beliefs. We place a great significance in alternative literature, that's why we run a distro in Path Of Perfection. We also put out music records and promote music artists, but this has everything to do with the message that we're trying to promote and nothing to do with music alone or the music business. As you can read on our website, we have no hope in any art forms controlled by corporations and made to fit corporate interests, that's why we put our own records out and that's why place no great significance in making money with the music we put out. All the money is used to continuing buy more books, more zines, helping other collectives and political prisoners, and ultimately make, insh'Allah, some lasting, real, and significant change in communities and societies at large. We do and will insh'Allah, promote any kind of music that we see fit, from hip-hop to hardcore, and any kind of artists for that matter, as long as it helps to define better and strengthen the message we promote. This require us to be very careful in supporting any given artist or message, in order to make sure that everyone understands and supports the same exact concepts in which our system of beliefs is defined. To believe there is One Creator, be actively anti-capitalist and oppose the torture and exploitation of humans and animals, are just basic start points that are never ignored when there's a chance to promote or not, someone or something. 2. You promote an hardline kind of life, can you present this? We are muslims, and we follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). Islam is to us the basic foundation of life, and the higher level of natural living that humans can aspire to achieve in this life, so that is the only lifestyle that we promote as a whole. Obviously, we identify ourselves with the essence of what the hardline ideology is, and with what the lifestyle based on the strict following of its conditions should be, but we see it as nothing more than an evolutionary step that will lead undoubtedly, should people embrace it truthfully, to the path of the Prophets established since the beginning of times. Hardline did merge the most complete set of conditions and philosophies that have for hundreds of years been kept apart, used individually by different groups that sought to bring social and environmental justice to their local communities and some even to the whole world, but that failed due to being, in one way or another, flawed in their approach and incoherent to what it takes to be a true revolutionary. We had groups such as those of the black liberation movement, like the Black Panthers, or those of the anti-imperialist movement, like The Weatherman Underground, that had so much potential but were flawed by drug consumption and weak morals of some of the activists, that made it possible for the government to infiltrate them and explore their weaknesses and ultimately dismantle them. We're not condemning any activists, in fact, the groups we've just mentioned, were two of the most influential for us as individuals and as a collective. This is meant only to serve as an example that we should learn from, an example of how the struggle must not be dealt with individually, but as a whole, and how doing otherwise will put in risk the whole movement, by giving a chance to the enemy of exploring the flaws and weaknesses of each different group. On the other hand, today we find ourselves surrounded in the underground revolutionary movements with false and misleading notions of atheistic beliefs, as somehow connected to the true revolutionary spirit. Atheism related to revolution is something that exists, with questionable historical significance, only very recently in world history. The idea that human beings are only material and that life has been the result of random events, as hold by atheists, is leading cause to the modern capitalist notion that people should indulge in unnatural, sick and immoral behavior simply to satisfy their cravings for animal flesh, sexual gratification and material luxury, because there's no Higher purpose for this life and no Higher laws to determine what's good from bad, acceptable from unacceptable. We believe that this understanding has nothing to do with perfect natural balance, and will not lead us to ultimate lasting revolution, that will establish that perfection of the beginning of creation. Human beings are material and spiritual, and like all other animals, are connected and are part of a natural balance that is submitted itself to the natural laws of our Creator, the Most Merciful. To deny that is to affirm that human being's lives are meaningless and that true happiness is possible merely with material achievements, which is the very same notion held by capitalism and other destructive ideologies. The struggle should be for the liberation of all, including ourselves. Activists should all be disciplined and understand that there is no strength in doing drugs, engaging in immoral and promiscuous behavior, supporting commerce and big business, maintain racist, nationalist or specicist points of view and lifestyles, etc. To a certain extent, that's what we feel Hardline has accomplished, merging most of these aspects within its ideology, and that's what we think we should learn from it. That's possibly the closest we have come in the underground revolutionary movements, to the true revolutionary path of the Prophets, from Adam (a.s.) to Noah (a.s.), from Abraham(a.s.) to Moses (a.s.) and from Jesus (a.s.) to Muhammad (s.a.w.). But ultimately Hardline is nothing, if people don't evolve to the path of the Prophets, and reenact the basic natural human condition of submission to the Divine, as told by the Prophets. Everything we aim to promote today as been promoted and practiced by Prophets before, from environmental to social justice, from human to animal liberation, and it is in their examples that we find the perfect balance between spiritual and material. Revolution has a purpose within a bigger purpose for all beings, to make everyone free to worship the Creator and live peacefully and in harmony with all our surroundings.    3. Muslim and vegan, is this possible? For example, it is the time of the aïd el kebir, how do you manage it? AThroughout history, proof has been documented showing that the struggle for the liberation of all, was indeed one of the greatest challenges human beings were facing, and for that matter we can also learn from the example of the Prophets, eventhough our time and place is different and a lot of things have obviously changed. Still, we'll just need to go over a few examples to understand how being compassionate towards every part of Allah's creation is very important, and part of the inherent characteristics a good muslim should have. The Qur'an clearly says that animals are worthy of kind treatment and respect, like other humans, for they also have a purpose of life just like we do, despite the fact that we humans might find it hard to understand how could that be, Allah (s.w.t.) knows best. "And there is no animal that walks upon the earth nor a bird that flies with its two wings but (they are) communities like yourselves; We have not neglected anything in the Book, then to their Lord shall they be gathered." (6:38) We must bare in mind that these powerful words were revealed more than 14 centuries ago, when not even all human beings were treated with respect let alone animals, where people lived in extreme conditions of poverty, where few were educated, but despite all that, still the treatment offered to animals was addressed by Allah (s.w.t.) and there is no doubt of what it means. However this doesn't mean people should become vegetarian, nor could it mean really. This wouldn't make any sense to tell these people, whose survival depended almost exclusively on animals, on a area that is in great part desert with little cultivable soil, to stop eating meat. The idea remains though, if you don't need animals to ensure your survival, like most of us who live in western capitalist countries, there's absolutely no need to eat animals, and anything other than abstaining from every product that's the result of animal suffering is against this premise. If you really have to kill animals to ensure your survival, like those men and women in the time of revelations did, you still have no excuse to treat them bad, and for those people, the Qur'an gave instructions on how to do it, and states beyond doubt that, if you feel you must kill an animal, let it be for a good reason only, like means of survival, and understand how important the life you're taking is, and mention the name of Allah (s.w.t.), for only He has the power of giving and taking life. No good muslim will mention Allah's (s.w.t.) name in vain, or before committing an act of random cruelty and brutality. Muslims follow the Qur'an, our Holy Book, and the Sunnah, which is the tradition of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). Muslims look up to the perfect example of the Prophet, the best muslim there was and there will ever be, insh'Allah, and for this matter and relevantly enough, we find that the Prophet himself ate meat only on very rare occasions. So, not only did NOT the Qur'an encourage people to eat meat, but also we find in the Sunnah of our Prophet that, despite the fact that the surviving conditions were extremely difficult and that it depended greatly on animals, the consumption of meat was very occasional, and this was the example that the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) gave to all muslims.   Regarding the Eid ul-Adha, it's important that people understand what it is inherent to being a muslim and what it is not. There are 5 pillars in Islam and that's what makes one a muslim, NOT animal sacrifices. When the Qur'an was revealed more than 1400 years ago, like we just mentioned earlier, a lot of things were extremely different from what they are today, and so there are parts in the Book that deal with specific situations of that time and place that don't exist today, and it's an error to not interpret those words, at the light of what we know things were in that time and place. At that time, animal sacrifices were really common, both as a tribute to the gods in Arab pagan rituals, etc, and also used by Jews and Christians to please the One True God and ask for forgiveness for their sins. In this matter, Islam moved away from this practices and placed all emphasis in the voluntary submission and devotion to Allah (s.w.t.) alone as the only sacrifice He wants from us. The Qur'an does not encourage directly in any verse the sacrifice of animals, but acknowledges the fact that it is a gesture of great piety and good will to thank and please Allah (s.w.t.), and it's obvious that it is indeed a gesture of great piety, because people were really poor and were willing to offer whatever means of survival they had to praise and thank the Creator. Allah (s.w.t.) says in the Qur'an: "It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah (swt). It is your piety that reaches Him. He has subdued them for you, that you may show your appreciation by glorifying Allah (swt) for guiding you. Give good news to the charitable. (22:37) It is clear in the Qur'an that the sacrifice of animals is not what's important to Allah (s.w.t.) and it's not the kind of sacrifice He wants us to offer. Animal sacrifices are mentioned in the Qur'an because it happened during that time, like so many things that are mentioned that happened and that no longer exist today. For many reasons though, mostly cultural, animal sacrifice remained a practice almost institutionalized for muslims, but there are some social reasons as well and the fact is, Eid ul-Adha is possibly the greatest celebration event of feeding the poor in every community worldwide, and this is amazingly relevant, in a world where millions of people starve to death. However, we muslims must adapt to what we know today, in our time and place, as taught in the Qur'an, and there are certainly better compassionate options to help feeding the poor, and stop neglecting what the Qur'an says and what the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) himself taught, compassion and respect towards all life. Remember in the Qur'an: "The seven heavens declare His glory and the earth (too), and those who are in them; and there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification; surely He is Forbearing, Forgiving." (17:44) We don't thing being vegan is the right option for every person in the world, because certainly there are people living in different geographical conditions where animals are their only means of survival, but, it is the right option for all of us living in western capitalist societies, in this extreme environment of tremendous disrespect and violation of innocent life, where an entire lifestyle is based on cruel practices towards animals and humans, and that is absolutely Haram for us muslims, and we should abstain from it. Therefore, being vegan is an absolutely possible choice for muslims, it is in fact, in complete agreement with the Universal message of Allah (s.w.t.) taught by the Prophets before, based on the same idea of compassion in which, for example, the vegetarianism of Jesus (a.s.) and the Essenes was based. 4. What is the future of path of perfection records? Well, we're now promoting the S-1 "Uma Única Verdade" Mixtape that came out a while ago and that has been kept us busy for now, but insh'Allah, in the upcoming months we'll be putting out a new release, by Duelo which is a militant vegan hiphop group from Portugal, that consists of S-1 and Gaia. We have a new artist joining Path Of Perfection and recording already his debut album but we'll keep that on a low for now until the time is right, insh'Allah. With the distro, we're currently on the process of getting a lot of new literature so that on the upcoming shows we have already our stall filled with new stuff, since for the moment being we almost all of the books sold out. We're hoping to continue releasing some more newsletters to keep people inside of what's going on plus insh'Allah, we'll be putting out a more like a book/zine written by us addressing the different aspects of a global revolution from a muslim perspective. We'd like to thank you once again for this opportunity and for being so patient during the time it took us to finally answer this, insh'Allah it was worthwhile.