Just this week, a chilling headline flashed across the news: for only the second time in history, a nation has refused to show up for its mandatory human rights review at the United Nations.
That nation was the United States.
In a move of stunning defiance, the US joined Israel as the only other country to ever snub the Universal Periodic Review – a process every single one of the 193 UN member states is required to undergo.
The official statement was dripping with self-righteousness: “we will not be lectured about our human rights record by the likes of… Venezuela, China or Sudan.”
It’s a statement that screams exceptionalism. It says: “The rules apply to everyone but us. We are the arbiters of justice, and we will not be judged.”
But this isn’t a new story. In fact, it’s one of the oldest and most dangerous games in the book of power. To understand what’s really happening, we have to travel back in time over 1,100 years, to the glittering heart of the most powerful empire on Earth.
The Time Portal
Imagine a city of a million people, a center of science, culture, and wealth that dwarfed every city in Europe. This was 10th-century Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate.
And at the heart of this empire was a revolutionary idea: the Mazalim court, or the “Court of Unjust Acts.”
This wasn’t just any court. It was a supreme court with the power to investigate anyone in the empire, from a lowly tax collector to the Caliph himself. It was a system of radical accountability, built on the principle that no one was above the law.
If a governor was corrupt, the Mazalim could have him removed. If the Caliph himself abused his power, the Mazalim could issue a fatwa of impeachment.
This was the Islamic Golden Age, and the Abbasids had created one of the most sophisticated systems of government accountability the world had ever seen. They understood a simple, timeless truth: power without accountability is tyranny.
But what happens when the people at the very top decide they are no longer subject to the rules?
The Parallel Revelation
Enter Caliph al-Muqtadir, who came to power in 908 AD as a teenager. He was weak, inexperienced, and easily manipulated.
He wasn’t a tyrant in the classic sense. He didn’t seize power with an army. Instead, he allowed a “shadow government” of court servants, eunuchs, and even his own mother to rule in his name.
This cabal of insiders created a buffer around the Caliph. They controlled who he saw, what he heard, and what information reached him. The Mazalim court, once the most feared institution in the empire, was slowly strangled.
Not by decree, but by neglect. By the slow, creeping poison of unaccountable power.
Complaints from the provinces were intercepted. Corrupt officials were protected by their friends at court. The system designed to ensure justice became a tool for personal enrichment.
The Caliph, isolated in his palace, heard only what his handlers wanted him to hear: that the empire was strong, that the people were happy, and that he was a great and beloved ruler.
Outside the palace walls, the empire was rotting from the inside out.
The Pattern Recognition
Does any of this sound familiar?
A powerful nation, convinced of its own moral superiority, refusing to submit to the same standards it demands of others.
A leader, surrounded by a tight-knit circle of advisors, who hears only what confirms his own biases.
A system of accountability, once a source of national pride, now viewed as an inconvenient obstacle.
The United States, like the Abbasid Caliphate, helped build the very international systems it now scoffs at. The UN, the International Criminal Court, the entire framework of international law – these were largely American projects.
And now, America is telling the world that it will not be judged by the systems it created.
Just as al-Muqtadir’s court created a barrier to accountability, the modern American political class has become a self-insulating bubble. We are told that America is exceptional, that our motives are pure, and that any criticism is an attack on our way of life.
This is the Caliph’s Shadow. It is the delusion that you are too good, too powerful, too right to be held accountable.
It is a delusion that has toppled empires.
The Ancient Warning
The decline of the Abbasid Caliphate was not swift and bloody. It was a slow, agonizing decay.
With the Mazalim court neutered, corruption ran rampant. The provinces, long neglected and exploited, began to break away. The economy collapsed. The military, once the most feared in the world, became a hollow shell.
Within a century of al-Muqtadir’s reign, the Abbasid Caliphate was a shadow of its former self. The Caliph became a mere figurehead, a prisoner in his own city, controlled by foreign warlords.
The empire that had created the world’s most sophisticated accountability system collapsed because its leaders forgot a simple truth: no one is above the law.
History’s warning is clear: when a nation believes it is too powerful to be held accountable, it is already on the path to ruin.
5 Things You Can Do This Week to Build Your Own Mazalim Court
History is not a spectator sport. The patterns of the past are a roadmap for the future, and a warning to prepare. Here are five practical steps you can take this week to build your own system of accountability and self-reliance.
1. Hold Your Own Leaders Accountable. Don’t wait for the UN. Attend a local town hall or city council meeting. Ask tough questions. Demand transparency. The principles of the Mazalim court start at the local level. Learn how to make your voice heard with the in-depth guides at SelfRelianceReport.com.
2. Build Your Food Independence. The Abbasid decline led to famine and chaos. Don’t be dependent on a fragile system. The 4ft Farm Blueprint shows you how to turn a tiny patch of land into a food-producing powerhouse. This isn’t just gardening; it’s a declaration of independence from a system that may not be there for you tomorrow.
3. Secure Your Health. When empires crumble, public health is one of the first casualties. Learn how to take control of your own well-being with the natural health wisdom at FreedomHealthDaily.com. From ancient remedies to modern breakthroughs, discover how to build a resilient body that can withstand the stresses of uncertain times.
4. Create Your Own Stronghold. A safe and secure home is the foundation of all preparedness. SurvivalStronghold.com offers expert advice on everything from home security to creating a defensible perimeter. Learn the skills you need to protect your family when the systems you rely on fail.
5. Master the Art of Homesteading. True self-reliance means having the skills to thrive, not just survive. HomesteaderDepot.com is your one-stop resource for everything from animal husbandry to food preservation. Reconnect with the timeless skills that have sustained humanity through every crisis in history.
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