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Newsletter for September 2010
Islam made me a
better citizen
by Corey Saylor
Islam made me a better citizen and patriot. The Prophet
Muhammad's teachings strengthened my belief in freedom and
democracy. Independence Day once meant nothing more to me than
an excuse to party. Prior to my acceptance of Islam, my personal
behavior demonstrated all too well why July 4th ranks as the
holiday most associated with alcohol-related deaths. When I
first read the Quran, Islam's revealed text, and the traditions
(hadith) of the Prophet Muhammad I expected to find something
totally alien to American ideals. Instead, I found many of the
same democratic principles that emerged from the Continental
Congress in that summer of 1776. Democracy - The Quran promises
rewards for those "who (conduct) their affairs by mutual
consultation." (Quran, 42:38) Political Activism - The Prophet
Muhammad said, "The best jihad in the path of God is (to speak)
a word of justice to an oppressive ruler." (Sunan of Abu-Dawood)
Justice - "O believers! Stand firm for justice and bear true
witness for the sake of God, even though it be against
yourselves, your parents or your relatives. It does not matter
whether the party is rich or poor - God is well wisher of both.
So let not your selfish desires swerve you from justice.
If you distort your testimony or decline to give it, then you
should remember that God is fully aware of your actions."
(Quran, 4:135) The Burden of Political Authority - The Prophet
Muhammad said, "He who has been ruler over (even) ten people
will be brought shackled on the Day of Resurrection until
justice loosens his chains or tyranny brings him to
destruction." (Sahih Muslim) Islam's lifestyle of
self-restraint, abstinence from drugs and alcohol, respect for
the institution of marriage, concern for neighbors regardless of
their faith, duty to parents, and respect for the rule of law
resulted in my becoming a better person and a better American.
Thomas Jefferson once said, "Dissent is the greatest form of
patriotism." On July 4th, we celebrate one of history's great
acts of dissent: the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The men who put their signature on that document literally put
their lives and property on the line to voice their disagreement
with British government policies that they believed to be
tyrannical. This July 4th offers an opportunity to renew our
commitment to the patriotic nature of political dissent. I and
many other Americans are deeply disturbed by events in Iraq, by
reports of torture and desecration of the Quran in Guantanamo
Bay, by Patriot Act abuses, by the rising tide of anti-Muslim
rhetoric in our society, and by domestic and international
policies that seem to create more problems than they solve.
But my love for America is not diminished because it is
sometimes flawed. I love my nation because, despite its flaws,
the majority of its people remain committed to tolerance and
respect for one another, whatever their faith or viewpoint.
After the 9/11 attacks, my neighbors could have turned their
anger on me as a Muslim. They did not. They came to me and
offered both support and their horror that someone would twist
my faith in such an evil manner. But of greatest inspiration to
me are the words written in 1998 by a Muslim 10th grader living
in California. Following the attack on the USS Cole, he wrote a
letter to Osama bin Laden. In that letter he wrote: "If you are
keen to murder Americans, kill us before you kill non-Muslim
Americans. Bomb our mosques and Islamic Centers. We are
Americans as much as others." This July 4th, let us all remember
that we love this nation and will heed Jefferson's advice by
offering a word of justice to any of our representatives who
stray from the ideals set forth in that revolutionary document
signed 231 years ago in Philadelphia.
Corey Saylor is government affairs director for the
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
courtesy:islamiciti.org
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