Quote:
Originally Posted by wdmso
Despite the prevailing stereotypes of Muslim Americans, Islam has contributed a great deal to the U.S. In fact, Muslims have played an integral part in defending the homeland and fighting for the American government’s geopolitical interests. The history of Muslim Americans serving in the U.S. military challenges the widespread skepticism that Americans have for those who follow Islam. Muslims are asked by Prophet Muhammad to “love your country as [patriotism] is part of Islam.” The Qur’an (4:60) calls on Muslims to be obedient to their governments: “O you who believe, obey God and the Prophet and obey those in authority from among you.” As I discuss in this piece, Muslims have heeded the Prophet’s call for allegiance and shown love for America.
Muslims served in the U.S. military under the command of General George Washington, who was Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the American War for Independence. Rosters of soldiers serving in Washington’s Army lists names like Bampett Muhammad, who fought for the Virginia Line between the years 1775 and 1783. Another Again it seems many love to focus on the minority not the majority ...
one of Washington’s soldiers, Yusuf Ben Ali, was a North African Arab who worked as an aide to General Thomas Sumter of South Carolina. Peter Buckminster, who fought in Boston, is perhaps Washington’s most distinguished Muslim American soldier. Buckminster fired the gun that killed British Major General John Pitcairn at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Years after this famous battle, Peter changed his last name to “Salaam,” the Arabic word meaning “peace.” Peter Salaam later reenlisted in the Continental Army to serve in the Battle of Saratoga and the Battle of Stony Point. If Washington had a problem with Muslims serving in his Army, he would not have allowed Muhammad, Ali and Salaam to represent and serve non-Muslim Americans. By giving these Muslims the honor of serving America, Washington made it clear that a person did not have to be of a certain religion or have a particular ethnic background to be an American patriot.
And these Contributions to America are still happening to this day from all walks of life.. step back from the emoting and Fear and look at the big picture..
I dont understand killings in the name of Islam is some how different from Killings blamed on MH issues or Racial motivated Mass Murder .. when the latter happens far more frequently Here in the US .. they are all unacceptable ... And we all have far less control over theses events then we'll acknowledge
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Sure, so long as Muslims are a small minority, they will, for the most part, be "patriots" of sorts. Many of them would either be "moderate" Muslims who don't really adhere strictly, or who, if they adhere at all, do it very loosely, to all the Quranic texts. This is just as true for Christians or Jews who are "moderate" in their beliefs. But note what happens to countries when Muslims are in control. And look at what happens when the picture of the "small minority" of so-called extremist or fundamentalist or radical Muslims are not paid enough attention because the big picture of moderate Islam paints a comforting, and fundamentally false, interpretation of Islam.
Muslims are actually allowed, when they are a minority, as a matter of their faith to deceive those in power--referred to as taqiyya. Washington may have had a problem if he had ordered the Muslims to kill invading Muslim regiments.
As for the citation of Quran 4:60, I found this:
[4:60] O ye who believe! obey Allah, and obey His Messenger and those who are in authority among you. And if you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger if you are believers in Allah and the Last Day. That is best and most commendable in the end.
[4:60] اے وہ لوگو جو ایمان لائے ہو! اللہ کی اطاعت کرو اور رسول کی اطاعت کرو اور اپنے حکام کی بھی۔ اور اگر تم کسی معاملہ میں (اُولُوالامر سے) اختلاف کرو تو ایسے معاملے اللہ اور رسول کی طرف لَوٹا دیا کرو اگر (فی الحقیقت) تم اللہ پر اور یومِ آخر پر ایمان لانے والے ہو۔ یہ بہت بہتر (طریق) ہے اور انجام کے لحاظ سے بہت اچھا ہے۔
The attached interpretations of this verse make it clear that the phrase "who are in authority among you," or in other translations "authority over you," has not been properly understood by some. Most translators understand it to mean "from among yourselves"
which means you should obey only that authority which happens to be from among yourselves, meaning Muslim authority alone.
I could not copy the interpretation entries which are far more detailed, but the url, which also is:
https://www.alislam.org/quran/tafsee...EN,E2&CR=EN,E2
Also, via islamicstudies.info, there is the Sunna 4:60 with its explanation:
(4:60) "(O Messenger!) Have you not seen those who claim to believe in the Book which has been revealed to you and in the Books revealed before you, and yet desire to submit their disputes to the judgement of taghut (the Satanic authorities who decide independently of the Law of Allah), whereas they had been asked to reject it.91 And Satan seeks to make them drift far away from the right way."
The added interpretation: "Taghut clearly signifies here a sovereign who judges things according to criteria other than the law of God. It also stands for a legal and judicial system which acknowledges neither the sovereignty of God nor the paramount authority of the Book of God. This verse categorically proclaims that to refer disputes to the judgement of a court of law which is essentially taghut contravenes the dictates of a believer's faith. In fact, true faith in God and His Book necessarily requires that a man should refuse to recognize the legitimacy of such courts.
According to the Qur'an, belief in God necessitates repudiation of the authority of taghut. To try to submit both to God and to taghut at the same time is hypocrisy.
Both sources indicate that the Quran's notion of believers obeying their governments refers to governments that are in accordance to the commands of Allah. Which would be the commandments given in the Quran or the Sunna or the Hadith. In other words, governments that are Islamic in nature.
So the quote you cite, taken out of quranic context, and outside of Islamic law, is very misleading. Actually, the interpretation given by your source to the Quran 4:60 is the opposite of how Islamic scholars interpret the verse.
Both sources are legitimate pro-Islamic scholarship "experts"--al Islam, the official website of the Amadiyyah Muslim Community, and Islamicstudies.info.