Sheikh Mohamed El-Moctar El-Shinqiti
Profession: Director of the Islamic Center of South Plains, Lubbock, Texas
Date :Tuesday,Nov 4 ,2008
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, the session has already started. You can submit your questions. Please, make your questions short and clear so as to help us answer all your questions.
Yours, Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
Question
Is it a duty upon Muslims living in the West to participate in the political life and what if the whole system of the state is in contrary with some of the teachings of Islam?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. It is the duty upon Muslims living in the West and in any other place on earth to participate in the political life, and to contribute to the common good of their societies. If some of the aspects of the political system in the Western countries are in contrary with the teachings of Islam that is very normal. Even within the self-portrayed 'Islamic countries' there are many things that are in contradiction with the Islamic teachings. In both cases, committed Muslims need to be positive and to participate in the political life. If they cannot achieve all what they aspire to achieve, that is not a problem. We live in an imperfect world, and we need to be realistic, positive and optimistic. Almighty Allah wants us to do our best, no more no less.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Hosam - United States
Profession
Question
Respected scholar, as we see the two USA candidates for presidency office tried their best in various ways to stay away from the Muslims' bloc and from any relation with Muslims. In light of this, how do you see this situation and the role of Muslims in this concern?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Politicians usually distance themselves from any people who might be a liability for their political ambitions, even if these people are the closest to them in race and faith. See, for example, how Barak Obama distanced himself from the man who was his spiritual and ideological guide for many years. When the two US candidates for the presidency office try to stay away from Muslims, this tells me about Muslims' political weakness more than about the candidates' character. Muslims in the US and everywhere need to understand the logic of politics. It is a power logic, not a charity logic after all, despite all the rhetoric of the candidates. The candidates will appreciate Muslim minorities only as much as Muslims build their own strengths, remedy their own weaknesses, and deepen their own presence and influence within their societies.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Nafees -
Profession
Question
As-Salamu `Alaykum respected scholar. Some notable Muslim personalities like Imam Anwar Awalaki have clearly stated that voting in the US elections is haram, and that the argument that some scholars use about the 'lesser of the two evils' in fact leads to a greater evil - i.e. legitimizing a kufr system by participating in it. Is this rationale correct? and if not, how do you respond to it?
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. I think this view is based on two false assumptions: the first one is that the current system in the West is a kufr (disbelief) system; the second is that this system needs Muslims' support to legitimize itself. On the first assumption, I would like to say that the liberal democratic system adopted in the West today is not a belief or a disbelief system; rather I call it an 'open space' system. This is a system based on liberty and justice for all, which implies the right for everyone to follow (or even create) his own moral and religious beliefs. On the second assumption, I would like to say that this system is not looking for a source of legitimacy outside itself. Therefore, it is better for Muslims to enter this open space and to present their moral and humane message, taking into account the many neighbors they have around them within that space, with all their different views and perceptions about the meaning of this life on earth.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Name
Murad - France
Profession
Student
Question
Salam, do you think after all what has been done to destroy Islam and Muslims' image in the West after 11 Sep, is it possible for Muslims to perform their political rights?
Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. The attempts to tarnish the image of Islam did not start with the 9-11 attacks, and will not stop in the future. In a world of conflict between the different worldviews and concepts about the meaning the human existence, you have to expect attacks from those who have different faiths, and attempts from them to discredit your faith. But you are doing the same things. There is no doubt that Islam is the final message from God and the only authentic message from Him that was not corrupted by human interventions. And it is a terrible loss for Western societies in general and American people in particular, that Islam was presented and represented to them the wrong way. However, Muslims need to focus on their own performance in this perpetual conflict of values and views, rather than deploring what others are doing against Islam.
Allah Almighty knows best.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, we are so sorry for not answering all your questions because the time is over. We apologize for any inconvenience. Do keep in touch. Join us in coming sessions. Yours, Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
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