Seeking to rebut the corrupt ideology of terrorists who exploit religion for political gain, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA has launched the “True Islam” campaign around the country.
Source/Credit: The Buffalo News
By Amer Aziz | March 10, 2016
Following the terrorist attack at the San Bernardino Regional Inland Center in December, pollsters have reported that anti-Muslim sentiment and negative perception of Islam have risen to unprecedented levels. Political rhetoric has also leveraged such sentiments, sometimes insinuating that Islamic doctrine and American values of freedom and liberty are at odds with each other.
However, buried under the barrage of breaking news and political rhetoric is a history that appears to be from another world altogether – one where core ideals are shared between the Islamic and American traditions.
President Obama recently made his first-ever mosque visit on American soil. He reminded us of what the Founding Fathers had to say about Islam, such as Benjamin Franklin: “If the mufti of Constantinople sent a missionary to preach Mohammedanism to us, he would find a pulpit at his service.” And John Adams called Muhammad, “a sober inquirer after truth.”
So, why would the Founding Fathers lend such credence to the Islamic tradition?
Academics have reasoned that such admiration is owed to the principles of freedom, justice, diversity and equal rights enshrined in the constitution drafted by Muhammad as chief arbitrator of Medina. Muhammad’s subjects had included Muslims, Jews and polytheists seeking peace and accord as one community. The constitution of Medina established citizenry (and equality) before the state. It is the first such known constitution in history.
Dr. Craig Considine, scholar of Muslim-Christian relations, writes that Muhammad and the Founding Fathers were, in fact, kindred spirits. And Alexandra Meave Jerome wrote in Oxford Islamic Studies that the American Founding Fathers were likely influenced by the constitution of Medina.
Political values are not the only Islamic aspect that may have influenced Western prosperity. The city of Cordoba, during the era of Muslim-ruled Spain, was idealized for its leading-edge urban development, inspiring social harmony and educational excellence. Not far away in Toledo, Arabic numerals replaced the cumbersome Roman number system, and along with the introduction of the concept of cipher (zero) opened a world of scientific progress for centuries to come.
Seeking to rebut the corrupt ideology of terrorists who exploit religion for political gain, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA has launched the “True Islam” campaign around the country. The campaign will be making a stop in the Buffalo area on March 20 at the Millennium Airport Hotel. Among the speech topics being covered are jihad and sharia law.
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Amer Aziz, of Amherst, is a writer and editor for the Muslim Writers Guild of America and a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA.
Read original post here: Perspective: Traditions of Islam and America share core ideals
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