Blind Faith To Partisan Politics
By: Masood Ashraf
From the first official drafting of the Articles of Confederation in 1777 to the ratifying of the United States Constitution in 1787, systems of government and their viability in American politics have always been the key issue in progressing our nation forward.
It was on November 25, 1783 when the last British military position left the United States, marking the finality of the historic American Revolution that defined and declared the independence of the United States as a free nation from British rule. It was upon the basis of seeking liberty from the British Monarchy that the founding fathers of this nation sought to seek autonomy for not only themselves, but future generations of this country. Shortly after, when initially discussing what system of government would best fit the ideals and hopes of this new era that was to begin for the now free and independent colonies, many ideas came into question. Constitutional Monarchism, Oligarchism, Dictatorship, Theocracy and Totalitarianism, were just a few of the examples that were debated and thoroughly evaluated among Framers. In the end, the type of government which we hold to be not only self-evident but true as Americans, was the democratic system; a system of government in which elected representatives held positions and the decisions about the nation were based on the majority vote of those who compromised the population. In today’s world, there is not only much opposition to the economic system of Islam, but also an incredible level of ignorance which is the main contributor of many misconceptions that most the world has about the religion and its true teachings. In truth, there is an incredible number of similarities between the system of government which we hold and apply today and the democratic ideals and practices that are encouraged in Islam. It is the basics of Islamic teachings to conduct fair and free elections in which representatives are appointed by the citizens to govern and reflect the wishes of the population that elected them. The foundation of all its systems is the principle that ultimate sovereignty and rule belongs to the creator of all of us. There is no individual superior to God, and there is no sense of divine rule; the idea that an individual has a “god given” right to authority and leadership. After being appointed through a fair and just democratic process, an individual who holds any responsibility regarding the affairs of the estate is not only answerable to the people, but God as well. If politicians keep this in mind, they are less keen to act on selfish impulses, or even believe for a brief moment that they can swindle the people they are answerable to.
It is important to note that this religion denounces any sense of hereditary kingship, all situations where individuals do not have equal opportunities to make their mark in politics, and all circumstances that deprive citizens of their rights. Among many other ideals, Islam absolutely condemns hatred of any kind toward any race of people, solidly stands with advocation of women’s rights, and encourages the upbringing of the poor and underprivileged communities. The basic precepts of governance in Islam includes (1) advocating a democratic system (2) defining authority as not a right, but a trust (3) governments must provide honor, life and property to its citizens (4) practice absolute justice, impartiality and fairness and finally reminding all individuals that they are accountable to God. Upon fully understanding that there are various parallels between the system of government used in the United States and western world that written in Islamic teachings, it can be noted that Islam is in fact a religion that values honesty, fairness, and integrity above all else. Misconceptions about the religion generally arise from individuals who seek to misrepresent the true and honest teachings, and gain benefit or justification behind their own twisted interpretation of the words. It is not within fairness to judge and scrutinize an entire religion based on the negative actions of a few who claim to follow its beliefs. In actuality, Islam in Arabic directly translates to the word peace.
There are some things in life that are complicated, however there are others that are quite simple. The idea of a democratic republic; establishing the people’s right to elect individuals who will reflect their ideas and values, is simple. In the words of Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense which sought to argue that independence and liberty are a nation’s duty to create and maintain, “My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.”