War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims

Conclusion: Truth Stands Out Clear From Error

C O N C L U S I O N Truth Stands out Clear from Error Let there be no compulsion In religion: Truth stands out Clear from Error: whoever Rejects evil and believes In God hath grasped The most trustworthy Handhold, that never breaks. And God heareth And knoweth all things. —QUR’AN, AL BAQARAH (THE COW), : When I began writing this book, my aim was simple: to expose the diverse range of Muslim American experiences, while confirming the possibility ofbeingMusliminAmericaandbeingAmericaninIslam.Incompletingthisbook, however, I find not only that it is possible to be both Muslim and American but that,formanypeople,includingmyself,thisarrangementisinfactideal.Despite the fact that MuslimAmericans are undoubtedly experiencing greater discrimination and persecution today than they did prior to –, and despite the fact that Muslims are increasingly becoming targets of hate crimes, racial profiling, andunlawfularreststhroughouttheU.S.,particularlysincepassageof theUSA PATRIOT Act, America still holds unparalleled opportunities for Muslims and Islam. AsanAmericanof anyfaith,Icanopenlycommentontheflawsandweaknesses of my government, without fear for my life, my family, or my freedom. Over the summer of , for example, as a lowly second-year law student, I was hired to work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the Congressional Commission on International Religious Freedom to document the treatment of foreign nationals at our borders for the purpose of ultimately improving our nation’s treatment of immigrants. As an American, if you’re unsatisfied with the system, you can change it: you can vote; you can run for office; you can write a book; you can stage a protest; and most importantly,you can go to school,as long and as far as you like.On top of that,you can count on the great majority of your fellow Americans to be just as curious, freethinking, kind, and open-minded as you are. Americans have an unmatched penchant for demanding independently verifiable proof.We think for ourselves,and we are highly skeptical.We know when we’re being lied to,and we don’t take it lightly.The Prophet Muhammad claimed that“the most excellent jihad is uttering the truth in the presence of an unjust ruler.”1 In contrast to the faulty notions of jihad propagated by sensationalist media sources and foolish fundamentalists, there is no violence involved in this true jihad, or struggle: it is at its core the unfettered exercise of free speech. In America, we can fulfill this jihad not only by speaking truth to such unjust rulers but also by voting them out. It is the unique American appreciation for skepticism and independent thought that makes this country , in my opinion, the ideal place to begin restoring truth to Islam and the ideal base for the next Islamic Renaissance. The greatest impediments to this impending Renaissance come from misguidedMuslimsandmisinformedAmericans ,andtheformerindisputablyfuel Conclusion  the latter.Today, the misguided minorities within Islam—those manipulating the faith to achieve power,wealth,and status; those misreading it to perpetuate their own hatred and ignorance; those maligning it to justify their own violent, murderous actions; and those desecrating it to gain attention and publicity— are gaining the undeserved privilege of defining Islam for the rest of the world simply because they are yelling the loudest and behaving the nastiest. However, it is up to the majority of us—those who believe that there is onlyOneGodandthatHeisAll-Powerful,Merciful,andCompassionate;those who believe that the Qur’an is right to warn us that there should be no compulsion in religion and that Truth stands out clear from error in this world (:); and those who know better than to trust our souls in the hands of thieves, liars, and murderers—to speak up, to call the misdirected tiny minority of“Muslims”out on their lies.This miniscule group of highly vocal individuals presents more than just an unfortunate collection of walking publicrelations disasters: they are responsible for reinforcing the misinformation of a great many Americans. If we want to educate non-Muslim Americans about thetruebeautyof Islam,wefirsthavetospeakoutagainstthismistaken minority of hate-mongers and power-seekers who fraudulently claim to be acting in the name of Islam. Our greatest ally in this effort is the Holy Qur’an itself,for when we study the Qur’an, we find that nowhere in this holy text—our only uncontestable source of revelation in Islam—does the Lord teach senseless hate,violence,or coercion. In its prime, Islam was a religion in...