April 2004: Page 1, 2, 3, 4

Submitters Perspective

Page 3

Religion and Politics

Let the world know

God willing, we are continuing our library project called “Let the world know.” It is our goal to place an English translation of the Quran by Dr. Khalifa in every library possible.

We would like to have more volunteers from various communities to get in touch with the libraries for placing the Qurans. We thank our current volunteers. They’ve done an excellent job. May God bless them for their efforts. However, having more volunteers will make the project go faster.

We set up a web link to communicate the progress of the volunteers and for exchanging ideas for this project. If you have any comments, and suggestions, let us know.

The link for the project is
www.masjidtucson.org/let_the_world_know/

How can volunteers help?

The volunteers’ main function is to provide the contact with the librarians and then let us know of the receptive ones. Below are a few easy steps to get started:

1) Go to the site below (or a similar site) http://www.publiclibraries.com/ that have links to libraries all across the country, organized by state. Find the libraries you want to contact.

2) Look for the phone number for Administration, Main branch, or local branches (donations, requisitions or acquisitions departments).

3) Call and explain the project. If you need some suggestions on what to say, please refer to the project link.

4) Send the request to Masjid Tucson with a list of libraries. God willing we will send the Qurans directly from Masjid Tucson with a cover letter.

God willing let us first make sure that all local libraries in our areas have copies of the Qurans. God bless.

There is a long debated question whether religion should be separated from politics, or not. Can politics be divorced from moral principles, the great questions of good and evil? Life consists of both good and evil. We cannot have amoral politics. Either we have good politics or evil politics. Evidently, it is evil politics, dominating the last century that brought about predator capitalism, colonialism and imperialism and the two destructive world wars. Heaven forbid that we have a third coming soon!

Islam (Submission) as a way of life consists of both philosophical principles and forms of worship. The philosophical principles of justice, peace, unity, the struggle against oppression, brotherhood, friendship and cooperation and the like are universal and common to the teachings of all the great religions. These principles must guide our politics, indeed our life. The forms of worship, being historical and particular, are therefore plural. That is why religious tolerance is clearly preached in the Quran. We have to separate religion from politics in the sense of its being a belief and rites of worship. But religion in the sense of good, moral, universal philosophical principles must rule our politics and our lives.

The second matter is the so-called Islam's plural approach to politics. What is meant by this pluralism is not clear. Is it the legal system? Is it the political and economic system? One can see that there are many laws as there are states, but the legal principles of justice and mercy are universally applied by all humane societies. So in politics and economics. There can be many

systems, but the principle of good politics and economics must be one. They must be based on the moral imperative of promoting the welfare of mankind.

Islam (Submission), according to the Quran, is the religion chosen by God for mankind from time immemorial. Its teachings are progressively recorded in His scriptures that include the Torah and the Gospel, but completed and perfected in His final scripture, the Quran. As opposed to this, there is the teaching of the devil. Man must strive to uphold and practice the Lord’s teachings and fight and defeat the devil’s teachings.

It should be clear there has existed for a long time two versions of Islam, one based on the teachings of the Quran, and the other based on the teachings of the theologians. This is of course to put the matter briefly and in a simplified way, but essentially it is true. Our duty— Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and others—is to find our way back to the Lord of the Universe. Only in that path of truth can we find peace and happiness that so much elude our present generation the world over.

Dr. Kassim A.

There shall be no compulsion in religion: the right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces the devil and believes in GOD has grasped the strongest bond; one that never breaks. GOD is Hearer, Omniscient. (2:256)