In The Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
ORGANIZING AMERICAN MUISLIMS FOR ELECTIONS
- 2008
AND BEYOND
Let us first understand and review our existing position
and important features, both in American and global perspective. I will,
then, share with readers what they are to do to improve their own position as
Muslims and what they are to do to introduce themselves as conscious
Muslim and Muslimah in this country.
IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE
MUSLIMS OF
i. Muslims are about
1. 3 billions, almost 1/4th, of the world
population. They produce most important industrial raw material, hold
lifeline of the present day industry, trade and transport and control almost
all the strategic straits of water but have no say in the affairs of the world.
A small portion of that big population, about eight millions, now lives in
America/Canada. They are well educated, technically well equipped and are
mostly affluent. They had come over here for the betterment of their lives but,
unfortunately, have forgotten their mission of life. It is the integral part of their existence
that they will have to rediscover themselves, while living in the midst of this
liberal society.
ii. The bulk of the
Muslim population of
iii.
Muslims of
iv. Muslims have
developed some nationwide organizations. Islamic Society of North America has
transformed itself into an umbrella organization, representing more them five hundred Masajid and Muslim communities and
rendering useful services to the Muslim community of
From the foregoing features of the Muslim Community of America, it appears that they have to go a long way in order to organize themselves into a thriving and vibrating community of America, develop a unified command and a united political platform, create a consciousness among each and every Muslim of America about his obligation of “Shuhada-e-AL-Annas”[Witness to mankind] failing which their stay in America will become a source of displeasure of Allah in the Akhirah.
The
especial situation of Muslims in America, as depicted above, demands two
positive and simultaneous actions: to make them conscious Muslims and involve
them aggressively to express their political will as an
organized community of America
I have
discussed the salient features of the Muslim Ummah of America both in continental
and global perspective. By their faith, they are the torchbearers of Islam and
the ambassadors of the Messenger of Allah. But their geopolitical and
ideological condition demands that they first be organized as a
disciplined and a conscious community. They
are to be reminded of their position that they hold in the community of nations
as the Middle and the Best of nations. They are to serve as models for the rest
of the humanity in each and every walk of life.
They are the champions of human rights and they are raised to deliver
justice and peace [Al-Adl wa Qist] to the suffering humanity. They are the
salt of the earth and the lamp of the mountain.
Can the Muslims of America do it and meet the challenges of
their Iman and display the fragrance of their moral character in the midst of
such unfavorable condition as exist today? Yes. It would not be a distant dream
or something impossible to attain. They
can do it and they can succeed, if they meet the only one condition prescribed
by Allah for us that we are the Mumin [Al-Imran –139]. This is Allah’s
commitment and who can fulfill his commitment better than Allah [Ref:
Al-Tawba: 111]. The demands of Iman can
be fulfilled only when the Muslims meet its following three requisites.
1. When Muslims live, act and behave like “conscious
Muslims”. This is the first stage of Dawah amongst the Muslims. It can
be pronounced as “Dawah to self”.
2. When they transform their sweet homes as
“model Muslim families” for their friends, relatives, neighbors and visitors.
This obligation should be popularized amongst the Muslim community as “Dawah
to the family”.
3. They cannot maintain their individual
integrity as Muslim and the status of their houses as “model families”, unless
they go out and clean their neighborhood and the society in which they, their
wives and their children pulsate day in and day out. This process of cleaning
the society can be termed as “Dawah to the people”.
This
inherent demand of Iman to bring self, family and the society within the
purview of Islam presents a scenario of a continuous process pf Dawah Ilallah
within and out side the bounds of Muslim families. It will be possible only
when the Muslims lead a life of a conscious Muslim and Muslimah in the midst of
this liberal and free-for-all society. Without attaining this consciousness,
they cannot fulfill the mission of DI in the continent of
LET
US BE CONSCIOUS MUSLIMS:
Before
I elaborate this point, I would like to add that those brothers and sisters who
are suffering from the complexities of expediency and want to throw the Muslims
of America to the vagaries of the political system of this country must know
that in the context of the American firmament they are just raw fodder with no
political muscle of their own. The Muslim leadership will get nothing, not even
a single seat on national level or get a person elected of their choice, if
they do not plan to organize them first as Muslims who are conscious of their
position and the part that they are destined to play in rebuilding this nation
and the humanity at large on the doctrine of Monotheism [Tawheed], Prophethood
[Risala] and Akhirah [accountability on the last Day of Judgment].
It
reminds me of a couplet from the poet Iqbal: “Apni millat per qayas Aqwame
Maghrib ka na kar * Khaas hai tarkeeb main qaume Rasuley Hashmi” [Translation:
Don’t treat the Muslim millat in terms of the Western nations. The constitution
of the millat of Rasulullah (S) is special and different from others].
The Muslim leadership is first to transform this “raw material” into 24- karat
gold. Only then, they will be able to play their destined role in this society.
Let us
see how this gigantic task of organizing the Muslim Ummah of America can be
accomplished and through what process? How can they be prepared to undertake
the responsibility of Dawah Ilallah in American perspective?
However, it must be noted that no single
individual, or a solitary institution or a Political Action Committee,
howsoever great it may be, can do this job alone in its own way. It would be a
joint and concerted effort of the entire Muslim leadership, Masajid and their
Imams, Muslim educational and religious institutions, local and national Muslim
communities to work together with only one agenda, supreme in their minds and
thinking process, as how to make each of
us to live, act and behave like a conscious Muslim and Muslimah. For the attainment of this objective, the
Ummah as a whole is to work on the following process.
1. MASJID – THE
CENTER OF GRAVITY: The starting point will be the Masjid. Muslims are
attached to Masjid, though in limited numbers. They attend the Friday sermons,
weekly Qur'anic sessions, Hadith classes, Sunday lectures, observe various
days, listen guest speakers from abroad, participate in different training
programs and various other activities round the year. They are in direct
contact with our local Imams and Muslim leadership. On all these and many other
occasions, Muslims are to be educated and exhorted that they live, act and
behave like a Muslim, regardless of where they are, what positions they hold
and with whom they come in contact. If they are constantly reminded, educated
and trained in this way, they will gradually develop the consciousness that
they are Muslims and they are accountable to Allah for what they do and act.
Hence they must act like a benevolent neighbor and a responsible Muslim
citizen of this country. They are not like ordinary men and women.
They carry a big responsibility on their shoulders to fulfill the obligation of “Shuhadah-Al-Annas” [witness
to mankind] to the people of the land. A continuous conscious persuasion
and ceaseless efforts on the part of our Imams and the community leaders will
gradually make a big difference in between what they are today and what they
will become within a few years.
2. NASIHA –
REMINDING TO EACH OTHER: Simultaneously, each Muslim should be exhorted to
remind to his Muslim brother and sister as and when they meet and depart that
they are Muslims and that they have a responsibility as such. They should be
advised/reminded on a regular basis to revive the spirit of Sahabah [Prophet's
(S) companions] who used to recite and remind to each other with what
Surah # 103 [Wa Al-Asr] contains, when meeting and when departing: “ By the time! Man is in the state of loss; save
those who believe, do good deeds, exhort one another to truth and exhort one
another to endurance”. This conscious exercise will create the spirit of
readiness to sustain the responsibility of a Muslim and Muslimah, compete in
Dawah activities and mould their lives in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
If this habit of reminding each other is carried out in a continuous process
all around and every where, it will make each Muslim and Muslimah self
conscious, both individually and collectively to make themselves active
Muslims, change their life pattern, remodel their family lives and be involved
in Dawah activities in and around the Masjid and in their respective
communities at public level. Thus, creating self-consciousness in the
Muslims will lead to self-development of the Islamic values and the character
that are desirable to be inculcated in each of us.
3. A CONTINUOUS PROCESS TOWARDS CHANGE: On one side, Muslims will get the Islamic education form
our Imams and Muslim leadership and on the other, they will be reminding
themselves to correct their affairs and be involved in Dawah activities to the
rim of their capacities, at local and national levels. If this process is
followed meticulously for two to three years at each community level, Muslims
of America will get the proper opportunity, education and exhortation to meet
the challenges of the time. In this process, they will learn in detail
about their faith, understand the country where they live and get the
opportunity to transform themselves and their families in the light of the
Qur’an and Sunnah. This is a challenge to the ingenuity of Muslim leadership
and our Imams. I am more than sure they will certainly resolve to struggle for
this goal in a continuous process. That
will be a turning point in the history of America
Now
the organized and the conscious members of the Muslim community will have to do
some homework within and outside the community from Dawah point of view on the
lines as discussed below.
1. RECLAIMING THE LOST SHEEP: Muslims have to
find the lost sheep of this Ummah that are scattered here in this country, in
the midst of the liberal society. The bulk of the Muslim community of
If
this job is not undertaken now, they will soon be lost. Even their names and
nomenclature will sound different than that of a Muslim origin. So the Muslim
Ummah has to work hard for this reclamation job forthwith. It reminds me of the
fate of thousands of Iran-Iraq Kurdish Community who were brought here with its
leader, Mullah Mustafa Berzani, and rehabilitated in
Further,
it is to be noted with concern that if they are not fast reclaimed and won
over, the Muslims of
2. DAWAH AT COMMUNITY LEVEL: The second great stride for the organized and
self-conscious Muslim community to undertake will be a wide ranged Dawah
contact program at community level. Our Imams and local Muslim leadership, who
are men of letters and are well educated in the arts and sciences of this
country, get countless Dawah opportunities, every now and then, to call their
contactee - teachers, professors, doctors, attorneys, police officers, jail and
hospital authorities, civil officials, local religious, social and political
activists, to the fold of their Creator and Sustainer. If the Muslim
leadership and our Imams are conscious of their position and responsibilities
as Muslims, they can create a lasting impression on each of them through their
moral behavior, Islamic etiquettes and manners and do-good-to-the-society
attitude as benevolent Muslims. This will nullify the anti-Islam and
anti-Muslim propaganda going on through the prejudiced media day in and day
out. Gradually, the
local Judeo-Christian community will realize that the Muslims are different
people than what is being depicted by the press and public forums.
Equally,
this will be the best prelude to carry out Dawah activities at the grass root
level to the non-Muslim communities of the area. They can invite their leaders
to our schools and Masajid to participate in different functions and even offer
them to speak at important events. This
will open the course of dialogue and better understanding of each other in a
friendly atmosphere. Later on, those who are found interested to know more
about Islam would be involved in detailed talks. This will be one of the most
effective processes of Dawah Ilallah in the Judeo-Christian Community [JCC] of
Just
think for a while that when this most natural and conscious process of DI is
being practiced and pursued all over the continent of
To
accomplish this job efficiently on regular basis, the Muslim leadership and the
Imams will constitute a Dawah committee of their own on each city level,
prepare the list of contactee, divide themselves in groups of twos or threes as
the situation warrants, seek the prior appointments where necessary and then
follow their respective contacts or meetings to its logical conclusion. The contactee can be invited on dinner or some
get together can also be arranged. Insha
Allah, this extra ordinary Dawah activity at community level would create a
tempo in the city. That will go a long way
towards demolishing many prejudices against Muslims and Islam and pave the way
in creating better understanding between different communities, opening doors
of immense opportunities of Dawah Ilallah, Insha Allah.
3. ACTIVATING THE
COMMUNITY POLITICALLY:
About
seven million Muslims are now living in
It
should be given the shape of a campaign both at local and national levels. Each
member of the community is to be exhorted to the effect that his voting right
is an Amanah and he or she is to use it very judiciously only for those who are
worthy of it. The Muslim votes are to be cast in a block and to whom? The
Central Leadership of the Muslims of
Along
with the consolidation of political power under the guidance of an enlightened
God-fearing Muslim leadership, Muslims and their leadership has to do two more
things to be really effective in this country.
SIMULTANEOUSLY,
Muslims have to build gradually an “Ummah Fund” [UF - for
Muslim’s exigencies], both at local and national levels and a team of
“Muslim Volunteers Corpse” [MVC] for rendering socio-political-humanitarian
services at home and abroad when natural disasters occur]. Every candidate in
this country needs political contributions and Volunteers. If Muslim community
could meet these political urgencies as and when
needed they, the contesting candidate will always be willing to
support and work for the Muslim causes. If the Muslim leadership
of
[NOTE: However, it
can be added that Muslim Ummah can fix its priorities as the situation
warrants]
4. SERVICE TO
HUMANITY: Allah (SWT) ordains the Muslims:
“ O
ye who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and
worship your Lord, and do good [serve the humanity], that haply you may
prosper”.
[Surah Al-Hajj: 77]
Service to humanity is the most desirable assignment of a Muslim. It has been made incumbent upon us by Allah. Rasulullah (S) was himself the best social worker of his time and for all times to come. A conscious Muslim and Muslimah is to be recognized, through his/her social services in the ward and neighborhood as the person who comes to help to the needy, to the poor, to the incapacitated and to one who seeks help in times of distress. A Muslim in his individual capacity, and collectively where possible, should be recognized as “the man of need” at the place where he or she lives. He has to create an “oasis” of service to the people” in the midst of Kufr and shirk. This will make him a loveable personality, both by the downtrodden and the common man of this country. This will in turn create immense goodwill and opportunities of Dawah Ilallah to the millions of this country. Our Imams and the Muslim leadership had to exhort the Muslim masses for humanitarian services every now and then and develop a continuous process of evaluating the pace of progress on periodical basis.
5. FIGHT AGAINST MUNKAR: The Muslim Ummah
has been raised as the best of the nations to eradicate the Munkar [evildoings]
from the society and establish the Ma'roof in its place [Ref: Al-Imran –110].
The American society is infested with hundreds of Munkar all around. They are
multiplying at an enormous speed. Our own sons and daughters are falling prey
to it in schools, colleges and everywhere. Our homes are under its direct
attack through TV, radio and Internet. It is the religious obligation of the
Muslims of America to mobilize people’s opinion against different kinds of
Munkar, educate them with its dire consequences on self, family and the society
and build a tempo for a common fight against each Munkar. It is a gigantic task
and needs a lot of planning, programming and resources.
Imam
Siraj Wahaj did it once in
6. ROLE OF
MUSLIM NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: The
role of these organizations is very important and an all- encompassing
phenomenon. As discussed earlier, the
Muslim Ummah of
I. ISNA: It
is a nationwide umbrella organization of the Muslims of America, representing
more than five hundred mosques and attached Muslim communities, spread
throughout the country. It superbly controls their affairs, provides legal
expertise, gives input as and when required, comes to their help at time of
distress and arranges financial support in acquiring propriety rights. It holds
lien on each member’s property. As such, it can motivate their Imam and
leadership towards reviving the fate of Muslims of America on the lines
suggested above, if it communicates its functions effectively and
imaginatively. Keeping in view the
paramount importance that ISNA can play in re-orientation of Imams and
communities under its direct umbrella, the writer personally visited ISNA HQ at
Through
their Journal, Islamic Horizons, regional and local chapters and Annual
Conventions, the leadership of ISNA comes in contacts with thousands and
thousands of Muslims each year. They can exhort and educate them to live like
conscious Muslims, and present a good model of Islam before their neighbors and
local residents. ISNA can conduct special classes at its Centers and at each
Masjid under its control to educate the Muslim masses to this effect. That
would be the best Dawah in the field. Each Muslim and Muslimah will
himself/herself become a walking Da’ee.
II. ORGANIZATIONS
OF IMAM W. D. MOHAMMAD AND IMAM JAMEEL: African-American Muslims are very much attached to these
national Organizations and many more to Masajid and communities at local level.
On similar lines, as discussed above, all can work in unison to get the Muslims
conscious of their position on earth and what part they are to play as
conscious Muslims in the midst of the Judeo-Christian Community to the extent
that it creates a tempo all around in this country. By making them conscious Muslims,
they will be enthusiastic to use their voting rights en-block in conformity
with the recommendations and directives of the united Muslim Leadership of
III. TABLEEGHI
JAMAAT & TINA: These are also two
important organizations of the Muslims of America. They are actively involved
in the Muslim community. They may not be interested in the politics of this
country but carry a good following amongst the Muslim masses. Hence they can
help a lot in getting the Muslims organized as envisaged above. I am more than
sure they will use their good offices to accomplish the process of
consolidation of the Muslims of America when approached properly.
IV. ICNA: ICNA has
a unique position in
Simultaneously,
it would strive hard in close collaboration with the Muslim leadership of
V. LEADERSHIP COUNCIL: It consists of ISNA, ICNA, Imam W D M and Iman Al-Amin. It
must revive its activities and streamline the Islamic education in the
country, synchronize Dawah activities, specially in
jails, develop a comprehensive program of workers training, take care of
the re-born Muslims, especially their relocation in the Muslim society,
and develop means and funds to cater to the various educational, intellectual
and spiritual needs of the Muslim Ummah. It should constitute a bridge
between the Judeo-Christian community and the Muslims of America, both at local
and national levels. It will work systematically to bring the entire Muslim
community of
In
case the Council has
gone defunct, the present leadership of these national organizations must
revive this body and resolve to undertake the aforesaid activities as their
common goal. This National Agenda of American Muslims is now long over due and
needs execution forthwith.
CONCLUSION: This is the program and the process that I have been
advocating throughout Elections –2000 & 2004. This is the program of Dawah
Ilallah for the Muslims and through the Muslims for the people of the
land. If the Muslims of America do not
act accordingly, they are going to get nothing out of their present state of
affairs. At present, practically, the Muslims have no voice. But tomorrow, if
the Muslim Ummah is rejuvenated, becomes conscious of its position and stands
united behind a central command, Muslims will be the most respected people in
this society. They will muster and use their political strength to the benefit
of the community and the Ummah at large. Let us all - Imams, Muslim leadership,
Muslim Organizations, Muslim communities and Muslim masses, work together and fulfill
the three-point-agenda on the lines developed in this paper. If
we work together intelligently with wisdom, the scenario of Elections 2008 and
beyond will be quite different than what it looks today.
May
Allah bless all of us and give us Tawfeeq to work together as envisaged. United
we stand, divided we fall. Allah (SWT) ordains:
“And
hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah [the Qur’an] and do not be
divided”.
[The Qur’an - Al-Imran: 103]
“Faint
not nor grieve, for you will overcome them [be successful over your
adversaries] if you are indeed believers [Mumineen]”.
[Al-Qur’an – Al-Imran: 139]
Shamim
Siddiqi
October
28, 2007