Nice article/ open letter to presidential candidates

[briann]

An Open Letter to the Presidential Candidates

1/19/2008 Loyalist Staff Writer

It is painfully obvious that none of the 2008 presidential candidates have a grasp of the true nature of Islam and the aims of its followers. It is therefore the obligation of the Loyalist Party to openly call into question many of their preconceptions about Muslims and the Islamic ideology and warn the candidates of what they do not understand.

As it stands, the common position of the Presidential candidates seems to be that terrorism has little, or nothing, to do with everyday Islam. This is because, as the argument goes, terrorism is the perversion of the Islamic religion rather than the basis of it. Furthermore, because Islam is taken to be a peaceful religion like any other, presidential candidates seem to take the additional logical step that terrorism can be stopped by tackling the extremist element while rewarding ’moderate’ Muslims.

We at the Loyalist party would like to point out that there are several reasons why this position on Islam and terrorism is untenable.

The Umma Always Comes First

Muslims, wherever they live, have a religious duty – specified in the Qur’an – to put the Muslim Umma, or religious community, before anything or anyone else. This means that Muslims, even if they are American citizens, have greater loyalty to the Muslim religious community – including those in the Middle East and other Islamic countries – than they have to the United States. This is the reason for the disturbing reaction of Muslims worldwide to the attacks of 9/11. Not only did many Muslims openly rejoice – something which many politicians seem to have forgotten – but amongst those celebrating, were Muslims residing in Europe, and even in the United States.

For this reason, we call into question the candidate’s preconceptions that the vast majority of the Muslim community are moderate and on America’s side. The truth is that Muslims give their allegiance to foreign communities which are often openly hostile to America.

Muslims Don’t Integrate

The Qur’an commands Muslims to support each other while deliberately differentiating themselves from the non-Muslim communities they live in. Muslims are advised, by the Qur’an, to avoid contact with non-Muslims unless interaction with them is strictly necessary. Friendships with non-Muslims, for example, are forbidden by the Qur’an unless this promotes the cause of Islam.

One commonality in Muslim communities around the world is they have consistently chosen to remain separated from non-Muslim communities by choice. A brief look at the Muslim communities in Europe is enough to dispel the myth that Western host communities are at fault for failing to do enough to integrate their Muslim communities.

The Presidential candidates believe that Muslim non-integration is a result of our own nation’s intolerance. This, they believe is the source of Muslim rioting and a continued trend of Muslims turning to extremism. The Loyalist Party would like to openly question this assumption. We would like to point out that Islamic separation is a worldwide phenomenon commanded by the Qur’an in order to deliberately evoke conflict and hate against the host country.

Jihad is a One-Way Street

According to the Qur’an, it is the duty of all Muslims to engage in jihad – something which can range from ’overcoming injustice’ to armed warfare against the enemies of Islam. However, the constant factor in jihad is its goal of imposing Islamic notions, laws and standards on the non-Muslim host community.

Every form of jihad aims at increasing the power and authority of Islam over all else – including democracy, freedom and equality. Acts of jihad increase the power and authority of Islam over non-Muslims, irrespective of whether their actions are violent or peaceful. Most importantly, since Jihad is a required duty as commanded by the Qur’an, ’moderate’ Muslims will often fund, promote, or seek to legitimize jihad.

Even if the presidential candidates are successful in preventing such acts of terrorism, unless they understand and tackle the source of the terrorism, the Qur’an, they will be merely putting a bandage on an infectious disease. What do the Presidential candidates propose to counter the expansion of Islamic authority and the further teachings of Jihad?

The Final Word: The Example of Mohammad Indicates the True Nature of Islam

Islam is, and always has been, a religion dedicated to following the example of its founder, the Prophet Mohammad. Mohammad started his new religion peacefully by trying to convince people to join. When this approach failed, his methods and ideology became more aggressive, violent and consequently, more successful. The Prophet Mohammad became a bandit who raided caravans, looted goods and killed traders. As time went by his methods became increasingly violent and savage, and he and his followers began wantonly killing civilians and raping women. Mohammad married a five year old and began raping her by the time she was 9. He also told innumerate lies and used deception to overcome his enemies.

Mohammad is held as the example of a perfect man and friend of God by Muslims – many of whom seek to follow his example. Yet, given the nature of his moral character and the acts he committed, how is it possible to believe as the presidential candidates seem to, that terrorism is a misinterpretation of Islam?

Finally, We would like to make a closing comment. Some presidential candidates have taken the position that Allah and God are somehow equivalent, and that Christians should respect and revere Allah as he is just another culture’s interpretation of God.

According to Islam, however, Jesus was never crucified, and is not meant to be the son of God. Muslims have corrupted history and theology and have made Jesus a loyal practicing Muslim who recognizes the authority of the Prophet Mohammad, the tenets of Islam.

We invite all Presidential candidates to answer these questions and, given these facts, state how they would address the issues raised in order to change America for the better.