The American Constitution requires separation of Church (religion) and State (government), and I think this protects the rights of religious minorities. It is a very different approach to government that many Muslim majority countries that base some part of their laws on sharia.
American law gives the same rights to everyone, no matter what their religion is. And the US also has employment laws that prohibit discriminating against any person on the basis of their religion (also their gender, marital status, ethnicity, age, race and place of origin).
I think there are a few Islamic practices which contradict American law and can't be legally practiced in the US. Polygamy is one example. American laws on divorce and child custody is another example in which American law is different than sharia, but I think in many cases the differences between sharia requirements and American law can be resolved by writing prenuptial agreements or contracts based the sharia requirements.
I do see that my Muslim friends in the US may have practical problems like being able to attend Friday prayer in the middle of the work or study day or taking a day off work to celebrate an Islamic holiday.
Do Americans respect Islam? Which Islam? Bin Ladin's Islam? Taliban's Islam? Absolutely not! I think if American's knew more about interpretations of Islam that are not jihadist and anti-kufar, they would certainly respect that. But the loudest voices in Islam are not saying that.
I would like to echo what was said above. The U.S. Constitution was built to seperate the powers of Church and State, although Christian Conservatives often debate this interpretation. Our history is also built upon pilgrams seeking religious freedom, including many sects of Christianity outside of mainstream Christianity, which include: Calvinists, Mormons, Quakers, and Prosetants. More recently, immigrants from Africa from coutnries such as Ethiopia and Rawanda are ethnic or religious refugees seeking refuge from political or religious discrimination.
Historically, our newly formed country attracted scientists, philosophers, poets, and free thinkers who could express their views without fear of persicution. The mix of different people from many countries gave our the U.S. a strong mix of different voices that complemented our democracy. However, in the later 20th and 21st century voices from minorities continue to fight for their voice in the democracy.
I think it is safe to say that our country allows for many people to voice their strong religious, ethical, and political views. We may not all agree, but our democracy survives becuase of the pluralist view of our founding fathers and the legal documents that are the foundation of our country.
Since my time as an undergraduate student, I've had strong friendships with Muslims from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait. In our discussions, I'm often suprised on the many values that our cultures share. I respect and value my Muslim's friends opinions and the teachings from the Koran. In many of the cities that I have lived in, there have been Mosques, and I haven't heard anyone being denied time for prayer. Howerver, there is often confusion about the role of the Hijab [sic] in Muslim society and the why and when women must wear it. In my experienc,e the cultural distance between women's rights and values plays a major role of conflict between our societies. However, I've met many strong and independent Muslim women.
While I've not personally seen conflicts resulting from women wearing a hijab here in America, most of the above comments I agree with. My concern is with which interpretation of the Qur'an a Muslim embraces, or as Alison wrote, about which Islam is it you are asking? Extremist devise means of interpreting the Qur'an that allows them to negate passages that talk about love and peace. Like anything we read, the culture within which we live and our religious disposition helps interpret and redefine it to it to bring into sync with our world view. Our pride keeps us from seeing the truth. Also, if a book is holy, that is all the more reason it is likely to be misinterpreted. Christians and Muslims believe in Satan, and he certainly seeks to corrupt all that is holy. Perhaps believers of both religions could focus on our common enemy without pointing the finger at the evidences they see of Satan's influence in the other's religion. Americans (Muslims included) should be concerned when extremists advocate deceit and violemce to overthrow governments that disagree with their views. The Bible teaches that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and that Satan is the father of lies. My hope is that together, with forums like this, we can expose and stomp out works of Satan. The hard part will come when the finger is pointed our way. May we all be willing to admit when we are wrong, and as Jesus said, "take the log that is in our own eye before we try to take the speck that is in our friend's eye."
I'll try to answer for the United States:
ReplyDeleteThe American Constitution requires separation of Church (religion) and State (government), and I think this protects the rights of religious minorities. It is a very different approach to government that many Muslim majority countries that base some part of their laws on sharia.
American law gives the same rights to everyone, no matter what their religion is. And the US also has employment laws that prohibit discriminating against any person on the basis of their religion (also their gender, marital status, ethnicity, age, race and place of origin).
I think there are a few Islamic practices which contradict American law and can't be legally practiced in the US. Polygamy is one example. American laws on divorce and child custody is another example in which American law is different than sharia, but I think in many cases the differences between sharia requirements and American law can be resolved by writing prenuptial agreements or contracts based the sharia requirements.
I do see that my Muslim friends in the US may have practical problems like being able to attend Friday prayer in the middle of the work or study day or taking a day off work to celebrate an Islamic holiday.
Do Americans respect Islam? Which Islam? Bin Ladin's Islam? Taliban's Islam? Absolutely not! I think if American's knew more about interpretations of Islam that are not jihadist and anti-kufar, they would certainly respect that. But the loudest voices in Islam are not saying that.
Alison
Rwanda
I would like to echo what was said above. The U.S. Constitution was built to seperate the powers of Church and State, although Christian Conservatives often debate this interpretation. Our history is also built upon pilgrams seeking religious freedom, including many sects of Christianity outside of mainstream Christianity, which include: Calvinists, Mormons, Quakers, and Prosetants. More recently, immigrants from Africa from coutnries such as Ethiopia and Rawanda are ethnic or religious refugees seeking refuge from political or religious discrimination.
ReplyDeleteHistorically, our newly formed country attracted scientists, philosophers, poets, and free thinkers who could express their views without fear of persicution. The mix of different people from many countries gave our the U.S. a strong mix of different voices that complemented our democracy. However, in the later 20th and 21st century voices from minorities continue to fight for their voice in the democracy.
I think it is safe to say that our country allows for many people to voice their strong religious, ethical, and political views. We may not all agree, but our democracy survives becuase of the pluralist view of our founding fathers and the legal documents that are the foundation of our country.
Since my time as an undergraduate student, I've had strong friendships with Muslims from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait. In our discussions, I'm often suprised on the many values that our cultures share. I respect and value my Muslim's friends opinions and the teachings from the Koran. In many of the cities that I have lived in, there have been Mosques, and I haven't heard anyone being denied time for prayer. Howerver, there is often confusion about the role of the Hijab [sic] in Muslim society and the why and when women must wear it. In my experienc,e the cultural distance between women's rights and values plays a major role of conflict between our societies. However, I've met many strong and independent Muslim women.
While I've not personally seen conflicts resulting from women wearing a hijab here in America, most of the above comments I agree with. My concern is with which interpretation of the Qur'an a Muslim embraces, or as Alison wrote, about which Islam is it you are asking? Extremist devise means of interpreting the Qur'an that allows them to negate passages that talk about love and peace. Like anything we read, the culture within which we live and our religious disposition helps interpret and redefine it to it to bring into sync with our world view. Our pride keeps us from seeing the truth. Also, if a book is holy, that is all the more reason it is likely to be misinterpreted. Christians and Muslims believe in Satan, and he certainly seeks to corrupt all that is holy. Perhaps believers of both religions could focus on our common enemy without pointing the finger at the evidences they see of Satan's influence in the other's religion. Americans (Muslims included) should be concerned when extremists advocate deceit and violemce to overthrow governments that disagree with their views. The Bible teaches that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and that Satan is the father of lies. My hope is that together, with forums like this, we can expose and stomp out works of Satan. The hard part will come when the finger is pointed our way. May we all be willing to admit when we are wrong, and as Jesus said, "take the log that is in our own eye before we try to take the speck that is in our friend's eye."
ReplyDelete