It has become so commonplace to find media coverage of Islam and Muslims in a negative light that when an article is written without the words terrorists, fundamentalism or guerrillas it makes one wonder what the objective fo the writer really is.
It is important to note that there have been ongoing attempts to weaken Muslims and prevent the resurgence of Islam even prior to the demise of Islamic State. The campaign to accomplish this goal has taken many forms including weakening our unity by creating boundaries and nationalistic movements, intellectual attacks on various aspects of Islam, and of course painting an image of Muslims as being violent and terrorists. But the most dangerous form of anti-Islamic propaganda is one which acknowledges Islam and Muslims as a legitimate entity, but redefines Islam to �fit in� with what the West wants it to be and aims at making it a nonthreatening unit. An article which appeared in New York Times on May 5th entitled �Community of Muslims Finds Desert Fertile land� is a good example of the effort to redefine Islam.
The article described a community of Muslims settled in New Mexico in a desert settling similar to the settling in which Islam first arose. The community was started by a handful of Muslim converts. The community�s spokesman stated that they want to encourage �a moderate, tolerant, articulate, and very American brand of faith, and that is the emerging Islam,�
What is an American Brand of Islam? Should there be a Pakistani brand, a Middle Eastern Brand, or a European brand of Islam? There is no such concepts for a Muslim. The Islamic Aqeedah, rules, and regulations to be followed remain the same irrespective of the time and place. The mere suggestion of �American Islam� is in contradiction with the Islamic Aqeedah, for America is based on secularism and religion does not dictates life�s affairs. America would like see Islam exist as a religion in the same way as Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism do. It does not want to see Islam as an ideology, i.e. a political thought that would challenge the American way of life. The article also implied that a non-American brand of Islam is intolerant and not moderate and therefore Muslims must change Islam itself in order for it to be viewed as �tolerant� and �moderate.� Islam is a very tolerant system in the sense that under the Islamic rule, dhimmis (non-Muslims living under Islam), are allowed to follow their own faith. Islam also encourages its followers to be kind and helpful to others, but at the same time it does not allow for tolerance of injustice, oppression and the lack of Islamic rule. In today�s world, �moderate� had become synonymous with allowing the injustices which are taking place to continue. At most, Muslims are allowed to react in ways the west find acceptable rather than what will actually change the situation. For moderation has now taken on the definition of doing what is within the framework of �mainstream,� i.e. maintaining the status quo. Since Islam is not �mainstream,� following the Islamic agenda and Islamic method will be considered by definition �extremist.�
The second point is the concept of �model religious community.� This concept of a model community implies that it is sufficient for Muslims to live as �community within a community.� This is not only a false concept, but contradictory to what Rasoolallah (saw) showed us by his example. Muslims should be models to others and Islamic society should be an exemplary one as a full working system. In other words, it is not enough to have a group of Muslims settled in one are with a Masjid and a school in the vicinity. There is a false sense of adequacy and security in this setting. The Muslim is led to believe that they have then �establish Islam� within this microcosm. This is not our goal. Although it is convenient to have a such a setup while we are in a vacuum state (lacking the full implementation of Islam), we must realize that our goal is to work to bring back the Islamic rule. Establishing such setups gives a false concept of a �model religious community,� since the true Islamic model requires total implementation of Islam. We must realize that such a setup is destructive because it gives the Muslims and the non-Muslims a wrong understanding of what an Islamic community is, for here, only some aspects of Islam are implemented. In addition, Muslims placing their efforts in creating and maintaining such communities will be kept preoccupied from their actual obligation of establishing Islam. Take note that after Rasoolallah(saw) has convinced a small number of people to embrace Islam, the next step was to establish the Islamic state in Medina, not to create a model community within the Meccan society. And even after the establishment of the Islamic state, he (saw) did not leave the propagation of Islam dependant upon this model state. He (saw) actively proceeded to invite other lands to either embrace Islam or live under its rule. It is clear that the Rasoolallah(saw) and the Muslims of that time did not exits as a �community within a community.�
This community in New Mexico was first set up by �an American educated Saudi Businessman� who purchased a 30,000 square foot property for this venture. Did this individual think that such an investment to set up a community of Muslim converts to promote an �American brand� of tolerant and moderate Islam was the solution to the problems of the Muslims today? It is also known that the government of Saudi has financed the erection of �Islamic Institutes� designed to graduate Imams with an understanding of Islam that is compatible with the western thought. Should Muslims view this project in isolation or a part of a greater scheme to �westernize � Islam?
Interestingly enough, the community describe in the article is called Dar-al-Islam. What do we know of this terminology? Dar-al-Islam is defined by Muslim jurists as the land governing by the laws of Islam and whose security is maintained by Muslims. It is a misnomer to say this community is Dar-al-Islam for this implies Islamic rule which clearly is not present. Also, Muslim reported a Hadith that is narrated by Sulayman bin Buraida that Prophet (saw) said: �Call them to Islam and if they agree accept from them and refrain from fighting against them. Then call them to move from their land to the land of the Muhajiroon (the emigrants) and tell them if they do so, they will have the rights which Muhajiroon enjoy and they will have the duties like the duties upon the Muhajiroon.�
It is from this hadith that the term Dar-al-Islam was derived; relating a land to Islam is relating it to government and authority. In fact, the hadith makes clear that in order to enjoy the rights and duties of the Muhajiroon (who were in Dar-al-Islam at that time), one had to move to that land. If there would be Dar-al-Islam today, the Muslims would have to be under its jurisdiction to enjoy their full Islamic rights. By having this area in New Mexico called Dar-al-Islam, it redefines Dar-al-Islam to be a group of Muslims living together under a non-Muslim jurisdiction.
Of particular note is that last statement of that article. No doubt that last statement carried much impact, for it is the last impression left on the reader�s mind. The statement made by the community�s spokesman was �Islam�s revolution is inner revolution. It�s light, it�s knowledge. It is not overthrowing governments.� Imagine that! The whole concept of Islam is change in just this one statement. Islam is reduced to mere knowledge and light. The entire struggle for Islam is made an �inner struggle.� In other words, let us be educated and good and strive to perfect ourselves. Shun the thought of even trying to change our political situation. It is telling us that it is not consistent with Islam to overthrow a government. What comment can we make about Prophet (saw)�s action in Mecca when he overthrew its government? Did he(saw) not wage wars against the adjacent lands and eradicate their governments? Did the sahaba not follow his example? We should and are obligated to do the same!
Muslims must be smart and careful in what they get from the media. It is easy to pick out blatant attacks by the media on Islam, but it requires close observation when it encourages us to live as Muslims. With careful analysis, we realize that how we should live is deliberately redefined by the west and its agents. It is sad to say, however, that this redefined image of Islam has already infiltrated the minds of many Muslims today. The agenda of many Muslims has been wrongly shifted to becoming �good American citizens� and participating in un-Islamic rule. We see that the goals of Muslims in different states has become to build masajids and schools but (which are most definitely needed and should be built) but this has become our end goal. People are content to say they live in predominantly Muslim neighborhood and their children go to Islamic schools. W are trying so hard to show others that we are moderate and tolerant even when Muslims are being raped, killed, persecuted, financially stripped and emotionally destroyed. This is intolerable. How can we dare say our revolution is one to improve ourselves from within when the corrupt regimes which rule our lands continue to bleed us? And how successful will the inner revolution be when we silently stand and witness the destruction of the Muslim Ummah and the absence of Islam? If we want to win the west�s favor and make their dream come true of never seeing Islam resurface, we can pursue the goal of a community within a community and have �inner� struggles while the situation of the Muslims continues do deteriorate at a rapid rate. But if we ever expect to win Allah�s favor and succeed in the hereafter we must move forward in the direction of establishing the Islamic rule by establishment of the Islamic state, the Khilafah.
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