Our Founders were NOT Fundamentalists

by Harvey Wasserman 

"God made the idiot for practice, and then He made the school board." --Mark TwainTomorrow's New York Times Sunday Magazine highlights yet another mob of extremists using the Texas School Board to baptize our children's textbooks.

This endless, ever-angry escalating assault on our Constitution by crusading theocrats could be obliterated with the effective incantation of two names: Benjamin Franklin, and Deganawidah.



But first, let's do some history:

1. Actual Founder-Presidents #2 through #6---John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams---were all freethinking Deists and Unitarians; what Christian precepts they embraced were moderate, tolerant and open-minded.
2. Actual Founder-President #1, George Washington, became an Anglican as required for original military service under the British, and occasionally quoted scripture. But he vehemently opposed any church-state union. In a 1790 letter to the Jews of Truro, he wrote: The "Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistances, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens." A 1796 treaty he signed says "the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." Washington rarely went to church and by some accounts refused last religious rites.
3. Washington was also the nation's leading brewer, and since most Americans drank much beer (water could be lethal in the cities) they regularly trembled before the keg, not the altar. Like Washington, Jefferson and Madison, virtually all American farmers raised hemp and its variations.
4. Jefferson produced a personal Bible from which he edited out all reference to the "miraculous" from the life of Jesus, whom he considered both an activist and a mortal.
5. Tom Paine's COMMON SENSE sparked the Revolution with nary a mention of Jesus or Christianity. His Deist Creator established the laws of Nature, endowed humans with Free Will, then left.
6. The Constitution never mentions the words "Christian" or "Jesus" or "Christ."
7. Revolutionary America was filled with Christians whose commitment to toleration and diversity was completely adverse to the violent, racist, misogynist, anti-sex theocratic Puritans whose "City on the Hill" meant a totalitarian state. Inspirational preachers like Rhode Island's Roger Williams and religious groups like the Quakers envisioned a nation built on tolerance and love for all.
8. The US was founded less on Judeo-Christian beliefs than on the Greco-Roman love for dialog and reason. There are no contemporary portraits of any Founder wearing a crucifix or church garb. But Washington was famously painted half-naked in the buff toga of the Roman Republic, which continues to inspire much of our official architecture.
9. The great guerilla fighter (and furniture maker) Ethan Allen was an aggressive atheist; his beliefs were common among the farmers, sailors and artisans who were the backbone of Revolutionary America.
10. America's most influential statesman, thinker, writer, agitator, publisher, citizen-scientist and proud liberal libertine was---and remains---Benjamin Franklin. He was at the heart of the Declaration, Constitution and Treaty of Paris ending the Revolution. The ultimate Enlightenment icon, Franklin's Deism embraced a pragmatic love of diversity. As early America's dominant publisher he, Paine and Jefferson printed the intellectual soul of the new nation.
11. Franklin deeply admired the Ho-de-no-sau-nee (Iroquois) Confederacy of what's now upstate New York. Inspired by the legendary peacemaker Deganawidah, this democratic congress of five tribes had worked "better than the British Parliament" for more than two centuries. It gave us the model for our federal structure and the images of freedom and equality that inspired both the French and American Revolutions.

It's no accident today's fundamentalist crusaders and media bloviators (Rev. Limbaugh, St. Beck) seek to purge our children's texts of all native images except as they are being forceably converted or killed.

Today's fundamentalists would have DESPISED the actual Founders. Franklin's joyous, amply reciprocated love of women would evoke their limitless rage. Jefferson's paternities with his slave mistress Sally Hemings, Paine's attacks on the priesthood, Hamilton's bastardly philandering, the grassroots scorn for organized religion---all would draw howls of righteous right-wing rage.

Which may be why theocratic fundamentalists are so desperate to sanitize and fictionalize what's real about our history.

God forbid our children should know of American Christians who embraced the Sermon on the Mount and renounced the Book of Revelations...or natives who established democracy on American soil long before they saw the first European...or actual Founders who got drunk, high and laid on their way to writing the Constitution.

Faith-based tyranny is anti-American. So are dishonest textbooks. It's time to fight them both.

Harvey Wasserman's SOLARTOPIA! OUR GREEN-POWERED EARTH, A.D. 2030, is at www.solartopia.org. He is senior advisor to Greenpeace USA and the Nuclear Information & Resource Service, and writes regularly for www.freepress.org.

(This article reposted with permission of Dr. Harvey Wasserman)

Why should I vote?

By Dr. M.N. Tarazi

"What is voting in Islam?, It isn't mentioned in the Quran!" my friend Abdullah asked.

Well our scholars understood that voting amounts to "given a testimony" and we Muslims are required to give testimony when called for:

"...The witnesses should not refuse when they are called on"

(Al-Baqarah 2:282)

However, this should not be understood that given testimony is obligatory only when the witness is summoned . The prophet (PBUH) said:

"Should I not tell you about the best of witnesses? It is he who brings his testimony before he is even asked." (Muslim)

Allah S.W.T also said:

"... and do not conceal testimony; for whoever conceals it,- His heart is tainted with sin. And Allah Knows all that you do. "

(Al-Baqarah 2:283)

Based on this, an overwhelming number of Islamic scholars declared that Muslim participation is permissible in all political aspects including voting, nominating, and running for public offices. Many went on to saying that such Muslim participation is obligatory and it is sinful if a Muslim is negligent in this kind of participation, especially if his "No Vote" caused the election of a candidate who is not best for the job or caused the passage of a measure that is not in the best interest, from an Islamic standpoint, of humanity in general and Muslims in particular.

Then Abdullah said, "Fine but does my vote really count? Back where I came from, the presidential election, for example, was always won by 99.999% of the votes!"

In true democracies you will not see the 99.999%. For example in the 2000 Presidential election , in Florida Bush got 2,912,790 votes while Gore got 2,912,253 votes. As a result Bush won the election by only 517 votes. Also in the 2008 general election for congress in the Ohio 15th district, Mary Jo Kilroy defeated Steve Stivers by only 2311 votes (most likely the Muslim votes) out of more than 304,000 cast.

I hope this convinces you how important is your vote!

"I really don't care since next year I'm going back home anyway!" Abdullah replied.

Well, Abdullah, I have been hearing you say this for the last 10 years and you're still hanging in here. The prophet (PBUH) said:

"If you happen to witness the start of the Day of Judgment and you have a plant and if you live enough just to plant it, then do so."(Ahmad & others)

So you owe it to yourself, to the country which opened its arms to you and gave you its citizenship, to the community in general and to the Muslim community to get out and vote for he or she who can do the best job and for the issue that benefits everyone.

Then Abdullah asked an important question, "Fine, fine. I should vote. But I don't know who is who. How can I vote?"

You are obligated to inform yourself on the issues and the candidates. Ask others if you don't. The League of Women Voters is a national organization with local chapters that is a good source of information on both candidates and issues, as are newspaper stories. Television ads, fliers published by a political party, and other ads may be poor sources of information. A meet the candidates event or a debate can give you some ideas about candidates.

You may argue that back in 2000 we followed the recommendations of knowledgeable Islamic organizations and we were wrong. True, but you do your best and what happen later is with God's hands and wisdom.

"Say: "I have no power over any good or harm to myself except as Allah wills. If I had knowledge of the unseen, I should have multiplied all good, and no evil should have touched me......."

(Al-A'raf 7:188)

"I need to confess I don't trust any candidate. They're all liars. They promise you so many things and once elected they break all their promises. Therefore I'm not voting!" Abdullah continued to argue.

They're not all the same. There are many honest and trustworthy candidates. Look for them. And circumstances they encounter once elected often sidetrack them or block them from doing many of the things they dream of. Most people go into politics, particularly at the local level, because they truly want to make things better. We have to be reasonable about the jobs we send them to do.

Undoubtedly you will not find a perfect candidate for any post, a candidate that agrees with you on all issues. Just use your best judgment and vote for the most suitable person for the position from the perspectives of moral character and qualifications for the position. And remember that each vote will affect you, your family and your community whether you voted or not.

So be part of the solution. Get off the couch and vote.

Finally Abdullah conceded and said:

"Thank you my friend. I will see you at the polls on November 2nd, Inshallah, and we all will vote for the best candidates and vote for issues that are good for the community in general and for us, the Muslim minority living in the West in particular."

OK, I might see you then, but we don't have to wait to the last day to vote. We can vote early in Franklin County if we go to 280 E. Broad Street instead of our regular polling places. You can find out the days and hours for early voting at

http://vote.franklincountyohio.gov/
Actually this website has important information for all voters, like what kind of ID to bring for voting and a sample ballot so you can prepare yourself better. If you aren't familiar with where your regular polling place is for voting on November 2, you can look it up on this website, as well as find out if you are correctly registered. You can report your changed address when you move as well. Each time you move you must correct your voter registration information.

Abdullah, let's spend the evening of November 2nd at my place watching the election results while having dinner together. I know a great chicken recipe and I'll kick it up a notch for you since you love hot spices.

Peace, Just War, and the Prophet of Islam

By Elias

Intolerance and malicious stereotyping were on full display during Christiane Amanpour’s recent CNN town hall debate, “Holy War: Should Americans fear Islam?” Participants promoting fear of Islam employed various strategies: cherry-picking from scripture, amplifying fringe extremists as representatives of “true Islam,” ignoring the moderate majority, and throwing in the occasional anti-Muslim canard (such as Islam encourages lying to non-believers). But perhaps no falsehood is more harmful to peaceful coexistence than, as Reverend Franklin Graham asserts, Islam is a religion of war and violence, hatred and wrath, conquest and domination. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Missing from the debate is a fair reading of Islam’s scriptural legacy, the Holy Qur’an, the Hadith, and the writings of Muslim scholars, jurists, and saints.  This article will demonstrate from scripture and the commentary of qualified Muslim scholars, both classical and contemporary, the following:


1) Prophet Muhammad, like the founders of every other major world religion, preached a message of love and peace, explicitly and repeatedly.

2) Prophet Muhammad articulated a theory of Just War that is not only equivalent to the Western Christian tradition, but is entirely compatible with modern international laws of war, the U.N. charter, and the Geneva Conventions.

The Prophet on Peace

From the outset, Muslims point out that the very word “Islam” is deliberately derived from the root “salima” meaning “peace, safety, security.” The standard Islamic greeting is “peace be upon you.” Therefore, the definition of “Muslim” is one who not only submits to the God of Abraham but is also committed to peace, justice, and safety for his fellow human beings. This definition of Muslim was stated explicitly by the Prophet: “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand people are safe, and the believer is the one from whom the people’s lives and wealth are safe.”[1]

The theme of peace, both in this life and the next, is consistently repeated throughout the Holy Qur’an:

The servants of the Lord of Mercy are those who walk humbly on the earth, and who, when the foolish address them, reply, ‘Peace!’ (25:63)

And (the believers) turn away whenever they hear frivolous talk, saying, ‘We have our deeds and you have yours. Peace be with you! We do not seek the company of ignorant people.’ (28:55)

God invites to the Home of Peace, and guides whoever He will to a straight path. (10:11)

The story of Abraham is particularly insightful:

Have you heard the story of the honored guests of Abraham? They went in to see him and said, ‘Peace.’ ‘Peace,’ he replied, [adding to himself] ‘These people are strangers.’ (51:24-25)

Abraham, who is as much a model for Muslims as he is for Jews and Christians, returned the greeting of peace to his visitors even though they were complete strangers, demonstrating that, in Islam, the offer of peace is universal.

In fact, the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet command Muslims, very explicitly, to seek out a peaceful solution to all conflicts. As the Holy Quran says: “If they incline towards peace, you [Prophet] must also incline towards it, and put your trust in God: He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing.” (8:61) The great 14^th century exegete, Ismail Ibn Kathir, stated clearly that this verse was not abrogated or cancelled, citing the statement of the Prophet: “After me there will be many differences, so if you have a way to end them in peace, then do it.”[2] This tradition is significant because it was narrated by Ahmad ibn Hanbal, founder of the fourth and most conservative orthodox school of law in Sunni Islam, on the authority of Ali ibn Abu Talib, a figure revered by both Sunnis and Shi’ites. Furthermore, Arab grammarians will point out that the phrase “then do it” is an imperative command, indicating obligation. It should be no surprise, then, that Abu Umamah, the companion of the Prophet, said: “Our Prophet commanded us to spread peace.”[3]

In a famous tradition, the Prophet preached his message of peace and love: “By the One in whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you something which if you did you would love each other? Spread peace amongst yourselves.”[4] Commenting on this tradition, the famous 13^th century Muslim jurist, Ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi, stated that “peace is the first cause of harmony, and the key to attract affection” citing as evidence a statement he attributed to the Prophet, mentioning characteristics of faith, one of which is “to offer peace to the world.”[5] Conversely, the Prophet discouraged hatred and division: “Do not envy each other, do not hate each other, and do not cut each other off, but be servants of God in brotherhood.”[6]

All of this is standard behavior related to the Prophet’s teachings on good neighborliness: “Whoever believes in God and the Last Day, let him honor his neighbor.”[7]

The Prophet on Just War

Despite numerous calls for peace, Islam was born in a time and place of tremendous violence and criminal behavior. So in order to pacify the Arabs, the Holy Qur’an developed a strict theory of Just War, intended to bring law, order, and ultimately peace to the Arabian Peninsula. Far from being a symbol of conquest, the sword was in fact a symbol of justice. Yet, numerous anti-Muslim activists quote a few verses of the Holy Qur’an which, on the surface, appear to encourage violence against non-believers simply by virtue of being non-believers. However, an honest look at scripture and its exegesis demonstrates clearly that these verses are selectively cited out of context, and any scripture contradicting this claim is dismissed by anti-Muslim activists as “abrogated” or is otherwise ignored entirely.

The essential legal text dealing with the topic of war is the following: “Fight in God's cause against those who fight you, but do not transgress. God does not love those who transgress.” (2:190) The famous 9^th century father of Qur’anic exegesis, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, stated clearly that this verse was not abrogated or cancelled, citing the report of Ibn Abbas, the cousin of the Prophet: “Do not kill women, children, old men, or anyone who meets you with peace restraining his hand (from fighting). If you did that then indeed you would be transgressors.”[8] The current Grand Mufti of Egypt, Ali Gomaa, noted the compatibility of the Holy Qur’an with modern international laws and treaties. Writing in the Washington Post, he states: “This verse summarizes everything that has been agreed upon concerning guidelines of warfare, including the first and second Geneva Conventions.”

In fact, the Holy Qur’an consistently counsels Muslims to show restraint: “So if they withdraw and do not fight you, and offer you peace, then God gives you no way against them.” (4:90) Based on such verses, the famous 13^th century Muslim jurist, Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, wrote: “Islamic warfare is always defensive, because the basis of relationships with non-Muslims is peace. If one reflects deeply on the causes of the Prophet’s military expeditions, one will find that all of them were of this type.”[9]

In Islam, the purpose of war is not forced religious conversion, conquest, or domination. Religious conversion by force is explicitly forbidden: “There is no compulsion in religion: true guidance has become distinct from error, so whoever rejects false gods and believes in God has grasped the firmest hand-hold, one that will never break.” (2:256) Rather, the purpose of war is to create a climate of peace wherein God can be worshipped freely:  “If God did not repel some people by means of others, many monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, where God's name is much invoked, would have been destroyed.” (22:40) Far from a declaration of holy war against all Jews, Christians, and others, the Holy Qur’an declares the exact opposite: just war in the defense of freedom of religion.

The Holy Qur’an sanctions warfare only against those who first initiate warfare and thereby refuse offers of peace: “So if they neither withdraw, nor offer you peace, nor restrain themselves from fighting you, seize and kill them wherever you encounter them. We give you clear authority against such people.” (4:91) The purpose of such verses is, of course, to encourage righteous military service in defense of people’s God-given rights; the rights of life, safety, and freedom, among others. War is never justified simply because a person or nation is not Muslim. This has always been the majority position of the four Sunni schools of law:

“Among the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence only one, the Shafi‘i school, contains the view that a person’s belief can be a reason for fighting against them. This view, however, is mitigated by the fact that an opposite view, in agreement with the majority, is also attributed to Shafi‘i.”[10]

In classical Islamic law, the sanctity of peace treaties is strongly encouraged, based on the following verses: “(The believers) are faithful to their trusts and their pledges.” (23:8) and “(The believers) are faithful to their trusts and their pledges.” (70:32) The sanctity of peace treaties is so great, that the Prophet issued a severe warning to those who break their oaths and pledges: “Indeed, the treacherous person will have a banner planted for him on the Day of Judgment; it will be announced, ‘This is the treachery of so-and-so’.”[11] Consequently, warfare is only justified against those who stubbornly refuse or break their peace treaties: “If they break their oath after having made an agreement with you, if they revile your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief—oaths mean nothing to them—so that they may stop.” (9:12) The phrase “so that they may stop” is a clear indication of the aim for peace, an essential cornerstone of Just War theory.

For these reasons, Dr. John Kelsay, professor of religion at Florida State University, writes that classical Islamic law “already provides an equivalent to the just-war criteria of legitimate authority, just cause, righteous intentions, and (at least) timely resort. We might also see in the overarching purpose of establishing and maintaining an Islamic state something equivalent to the just-war criterion of aim of peace.”[12]

Conclusion

Muslims can martial an enormous amount of scripture and classical commentary to support the basic religious principles of peace, love, and justice at the heart of all authentic religion. This article has only scratched the surface. Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri, an expert on Islamic law from Pakistan, recently published a 600 page fatwa, an expert Islamic legal opinion, which brought forth undeniable scriptural evidence that terrorism, suicide bombings, and any violence against innocent people for any reason is not only forbidden in Islam, it is a rejection of God Himself. It was not that 600 pages were required to make this point, but rather this massive volume of scriptural evidence was presented to show clearly to everyone that criminal terrorists, who falsely act in the name of Islam, have completely rejected the guidance of the Holy Qur’an, the Hadith, and classical Islamic law.

Anti-Muslim activism, on display at the recent town hall debate, is dangerous for America. It is dangerous because it is based on stereotyping and prejudice, selective citation of scriptures and facts, to create a crude caricature of a violent Islam bent on war and conquest, to paint the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims as an enemy threat. This demonstrable falsehood damages America’s ability to build crucial alliances with Muslim countries overseas, it encourages discrimination and harassment of American Muslim citizens at home, and it ignores the great contribution Muslims have made to America and the world. It echoes the same historical smear tactics and dishonest propaganda leveled against Jews, Catholics, African Americans, immigrants, and numerous others. All of this weakens and undermines America’s most important values: tolerance, pluralism, unity, and freedom.

Mr. Franklin Graham, I say to you what Reza Aslan, a scholar of Islam, rightly said to you and your partners in prejudice: “You’re on the wrong side of history. And very soon, in a couple of decades, you will be sweeped and your ideas will be sweeped into the garbage bin of history, along with the anti-Semites of the 20th century and the anti-Catholics of the 19th century.”

But only if God wills, for with God alone lies success.

---

[1] Sunan An-Nasa’I, Book of Faith, graded “authentic”

[2] Tafsir Ibn Kathir, verse 8:61

[3] Sunan Ibn Majah, Chapters on Etiquette, #3693

[4] Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, #96, graded “authentic”

[5] Sharh Sahih Muslim, Ibn Sharaf An-Nawawi

[6] Sahih Muslim, Book of Righteousness, #6530, graded “authentic”

[7] Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, #173, graded “authentic”

[8] Tafsir Al-Tabari, verse 2:190

[9] Majmu, Volume 8, Section 28, as cited in The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi, Zaytuna Institute, p. 92

[10] Jihad and the Islamic Law of War, Riyal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, p. 36

[11] Sunan Abu Dawud, Book of Jihad, #2756, graded “authentic”

[12] Arguing the Just War in Islam, Harvard University Press, p. 103

The Saracen Sentinel Has Been Officially Launched

The Saracen Sentinel has officially been launched and will feature prominent people from the Columbus, Ohio community and abroad.  Please be expecting to see some of the first articles published shortly.  Thank you all for the support!

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If you are a writer that specializes on subjects such as Islam, Muslims, The Middle East, History, Politics, Religion, Business, Lifestyles, Gender Issues, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi...please contact us to have your writing published on our site and your name appearing as the author.

We abide by the "Amman Message" that was signed in Amman, Jordan honoring the acceptance of all the schools of thought of Islam and creating an all inclusive, rather than exclusive, community of Muslim writers and intellectuals.

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