Islam for Non-Muslims

• RELIGIOUS FAITHS VS IRRELIGIOUS IDEAS
• 1 The Present State of the World Religions
• 2 Religious System as a Historical Reality
• 3 The Evidences of God across the Universe
• 4 The Absolute Oneness of God
• 5 The Reality of the Afterlife
• 6 The Growth of Irreligious Ideas
• 7 Worshipping Natural Elements
• 8 Worshipping Imaginary Idols
• 9 Worshipping Human Beings
• 10 Inventing Relationship to God
• 11 Inventing the Idea of Reincarnation
• 12 Inventing the Theory of Evolution (Darwinism)
• 13 Inventing ‘Nature’ as the Creator of the Universe
• 14 Importance of Religion in this Secular World
• ISLAM AS A RELIGION
• 15 Addressing the Criticisms of Islam
• 16 Islam as a Magnet for the Non-Muslims
• 17 The Quran as the Original Divine Book
• 18 The Quranic Reality in Archeological Findings
• 19 Muhammad (pbuh) as the Great Prophet
• 20 Islam as the True Religion
• 21 Islam as the Universal Religion
• 22 Islam as the Eternal Religion
• 23 Islam as a Practicable Religion
• 24 Islam as an Enjoyable Religion
• 25 Islam as the Peaceful & Savior Religion
• 26 Islam as the Progressive & Rational Religion
• 27 Islam in Health & Hygiene
• 28 Islam in Promotion of Science
• 29 Muslims in Practices of Science
• 30 Islam & Other Monotheisms: Similarities & Differences
• 31 Islamic Tolerance for Other Religions
• 32 Islamic Rights for Non-Muslim Citizens
• ISLAM AS A WAY OF LIFE
• 33 Islamic System vs. Human Ideologies
• 34 Moral & Social Impacts of Islamic Rituals
• 35 Moral Discipline in Islam
• 36 Sinning of 3 W’s: Women, Wine and Wealth
• 37 Dignity & Equality of Man in Islam
• 38 Human Rights in Islam
• 39 Social Duties in Islam
• 40 Dignity & Rights of Labor in Islam
• 41 Dignity of Women in Islam
• 42 Rights of Women in Islam
• 43 Marriage & Family Life in Islam
• 44 Political Philosophy in Islam
• 45 Economic Principles in Islam
• 46 Islamic Economy vs. Capitalism & Communism
• 47 Patriotism & Internationalism in Islam
• 48 Understanding Controversial Issues in Islam
• 49 Conversion to Islam: Problems & Prospects
• 50 Conclusive Message to the Non-Muslims

47: PATRIOTISM & INTERNATIONALISM IN ISLAM

Introduction: Historically, the world has suffered a lot from wars and conflicts largely inspired by selfish nationalism.  As a remedy, peace loving people from time to time made attempts to establish, maintain and promote international peace and human welfare, peaking at the creation of the United Nations Organization in 1945. In the same spirit of internationalism bound for the same goal of world peace, Islam promoted the idea of international brotherhood long, long ago. It makes a case for harmless nationalism that can be compatible with Islamic brotherhood at the international level.

Internationalism (Islamic Brotherhood): As a universal religion, Islam brings the people from different corners of the world under the same life system with uniform cultures and establishes brotherly relationship among them. The annual pilgrimage (hajj) brings together several millions of world Muslims at Mecca in a concrete show of this solidarity.  In the same spirit, Islam, viewing the world as belonging to God, allows you (Muslims) to “go abroad in the cause of God” and over there you can make friends with other Muslims by “carefully investigating” their faith and practices (4:94).

    This friendly relation based on monotheism (belief in one God) integrates the Muslims into a well-knit worldwide community known as “single brotherhood” (49:10). The members of this community, despite their differential geographical origins, are expected to live in peace and mutual cooperation under the common spiritual connections with the same God. They are like the children of the same parents, who despite living separately in different places, know themselves as brothers. In fact, the global Muslims physically belong within the political boundary of their respective countries. However, spiritually they feel themselves as members of a borderless international community like the metaphoric example of the fish in the free-flowing water.

Nationalism is Not Anti-Religious: The above concept of Islamic brotherhood does not rule out the feasibility or desirability of country-based national membership of the Muslims. God claims to have made people into nations and tribes so you may “know each other”, as a solution to identity problem (49:13). Accordingly, states or countries with various boundaries were carved out in different historical contexts. Islam does not have any plan to convert the whole world into one all-Muslim political unit, matching the senseless ambition of Marxist communism for turning the whole world into one political state through ‘withering away of (all other) states’ after communism is planted everywhere.  Islam thus duly recognizes your citizenship of the country you are born in. Even if the Muslims are scattered worldwide in different states, it is their sense of unity that, overlying state boundaries, binds them into what is called ‘single brotherhood’ or ‘Muslim nation’. In this sense, the Muslim brotherhood is not a territorial or political concept but a spiritual matter.

Patriotism is Piety: Despite your membership of global Muslim brotherhood, your identity as a citizen of your birth country is duly recognized. Islam calls upon you to discharge your obligations toward your state, out of patriotic zeal unless your state is at war with Islam. Islam views patriotism as an act of piety because serving your motherland amounts to your grateful repayment of debt toward it. You were born herein not by your choice but under divine will. The Prophet was also so much consumed with patriotism that on the eve of his emigration from homeland Mecca, he could barely suppress emotions.  As he was heading toward Medina, he was lovingly gazing at Mecca and talking to himself “Oh Mecca my homeland! I did not want to leave you but your people would not let me live here, sadly”. However, his spiritual ties later brought him back to Mecca, even if briefly.

Prohibition of Aggressive Nationalism: Islam, however, does not support any narrow application of nationalism meant to promote your national interest at the expense of others. It is good that you love your country as a patriot and you serve your nation as a nationalist. But it is not good that in doing so you will harm other nations such as through illegal occupation and thereafter abusing their people and destroying their economy. Accordingly, historical practices of European aggressive nationalism, imperialism, colonialism and mercantilism (particularly by Spain, Britain, France etc.) have no place in Islam. By using any method of any name, if you, as a leader of your country, cause sufferings to the innocent people of other nations, you will pay a heavy price (in the Afterlife at the latest) for combined sufferings of all your victims. As a historical reminder, Columbus, sponsored by Spanish Catholic Queen Isabella, explored the Americas in 1492 that led to torturous deaths by the millions and plundering of colonial wealth by the billions of dollars in value. The same also opened the door for competition among 13 other Europeans for colonizing numerous nations of Africa, Asia and the Americas and committing similar kind of barbaric crimes of ‘state level robbery’.  However, thousand years earlier, Islam served warning that applies to them squarely: “if any do that (murder and destruction) out of animosity and injustice, soon they will be cast into the Fire (Hell)” (4:30/29).

It is, therefore, imperative that you do not misdirect your national energy against world peace by fanning up hatred, malice, enmity, arms race, wars, century old revenge, ‘master race’ or ‘white race supremacy’ theories etc. In preference, Islam desires that you use your nationalistic spirits to maintain world peace and promote human wellbeing worldwide. In other words, the Islamic position is that you progress your nation by using nationalist sentiments (e.g. channeling your patriotic zeal and energy for nation-building efforts) and then spread out the fruits of your prosperity internationally. Motivated by this idealism, some early Islamic states did send humanitarian aid beyond their borders to the drought-prone needy African nation(s).

Islamic Brotherhood Not Divisive: The concept of ‘single brotherhood’ for the world Muslims is not divisive or biased against the non-Muslims. This brotherhood is simply a means of cooperation among the Muslims for furthering their collective interest and is not anyway designed against other communities. This is similar to a typical cooperative organization which looks more inward to advance its group interest rather than outward for clashing with others.

Islam strongly believes in peaceful coexistence and international cooperation for the common good of the humanity. Accordingly, it gives strong warning to the Muslims not to “do evils in the land with intent to break peace” (11:85). Being part of world community, the Muslims can lend support to positive matters like fighting global warming, helping the UN with its peaceful agenda and condemn unjust ethnic cleansing anywhere etc. In this regard, the Quran issues an instructive ruling, balancing the interest of Islam and the world community. “It is your duty to help them (fellow Muslims)” but not in a situation when that goes against a “people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance” (8:72).

Conclusion: It appears from above that Islam stands for virtuous internationalism and against vicious nationalism.