To the question (and others) “Can a devout Muslim be an American patriot and loyal citizen?”

a Netfriend responded:

I find this kind of thing fairly unhelpful in the current climate – there are lots of people out there just looking for reasons to demonize Muslims and an uncritical look at material like that will be trotted out as ‘proof’ of their prejudices.

I have a number of devoutly Christian friends who are finding it very difficult to be American patriots and loyal citizens in the face of the idiocies being expressed by the US government. Their understanding of Biblical teaching is that they are called to be pacifists which puts them at direct odds with the Bush administration. Indeed, one is almost tempted to suggest that anyone who is unable to be an American patriot and loyal citizen probably has a lot to recommend them just now.

“Theologically, no. Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon God of Arabia.”

And Christian allegiance is to God ahead of country, too. The overwhelming majority of Christians believe that when called to choose between God and the dictates of any political power, they should choose God. But quite a few of us find it very convenient not to stop to try and discern God’s will if we think we might be called on to do something uncomfortable ie the fact that our faith calls us to do something doesn’t mean we’re going to.

Although I am sure that all of the teachings and perspectives listed here are in the Quaran and that conservative Muslims around the world believe and obey them with enthusiasm, this does not prove that all Muslims function in this way. If you were to listen to the official pronouncements of the Vatican, you would believe that there is no Catholic who would ever contemplate using any form of contraceptive other than Billings or total abstinence. Those of us with good Catholic friends of childbearing age know that this is just not true, and I was even present when a Catholic moral theologian of high repute said to a lecture theatre full of Catholic parents of teenagers that contraceptive use was to be preferred to unwanted teenage pregnancy and way better than abortion. He didn’t actually *say* that he therefore thought it was a good idea to put potentially sexually active teenage girls on the pill….

I know a signficant number of Muslim women who do not cover their hair in public except when they’re actually praying, which they do five times a day at the appointed times. I know significant numbers of Muslim students who find life in Australian universities very difficult because they come from far more liberal Muslim communities in their home countries but, because of the small number of Muslim students here are forced to associate with Muslims who are far more conservative than they if they wish to practise their faith and they don’t like the pressure they are under to conform to aspects of Islam that they regard as irrelevant.

And sure, the piece was written by a former Muslim, but haven’t you ever noticed that when talking to former Christians about the problems that made them leave Christianity they’re usually not describing the practice of faith that nurtures and sustains you???

Islam is fundamentally different to Christianity. I find some of its teachings profoundly unsatisfying and some of the things some Islamic governments do deeply worrying, but to suggest that all Muslims should be persona non gratia because of what some do is about as helpful as to do the same for Catholics on the basis of the activities of the IRA, clergy because some are paedophiles etc etc.