Islam versus 4th of July celebration

There is no difference between following Islam as a religion and having loyalty with your country. Being loyal and having love for ones country is the part of the Islamic faith. Quran announces,

“O ye who believe obey Allah and obey the Prophet and obey those in authority from among you” (4:60).

The word Islam means - ‘peace.’ In an ideal Islamic society, peace and harmony starts at home, expanding to the community level, and spreading out to the entire world. God has provided us with the perfect way of life for every aspect of human society. Islam urges love and peace between husband and wife, gives direction to take care of our neighbors, directs Muslims to help their communities, and on the greater level loyalty to the country of residence. All of these different responsibilities have one bigger goal – peace in the society.

We as Muslims are integral part of American society; and should be clear in our actions and motivations to present us as a productive part of this society. I am proud to be the part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which is trying to revive the actual beauty of Islamic teachings. ‘Love for all and Hatred for none’ is the motto of this community and we believe in this slogan with all our hearts. People of our community, though small in number, take responsibility to deliver the true massage of peace through their actions, statements and examples. Especially the youth of this community are very much active in community and social work, through the support of Humanity First, which is a worldwide institution; Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is trying its best to be helpful in their societies and is the only Islamic establishment demonstrating the true philosophy of Islam.

I feel my responsibility to convey to all people in general, but especially to my Muslims brothers and sisters to understand our obligations towards God and especially towards our community. Many Muslims like me in USA came from different parts of the world to build their lives, and this country provide us with all the opportunities to do so. Being Muslims it is not just the matter of returning the kindness with consideration, but God commanded us to be loyal and have love for our country of residence.  With all the other directives, which we hold dear, why do we forget about this very important aspect of Islam? Which has a very clear essence of establishing peace in every society.

I want to say it again and again, this is the time, and the world is in great need of collaboration and harmony among different faiths and ideologies. We as Americans are part of this global village. If one person in a house is not at peace the whole family becomes distressed, if one house in a neighborhood is disturbed it can affect the whole society, and it will not stop here. Every thing is linked with each other, but peace starts at the smallest level. We need to start with our community, our neighbors, and our families.

In the end I want to share the massage of the head of Ahamadiyya Muslim community. In his words, “As citizens of any country, we Ahmadi Muslims, will always show absolute love and loyalty to the State. Every Ahmadi Muslim has a desire for his chosen country to excel and should always endeavour towards this objective. Whenever a country requires its citizens to make sacrifices the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat will always be ready to bear such sacrifices for the sake of the nation.” –His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (https://www.alislam.org/egazette/press-release/loyalty-to- country-part-of-islam/)