This article is the first in a series entitled “Navigating West: A Vision For A Renewed America”.
Imagine you are walking in Boston, New York City, or any other American town. Looking around, you notice the banks are no longer predatory, society’s riches are providing for the needy, inner cities are safe and secure, and income inequality and racism have largely vanished. What’s more, beaches are no longer places of public vulgarity, drugs and alcohol aren’t flooding our streets, and, on the world stage, America is sitting on the United Nations Security Council proposing and supporting resolutions against the genocide and injustice in Palestine, standing with all its power for justice in the world. It seems like a dream, right? Well, 1400 years ago it was also a dream that Mecca would make a 180-degree turnaround from social and economic injustice, vulgarity, alcoholism, oppressions of the weak and vulnerable towards justice, equity, and modesty, yet that’s exactly what happened thanks to the coming of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) and the message he conveyed.
Also consider the famous story of Umar ibn Al-Khattab’s acceptance of Islam while Amr ibn Hisham (Abu Jahl) was left in misguidance. Both were staunch enemies of Islam – the future caliph even went with an unsheathed sword to kill the Prophet (peace be upon him)! – yet, in Allah’s divine decree, Umar ibn Al-Khattab was guided to Islam and Abu Jahl was left in disbelief. What’s more, we see the seeds of Umar’s conversion were sown gradually, described in an encounter with Layla bint Abi-Hathmah, the wife of Amir ibn Rabee’ah. While preparing for the second emigration to Abyssinia, she met Umar ibn Al-Khattab and, over time, witnessed glimpses of compassion in his nature. Feeling excited, she told her husband what she’d observed in Umar. Nevertheless, her husband replied with skepticism, declaring, “By Allah, Al-Khattab will not become a Muslim until his donkey becomes a Muslim!”
Amir ibn Rabee’ah’s sentiment may feel familiar for many of us when looking around the world and seeing so much anti-Islam rhetoric by many leaders or prominent figures in the country. However, if a feeling of despair surfaces in your mind, be reminded of Prophet Muhammad’s supplication: “O Allah! Honor Islam through the most dear of these two Umars – two men dear to You: through Amr ibn Hisham (Abu Jahl) or through Umar ibn Al-Khattab.”
We know Allah (SWT) guided Umar ibn Al-Khattab, even when it seemed impossible, while Abu Jahl was not so blessed. Has it ever crossed your mind why Umar was chosen over Abu Jahl?
Chasing Guidance
Looking around, we find people full of faith, tranquil and content in their guidance. Conversely, some live their lives seemingly without concern for the afterlife or want of religious instruction. Consequently, a question arises: Why do some live in faith and others in ignorance, and how do their actions impact being guided to Islam or a lack thereof?
The Quran tells us that guidance comes only from Allah, and He guides whom He wills and leaves unguided whom He wills. As a result, there’s a common misconception that there is nothing we can do to receive the blessing of guidance; however, the Quran and hadith also tell us that Allah has given us free will to make choices about our actions.
So, are there specific actions we can take to be blessed with Allah’s guidance? In the Quran, Allah (SWT) revealed that those who engage in deceitful, dishonest, corrupt, vulgar, oppressive, treacherous, disobedient, boastful, or egoistic actions are among the unguided. What’s more, Allah (SWT) tells us to use our intellect to understand Him and His creation to be guided to faith.
Considering this, how does it apply to our lives today, and why is it important for Americans in particular? I would argue it is because the United States is in the midst of an existential as well as spiritual crisis, suffering from social ills including a widening wealth gap, a loneliness epidemic, gun violence, pornography addiction, public vulgarity and indecency, drug and alcohol abuse, destroying families with gender confusion and a rise in the LGBTQ movement, among other issues.
So where have we gone wrong? Let’s take a look.
In large part, America was built by European Christian settlers, and many of the problems we’re facing now didn’t exist in America 100 years ago, when people were more religious. Many of the above-mentioned causes of the existential crisis were not present when America was more religious – i.e., Christian – albeit, cruel slavery and immoral segregation were part of the societal build. There are numerous ways to measure this claim, but let’s examine a cultural example. Consider women’s swimwear and how it’s evolved through the decades. Look at historical photos of women on American beaches from the late 1800s to the 1930s, and it wasn’t until the 1940s that suits began to shrink significantly.
Is Christianity the Answer?
So why not take America back to Christianity? Certainly, some current threats to American society would be mitigated by a return to traditional Christian values around family, morality, and social norms. In fact, many people are trying to do just that. The rise of Donald Trump and the Make America Great Again movement are visible signs. Public figures like Tucker Carlson, Charlie Kirk, Nick Fuentes, etc., are all calling to go back to Christianity to save America’s civilizational crisis.
However, in my opinion, what once served as the building block of America cannot fix its modern-day problems, an issue I detail in my book, “Navigating West: Towards Incredible Truth,” I contend that Christianity alone can’t solve today’s crises without severely impacting American civilization. Western civilization rests on rational thought, and science became reality only when the Bible was divorced from public affairs. Similarly, American civilization requires separating daily life from the Bible. That separation helps drive innovation, but it also paved the way, in part, for today’s crisis.
The Opportunity Cost
But, as American Muslims, why should we care? First, it’s our country and concern for and love of one’s country is natural, but there are other reasons. We believe Islam offers solutions to humanity’s all needs- it was evident in Mecca as well as in the medieval period when Europe was in the Dark Ages – Muslims created a Golden Age of civilization in a short period of time. Yet how many of us have invited one of our fellow Americans to Islam, religious and non-religious? How have we lived out the tenets of Islam for others to witness and consider? This is a point we all need to reflect on.
What’s more, we’re paying an opportunity cost. Once the force behind anti-imperialism during both world wars and fighting to free the world of Nazi ethnic supremacy ideology, the United States has become a participant in and funder of, according to the UN, the Palestinian genocide in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli government. America is nearly alone in standing for Israel, with much of the rest of the world acting as bystanders. America isn’t harnessing its potential to enact justice; instead, it sends aircraft carrier fleets to protect Israel when it attacks its Middle Eastern neighbors.
But imagine if Americans embraced Islam? Then would our fellow citizens vote for politicians who would support a genocide? I believe they wouldn’t, allowing America to shine again as a beacon of hope to the world, standing for justice and righteousness.
What Does the Road Ahead Hold?
We must also consider our children and their future in this country. After all, many of us immigrated here and brought our children with us. They didn’t choose to be here; their parents did. With that in mind, what do we want to leave for them? How do we imagine the country might operate in 50 years? From where I’m sitting, the outlook isn’t that shiny.
According to the Pew Research Center, Muslims make up 1 to 1.3 percent of the U.S. population, while Christians account for 62-65 percent. Those who identify as atheist, agnostic, or as having no religion (“nones”) account for about 28 percent of the population. How do those numbers look in 2050? Research has Muslims at about 2.1 percent, Christians at 47-66 percent, and “nones” at 42 percent.
If this research holds true, it could mean many Americans are on track to lose their faith while those with no religion at all gain ground. What’s more, if things continue on that trajectory, America could become a majority non-religious country in 50 years, leaving both Christians and Muslims with a common challenge – living in a largely godless society. Is this what we want for our children? I would venture to say no.
Is Islam’s Growth Potential Being Realized?
At this point, you may be wondering how Islam’s title as “the fastest growing religion in America” impacts this issue. Muslims’ numbers in the U.S. are indeed rising, but the growth is heavily attributed to the immigrant population, steady conversion rates, and high birth rates among American Muslims, according to Pew.
Where Muslims growth is comparatively slow is with white Americans. Think about it. When was the last time you visited a masjid with a majority-white congregation, reflecting the demography in this country? I’ve traveled more than 20,000 miles across 35 states, and I’ve yet to find one. To me, this spells that we’re living in a bubble of “feel good” with all of our masajeed as “immigrant enclaves”.
But if such a masjid seems out of reach, remember that before he embraced Islam, Umar ibn Al-Khattab’s acceptance of Islam seemed unthinkable as well. Take that lesson to heart when trying to offer God-centered guidance to your fellow Americans, while keeping in mind that we can only try, and the outcome is up to Allah.
In Part 2 of this series, I will dig into why demographics matter and how Islam can be the solution for America’s civilization crisis.
