Totalitarian Dreams
The hope and ambition of all religious extremists, including the ultra orthodox Muslim Movement, is to translate religious longing into political fact and heavenly aspirations into earthly victory !
Would Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass think that Freedom can go to Hell ?
“Words like freedom, justice and democracy are not common concepts; on the contrary, they are rare. People are not born knowing what these are. It takes enormous and, above all, individual effort to arrive at the respect for other people that these words imply.” James Baldwin
The ideas of freedom, justice and equality, the necessary ingredients for a truly democratic open society, are nurtured concepts that blackamericans have stood up for, bled for and died for. These noble ideals were passed down throughout our history of captivity and sustain our struggle to achieve the dignity that all human beings deserve. It is imperative that BlackAmerican Muslims specifically and American Muslims in general define Islamic priorities for ourselves through the prism of our own history and present needs. m.a. ibrahim
Justice is never given; it is exacted and the struggle must be continuous for freedom is never a final fact, but a continuing evolving process to higher and higher levels of human, social, economic, political and religious relationship. a. phillip randolph
On religious tolerance, Allah says :
وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ
"If Allah had not checked one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques in which the Name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure." 22:40 Sura al Hajj
لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ
"Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine !" Sura al Khafiroon 109:6
لَيْسُواْ سَوَاء مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَآئِمَةٌ يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللّهِ آنَاء اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ
- The People of the Book are not all the same: among the followers of earlier revelation there are upright people, who recite Allah's messages throughout the night, and prostrate themselves before Him.
يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
- They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and vie with one another in doing good works: and these are among the righteous.
وَمَا يَفْعَلُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلَن يُكْفَرُوْهُ وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالْمُتَّقِينَ
- And whatever good they do, they shall never be denied the reward thereof: for, Allah has full knowledge of those who are conscious of Him. SURA al IMRAN 113-115