Earl Abdulmalik Mohammed Speaks

QUESTION: Brother Imam Abdulmalik, As-Salaam Alaikum. I appreciate your statement on the ISIS leader. It speaks right to the issue. I heard Imam W. Deen Mohammed's voice in my head as I read it. I just don't appreciate the way the President handled the announcement.

IMAM EARL ADBULMALIK MOHAMMED: As-Salaam Alaikum brother. When I speak, we are addressing Islamic interests with our tradition. We do not speak for American government interests. We are not conflicted in promoting Islamic interests by confusing it with other interests. Our Islamic interests are above other interests. The good condition of our humanity, the good condition of our human soul, and our moral awareness and conscience as Muslims is what we owe our attention. We owe our obedience to Allah. We owe our obedience to the good aim in us to reach our best human existence and to advocate for that. We owe our allegiance to Islamic values. When people are standing up before the world making outrageous declarations against civility and encouraging mischief and creating disorder and instability for society, and threatening innocent human life in all nations and organizing themselves against civilized human pursuits, and doing all of this in the name of Prophet Muhammed and the religion of Islam, then it should be conscious Muslims who bring just actions against such people. If we have neglected that then others who do not neglect it get credits that we have abandoned and were held for us.

The United States is not organized under the teachings of Islam or any religion for that matter. It is organized under a Constitution that pays respect to all religion. By law, the national government is to respect religion, and its citizens in the country who have religious conscience, which we are, who choose for themselves religious identity and moral interests, civilized interests. But the United States is not obligated to advance Islamic interests in the world. That is for Muslims to do. We have an honorable citizenship in this country as Muslims, in part because we have made Islamic values known in the public of America and we have a working, viable citizenship contract with America as Muslims following the teachings of our religion. That does not mean we should see America as responsible for advancing our Muslim religious interests. Remember, if we as Muslims are not handling our affairs properly in the world, if we are not moving in the direction of Prophet Muhammed's humane interests in the world and we are not defending and protecting those humane interests, then Allah has revealed that He will check the rise of evil in what way He chooses with what people He chooses, and He will hold those He has chosen who betrayed that trust responsible for abandoning it. Even a surface reading of the history of so-called 'chosen' Peoples will show us that reality.

I don't have any inflated expectations from the person who is in the Office of President of the United States. We have seen that what he represents is even in clear conflict with the obligations of his office. We don't owe any holder of that office any obligation above our duty before G'd and respect for our good, human form and conscience. Someone might say "you owe loyalty based on citizenship." I say to them, tell that to doctors who take an oath to serve human life above the interests of government or national loyalties. The oath that a doctor takes does not put their American citizenship loyalty in question because it is intended to serve the good interest of the human beings that constitute that nation.

We are Muslims and Americans, Muslim-Americans. Our duty is to live and promote those universal humane values that our religion is based upon that include as our highest obligation regard for G'd and decent behavior befitting the life of a believer in G'd and follower of Muhammed the Prophet. An individual with that alertness to excellence makes for the finest citizen in America, or any country. We are not fools. We know indecency. We know immorality. We know arrogance and gloating. We know the signs and signaling of race-supremacist thinking. We know the thinking and behavior of arrogant intention and designs on the world.

Our interests to have our religion and our identity as Muslims represented properly in the world does not conflict with our reasoning and clear-headedness when we see certain body language and behavior and race-arrogant code-whistling coming from the power of offices. The office is abused by such behavior and I believe that the American citizens who have religious and moral conscience are not tolerating it. True Americans, who understand the history of this country and what distance we have traveled as a nation through a horrible, oppressive past are not tolerating it. Those who have religious and moral conscience know that G'd does not favor such behavior. This is why we as Muslim-Americans must continue to make our position known on all of these important public matters. This is the time for the rise of Islamic moral conscience in the world. When we display it, it will show brightly and become prevalent. And this is what Allah has promised. That this way of thinking will prevail over inferior thinking and moral confusion.

G'd is above America and all nations, and all of the religions that are represented in the identity-fabric of America's citizens preceded the founding of this country. That includes Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other faiths of American citizens. We are thankful to Allah for the relief He has given Muslims and all world citizens from this person who was leader of ISIS who by his own declarations was threatening every American citizen and every human person as if having a weapon pointed at his or her head constantly and indiscriminately. The Muslim obligation is to clear up the matter for what our religion is and what it promotes for human thinking and conduct, and to not confuse the excellence of Islamic aim and purpose with any lesser interests or ambitions. To do so is moral confusion.

All I have said here comes directly from the Holy Qur'an and Prophet Muhammed's teaching in the tradition of Imam W. Deen Mohammed. That is salvation.