Jawed Anwar

Islam and Muslim nationalism are two different concepts and practices. People generally mess up these two different, complete and contradictory terms.

Islam is a Deen (system of life) prescribed by all the Prophets and Messengers of Allah --from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon all of them). Nationalism is a modern Western concept that is worshiping nation, state, race, color, or community, and its symbols.

Islam means surrender to one God to attain peace.  The key fundamental faith is Tauheed [unity of Allah (God), unity of Universe, and unity of human beings]. “Nationalism” is a new modern god and key fundamental faith is disunity; "our nation is supreme," and "hate others."

Islam calls all human beings to hold the rope of One God and obey Him without any condition. Governing laws are Allah’s book and His Messengers’ words and practices. Nationalism divides the world and its people in boundaries and borders with flags and anthems. Governing laws are the desire and lust of the people (practically an organized minority) of the nation.

Islam is the politics of responsibility. It is giving a hand to Muslims and non-Muslims. Nationalism is the politics of rights. It is asking for a hand.

In Islamic governance (with the politics of responsibility), everyone’s rights will be taken care of and fulfilled, and this world would reflect Paradise.  In nationalism, every hand is selfishly asking for a handout, and no one’s rights will be fulfilled.  And this world will be a permanent hell (as in the current situation).

Islam stands for love with God and his creations. Nationalism leads to nationalistic and individualistic selfishness and cruelty. Study the history of last two World Wars that was based on nationalism. One nation was ready to bomb, and actually nuked a nation, killing millions and disabling generations.

Now Israeli nationalism, with the support of Western nationalism, is on the rage of destruction, killing millions of Muslims, maiming them and ousting them from their homes in millions every year.

The Western disease of nationalism enters into the Arab world through a British agent Lawrence of Arabia (T.E. Lawrance. B. 1888 d. 1935, a British Military officer) to destroy the Usmani Khilafat (Ottoman Caliphate) from Turkey (Khilafat is opposite of nationalism) in 1924. Islamic Khilafat broke into pieces by the promotion of Arab and Turkish nationalism. Western education system in the Muslim world cemented it.

Arabic Peninsula, Muslim Africa, and Muslim India divided into many nations, and now they are in small pieces. They are easy to be chewed by any power of the time. They were almost all colonized by Western colonial powers. Now, they might be physically liberated states, but economically they were enslaved and chained with the colonial education system. Almost all the so called Islamic or Muslim states of our time are basically ethnic, nationalist, and regionalist governments controlled by a king, dictator, or an organized minority (through democracy).

Muslim (or Islamic) and nationalism are two contradictory terms. Every Muslim will laugh if you use the term “Muslim atheist”, “Muslim Mushrik” (polytheist)”, “Muslim Kaafir” (denier of God with His all power and qualities); but, we don’t laugh when we read and hear the term “Muslim nationalist”, “Muslim Capitalist”, “Muslim Socialist”,  “Muslim Communist”, “Muslim Liberals”, “Muslim Democrats”, etc. Why? It is ignorance and lack of knowledge and understanding of the Book (Al-Quran) and Sunnah (Hadith, sayings and practices of Prophet peace be upon him). Our scholars are not well aware of the modern world’s new and fresh gods.

Islam is for all of humanity. Islam represents a different system of life and governance. This system is already obeyed and practiced by the universe and all God’s creations. The difference is: they are compelled to obey, and we have freedom of choice. The key component of the Islamic system is that it doesn’t divide the nations but unites the universe.

Briefly speaking, Muslim means the person who accepts Islam as a way of life and as a complete code of conduct for public and personal life, i.e.; from politics to bedroom, from economy to washroom.

However, almost all the Muslim organizations here in North America, even with the name of “Islam” are in fact practicing Muslim nationalism and not Islam. That’s why immigration (and issuance of visa letter from MPs and Congress members) is our top priority and government’s policies for sexual renegades, inverts, sexual apostacy (LGBTTIQ), gender perversion, gender confusion, and rejection of biological gender (by laws, policies, and education) get the least priority.

It is surprising to note that many Imams, Muftis, Islamic Phds, and Islamic leaders are at the same page with (Muslim) secular leaders and activists. Muslims are also involved in the economy of interest, mortgaging not only homes but also Masjids (few), and many other prohibited things in Islam.

These columns are just a wakeup call. You can’t win and go long by waging war against Allah and His Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and fighting with Allah’s eternal rules and laws.

We are, in these columns, enjoining what is good and writing against what is wrong.

Syed Jawed Anwar can be reached at jawed@seerahwest.com