The Role of Religion in Building a Civil Society
By Dr Shahid Athar
Carmel, Indiana
The purpose of religion is to make us a better human. When religion is misused, it fails its purpose. “And let there arise from you a nation which invites others to goodness and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency. Such are those who are successful”. (Qur'an 3:104) “Righteousness is not that you turn your face to the East or to the West but the righteous is to believe in God and the last day and angels and the scriptures and the Prophet and is to spend his wealth for love of Him on your relatives, the orphans, the needy on those who ask. They set slaves free and observe proper worship and pays poor dues. And those who keep their treaty when they make one and are patient in tribulation and adversity and at the time of stress, such are those who are sincere, such are those who are God fearing. (Qur'an 2:177)
Just as a house is built of bricks, a community is built of individual humans. If bricks are strong and have good quality, the house will be strong as well. This is also true for civil society . In civil society civility prevails . The enlightened member is at peace with himself, his surroundings, including his family, his co-workers, his neighbors and fellow citizens with compassion However, the key ingredient for a civil society is justice for all. In Islam the concept is of “Al-Adlwalihsan,” i.e. to be good is to be just.
The civilized society we live in is by no means a civil society. We have achieved material and technological breakthroughs with fast communication and mass transportation. We have miniaturized a library into a compact disc, reached the moon and the planet Mars but the Man on earth is still looking for himself. We are plagued by racism, stereotyping, violence in the streets, schools and homes, homicide, infanticide, discrimination, inequality in gender and terrorism from within and without. In the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, man now depends on alcohol, drugs and bloodshed. How can we wake up in peace when we sleep with fear?
Religion offers to build a civil society by building the character of the individual. An individual who submits his will to the will of God, who is conscious of the fact that he is being watched and will be held accountable to God.
Muslims have found a new home in the US. Out of 8 million Muslims in America, 42% are those who were born and raised here. They cannot be interned nor are they going back anywhere. They are going to be here to stay and join the Americans in building a civil society. It makes sense to bring in compliance and not push them in confrontation.
The USA has gained new citizens who fight drugs, alcohol and crime in their neighborhood. In blessed nights of Ramadan fasting about a million American Muslims pray for God's mercy and protection of all Americans. An American Muslim should be a model citizen if he is not already one. American Muslims must play their destined role in creating a civil society in their new homeland. They cherish family values.
The foundation of society keeps the environment clean and is law-abiding citizens. They value the life of all fellow humans, irrespective of their beliefs. They must come out of their Mosques and go on the street to help the needy, the homeless, and the poor. 20,000 Muslim physicians help provide health care to Americans . Muslim professors and scientists are imparting education and science to all Americans. Muslim businesses, especially in information technology, are advancing the cause of science and technology in this country. About 15,000 Muslim Americans serve the armed forces and defend their new homeland.
However, Islam is not just a mere slogan. The teachings of Qur'an and of Mohammad, of mercy and tolerance, are not put to action or are misrepresented, the sword of Islam is not the weapon but the character of a Muslim as defined in the Qur'an. We should be conscious of dangers of religion when misused. It has been said, “Religion can make a good person a better one but when misused, make a bad person a worse one”.
Religion cannot be used to divide people, to oppress or to discriminate them. It should be used like any other vaccine in appropriate doses to inoculate people against disbelief and its resultant effects which shred the moral fabric of our society. Religion can help in making a civil society.
(The author is a physician in Carmel, Indiana and can be reached via sathar3624@aol.com . He is an advisor to International Association Sufism - www.ias.org )
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