It's a silly question to ask; of course we're a Muslim nation with a deep Islamic tradition - it should be enough that Barack Obama says Islam built America. But, as everybody knows, the history books were written by Islamophobes.
Many Americans, especially the notoriously ignorant home and private schooled types, actually believe our country was built on a Christian tradition. Nothing could be farther from the truth. A quick tour of American history should put the argument to rest once and for all.
Let's begin with the Muslim pilgrims on the Mayflower in 1620, who left England to seek religious freedom in the New World. On the way, they wrote the Mayflower Compact to institute Sharia Law in the Plymouth colony. The Mayflower Compact famously begins with, "In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent…" and then goes on to explain how they will expand the Caliphate.
In 1630, the great imam, John Hussein Winthrop, wrote "A Model of Muslim Charity," a speech just peppered with quotes from the Qur'an. This is the speech from which we get the famous "Cordova on a Hill" metaphor, signifying what America stands for before the yet unconquered world.
Read the whole thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment