The Islamic Identity versus The American Identity

1. The Islamic IdentityversusThe American Identity Can they coexist?

2. Technology Vs Civilization • Civilization is different than technology • Examples of the Pharoes and Add Al-Shura’a (Quran 26:128-131) [128] "Do you build a landmark on every high place to amuse yourselves? [129] "And do ye get for yourselves fine buildings in the hope of living therein (forever)? [130] "And when ye exert your strong hand, do ye do it like men of absolute power? [131] "Now fear Allah, and obey me.

3. Technology of Death andCentury of Mega Death

4. The Giant of Global Inequality • Distribution of wealth in the globe is highly uneven. Economic growth is also highly unevenly distributed, it favors the richer portion of man kind and making the gap wider • The situation is getting worse as the population of the world grows much more in poor states. The population of the world is expected to be near 8.5 billions by the year 2025. Of that total, as many as 6.5 billions are expected to be living in the poorer states of mankind. • Even worse, approximately two-thirds of these will be concentrated in the urban slums of the less developed world, making them highly susceptible to radical political mobilization. • The portion of the populations of the rich countries who are over the age of 65 is increasing much more rapidly than the corresponding age bracket in the poorer countries, while their number under the age of fifteen is shrinking more rapidly. • Negative demographic trends are reinforced by negative economic trends. According to the United Nations Human Development Report for 1992, in the 1960s the richer countries were thirty times wealthier than the poorer ones, but by the 1990s the gap had widened to the point that the income of the richer countries had become 150 times higher.

5. Criterion #1: Source of Legislation • No society without a law • Laws are either divine or man made • If the society is divided into higher people who write laws and lower people that follow these laws, then this society is not Islamic • If the guidance and Moral values of Allah is the source of laws and legislations, then this society is a civilized society. This includes written laws enforced by the governing body or unwritten laws enforced by the social pressure of the society itself • Allah is the only one that can write a fair law • Man made laws are customized to serve “Somebody” • A message from Rebi Ibn Amer

6. Criterion #2: Highest Value • If the highest value in the society that determines what is right and what is wrong, what is acceptable and what is not acceptable, and what is legal and what is illegal, is idealism then this society is civilized. But if this value is materialism, then this society is not civilized • Basis of decision Materialism versus Idealism • Basis of Islamic economy and Islamic politics

7. Criterion #3: Building Unit of the Society • If the building unit of the society is a healthy family made of a loving and caring father and a loving and caring mother who are married, as well as the legitimate children, then this society is Islamic • But if the population of the society is based on illegitimate children, families of single fathers, single mothers, two fathers or two mothers, then this society is not civilized • 1/3 of children from outside of marriage • 60% of people who date go to bed in the first date • Which is more honorable, build a human being or build a materialistic object

8. Criteria #4: Basis of Unity • If the values that unit members of the society are common moral values, and common ideology and views of life that is based on heavenly guidance, then this society is Islamic • But if this society is united over materialism and common materialistic interests, such as the rich comfortable fulfilling life that we live and want our children to continue living, then this society is not civilized • The earthly basis of unity, such as race, color or materialism does not produce a civilized societies

9. Criteria #5: Basis of Moral Values • Motivated by Love of Allah, Strong desire to go to Jannah, Strong fear of his punishment • Motivated by materialistic benifits • Eat my God that I built with my own hand when I get hungry

10. Islamic Identity • Constant identity well defined by Quran and Sunnah • Does not change with time and place • How can we apply 1400 years-old laws in today’s life even though it changes • Identity of a person who is driven by three spiritual motivations; the love of Allah, the strong desire to go to Jannah and the fear of Allah’s punishment • Surat Almomenoon: • This is the Islamic identity that was established by Prophet Mohamed PBUH and practiced by him and his followers. The closer are Muslims to this identity the closer they are to Islam and the further are Muslims from this identity the further they are from Islam

11. American Identity • It is something variable that changes with time and place due to various reasons • Is it dissenting Anglo-Protestantism Only? • What is the American Creed? Race, ethnicity, culture, and ideology (This is what Gunnar Myrdal called the "American Creed") • White Anglo-Saxon Christian land lord, no Christian, no white • Immigration of Hispanic, Chinese, Muslims, …etc • Today no more than than 8.9% of US citizens are actually of English-Protestant ancestry • Changes with struggle

12. Struggle of Identities • The struggle of Prophet Mohamed SAW with the Arabian Pagan identity • The struggle between the Roman pagan identity and the Christian monotheistic id • Malcom X and his struggle • Example of Pollution