Islam and America as Ways of Life

Islam and America both purport to be ways of life. The Qur'an, Islam's Holy Book, refers to Islam as a deen, which means way of life in Arabic. Americans too, speak of the American Way of Life, or simply, the American Way. In order to lay some groundwork, we'll refer to Islam and America in their abstract forms initially. After all, where is Islam and whose version of it shall we refer to? We have Sunni Islam, Shi'a Islam, Radical Islam, Moderate Islam, Militant Islam, and Secular Islam. Similarly, there are many Americas, meaning the United States of America, to which we refer here. Terms such as Black America, Corporate America, Religious America, Rich America, Poor America, Rural America, and Urban America represent different experiences and outlooks.

Islam and America both have founding documents which outline many of these ideals. The Qur'an has several recurring themes that establish the foundations of the religion. Without going into lengthy detail, the Qur'an preaches Justice, Freedom, Prayer, Charity, Compassion, Forgiveness, Tolerance, Patience, and many other noble virtues such as Peace, which is implied in the very name of the religion itself. The Arabic letters equivalent to s-l-m form a root word meaning Peace similar to the Hebrew sh-l-m, which give us "Shalom." The Qur'an and the well-recorded life of Muhammad, described as the living Qur'an, provide ample examples, stories, and prescriptions for attaining Peace. When issues emerge in the lives of Muslims or within Muslim societies, the established practice is to return back to the Qur'an or Prophetic Traditions for personal or scholarly interpretation in order to establish the rights, responsibilities, and restrictions relevant to the issue in question. Occasionally, these determinations become binding as law.

America, similarly, has its founding documents. The Constitution is the core document forming the basis of American law and the American way of life: Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness, Equality, Justice, and Tolerance, to name a few. Perceived violations of these and similar doctrines will ultimately be scrutinized and potentially deemed "unconstitutional" under the law. Upholding Constitutional rights and removing laws or practices considered to be unconstitutional is an important part of the American legal system. Occasionally, Amendments are written to the Constitution in order to legislate such judicial opinions and preserve them for posterity.

In conclusion, America and Islam are both viable ways of life with many similarities. They have similar values and similar methods for upholding those values. American Law and Islamic Law go through similar processes of reviewing foundational documents, interpreting their meanings in new contexts, determining proper courses of action, and occasionally codifying these into law. To behave un-Islamically is a sin. To behave unconstitutionally is a crime.