Sound without focus is just noise.

Thursday 25 March 2010

Voting

The general election is 6 weeks away and Westminster went into pantomime season overdrive this week with Sam Cam about to become fat Sam Cam, Conservatives comparing Mr Ashcroft with Charlie Whelan and Gordon Brown getting his revenge on the rebels.
This brings about the inevitable debate about voting in Islam and whether Muslims should vote or not. With the Muslim population around 2m in the UK their vote could prove to be crucial especially in places with high Muslim population. The Muslim vote might have helped George Galloway get a seat but doesn't explain why Jack Straw is still MP of Blackburn. The argument for voting is based around the idea that to change the system and to benefit Muslims, Muslims must be involved in the system and by voting for one ideology over another you could be voting for the lesser of 2 evils.
The first argument was demonstrated in the Dispatches programme showing the Tower Hamlets council and the influence Muslims were meant to have on non Muslim workers and on the borough. While i thought the programme was provocative and nonsensical it didn't really delve into the benefits of getting involved in the political systems for Muslims and just focused on the usual 'they didn't let me eat during Ramadhan or they took time off for Friday prayers'. The second argument only works when voting against the BNP, sure the Liberal Democrats are anti war but they have as much chance of calling off the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as Obama has of stopping Israel from building new settlements and you're not just voting to stop the war but also for pro gay and pro abortion.
The argument against voting and the opinion i follow is derived from one of the fundamental beliefs in Islam- one that we testify to at least 5 times a day when we bear witness that their is no god but Allah. Sovereignty is Gods alone and to be involved in a process which puts man made laws above and before Gods law you are associating partners with the Almighty.

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