The Responsibility of the American Shia: Part II

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - This is the second in a three-part article series which will explore the responsibilities that come with the identity of being an American Shia Muslim. Read Part I here.

Creating a Climate for Change

In his famous 1967 essay, "The Responsibility of Intellectuals", which in part was the inspiration for this article, Professor Noam Chomsky writes,

"It is easy for an American intellectual to deliver homilies on the virtues of freedom and liberty, but if he is really concerned about, say, Chinese totalitarianism or the burdens imposed on the Chinese peasantry in forced industrialization, then he should face a task that is infinitely more important and challenging—the task of creating, in the United States, the intellectual and moral climate, as well as the social and economic conditions, that would permit this country to participate in modernization and development in a way commensurate with its material wealth and technical capacity." [1]

The concept of Aql, the process of using intellect or logic to deduce law, is unique to the Shia juristic tradition. As such, we take pride in using our intellect to solve problems as part of our religious practice rather than relying solely on religious tradition. In fact, the intellectual and moral climate Professor Chomsky compels Americans to create in his essay is a natural state for Shias. But before we can impress this upon our fellow Americans, we must go about creating this foundation for change in our homes, our gatherings, our centers, our organizations and in our community as a whole. This means allowing for constructive criticism and intellectual debate in all community affairs and rewarding morality over wealth in our community leadership positions. A commitment to this standard, once adopted internally, can then be impressed upon our neighbors and colleagues with integrity.

A first step in establishing such a climate in our communities is to adopt a culture of transparency and accountability at all levels of our leadership. Currently, most of our centers and community organizations are designated as 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, which are not legally required to reveal their financial records to the public, unless they charge membership dues or they are requested to do so. [2] Some organizations do not even share the names of those in charge. And while the community gives generously, there is often no accounting of how exactly the funds are being used. Although this is not a legal requirement, our community leaders should volunteer this information in order to build trust, stay accountable and foster a culture of transparency rather than secrecy in our community. Fortunately, a culture where this is valued already exists in America. We just need to step up and become a part of it.

Only after we have fully adopted these characteristics as a community, can we lead an effort to build a climate for change. This is our responsibility.

Moral Status

There are some in the American Shia community who feel that any political engagement with an unjust government, even if it is their own, is a losing battle and morally inappropriate. First, it is important to note that all our Maraja have allowed us to politically engage while living in majority non-Muslim countries. [3] Second, the glaring fact these people ignore is their own participation in the very same system they condemn. By paying taxes and reaping the benefits of the wealth of this country, which uses ~25 percent of the world's energy supply while housing only 5 percent of its population and has the highest private per-capita consumption per household of any nation, [4] we become part of that same system. And we compromise our moral position when we outright condemn the country we live in. We must remember that if we believe the political system here is not capable of achieving the changes we seek, we are free to leave at any time to seek means of justice elsewhere.

Some point to the actions of our beloved Imams (peace be upon them), stating that they did not leave their oppressive homelands. However, a comparison to the Imams is self-aggrandizing and completely misplaced. They were tortured and oppressed in their societies; we are not. Their actions were based on maximizing positive influence, which they were able to do by their continued presence despite the oppression. Our presence here has no such effect.

Others say that only cowards run from oppression, ignoring the fact that the oppression is taking place across the world, especially to people in the Arab and Muslim World. But with God's grace, today they are the ones standing up to tyrants, not us. We cannot continue to pretend that occasional cries of "Great Satan" from the comfort of our homes will do anything. On the other hand, if those outside our shores who are being oppressed by our government condemn the US system, they are morally justified because they are not associated with it.

Ultimately, no one who lives in the US can attain the moral status of today's peaceful protestors in the Middle East. They leave their homes everyday with courage, not sure if they'll see family again, with hearts made of fire and somehow keep their silly, childish dreams of freedom alive. We leave our houses every day worried about the weather. Our only hope to maintain some moral ground is by using our influence where it may actually help to save lives and promote human dignity across the world, and that is by using our voices and actions to urge the American government to change their positions and policies. That is our great responsibility as American Shias. This is a unique position for us as American Shias as opposed to Shias anywhere else in the world. And if we are effective at using this distinct power, we will still come nowhere near the moral status of the man, woman, and child who stands in the way of bullets, tanks, and armies looking into the empty eyes of a dictator.

That said, it is important to mention here that the moral issue is complex and other points of view are worthy of debate. The real challenge we face is not that some people issue blanket condemnations of the US or that others totally believe in the "system". Instead, the challenge is that whatever their views, too many people in our community are fixed in their mindset and unwilling to process new information, reexamine their principles and tactics, and engage those who disagree with them respectfully rather than antagonistically.