Opinion: Islam and American Independence

July 1, 2005

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

http://cair-net.org/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=37094&theType=NB

On July 1, 2005 the Council on American-Islamic Relations ran an opinion piece by Corey Saylor, the government affairs director of the CAIR office in Washington. "On July 4th, we celebrate one of history's great acts of dissent: the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The men who put their signature on that document literally put their lives and property on the line to voice their disagreement with British government policies that they believed to by tyrannical. This July 4th offers an opportunity to renew our commitment to the patriotic nature of political dissent. I and many other Americans are deeply disturbed by events in Iraq, by reports of torture and desecration of the Qur'an in Guantanamo Bay, by Patriot Act abuses, by the rising tide of anti-Muslim rhetoric in our society, and by domestic and international policies that seem to create more problems than they solve. But my love for America is not diminished because it is sometimes flawed. I love my nation because, despite its flaws, the majority of its people remain committed to tolerance and respect for one another, whatever their faith or viewpoint... This July 4th, let us all remember that we love this nation and will heed Jefferson's advice by offering a word of justice to any of our representatives who stray from the ideals set forth in that revolutionary document signed 229 years ago in Philadelphia."