Full Lecture Transcript (Cleaned)
The Question — 39:52
May Allah protect us. With increasing calls for Muslims to be politically engaged and with more and more people running for office, some youth may see them as role models despite the fact that they have views that are un-Islamic. How do we ensure that in admiring their political engagement, we do not normalize un-Islamic behaviors and ideas?
Politicians Are Not Scholars — 40:15
The way we do this is by constantly saying what I have been saying for the years I've been here: politicians are not scholars. You are voting for somebody not to give fatwas or to take as role models in Islamic ethics, but rather you're voting for the best candidate — whether they're Muslim or non-Muslim — that will support the interests you are passionate about.
And the irony of ironies: if the same person were a non-Muslim, we would be jumping for joy because of all the positives he has. The negatives that this candidate has — all the other candidates have it in the same or worse. But we penalize a Muslim for being a Muslim when he does what any other politician would do. It's as if his Islam is actually negative for us. I think we need to move past this.
Voting Against, Not Just For — 41:00
We are not voting for a candidate as much as we're voting against the people running against him. You have to understand this point. We're not voting for everything this person stands for as much as we're voting against the other people that are going to bring in much worse.
Politicians — and again, listen to me carefully, study Islamic history — even in the past, politicians are politicians. You have to understand: politics is a different world. What politicians have to do, they have to answer to Allah for it. We're not justifying everything, but politics is a very, very different game.
The Lesser of Multiple Evils — 42:10
You have to understand: politicians always have to battle between the lesser of multiple evils. It's not even between purities. You need to find the candidate that is the least guilty — and they're still guilty. The least filthy — and they're still filthy. The least dirty — and they're still dirty. That's the point. You will not find an angel coming down without a speck on them. No — angels are not running for office.
You have two candidates. Whether you vote or not, one of them is getting in. One of them is going to legalize and normalize genocide. One of them is going to bring in more apartheid supporters. One of them is going to ban Muslims, ban masajid. And the other one clearly is going to do none of that. I think it is a no-brainer.
Prioritize the Big Issues — 43:10
We are not voting for the evils of the first candidate. We're voting against the negatives of the second. And we need to reach a level of maturity. And by the way, I say this bluntly — us American Muslims, it is as if we're the only community that thinks like this. No other community is this narrow-minded. They all understand: when you vote for a candidate, you must vote for the big issues that you believe in and overlook the smaller issues.
No human being fully represents you other than you. No human being will be 100% on your wavelength — or else he'd be you. Every politician supported by the people will have 30, 40, 50, 60% they agree with and 20, 30, 40% they don't agree with. But there are two or three main issues. For some people it is gun control. For some people it is abortion. For us right now, without a doubt, stopping the genocide should be on the top of that list — that should be a no-brainer. And then after that, ensuring Muslims have the freedom to worship Allah, that masajid aren't going to get shut down, that people aren't being deported because of the color of their skin.