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American Citizenship Calls for Allegiance to Its Founding Principles - There is No America Citizenship Without ItReader comment on item: Barack Obama's Muslim Childhood Submitted by M. Tovey (United States), Oct 2, 2008 at 12:31 The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America were the founding documents of this nation, formed out of a desire to have a country where individuals could live out their lives in freedom and liberty, choosing to do so in respect, and reverence, for the next neighbor to do the same. If we read the correspondence, memoirs and supplemental documents of the time, we gain an understanding that the primary convictions of those people were based on a Christian worldview. Many were so convinced of their participation in the process, they gave up virtually everything to make it happen, including many of their lives. This is the founding basis of the American dream, which is being attacked every day, not only from external sources who are loath to accept the Holy Bible as the undergirding power that had provided a covering of grace and mercy from Almighty God, but from within, for the very same reason from secularist people who desire to wrench America from its Christian beginnings. When we look back at the recent near thirty years, we see that since the fall of the Shah of Iran, someone the United States had given significant support to, we see that the Islamic Revolution took on an adversarial role against the Americans, determining from the mindset of the Ayatollah Khomeini that Islam should be the guiding force of the world he envisioned from his Parisian exile, because he recognized the United States as one of the major obstacles to his vision. Why? Because, as noted above, the United States is a country that in its nominal essence is Christian, which in the minds of the leaders of Iran's Islamic Revolution, is standing for everything that Islam opposes, including support for Israel. After A. Khomeini's passing, others took up his banner. They, to name a few, President Ahmadinejad, Mr. Rafsan-jani, A. Khameini, Hassan Nasrallah, K Mashaal, and all the others that are in violent opposition to Israel continuing to possess their land, are pressing their intent to re-establish Islam as a dominant world presence in the Middle East and the world generally, and the United States, the perceived guardian of Israel, must be removed to achieve that goal. ‘Palestine' is merely a tool in that process. Now, how does that reconcile itself to someone who follows Islam, having been born in the United States and having taken responsibilities as a citizen thereof? That is a really good question, one of which someone such as this reader, having been born here as well to the same privileges under a nominally Christian set of surroundings, may not really have an answer that would be considered helpful. The reason for that is found in the conflict perceived by the innate and contradicting tenets of each persuasion of belief. Eventually, as called for in Islam, a Muslim's allegiance will be required of him. As an example, we see in Sen. Obama's writings, ‘Audacity of Hope', such a thing is likely inevitable. Even further, as America's position in the world comes under more and more pressure from anti-American antagonists, its Christian posture becomes more and more compromised (such as in supporting Israel's breakup for world peace as required by Islamic Middle East voices), in order to achieve some semblance of global balance, to the detriment of her Christian background. So the question being posed (what about me?) indeed calls for an answer. If one is to support America, including the basis of her strength being governed from its Christian background, then the answer is to continue to support her against change that eliminates that Christian strength. For a Muslim, it would seem contradictory to do so, and that calls for a soul searching which, interestingly, is just the thing one has to do before this world reaches its final destiny in the conflict between Christian and anti-Christian sentiments as well.Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments". << Previous Comment Next Comment >> Reader comments (762) on this item
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