Civic responsibility in Islam
Civic responsibility is seen as the responsibility of a citizen and the supposed duty that any citizen may display towards the community at large. But how does that civic duty play itself out for the Muslims.
To what extent do Muslims implement this concept? Do the ethnic origins of Muslims play a part in how they discharge this responsibility? Is there a conflict between the civic duty and their Islamic responsibility?
On one hand, Western governments are trying to make Muslims feel like they don’t belong in the West. On the other hand, they accuse the same Muslims of lack of loyalty and patriotism for not upholding their civic responsibilities.
Such scenarios arise when for example Muslims refuse to join the army that occupies another country. Whether the occupied is a Muslim land or not, if the concept of occupation is directly opposed to one’s Islamic responsibility, then what is a Western Muslim to do?
Civic responsibility is defined as the “responsibility of a citizen.” It is comprised of actions and attitudes associated with democratic governance and social participation. Actions of civic responsibility can be displayed in advocacy for various causes, such as political, economic, civil, and environmental or quality of life issues. So if challenging laws and status quo through advocacy is the very meaning of civic responsibility, why are Muslims accused of not being patriotic to their nations when they question things on moral grounds?
Civic responsibility requires Muslims to engage with the society but whether this engagement grows organically based on the needs of the society or is imposed by the establishment is a point that needs to be considered. The Islamic responsibility should be allowed to trump any other expectations by society and thereby demonstrate that society respects the individual.
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