Muhammad Salah – Voting in Non Muslim Lands

			The second question is, we Filipino Muslims are a minority in our country, which is governed by non
Sharia. This year we'll have our presidential elections as a Muslim, is it permissible for us to
vote?
		

			Our leader of our choice than Muslims are candidates to choose hence? How would you connect or
relate our situation as Muslims to the first question?
		

			Okay, I guess I got your point.
		

			In this particular situation, which is Muslims or living as a minority in non Muslim societies? Do
they have the right? Or is it permissible for them to nominate and elect nominees whom they know
that by participation in this pie participating in this political activities, that this person who
is a non Muslim, or a Muslim who is not a practicing Muslim, or even if he's a practicing Muslim, he
will not be able to change the law or the constitution? Is it permissible?
		

			We don't look at it. That simple. Rather, we look at it based on the benefit risk ratio,
		

			muscle, mass acid, if it is in a society where your vote will not make any difference, then you
should not participate in anything like that. But nowadays, votes really matter. And I'm not
generalizing I'm talking about if in your society, your vote. And the candidate, who is promising is
promising Muslims to make the lives easier to allow them to practice their religious duties freely,
to left the sanctions and the restrictions which somebody else have put against them, to give them
freedom of worship, then in this in this case, it is permissible and it is recommended to support
this person, when we have two candidates. We have a tyrant, we have a prejudiced person, we have
		

			somebody who is,
		

			is an extreme. He is full of hatred to Islam and Muslims. And he vows that if I win, I'm going to
kick Muslims out, I'm going to ban build them, massage it and I'm going to ban Muslims from studying
Islam and learning Quran and all of that.
		

			It doesn't make any sense to sit back and say we cannot do anything. In fact, you can do a lot
because your vote in this case matters. Nowadays, whether in the United States or in any other
society.
		

			Statistically speaking, Muslims outnumber the Jews in all the United States of America, there is a
candidate who is threatening Republican candidate who is threatening beforehand that he is going to
ban Muslims from this he is going to crack down on masajid. And on Muslims, you go to prevent them
from the basic, simple rights is an extremists. Okay? While we have somebody else who's an open
minded, he is non Muslim, as well. But he says Muslims are like non Muslims, they have all the
rights of citizens to enjoy their free choice, freedom of worship, and all of that. And we have to
respect them. If we say that we should not have anything to do with this, this is not right. Why,
		

			because if any extremists were to win the election, the entire Muslim society will suffer. And
because they know that there are a lot of Muslims who are passive, and they say is none of our
business but they're willing to, to take the heat, and to bear the suffering and the persecution. So
they brag about they're willing to suppress and harass Muslims more and more so that, on the other
hand, the extremists
		

			would vote for them.
		

			But when they know that there is a million Muslims, who would not vote for them, and they had maybe
a couple million or a similar number of their friends of their allies or their colleagues or their
employers of their employees of their students of their teachers, who have dealt with Muslims, and
they know that they are absolutely
		

			great people. So they will support them in the votes. In this case, the nominees will compete with
		

			each other as who is going to serve the Muslim goes better or more. This is what politics is all
about. So we do not nominate, elect or vote. Because we're obsessed with the political oppression
politics is bunch of lies.
		

			We all know that. And politicians before winning the election are something different than after
		

			very few who would fulfill a small percentage of their promises. But it's a matter of standing for
your right. It's a matter of hero not choosing ameerul momineen or a halifa, who don't have this
choice, but is to minimize the harm is to protect yourself against the calamities which may take
place as a result of being passive. This is the view of the council in Makkah, several years back,
and many of the scholars are very well respected scholars. I'm just sharing with you their view May
Allah Almighty guide us to what is best