Libertarianism and Islam

By Tom Rhodes, 8/12/2014

There are not many but some in the Libertarian party who are ardent supporters of Islam. The LP is about liberty and freedom, and has very minimal standards. Basically agree with the non-aggression principle and can be a libertarian. There are millions of people who are Muslims but not radical Islamists. Most are nominally Muslim by birth or social construct, but are not practicing. Just like liberal pro-gay rights Christians, they aren’t really Christians as they must and do reject the clear teachings of the Bible. Most Muslims aren’t don’t really believe in Islamists and the Koran, as they reject many of its clear teachings. The clear teachings of the Islamic Holy writs, the Koran and Hadith, are incompatible with libertarianism.

As such I have some questions for any Muslim who claims to be a libertarian and claim to uphold the Five Pillars of Islam and believe in the divine inspiration of the Koran and the reliability of the Hadith, I’d love to hear your responses to these questions.

We often hear horror stories of little girls being married to older men, genital mutilation, and honor killings of women who allegedly brought disrepute on their families. Do you categorically and without qualification denounce the practices of child brides, clitorectomies, and honor killings?

It is undeniable that non-Muslims living in some Muslim countries have been reduced to severe second-class citizen status (dhimmitude, in full) and forced to pay the oppressive jizya tax. In some Muslim countries, they can be jailed or killed simply if someone accuses them of blaspheming Muhammad. Do you categorically and without qualification denounce these practices and endorce non-Muslims to live as complete equals in both our and other countries?

Do you unqualified and without reservation support freedom of speech, even speech that might be considered blasphemous to Mohamad?

Will you defend the right of others to speech that which you consider Blasphemous?

Do you categorically and without qualification denounce all calls to execute so called blasphemers of Mohamad, like Wilder and Rushdie?

This year the Muslim Association of Malawi (MAM) called for homosexual people in the
country to be given the death penalty. Do you categorically and without qualification denounce all calls to punish people for being homosexual?

In quite a few Muslim countries, conversion is forbidden under penalty of death. Do you categorically and without qualification denounce this practice and support the 1st Amendment that guarantees free and open religious interaction, denouncing all punishments of any kind for conversion?

The Islamic State has demanded that non-Muslims convert or die. ISIS is carrying out Christian executions and even crucifixions right now. Do you categorically and without qualification denounce the practice of forced conversions?

All radical Muslim groups want to enforce Sharia Law. Do you categorically and without qualification stand against the implementation of Sharia?

“The Hour [of Resurrection] will not come until you fight the Jews. The Jew will hide behind stones or trees. Then the stones or trees will call: ‘Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.’” is a famous Hadith. Do you categorically and without qualification state that Israel and the Jews have a right to exist?

I would love to get some direct answers from Muslims in the LP. The little dealing I’ve had with them is clear, they want different rules for Muslims than non-Muslims, they hem-haw and obfuscate supporting equal rights for everybody equally. We must consider a problem with answers by a person who claims to uphold the Five Pillars of Islam and believe in the divine inspiration of the Koran and the reliability of the Hadith. Islamic holy writs are pretty clear and grant Muslims the right and duty to lie to non-Muslims if it will further the cause of Islam.

So rather than simply accept the word, we must look at the actions of “moderate Muslims.” First and foremost I don’t expect honest, direct, answers to these questions. They will be qualified, or attacks on the questioner, or otherwise obfuscated and redirect with indirect answers. History is dotted with the likes of Mahmoud Abbas, who repeated the notorious actions the late Yasser Arafat who in English to Western/Israeli audiences routinely make lots of grand statements on peace but in Arabic to Muslim audiences routinely called for the eradication of Israel.

A vocal Muslim Libertarian argues that there should be separate court with separate rules for Islamists, and contracts Muslims enter should be treated differently and adjudicated differently than are contracts and laws for non-Muslims. Until and unless Muslims who claim to be Libertarian, openly and without qualification, call for all laws and all courts to treat everybody equally regardless of religion, sex, race, etc. their claims to be libertarian must be suspect. Unless we see moderate Muslims who claim to be Libertarian, openly and without qualification, publically denouncing the totalitarian and non-libertarian words, deeds, and actions of Islamists both here and abroad, their words must be suspect.

Right now it would be nice just to get clear unqualified answers to the above questions, that would be a start.