Source: muslimwriters.org | Mirza Haseeb

I am an American Ahmadi Muslim middle school student. I was born in America and will never leave it. I love this country, America, because this country is my homeland. For me, loving my homeland is like loving my mother. Loving my country is part of my faith. This is the teaching of my beloved religion, Islam. Islam not only teaches to love your motherland but to make positive changes in our country to make it better. It amazes me that America has so much to offer and that we live in such a wonderful country. This is the reason why many people migrate to this land of opportunity.

When any “Muslim” American wishes to hurt the United States, I wish someone were to tell him or her the saying of Muhammad (peace be on him), the founder of Islam that, “Love of one’s country is part of one’s faith.” I wish their parents taught them that to love America is their religion.

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by Labeeb Ahmad

Now that it is Black History Month, we cannot forget about the cruel racism and slavery that had resided in our world once. As a Muslim American, I find interesting Islam’s teachings in relation to racial equality.

The Holy Prophet of Islam once stated that:

A white has no superiority over a black, just as a black has no superiority over a white.”

From our American history, we find that Malcolm X stated:

America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem.”

This statement is supported by the teachings of the Holy Quran, which states that the most honorable is judged by one’s righteousness, not by race (49:14). In fact, the Quran celebrates different races when it states, “And among his signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your tongues and colors” (30:23).

We have come a long way, but racism in our country, not only toward blacks but also other races, can’t be shrugged off.

If we can come together and use the principles of racial equality taught by Islam, and most religions for that matter, some of the remaining challenges faced today can be tackled.

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Labeeb Ahmad is 14 years old and is currently a freshman in high school. Last year he went to the annual Ohio State Science Fair for his science project “How Do Different Surfaces Affect the Speed of a Tennis Ball?” He wants to go in a career of science or medicine.

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